HOW TO DRAW

A FACE
LOOMIS' APPROACH

-drawing faces by understanding

facial proportions
The LOOMIS METHOD is a technique to
draw the human head from any position using
simple blocks and landmarks.

WILLIAM ANDREW LOOMIS

(JUNE 15, 1892 – MAY 25, 1959)
American illustrator, writer, and art instructor
HOW TO DRAW
A FACE FROM
THE FRONT
STEP 1 - DRAW A
CIRCLE AND A
CROSS
Draw a circle with two
intersecting lines that connect
directly in the center. The circle
represents the top portion of the
head. We'll use the intersecting
lines to determine the locations
of the facial features.
STEP 2 - DRAW A
SQUARE WITHIN
THE CIRCLE
Draw a square in which each
corner touches the circle. This
square will eventually represent
the edges of the face. The top
line will eventually become the
bottom hairline. The bottom
line will become the nose line,
while the center line will
become the brow line.
STEP 3 - DRAW
THE CHIN

Measure the distance from the

center line to the bottom line.
You can use your pencil to do
this. From the bottom line of
the square, use this
measurement to mark the
location of the bottom of the
chin. Then, draw the edges of
the chin from each side of the
square so that they connect at
your marked location.
STEP 4 - LOCATE
THE EYES

next locate the eyes. We can use the

height of the head to help us
determine the location of the eyes on
the face. The eyes are generally found
on a line in the center of the head.

The brow line is represented by the

center line that we drew in step one.
So we know that the eyes should be
found just below this line, in the
center of the head. We can draw a line
here for the "eye line".
STEP 5 - DRAW
THE EYES

Now that we know where our eyes are

located on the face, we can draw
them. There's another measurement to
keep in mind. We also should consider
the width of the eyes. The width of the
head, from ear to ear, generally
measures the same length of five
"eyes". This means that if we want to
draw the eyes with accurate
proportions, then we need to draw
them so that they match this
approximate measurement.
STEP 6 - LOCATE
AND DRAW THE
NOSE
Moving down the face, we'll next
draw the nose. The bottom of the nose
can be found on the bottom line of the
square that we drew in step two. The
width of the nose varies from person
to person, but is generally as wide as
the inside corners of the eyes.

It may be helpful to draw two light

lines down from the inside corners of
the eyes to help you find the width of
the nose.
STEP 7 - LOCATE
AND DRAW THE
MOUTH
We find the mouth slightly higher than
half-way between the bottom of the
nose and the chin. Of course, this
measurement varies from person to
person. We can draw a line to mark
the positioning of the mouth.

We can use the eyes to help us

determine the width of the mouth. The
corners of the mouth generally align
with the inside edges of the pupils. It
may be helpful to draw light lines
from the pupils to the "mouth line".
STEP 8 - DRAW
THE EARS
Next, we'll draw the ears. Here again,
we can use the locations of the
features of the face to help us
determine the location of the ears. The
top of the ears will generally align
with the brow line, while the bottom
of the ears align with the nose line.

Keep in mind that the ears come out

of the head and extend upward
slightly. This means that the ears will
extend outward from the head, near
the eye line.
STEP 9 - DRAW
THE HAIRLINE
Now we'll draw the hairline. If you're
drawing someone that has long hair
that overlaps the forehead, the hairline
may not be visible, but it's still
important to know where it's located.
The hairline is found on the top edge
of the square that we drew in step two.

Hairlines vary greatly from person to

person. In this example, we'll draw a
widow's peak pattern.
STEP 10 - DRAW
THE HAIR
Now that we have the hairline in
place, we can draw the hair. Shorter
hair extends only slightly off of the
top of the head, while longer or
bushier hair may extend quite a bit. In
both cases, however, the hair extends
out from the head and should not be
drawn directly on the head.
STEP 11 - ADD THE
NECK
Now we need to add a neck to our
floating head. The tendency of most
beginning artists is to make the neck
too narrow. Generally speaking, the
neck extends down from the bottom of
the ears. Female necks are slightly
more slender, while the necks of
males are broader.

To draw the neck, we'll simply extend

two lines down from the bottom of the
ears.
HOW TO DRAW
A FACE FROM
THE SIDE
(PROFILE)
STEP 1 - DRAW A
CIRCLE, A SQUARE,
AND INTERSECTING
LINES
We'll start in the same way that we did before
by drawing a circle, two intersecting lines,
and a square that makes contact with the
circle at all four corners.

