How To Draw Real Faces easy with this how-to video and step-by-step drawing instructions. Pencil drawing tutorials for beginners and everyone.
Please see the drawing tutorial in the video below
You can refer to the simple step-by-step drawing guide below
Step 1
Introduction and 3 things to note || As an untrained artist (or rather, someone who learns simply by a combination of real-life observations and tutorials similar to this), I’ve learned a few things about patterns. face: and our face is no exception. The basic nose is triangular, the basic eyes are oval. We can use basic shapes to create a three-dimensional picture in our heads, allowing us to consider perspective when drawing faces. Also, by playing with these shapes, combining them and altering them slightly, we can create a uniqueness that parallels the variation found in the diversity of life on earth. b) Ratios are important, but they are not everything. There are certain patterns that allow the brain to recognize “faces”. When these rules are broken, our brains will warn us. There are a lot of tricks of the trade when it comes to facial proportions and the best part is that they are easy to remember! I will cover them as we draw, although bending the rules can create not only stylistic variation but also an air of realism. c) Rules were made to be broken: People are not perfect! Everyone knows about scars, freckles and birthmarks, but in terms of proportions, there is no perfect person on this planet. In fact, humans are quite asymmetrical. No one looks normal when you copy, flip, and paste half of their face to form the other face. For these reasons, especially when painting faces, perfection is the enemy of realism.
Step 2
Face Diagram || When drawing a face, most artists start with some kind of circle. This circle can represent the entire head or just the crown, but it provides a basic perspective for the features of the face. The natural tip is never perfectly oval, so the latter will be discarded. From here, you’ll want to draw a horizontal line right in the center of the face. The eye is on this line. The distance between the eyes is equal to the length of the eye, and the distance of each eye from the outside of the oval is also one eye. Between this line and the bottom of the oval, draw another horizontal line. This is where the base of the nose is located, but viewed from the front, it appears to be between the base of the nose and the upper lip. From these two lines and the eye size, you can layout the rest of the face. The sides of the nostrils generally coincide with the inner corners of the eyes, while the corners of the mouth should be directly below the center of each eye. *Tip: The hairline falls evenly from the top of the oval and the eye contour, although this varies from person to person. For example, men’s hairlines will be longer than women’s. The hairline of an infant or an elderly person will be much longer than the hairline of an adult. However, these variations are very small, so don’t go crazy!
Step 3
Eyebrow composition || Gosh! Eyebrows get a step of their own? It’s correct. The eyebrows are located somewhere above the eyes, but are much more diverse and determine the size of the forehead, expression, and provide most of the facial features. As a general rule, natural eyebrows should be at eye level and half above the eye. However, with dawn breaking, this could be as close as two eye levels. The eyebrow shape is also unique, although the most common shape includes a small crest toward the outer edge of the pupil. * Tip: Reflect- When I first started drawing faces, I had a tendency to make the eyes too big. We often think of the eyes as consisting of eyelids, eyelashes, and eyebrows, causing us to overestimate their size. Remember, the face is five eyes wide and the common eye is almond-shaped. Because face proportions depend so much on the eyes, it’s important that you draw it correctly!
Step 4
Structure and Lining || There are many different eye shapes and settings. Eyes can be in wide open, close-up, puppy and hooded mode! So what does all of this mean? Wide eyes are set slightly wider than monocular length, set slightly closer. Models and talent on camera often have wide eyes. The puppy’s eyes are slightly turned to the outer edge. Hooded eyes are the skin around the eyes that are “covered”. This is often seen in Asians and the elderly. Regarding the pupils, the upper eyelid will cut 1/4 to 1/3 of the iris, and the lower part will barely touch the lower eyelid. * Tip: The more you expose the iris, the more pronounced the expression. The less exposed you are, the more relaxed your expression will be.
Step 5
Structure and Lining || There are many different eye shapes and settings. Eyes can be in wide open, close-up, puppy and hooded mode! So what does all of this mean? Wide eyes are set slightly wider than monocular length, set slightly closer. Models and talent on camera often have wide eyes. The puppy’s eyes are slightly turned to the outer edge. Hooded eyes are the skin around the eyes that are “covered”. This is often seen in Asians and the elderly. Regarding the pupils, the upper eyelid will cut 1/4 to 1/3 of the iris, and the lower part will barely touch the lower eyelid. * Tip: The more you expose the iris, the more pronounced the expression. The less exposed you are, the more relaxed your expression will be.
Step 6
Nose Structure and Lining || The nose consists of four simple lines placed around an upside-down triangle. Two triangles representing the geometrical shape of the nose can be drawn using facial landmarks. From the center of the line dividing the bottom half of the oval, draw two lines connecting the outer edges of the eyeliner. From the inner rim of the eye, draw two lines down until they intersect the first two. Draw a line connecting the two intersections. At this point, you may look like you have a puppy nose. Position the four lines as drawn in red and resist the temptation to draw more than four of these. We will detail the rest!
