HOW TO DRAW FACES: Eyes, Nose, Lips, etc in 7 steps

PART 1: DRAWING YOUR OUTLINE

GENERIC FACE EXPLANATION

1) The face is an elongated egg shaped oval
2) Divide the oval into half vertically
3) Divide the oval into half horizontally
- Both these lines meet at the base of the nose
4) Dividing the lower half gives you the base of the lips.
5) Dividing the upper half gives you the center of the eye.
6) The distance between the two eyes is the same as another eye (imagine three eyes been drawn next to each other)
7) Ears usually fit between the eyebrows and the base of the nose.

With some practice you will be able to locate these freehand, but until then you could use a shortcut to check on the placement.

ALTERNATE METHOD
You could use a ruler to mark out eyes, nose, lips etc.


STEP 1: Drawing your oval

Pick the darkest shade on the face

STEP 2: Adding highlights

TIP: Try and make strokes in the direction of the shape (example: branching out from the forehead or brightest part of the cheek)

STEP 3: Sockets

Multiple strokes over and over, don't hesitate to undo and get them right.

STEP 4: Lips

a) Draw the teeth
b) Use multiple transparent strokes to shape your lips
c) Highlights

STEP 5: Nose

Make sure to highlight the tip of the nose and the top of the forehead
Also reduce the thickness and add some highlights on the lips

STEP 6: Eyes

a) Draw 2 round white eyeballs at the center of the sockets.
b) With thick black strokes draw the eyelashes and eyelids.
c) Draw the bottom eyelid with a thinner stroke.
d) With small transparent strokes draw the eyebrows in to out in the direction of growth of hair (center of the forehead to the side).
e to f) With minimum thickness and maximum opacity draw the lashes and few strokes on the eyebrows as well.
IMPORTANT: Lashes/ hair are drawn in tufts, always draw groups of 3 or 4 strokes that are bunched together.
g) Highlight the iris with strokes branching out of the center
h) Highlight the bottom and left areas with a lighter colour
i) Highlight the reflection on the eye with a white squiggle. Highlight some dark areas with a few black strokes spreading out of the pupil.

STEP 7: Finishing

With multiple dark strokes add dark areas
With multiple light strokes highlight brighter areas
Correct any mistakes, add detail, etc

DONE!

NEXT STEP: LEARN HOW TO DRAW HAIR



NOTE: I understand that some of the steps might be really difficult and would require some advanced skills + techniques. Please share your feedback, attempts, etc., so that I might attempt to explain some steps in more detail .

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Woa! Draw me one??
xD

You draw faces waaaaay diff. than me :PP

Great Job Lol Ill Have To Try This Here Soon Lol

Wow...no wonder I could never draw faces, I wasn't using the right method I'm going to try it right now

Great job mark! I will have to try this

BOOKMARKED :P tyvm I will give this a try later

Awesome tutorial Mark!!!

actually eyes are set in the middle of the head!!

mark, you rock! thats a million!