Here again, the top line of our square will

become the hairline. The middle line will
become the brow line and the bottom line
will become the nose line.
STEP 2 - DRAW A LINE
FROM THE TOP OF THE
HEAD TO THE CHIN

We'll next mark the location of the bottom of

the chin. We can measure the distance from
the center of the square to the bottom and use
this measurement to mark the bottom of the
chin.

With a mark in place for the chin, we'll draw

the front edge of the face. In this case, our
subject is facing to the left, so we'll bring a
curved line down from the top of the head to
the bottom of the chin.
STEP 3 - ADD A LINE
FROM THE BOTTOM OF
THE CHIN TO THE
CENTER OF THE
SQUARE

Next, we'll draw a line from the bottom of the

chin to the center point on the bottom of the
square. This line represents the jawline. This
line will curve slightly in most cases.
STEP 4 - DETERMINE
THE LOCATION OF THE
EYES
Now we'll measure to the center of the head
and place a line to represent the eye line.
Again, this line should be drawn just
underneath the brow line.

We can also use the circle that we drew with

the bottom of the square to draw the backside
of the head. Think about the structure of the
skull here as you draw this line.
STEP 5 - DRAW THE
FACIAL FEATURES AND
ADD SHADING
Now that we have an idea of the location of
the facial features, we can draw them in using
contour lines. We'll also add a bit of shading
here to make the face have a sense of form.

Notice how the eyes are set back from the

front edge of the face and how the lips and
mouth recede at a diagonal towards the neck.
STEP 6 - DRAW THE
EAR ON THE SIDE OF
THE FACE
We can use our center line, nose line, and eye line
to draw the ear on the side of the face. Since our
subject is facing towards the left, the bulk of the
ear will be found on the right side of our center
line.

As we discussed before, the line drawn for the ear

will start on the eye line, extend up to the brow
line and then curve down, touching the nose line.

We'll also go ahead and draw a contour line for the

outer edge of the hair and a couple of contour lines
for the neck in this step.
STEP 7 - ADD THE HAIR

We'll keep the hair style consistent with our first

drawing and draw the hairline. In this case, the line
extends back before making its way down to the
ears.

We'll also add a few hints of shading to make the

hair feel like a form.
HOW TO DRAW
A FACE FROM
3/4 VIEW
STEP 1

Using an HB pencil, draw a circle. Then draw a

small line at the bottom to mark
the bottom of the chin. This line should be roughly
1/2 the diameter of the
sphere.
STEP 2

Using a 2B pencil, connect the left side of the

circle to the chin. Just a simple
curve. Details will be added later.

Using an HB and then 2B, draw a raindrop shaped

loop that starts at the chin
and wraps around the right side of the circle and
ends back at the chin.
STEP 3

In this step, we're going to draw 4 lines down the

front of the face and 1 line
down the side with an HB pencil.
STEP 4

This step is optional. I highly

recommend it for your first few
tries or until you are able to
somewhat accurately eye the
measurements. Draw a ruler
beside your drawing and put
ticks on it, separating it into 8
equal sections.
STEP 5
With an HB, make 3 small ticks on line E where 'Center Line', line 2 and line 3
intersect. Then draw lines across the face. Make sure your lines wrap around
the face's curvature.
STEP 6
For all the facial features, use a 2B. If you're drawing guidelines, use an HB with
very little pressure. Draw your nose in the center of the face between the first 2 lines you just made
(Center Line and line 2).
For an average sized nose, keep the width of your nose close to line D and F.
STEP 7
The eyes will go on the center line. The left eye sits between the edge of the face and the bridge of the nose while the
right eye is placed between line F and the right edge of the face. Make use of the space. Do not draw your eyes too
small.
To draw eyebrows in the resting position, place them below line C. For a surprised expression, venture on or above
line C.
STEP 8
Make a triangle that sits on line 3 and reaches up to the base of the nose.
Keep the width of your lips on/between lines D and G. The corners of the lips
should line up perfectly with the center of the eye above it.
STEP 9
On the side of the head, draw the ear starting on the
'Center Line' and Line 2.
Draw the neck as well. Make sure it lines up with the
head's outline.
STEP 10
Let's give the left outer edge of the face a lot more shape. Define your brow bones, cheek bones,
chin and jawline.
Your left eyebrow and/or eye will need some touching up, so extend your lines to the new outer
edge of the face.
STEP 11
Between lines A and B, draw the hairline. For a receding hairline
go above line A.
“CORRECT PRACTICE
MAKES PERFECT”
Techniques and methods in drawing include
choosing the right materials and tools for
an artwork, analyzing through observation,
doing free strokes and sketching, measuring
properly, using grids, and allotting time for
practice