Drawing the Head and Hands

1. Master the Ball and Plane: The Foundation of Head Drawing

The basic shape is a flattened ball.

Start with the basics. Loomis advocates beginning with a simplified form resembling the cranium—a flattened ball—as the foundation for drawing heads. This approach provides a solid base for constructing the skull and attaching facial features, ensuring accurate proportions and perspective. By visualizing the head as a three-dimensional form, artists can avoid the common pitfall of drawing flat, two-dimensional faces.

Construction lines are key. The "cross," formed by the brow line and the middle line of the face, is crucial for establishing the head's pose and proportions. These lines act as guides for placing features and ensuring symmetry. Practice drawing the ball and plane in various angles to develop a strong understanding of head construction.

Think in 3D. Imagine the unseen side of the head as a duplicate of the visible side. This helps create a sense of solidity and volume in your drawings. By mastering the ball and plane, you can confidently construct heads from any angle, laying the groundwork for more advanced techniques.

2. Proportions and Spacing: The Key to Likeness

The features must take their proper places in our construction.

Measurements matter. Accurate proportions and spacing are essential for capturing a likeness. The distance from the brow line to the hairline, the length of the nose, and the distance from the nose to the chin are typically equal. Use these measurements as a starting point, but be aware that individual variations exist.

Units of measurement. Divide the face into units to help establish proportions. The front view of the head fits well into a rectangle that is three units wide and three and a half units deep. The side view fits into a square that is three and a half units in each direction. These units can be further subdivided to locate the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Placement over perfection. Focus on placing the features correctly within the construction lines before refining their details. A well-placed, simply drawn feature is more effective than a poorly placed, meticulously rendered one. By prioritizing accurate placement, you can create convincing and lifelike portraits.

3. Anatomy: Understanding the Underlying Structure

From the skull we get the spacing of the features, which is more important to the artist than the features themselves.

Bones and muscles. While memorizing every anatomical detail isn't necessary, understanding the basic bone and muscle structure of the head is crucial. The skull provides the framework for the face, influencing the placement and shape of features. Muscles control facial expressions, adding depth and realism to your drawings.

Key muscles to know:

• The masseter muscle (closes the jaw)
• The orbicularis oris (controls lip movement)
• The zygomaticus major (the "smile muscle")
• The frontalis (wrinkles the forehead)

Expression through anatomy. Facial expressions are the result of muscle contractions beneath the skin. By understanding how these muscles function, you can accurately depict a wide range of emotions. Study the mechanics of the mouth, eyes, and brows to create convincing and expressive portraits.

4. Planes: Sculpting Form with Light and Shadow

Through these planes we can interpret the true solidity as in no other way.

From round to square. While the head is fundamentally round, emphasizing planes can add structure and vitality to your drawings. Planes are flat surfaces that define the form and create a sense of depth. By simplifying the head into a series of planes, you can better understand how light and shadow interact with its surface.

Basic and secondary planes. Memorize the basic planes of the head, including the forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin. Then, explore the secondary planes that create subtle variations in form. Use these planes as a foundation for rendering light and shadow, creating a sense of volume and dimension.

Tone and value. Tone is the effect of light on form. Shadows are shapes that occur over the surface of the form. Keep the lights and shadows as simple as possible. Hold the light down to one source to begin with. Later on, you may want to introduce some back lighting, but never have both lights shining on the same area. This creates a falsity of lighting, and therefore false-looking form, for form really exists only as light, halftone, and shadow define it.

5. Character and Expression: Bringing Heads to Life

Our thoughts, our emotions and attitudes, even the kind of lives we live, register in our faces.

Individuality in faces. Every face is unique, reflecting a person's thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Pay attention to the subtle variations in bone structure, muscle tone, and skin texture that contribute to individual character. Use these details to create portraits that are not only accurate but also expressive.

Exaggeration for effect. Experiment with exaggerating certain features or expressions to create caricatures or stylized portraits. This can be a fun way to explore different types of characters and develop your own artistic style. However, always maintain a solid understanding of anatomy and proportion to avoid creating distorted or unconvincing drawings.

Rhythm and design. Rhythm in drawing is something you feel. Rhythm must be closely associated with design, and every head has design. There is a related flow of line, One line working with or opposed to another. Rhythm is freedom in drawing, freedom to express shapes, not meticulously, but in harmony.

6. Drawing Women's Heads: Softness and Subtlety

Charm lies in the basic drawing.

Feminine features. When drawing women's heads, emphasize softness and subtlety. The bone and muscle structure is typically less prominent than in men's heads. Use delicate lines and smooth transitions to create a sense of grace and beauty.

Hair and style. Pay attention to the hairstyle and how it frames the face. Simple planes are often more effective than meticulously rendering every strand or curl. Consider the overall design and how it contributes to the character of the portrait.

Aging gracefully. When drawing older women, be kind and respectful. Subordinate wrinkles, but take the forms very much into consideration. New forms have developed in the cheeks; indications of the way tin; muscles are attached in and under the flesh have begun to show through.

7. Drawing Children's Heads: Capturing Youthful Charm

If the baby head is understood, it is really no harder to draw than any other head, and sometimes not as hard.

Baby proportions. Children's heads have different proportions than adult heads. The face is smaller in proportion to the skull, and the features are typically rounder and softer. The eyes appear larger and more widely spaced.

Four divisions. Divide the face from the brows down into four parts. The eyes touch the bottom line of the top division. The nose touches the bottom line of the second division. The corners of the mouth fall on the bottom line of the third division, and the chin drops slightly below the fourth or bottom division.

Youthful spirit. Capture the youthful spirit and innocence of children in your drawings. Pay attention to their expressions and gestures, and use your artistic skills to convey their unique charm. Remember that children are constantly changing, so it's important to observe them closely and capture their fleeting moments of beauty.

8. Hands: Expressive Tools of the Human Form

The hand is the most pliable and adjustable part of the whole anatomy.

Hands tell a story. Hands are incredibly expressive and can convey a wide range of emotions and actions. Study the anatomy of the hand and practice drawing it in various poses to develop your skills. Pay attention to the subtle curves, angles, and textures that make each hand unique.

Proportions and construction. The length of the hand is about equal to the length of the face from chin to hairline. The thumb reaches nearly to the second joint of the first finger. The back of the hand can usually be drawn in three planes-one for the thumb section as far as the bottom knuckle of the first finger, and the other two across the back of the hand, tapering to the wrist.

Practice with your own hands. Your own hands are the best source of reference material. Study them in different positions and lighting conditions to gain a deeper understanding of their form and function. Use this knowledge to create realistic and expressive drawings of hands in your portraits and figure drawings.

Last updated: March 3, 2025