This tutorial demonstrates a rhythmical and gestural approach to laying in and drawing a head in 3/4 or side view. We will use the major thrusts, or gestures, and basic geometric shapes, like the “pie shape” to capture the head. This tutorial will show you how to add a lot of life, movement and dynamism to your head drawings.

There are 3 demonstrations in the video. The tutorial will take you through the entire head drawing process from start to finish. Topics include gesture drawing, construction and shading.

This approach is inspired by the work and teaching of Steve Huston, with a touch of Reilly Method. The static, text version of this tutorial can be found here:

http://www.freshdesigner.com/how-to-draw-the-head-in-3-quarter-or-side-view/

This tutorial will introduce a more fluid and gestural approach to drawing the head. The focus is on the major gestures, or “thrusts” as Steve Huston refers to them, and their relationships to one another. We’re also want to keep our lay-in simple, by using geometric shapes. The first shape we will use is the “pie”.

Step 1: Using The “Pie” Shape

The geometric shape we will use to capture the head in side or 3/4 view is called the “pie”. The name comes from the resemblance to a pie slice or wedge. We get the pie shape by connecting the major thrusts of the head.

The first major thrust is the frontal plane of the face. To get the frontal plane, simply draw a gesture through the point of the forehead (sometimes will be defined by the edge of the hairline) and the tip of the chin (Fig. 2).

This defines where the features of the face will lie and the general length of the subject’s face.

The next step is to draw a line through the point of the forehead to the back of the cranium (Fig. 3). Often times this point will be hidden because of hair. In this case you will have to rely on intuition to guess or estimate where that point is.

To develop this intution, first observe and then use your minds eye to imaging the subjects cranium. With that line and shape in mind, confidently make your mark. Through study and practice of drawing from life, your judgement and observation will naturally improve.

The final major thrust is drawn through the back of the skull to the tip of the chin (Fig. 4).

As you can see. you’ve created a pie shaped triangle. However, it really has all the essential movement and information that the rest of the drawing can be built upon.

Step 2: Grounding The Head

Having captured the pie shape, draw 2 thrusts for the neck that will anchor our head to the torso (Fig. 5).

The key is observation and good estimation. Use the point of the back of the head as a guide for the back of the neck, and the point of the chin as a guide for the front of the neck. The key is good observation, confident estimation and fluid marks. As you make your marks, always consider their relationships to the whole.

Stpe 3: Laying In The Features

First, I plot the major anatomy such as the brow ridge, bridge of the nose, mouth and mandible (Fig. 6). At this stage, I still want to stay fluid and rely on observation and instincts. I dont want to get too caught up in measurements and structure.

Next, I draw a fluid curves for the jawbone and then follow the rhythm up around to give me the back of the ear. Then, I more accurately fill in the cranium, or shape of the hair, hats, etc. (Fig. 7). Of course, I could also add as much construction as needed to guide me when adding details, light and shade.

Satisfied with the lay-in I can flesh out the features and add light and shade (Fig. 8).

For more info on lighting and shading, check out the head drawing tutorials and videos. For reference, here’s a step by step diagram of this process.

The great thing about this approach is it’s fluid nature. It’s also a good way to quickly establish the tilt of the head. Fig. 9 below is an example of the always tricky up-tilted head. Fig. 10 is a down tilt. The numbers are the stroke order.

Below are 2 step by step diagrams for reference.

A lot of this approach is inspired by the work and teaching of Steve Huston. If you want to study this approach further, there was a recent American Artist article featuring Steve’s drawing approach. If you can’t dig it up, I’ll post a review of that article in the future.

In the meantime, find yourself a live model session and try drawing your 3/4 or side view heads using  the pie shape and major thrusts. It will be great exercise in observation and intuition and really add some dynamic ‘punch’ to your head drawings.  As always, I would love to see your drawings and progress so please comment or drop me a line.

The approach to Reilly Method I use is a synthesis of three teachers: 1. Sergio Sanchez, 2. Rhaban Canas and 3. a touch of Steve Huston. When I first started to study Reilly Method, the first thing I was taught was how to properly lay-in the torso. The torso is important because it is the largest mass of the body and it is where all the limbs and extremities originate. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will use a front view of a female torso in a relatively static pose. Since the torso is so important, I will spend some time breaking down the steps of the lay-in before we move to light and shade.

Step 1: Capture the ribcage

The torso is the largest mass of the body and the ribcage is the largest mass of the torso. We want to lay-in or capture it’s shape and gesture. Since this pose is static and up and down, I am able to simplify and capture the ribcage into a rectangular shape. Of course, the figure is dynamic and the shape of the ribcage can vary depending on the pose and the angle of the viewer.

The important points to look for are the landmarks (seen as pink dots in Fig. 1 above). Using the landmarks as a guide, I not only get the gesture and shape of the ribcage, but the contour as well.

The numbers in the drawing represent the stroke order. It is not necessary to do them in this exact order. However, the shoulder line, which is drawn through the pit of the neck, will give you a lot of information and gesture. Since quick sketch generally starts with the head, if you work top down, the shoulder line will most likely be the first stroke that follows the head.