Step 7
Structure and Lining || I like to think of the mouth as a combination of four ovals lying around a straight line. This line should be darker at the edges and center, and should have two very subtle vertices, as shown. These vertices will form four ovals, which will be placed around the center of the line. Lip shape and size varies from person to person. There is no single golden rule for how big the upper lip is relative to the lower lip. Feel free to experiment with lip proportions until you find the shape you like. The lips should be between the bottom line and the bottom of the oval.
Step 8
Facial texture and shade || This step is where your portrait really begins to take shape: shadows! In this step we will pay attention to the face shape. If white represents your average skin tone, blue represents shadows and yellow stands out. Always err on the side of little variation from shadows to highlights. Save dramatic colors like black and white to increase depth. Notice that there are breaks between the highlights on the side of the nose and cheekbones. These breaks can really add depth to your portrait, so don’t ignore them, but feel free to tweak and change the shadows to make the portrait and its subject unique. . Pink represents reflected light. Imagine that this person is wearing a white shirt. The light reflected from the white shirt will hit the face, provided the light is bright enough. Rarely will you find pure shadows or highlights. Every surface has its own profile. Also, make sure you have a good mix of shadows, mids, and highlights, and keep them separate. A poorly blended portrait looks blocky, while an overly blended portrait can look like a blur.
Step 9
Detail of the nose || The nose is the easiest part of the face to draw, but the hardest to draw from the front. Most of its bulk must be represented and depicted with shadows and highlights, as it is just a bump with two holes. To start, paint a curved line as shown in the image for this step. Also shade under the nose and lightly in the crease between the nostrils and the face. The highlights should appear on the tip of the nose and towards the outside of the nostrils. It’s not a good idea to shade the space on the face right up to the sides of the nostrils, as there is no light coming in from any angle to create such a shadow, unless you put a shadow in it. For now, leave those regions highlighted. Lightly polish the sides of the bridge of the nose and shine the reflected light into the image. It sounds difficult at first, but combining shadows with highlights and reflections can turn your nose from simple 4 lines into a real center! * Tip: Putting a break between the highlight of the tip of the nose and the highlight of the bridge of the nose can create a slight nose effect!
Step 10
Detail of the mouth || Start by painting the upper lip. In addition to an accent that we’ll add later in this step, the top lip should be a full shade or two darker than the bottom lip. Add shading to the corners of the mouth and the center. Now lightly brush the center of both the upper and lower lips. From here, you can use curved vertical strokes to give the lips a rounded shape alongside a bit of texture. Larger lips will have deeper lines, while younger lips will have more lines. To mimic the effect of wetness, paint a few dramatic but very small highlights for the lower lip. These, the highlights I mentioned earlier, should be reflected in the upper lip. The final part of this step is to draw a horizontal highlight line at the top of the upper lip OR above the upper lip. Either way, this describes the upper lip slightly protruding from the face.
Step 11
Jawline || Jaw lines come in many shapes and sizes, and often determine the overall shape of the face. Square and triangular jawlines are generally considered more masculine, although they are also used to show strength in women. Oval and elongated faces have an oval jawline. Round faces have a rounded jawline. Rectangular, square, and triangular face shapes have square jawlines. Finally, diamond shapes, inverted triangles, and heart shapes have a triangular jawline. You are free to choose any jawline you want or combine them! I chose a soft triangular jawline for my example.
Step 12
Imperfections and optional details || This is where you really get to make your portrait unique! Moles, freckles, birthmarks, pores, skin tags, you can name it! These details may seem like small details to me, but they take the realism of your portraits to the next level! * Tip: If working digitally, you can easily create a new brush with a few simple polka dots to create a large amount of freckles and/or pores. Just make sure to work at low opacity and build up. If working with a pencil, try lightly shading to set the stage for where the freckles will be. It will give the illusion of more freckles even without having to dot each one! Again, press gently and build up, you don’t want dark freckles or they look artificial.
Step 13
Ears || Ears aren’t really needed to draw a face, as you can always pull your hair to cover them. However, I thought I might as well add a short step into them and their placement just in case you want to draw a Mohawk. 😉 Ears are another very diverse part of the face. They come in all shapes, sizes, protrusions and positions! I usually line the bottom of my eyebrows and the tip of my nose. However, they have been known to sit lower than this, and elves’ ears are sure to last even longer!
Step 14
Hair: Face Frame || Hair frames the face, but if drawn incorrectly, it can look flat, shaggy, or like a strand of hair. I usually start with an outline, highlighting the sections and sections where I want to stand out. Then I create generic shading blocks of solid color. From there, I used the same technique we used in coloring the brows. I started by adding thick shadows of a darker color, then used a highlight to create a highlight. Then I repeat with a smaller line, and then smaller until I get to the detailed lines. Adding loose strands and curls can give the hair a realistic feel. Keep in mind the source of the light and DON’T FORGET THAT HAIR stands out like that. Strands of hair on the forehead? Make sure you add a shadow!
Step 15
Conclusion || Now you have a complete portrait from basic outline to loose hair! You can go back and edit, add imperfections, or do what you like until you feel like you’re done. * Tip: When working digitally, the liquefaction tool is handy, but it helps to use it so that this last step can be your complete masterpiece. Playing around with contrast using the dodge and burn tools can also be very helpful!
