Drawing Heads: A Construction Guide for Feature Placement

Object Drawing Lessons

Drawing a head becomes manageable when you build it from simple shapes and guide lines rather than copying a finished face. This guide teaches a construction sequence: start with a cranium, add a jaw, then place feature guide lines for the brow, eyes, nose, and mouth. You will practice placement on a blank head outline and learn to check proportions with basic arithmetic. The approach excludes portrait likeness and full-figure drawing; the goal is reliable feature placement, not capturing a specific person. All measurements are hypothetical examples you can adapt by measuring your own paper and tools.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Build the cranium and jaw first

Begin with a circle or oval for the cranium. This represents the top and back of the skull. Draw it lightly so you can adjust. Next, add a jaw shape below the cranium. A simple approach is to draw two lines from the sides of the cranium angling down toward a rounded chin. The jaw should feel like a tapering box or wedge attached to the lower half of the cranium.

Keep the head upright and centered on your page. Use a light pencil so guide lines can be erased or left faint. The cranium and jaw together form the head mass. Check that the jaw is not wider than the cranium at its widest point; in a typical front view, the jaw narrows toward the chin.

1. Draw a light circle or oval for the cranium.
2. Mark the vertical center line through the cranium.
3. Draw two jaw lines from the lower sides of the cranium toward a chin point.
4. Round the chin and connect the jaw lines to the cranium.
5. Check that the jaw narrows toward the chin and stays centered.

Place horizontal feature guide lines

Feature guide lines are horizontal lines that help you position the brow, eyes, nose, and mouth consistently. A common convention divides the head height into halves and quarters. Measure the total head height from the top of the cranium to the chin. Mark the halfway point; this is often used as the eye line. Mark the quarter points above and below to guide the brow and nose base.

These divisions are conventions, not universal rules. Real heads vary. Use them as a starting guide, then adjust by observation. For practice, label your chosen numerical values as hypothetical examples. For instance, if your head height is 12 units, the halfway eye line is at 6 units from the top. The brow might sit around 4 units, and the nose base around 8 units. Measure your actual drawing to confirm.

1. Measure total head height from cranium top to chin.
2. Mark the halfway point as the eye line.
3. Mark a brow line above the eye line, often about one-third of the way down from the top.
4. Mark the nose base below the eye line, often near the three-quarter point from the top.
5. Mark the mouth line between the nose base and chin.
6. Check that lines are horizontal and evenly spaced according to your chosen convention.

Place features on the guide lines

With guide lines in place, add features. Eyes sit on the eye line. A common convention places the eyes about one eye-width apart, with the head roughly five eye-widths wide. Draw light eye shapes first, then refine. The nose sits centered on the vertical line, with its base near the nose line. The mouth sits on the mouth line, centered. Ears attach roughly between the brow line and nose line, though this varies.

Use simple shapes: almond or oval for eyes, a tapered form for the nose, a curved line for the mouth. Keep features symmetrical by checking distances from the center line. If one eye is closer to the center than the other, adjust before darkening lines.

1. Draw the eyes on the eye line, centered and spaced according to your chosen convention.
2. Draw the nose centered on the vertical line, base near the nose line.
3. Draw the mouth on the mouth line, centered.
4. Add ears between brow and nose lines if desired.
5. Check symmetry by measuring distances from the center line.

Check proportions with simple arithmetic

Use arithmetic to catch placement errors. Measure head height and eye line position. If the eye line is halfway, the distance from top to eye line should equal the distance from eye line to chin. Measure both with a ruler or by marking paper. If they differ by more than a small amount, adjust. Similarly, check eye spacing: if you chose a one-eye-width gap, measure the gap and compare it to eye width.

Keep units consistent. If you measure in centimeters, use centimeters throughout. Label any numerical values as hypothetical examples. For instance, a head height of 10 cm gives an eye line at 5 cm. A brow line at 3.5 cm and nose line at 7.5 cm are hypothetical choices, not standards. Measure your actual drawing to verify.

1. Measure top-to-eye-line and eye-line-to-chin distances.
2. Compare them; adjust if they differ noticeably.
3. Measure eye width and the gap between eyes.
4. Compare gap to eye width if using a one-eye-width convention.
5. Record your measurements and note any adjustments.

Worked example

A student draws a head 12 cm tall. They mark the eye line at 6 cm from the top, the brow line at 4 cm, and the nose line at 9 cm. They draw eyes 2 cm wide with a 2 cm gap. Check the placement using simple arithmetic and state one adjustment if needed.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Drawing the jaw wider than the cranium. Narrow the jaw lines toward the chin and check that the widest part of the jaw is not wider than the cranium.
• Placing the eye line too high or too low. Measure total head height and mark the halfway point; compare top-to-eye and eye-to-chin distances.
• Spacing eyes unevenly from the center line. Measure each eye's distance from the vertical center line and adjust until they match.
• Putting the nose base and mouth too close together. Use the guide lines: nose base near the three-quarter mark, mouth between nose base and chin; measure the gap.

Self-check rubric

• Cranium and jaw are distinct and connected; jaw narrows toward the chin.
• Vertical center line is present and features are centered on it.
• Horizontal guide lines for brow, eyes, nose, and mouth are marked and labeled.
• Feature placement follows the chosen convention or documented adjustments.
• Measurements are consistent in units and checked with simple arithmetic.
• Valid alternatives are accepted if guide lines and measurements support them.

Questions and answers