Painting of a female
Faces and portraits are one of the most difficult subjects to draw. If you are inexperienced with drawing figures, be patient as you learn to master the techniques of capturing human form on paper. We tend to be very critical of any rendering of the human form, in part because it is such a familiar subject that we are overly sensitive to any errors or irregularities. As with anything, practice will improve your results over time.
Instructions
1. Draw an egg shape, with the tapered end at the bottom. This is the outline of the face. The egg shape is useful for women; male faces tend to have stronger jaw lines and more boxy facial structures.
2. Draw "mapping lines" across the face--that is, a vertical line down the middle and a horizontal line about two thirds up from the bottom. The vertical line indicates the place where the center of the nose will be placed, and the horizontal line indicates the placement of the eyes. These lines will keep your drawing balanced and symmetrical.
3. Draw two eyes. Shape the eyes like almonds or footballs. Place the eyes so that the corners are over the horizontal line. Make them fall on either side of the vertical line in the center, with the distance of approximately one eye between them. Inside the eyes, draw a circle for the iris. Cover the top and bottom of the circles with the top and bottom eyelids respectively. Draw a smaller circle inside the irises for the pupils. Shade the pupils a dark color with a pencil.
4. Draw a curving line above each eye for the eyebrows. Make this line curve upward in the center, mimicking the top of the eye itself.
5. Draw a line down one side of the nose, starting at the same level as the eyebrows. Outline the bottom of the nose with a little bowl-shaped line underneath it.
6. Draw a line for the mouth beneath the nose and halfway to the chin. Accentuate this line with a curving line below to create the bottom of the lower lip, and a curving line above to create the top of the top lip.
7. Draw hair on top of the head and falling over the sides. Make the lines of each hair reach only to a certain point in the middle of the head to show a part down the middle. Make some lines of hair fall to the left and some to the right, with all of them meeting in the middle at the part.
8. Draw a C-shaped ear on the left side of the head. Make the top of the ear level with the eyebrows, and the bottom of the ear level with the bottom of the nose. Draw the ear on the right side of the head to mirror the ear you have just drawn.
