HOW TO DRAW: FACE | Basic Proportion #art #drawing, by Sam Oeun Art on YouTube. 2 min 17 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 17 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Draw a light oval for the head. Keep the pencil pressure soft so you can erase the guides later.
Draw a vertical line down the middle of the oval. This centre line keeps the eyes, nose and mouth aligned.
Split the oval into three horizontal bands with light lines. The hairline sits at the top, the brow line in the middle and the nose base at the bottom.
Place the eyes on the brow line, one on each side of the centre line. Leave a gap of about one eye width between them.
Mark the nose base on the lower line and the mouth halfway between the nose and the chin.
Draw the ears between the brow line and the nose line. Their tops and bottoms should line up with those guides.
Sketch the eyes as almond shapes, add the iris and pupil, then shape the nose and lips over your guide marks.
Erase the construction lines and darken the features you want to keep. Add light shading under the chin, nose and cheekbones.
Tips and common mistakes
Draw all guide lines lightly so they lift off cleanly with an eraser.
Check your proportions by holding the paper at arm's length or looking at it in a mirror.
Keep the eyes about one eye width apart, a common beginner mistake is placing them too close.
Questions
Do I need special pencils to draw a face?
No. A standard HB pencil and a soft eraser are enough to start. A 2B pencil helps if you want darker shading.
How long should I spend on the guide lines?
Take a few minutes to get the proportions right before adding detail. Fixing a guide is much easier than fixing a finished feature.
Why do my faces look off?
Check the centre line and the three horizontal bands. Most proportion problems come from features drifting off those guides.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