Step 2: Abdomen

Once we’ve established the ribcage we can then capture the shape of the abdomen. The landmarks to look for are the lower obliques and the lower abdominal (Fig. 2).

Step 3: Hips
The last segment of the torso are the hips. Sometime it is called “the miniskirt” because in a simple geometric shape it looks like a short mini skirt as you can see in the drawing above (Fig. 3). The landmarks to look for are the points of the hipbone and the bottom of the crotch. The hipbones can generally be found at the point where the leg meets the hip.

Step 4: Centerline

Since the shoulder, ribs and hips gave us our horizontal gesture, centerline gives us our vertical gesture. Centerline is a generally drawn through the spine. Of course, the spine is very dynamic and can curve and bend, but for this pose we can use a nice vertical straight.

At this stage, our drawing looks very simplified, but it is extremely important to lay-in and capture the torso accurately. This simple framework will be the foundation for our figure. Much of the success or failure of the drawing will depend on how well the torso is layed in. So, take the time to measure and make accurate marks before moving on to anatomy. Of course practice, practice, practice and tons of repetition will make your lay-ins solid.

Step 5: Anatomy

Having taken the time to accurately describe the torso, we can now plot the anatomy. When I say anatomy, DO NOT draw EVERY muscle, joint or tendon you see. Keep your anatomy simple. There’s no need to describe every single muscle, and for quick sketch there isn’t enough time. The important thing to do is to observe what the pose gives you.

Generally, the anatomy to look for in a front pose like this are the breasts, ribcage, abdominal wall and naval. It’s also good practice to describe the torso anatomy before adding the legs and arms.

Using my lay-in as a guide, I follow natural rhythms to describe the anatomy (Fig. 5). There’s a lot of great information out there on anatomy and figure construction, so I won’t go into too much detail here. Generally, I want to keep things as simple as possible and capture the large masses using simple geometric shapes.

Step 6: Separate light and dark

Using the lay in as a guide, I can begin to light our figure. The first step is to separate the light side from the dark side. At this stage I am thinking of terms of only 2 values, white and black. A single light source pose like this gives a clear separation. The diagram in Fig 6 above shows what I was looking for.

I also begin to introduce edgework by adding a firm edge for the core shadow and crisp edge for the cast shadows. The outer contour is a blend of crisp and firm edges.

Since this is a quick sketch, I don’t want to go too crazy with edge variety. As with the simplification of values, I also simplify the edges I will use.

Step 7: Adding tone

OK, here’s my favorite of Reilly Method, the shading. The way quick sketch is shaded is what I fell in love with when I was first introduced to this approach. Using the shadow shape as a guide, I drop in a middle value in the shadow area. Middle value is the value between white and black. White in this case being the white of the paper.

For quick sketch, I generally like to hatch in one direction but it’s a matter of personal style and preference.

Step 8: Final drawing

Since I have a little time left in this 5 minute study, I add some finishing touches. I soften some edges of the core shadow, punch in darks and add touches of half-tone to give the drawing a little more depth and help the forms turn.

For reference, here’s a step by step diagram of the torso lay-in process.

*** Tips on Figure Quick Sketch ***

1. Observe, observe, observe

Before making marks and jumping right into drawing, take some time to observe the model. Look for the landmarks. Look for the gesture. Look for the rhythms. Look at the shape of the shadow. Observe what the pose is giving you. Throughout the drawing, stop, gather yourself and take the time to observe.

There is not a lot of time in quick sketch or gesture drawing, but good observation will help you to make more accurate marks.

2. Take your time

Even though quick sketch is done from short, 1-5 minute poses, take the time to observe and measure (see Tip #1 above). Especially during the lay-in. Do not rush the lay-in, especially if you’re new to quick sketch drawing.

When I first started studying quick sketch, it took me months to be able to draw the lay-in well during a short pose. I would often get bored and frustrated because I wanted to rush through the lay-in, get to the shading and polish my little figure in time. Eventually I learned to relax and appreciate the process. This allowed me to internalize more of the lay-in process and ultimately made me faster and my drawings better.

Take your time to do the lay-in well. It may seem boring and repetitive, but over time it will pay off in the quality of your figures and overall drawing skill.

*********

This tutorial was meant to be a brief introduction in how to lay in the torso. Reilly method, figure quick sketch and gesture drawing in general is a very deep and complex subject. Later on, we will break down how to lay-in the whole figure, and how to apply the techniques to various poses and viewpoints.

Of course, a subject like this is best learned from example. If you are fortunate enough to have instructors in your area who teach this approach, I highly recommend taking a live class. We will also post more resources for those who want to study Reilly method further in upcoming articles. For those who want to dive in to drawing the head, check out the head quick sketch tutorial.

The subject of our demo will be “Beat” Takeshi Kitano, the legendary Japanese filmmaker. This picture works really well for this demonstration because of the high contrast lighting and clearly defined shadow pattern. We’ll get into shading later, but first let’s start with the basics.

