To master face drawing, observe the contours and general outlines of different faces.
Faces are among the most complicated things to draw. If even the smallest detail is over or under exaggerated, the drawing can turn out cartoony and unrealistic. The key is to practice as much as possible to get a feel for drawing human features. A good way to practice is to draw your own face a few times with the help of a mirror before moving on to draw other faces.
Instructions
1. Glide a pencil over a piece of drawing paper to form a light outline of the head and neck. Focus on making the shape of the head rounder at the top, falling down to be widest at the cheeks, then curve slightly inward to form the chin. Pull your hair back and use a mirror to observe your face shape.
2. Create a very light cross-like shape across the entire face, with the middle point in the nose area. This will help distinguish where the different sections of the face are, allowing you to easier draw proportionate features.
3. Draw the eyes. Start by creating the outline of each eye before going over each one individually to fill in the eyelids, iris, pupil and eyelashes. Make sure both of the eye outlines are the same size before working in the details. When drawing the eyelashes, use short, quick lines that reach upward. Be careful not to make them too long.
4. Use the tip of the pencil to create a thin line that forms the shape of lips. Draw the lips as one shape initially before working on each part. When you first start drawing faces, draw the lips closed until you have enough confidence to try teeth. The teeth must be done with very little mistakes, as excessive eraser marks and stray lines can make them appear overworked.
5. Add in the nose, using the invisible line that reaches straight down from the inner corners of each eyebrow. Rather than use a line to complete every detail about the shape of the nose, fill in the nasal passages and the small curves that surround them. This will create the nose realistically without overemphasizing it and making it look pig-like.
6. Use an eraser to eliminate the cross you initially drew over the face. Add all final details to the face that you prefer, such as wrinkles, facial piercings, scars or freckles.
7. Look at your drawing from a bit of a distance to make sure that everything is in proportion.
