The human face is a constant part of humanity's art.
By drawing the human face, a compelling subject in art, artists attempt to better understand the human condition itself. There are many ways to create a drawing of the human face. This is in part due to the massive amount of different human faces in the world. However, all illustrations of a human face need to use a basic framework, facial details and a distinct expression.
Creating the Basic Frame
Every figure drawing should begin with a frame. Creating a frame allows you to keep all the elements of your drawing in proportion. Every human head can be drawn with an oval as the frame for the head. On a male's head, this oval will have a slightly wider and flatter base due to the large jaw and chin size of males. A woman's head frame will consist of an oval that is thinner and rounder at the base to create a more feminine chin and jaw line.
Each head oval should also contain a "t" or cross shape inside of it. This will help you to place facial features such as the eyes, nose and mouth in correct proportion to one another. Another way to create a facial guideline is to draw a horizontal line across the middle of the face and two more below this line to mark out the eyes, nose and mouth.
To create the neck, you can add a slightly diagonal line coming from the bottom left and right corners of the face. A male's neck will be thicker and more square shaped than a females. One way to express this is by drawing the neck of the female slightly smaller. You can also add a slightly curve to the line to help create a more feminine shape.
Adding the Details to the Face
With a frame in place, you can now place details on the face with simple shapes. Ovals can be used for eyes. These should go on your horizontal guideline if you have one. To keep the eyes in proportion with the rest of the face, keep in mind that the average face is five eyes wide. A quick way to do this is to draw an eye shape in the center of the face and add an oval to each side of this.
You can create the nose with a wide variety of shapes. A simple nose shape can be created with a rounded "V" shape. This type of nose faces downward slightly. Creating a an upturned nose can be done by drawing the exposed nostrils with two small teardrop-shaped dots. Add the side of the nostrils with curved lines. You can create the tip of the nose with a curved line. You can make this as large or as small as you like.
Creating the mouth can be done as simply or as complex as you like. A mouth can be done with a short horizontal line below the nose and left as is. However, you can also add the lips to make the mouth appear more feminine. You can do this by drawing a short horizontal line for the mouth, placing a curved line under this line for the bottom lip and adding a flat "M" shape for the upper lip. If you are drawing the lips on a male face, you will want to make the lips a bit more understated. You can try adding just the bottom lip with a curved line under the mouth.
Adding Expression
Human faces are filled with a range of expressions, and these expressions are part of what makes each human face unique. A great deal of expression can be contained in the eyes. Wide eyes can denote surprise or joy, while squinted eyes can express anger or concentration.
The position of the eyebrows can also be used to depict facial expressions. Eyebrows can turn upwards on their inside edges to denote compassion, curiosity and or an incredulous expression. Eyebrows that turn downwards on their inside edge denote intense expressions like anger or ecstasy.
Obviously the mouth is also a great way to convey expression in your human face drawing. An upturned mouth creates a smile that can change the entire look of the face. A downturned mouth creates a frown, and a wide-open mouth can convey shock. However, all of these simple ideas can be combined with different changes to the eyes and eyebrows to create a wide scope of emotions and expressions.