Step 1: Beginning the Lay-in

OK, so this is pretty much how ALL of my head drawings start and how a lot of artists approach head drawing. At this stage I try to observe the key landmarks that will guide the construction of our drawing. For more info on some of the key landmarks of the head, check out the last portrait painting tutorial.

Reilly method emphasizes good design so the first step (Fig. 1-a) is to: 1. accurately estimate the subject’s head width and length, and 2. plot and design where the head will be on the paper. For a quick sketch like this, composition isn’t too much of a concern, but it’s good practice to plot where the head will be placed and to design the composition of your image.

Next, I draw in the centerline to establish the tilt of the head. Then, I draw a line through the brow ridge. This gives us the angle of the of subjects gaze and begins to define the planes of the head.

Correctly defining the tilt of the head and angle of the planes of the face is critical to the success of a head drawing, so practice, practice and practice. Make sure these marks are done right before moving on to the features.

Step 2: Laying in the features

First, I anchor the head by blocking in the contour of the neck and shoulders. Using the brow ridge as I guide, I estimate their depth and distance apart, and draw marks through the center of the eyes. Using centerline, I lay-in the bottom of the nose and center of the mouth.

Step 3: Constructing the features

At this stage of the drawing, I describe the shape of the eye opening (which follows the orbital bone), the ‘keystone’ of the brow ridge that leads to the nose, and the width of the nose. My main focus now is giving myself enough information to plot the separation of light and dark which will be the next step.

*Please note that this has been oversimplified for this tutorial. There’s a lot of great material out there on head construction, so I won’t go into too much detail here. For more in-depth information on head construction, the work of Andrew Loomis is a good place to start.

Step 4: Seperate light from dark

Alright, we’re almost at my favorite part of Reilley method drawing, the shading, but first, we need to capture the shape of the shadow area. By simplifying the values, I can clearly cut-out or separate the border of light and dark. I also begin to describe form by introducing firm and crisp edges. Generally the core shadow (the border of light and dark) will have a firm edge and cast shadows will get a nice crisp edge.

Edgework can be a tutorial in itself and takes a lot of practice to master. For now, let’s just focus on simplifying the values and getting accurate separation. I’ve drawn over the image in blue (Fig. 4) to show what I was looking for on our subject. For the comic fans out there, look at the work of Frank Miller or Mike Mignola for reference on how to simplify values and design the shadow shape.

*Tip: if you’re having trouble separating light and dark, and simplifying the values, squint when you look at your subject. Or if you’re working from photo, bump up the contrast using a photo editor.

Step 5: Adding tone

Alright, this is the fun part. This is the payoff for all the hard work of good plotting and designing. Using the shadow shape as a guide, drop in a middle value tone. By middle value, I mean mid-way between white (light side) and black. I generally drop the initial tone in one direction, but you can also hatch in the direction of the form you’re describing.

I still remember the first time I was introduced to Reillly Method drawing. I was so dazzled by the elegance and beauty created in the shadow area. To this day, I still get mesmerized when I see it done well. For example, check out the quick sketch drawings by Sergio Sanchez, who was my teacher and mentor.

Step 6: Suggest half-tones and final touches

It’s time to add some finishing touches. First, I punch in some darks. Observe the darks in your subject, but generally, punch in the darks in the eyes and darken up the core shadow to really make the forms pop. Next, I finesse the edges along the core shadow, hair, contour and features. Finally, I add hints of half-tone (the value between white and the middle value) along the cheeks, forehead and nose.

Half tones add a little more life and depth to our drawing, but this is a quick sketch so we don’t want to go too crazy with introducing values. Hint at a background, sign and date and we’re good to go.

** Tips on Head Quick Sketch **

1.  Draw light

When drawing your lay-in and construction lines, have a light hand and draw as light as possible. Especially if you’re working in pen!

The only reason the construction lines are visible in this tutorial is because I bumped up the contrast of the scans. Even if you’re using charcoal or pencil, practice having a light hand and a light touch when making marks.

2.  Work small

This drawing was done in my pocket moleskine, which measures 3″ x 5″. You don’t have to work this small, but a quick sketch is just that, a quick study of the subject. Working small and working quickly, 3-5 minutes, will help you to really focus on good fundamentals.

This first few steps are the key, the rock, the foundation of drawing. So do a lot and practice, practice, practice.

3.  Do a little everyday

Drawing heads well is not easy. It can take a lifetime to master. The beauty of quick sketch is that it is quick and doesn’t require a lot of commitment of effort or time. Anyone can take out 5 minutes a day to draw. If done consistently over time, you can see some amazing progress in your drawing, dexterity and overall skill level. Here’s a an example of drawings I did from Feb. 3rd through Feb. 7th, 2009.

If you want to see some dramatic improvement in your head drawing, try this challenge:

Draw a quick sketch every day for 30 days.

If you can’t do 30 days, get out there and draw for a week, or two weeks. But the key is consistency. If you complete the challenge, send me your drawing from Day 1, and the last drawings in the set.

** The first person to complete the challenge will get an original sketch from me! **

Must be a minimum of 7 consecutive days (1 week). If you have Photoshop, arrange them onto a single jpeg image. Good luck, keep drawing and I look forward to seeing your entries.