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 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.

A slideshow video of the last portrait painting tutorial. Video has text comments on my thought process and general tips on creating beautiful portrait paintings. Cool soundtrack provided by Japanese DJ Group Nujabes, feat. Fat Jon.

A step by step tutorial demonstrating my process in creating a female portrait in Photoshop. The process is similar to traditional painting in oils and acrylics. I rely heavily on solid art fundamentals, especially head drawing. Since drawing is so important, we’ll explore that first.

STEP 1: “Laying-In” the head

A head ‘lay-in’ is the foundation drawing. It is used to describe and lay-in the basic structure of the subject’s head and the placement of the facial features. An accurate and effective lay-in is critical to the success of the portrait.

This particular lay-in drawing is very rough and simplified. At first glance, it looks like a bunch of squiggly, abstract lines. This is only because I have a lot of mileage drawing heads and can lay-in the head and features without a lot of construction lines. There is a lot of great material out there on head drawing, so I won’t go into too much detail here.

For those who want to explore head drawing further in-depth, a good starting point are books by Andrew Loomis. For the purpose of this tutorial, I’ll explain a part of the process in creating a simplified head lay-in.

First, observe the landmarks of the head and face. Once you see and identify the important landmarks, you can then accurately measure their length, width and distance from each other. These measurements gives a portrait it’s likeness and individual character.

The first landmarks I draw are the sides of the cranium and the bottom of the chin. This helps me to measure the width and height of the subject’s head and face.

The next is the centerline. The centerline goes through the center of the head and face at the nose. The centerline is critical for defining the angle of the subjet’s gaze.

Next is the eyebrow ridge. Some artist’s use the center of the eyes, which is fine. It is a matter of preference. I prefer the eyebrow ridge because: 1. the orbital bone is a prominent feature on some faces, especially in profile, 2. it defines the opening of the eye, and 3. casts a shadow over the eye creating a core shadow. Either way, this line defines where the eyes are and more importantly, the tilt of the head.

The establishing oval, centerline (vertical) and eyebrow ridge (horizontal) are the 3 most important marks you will make in a portrait drawing or painting. Take the time to measure here and to place these lines correctly.

Next (Figure 4), is placement of the features, eyes, bottom of nose and center of the mouth. Again, take the time to measure here. These marks are critical for getting a likeness.

Finally, I find the pit of the neck and establish the shoulder line. The shoulder line goes from the points of the shoulder bone through the pit of the neck. These marks anchor your head to the bust (upper torso) when the bust is visible in the piece.

For reference, I’ve created this 5 step diagram of the lay-in process using landmarks as a guide.

Using the lay-in as a guide, we can draw in the features. Because the lay-in was solid, I was able to further define the features and capture a likeness. Now that our drawing is in place we can begin the painting process.

STEP 2: Color

Using big brushes and stepping back away from the canvas (zooming out digitally), I apply big swatches of color. There was a lot of green in the lights and shadows so I made sure to mix in green with the lighter fleshes and put a lot of green in the shadow areas. I try to work very loosely here and with as saturated color as possible. Working this way will maintain a nice color variety throughout the painting process.

STEP 3: Separate light from shadow

Using a dull green and brown mixture, I block in the shadow side. The lighting is high contrast so the core shadows and the border between light and dark is very clear. Personally, I really enjoy this type of high contrast lighting because it creates a lot drama and mood.

STEP 4: Add darkest darks

I take a mixture of dark green and black to define the blacks, or the darkest darks of my value range.

STEP 5: Add lightest lights

I mix a cool green and warm white and paint in the whites or the lightest value of my value range. Because of the high contrast lighting and the angle of the light source, nearly half of her face almost goes to white. I made a conscious decision here to drop the value of the lights. I did this strategically, so that I could still use white to ‘pop out’ the hotspots where I want to draw the viewer’s eye which you will see in later steps.

STEP 6: Redefine the drawing

Since I loosely blocked in the shadow and light side, I go back in to redefine the drawing. For me it’s always a back and forth process. Stepping back, making marks and designing the image; then zooming back in to define where I want the viewer to look. In this case I start to define the eyes, silhouette and redefine some of the structure of the head and face that was lost during the painting. Don’t be afraid to come back and draw over your painting. Drawing is key.

Now that my drawing and value range is established, I can begin the rendering process.

STEP 7: Begin the Render

First, I redraw the eyes and adjust their distance apart. I then finesse the core shadows in the shoulders and bust and start to experiment with the values of the background.

STEP 8: Adjusting the hues

The image was starting to look a liittle too green so I introduce some reds back into the piece. I especially want to ‘warm up’ her flesh tones. I also add browns into the shadow area and continue to experiment with the background.

STEP 9: Modeling the Face

Since the eyes are such a focal point in this piece, I render them first. Next, I finesse the core shadows in her face. Just like in the figure, edgework is critical in making forms turn in space and be believable. However, in portraiture, there is less margin for error.

Not only do I consider the edges of the core shadow, but their color and especially their value. I make the decision to go back to a red cloth on her shoulder. I also continue to add reds to her face, especially in the cheeks and lips which we will render in the next step.

Step 10: Continue to finesse edges

I wanted to create a compositional triangle of interest between the eyes and lips, so the lips had to get special attention. I used a warm red and warm black mixture to define the darks of the lips. To make the lips pop out, I use a mixture of green and white in the highlights, paying attention to their edge and shape. I also clean up the passage of light on the bust and begin to define the light side of the hair.

STEP 11: Final Image

To make the eyes pop, I go back in and add crisp edges on the eyes. and finess the edges on the eyelids. I clean up the edges on her neck and bust. I adjust the value and hues of the greens in the bounce light. I add a green white mixture around her neck to make the silhouette pop. I also add some reds in the upper corner to balance the composition.

A detail of the rendering of final image.

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If you read the last tutorial on How to paint a sexy female figure, you can see my process for creating this piece was exactly the same. The only major difference was the greater attention to head drawing and construction.

If you paint in traditional mediums, you will know that this method is nothing new. It is a synthesis of what was taught to me by my Fine Art teachers and what many painters teach their students. Working this way forces me to not rely so much on the software, but on fundamentals.

If you like the look of this piece, and want to try it yourself, you can download the brush set used in creating this piece. I Hope it inspires you to get out there and paint. Remember, if you get stuck on trying to get the “painted look” in Photoshop, the best thing to do is get away from the computer.

Get familiar with traditional painting mediums first. Don’t spend time trying to mimic the painted look using the computer. Spend time painting WITH traditional mediums and use the computer to mimic the experience.