How to draw a face

Human eyes and facial expressions, including all the wrinkles, fleshy folds and shadows, personify the human spirit, so artists strive to learn how to draw people's faces. As a newcomer to drawing, you will probably first learn how to draw with pencil, but don't expect a beautiful face to flow from your first try. Plan on trying many times. You will get better. Vincent Van Gogh spent years learning to draw, so be patient.

Gaze at faces

Study a real human face. Notice that the face is about five eye-widths wide, with the space between the eyes about as wide as one eye. The length between the tip of the nose and the top of its bridge is about the same as the width of one and a half eyes. The width of the mouth is as wide as the space between the pupils. The top of the ears align with the pupils. The width of the nose at its widest point is approximately the width between the inner corners of the eyes.

Hatch an egg

Draw an egg, pointed end down, to approximate a head. Lightly sketch a cross over the oval, one line extending from the top to the bottom of the oval, and another halfway down the oval, side to side.

Eyes set the stage

Position the eyes by centering them horizontally and vertically on the cross line. Remember to leave the width of one eye between the two eyes. Most people have a tiny crease under each eye, so add a small line under each eye.

Shadow is an artist's tool

Sketch a horizontal shadow to represent the mouth. Sketch a shadow under the bottom lip.

Don't draw the nose

Rather than draw a nose, sketch the shadows around the nose.

Smokey eyes

Sketch shadows at the eye corners. Blur the top of the eyes into shadows.

Pull features forward

Define the face and chin. Sketch shadows under the cheekbones and on the sides of the lower half of the face.

Ears ask questions

Lightly draw the ears as if they are two narrow question marks on the sides of the oval.

Growing hair

Use sweeping motions with your pencil to add hair. It can extend all the way down to the top of the eyebrows, but it doesn't have to. The hair will cover most of the top half of the oval. Let the hair cover the ears if you want.

Be playful

Though it is a collection of shapes and shadows, a face is not made up of lines, so once you master the basic geography, practice replacing lines with shadows. Use an eraser, smudge with your finger and crosshatch to create shadows.