Free original lessons
Round Face Drawing: Oval Guide and Feature Placement
Learn to draw a round face using an oval guide and measured feature marks. Includes steps, common mistakes, a worked example, and four practice tasks.
Free lesson
Four exercises
Worked answers
Object Drawing Lessons
A round face is built from a simple oval and a few placement guides. This lesson teaches a repeatable method: draw an oval, mark the midline and eye line, place the nose and mouth, then refine features inside the oval. The convention is explicit: the eye line sits at half the oval height, and feature styles vary, so valid alternatives are accepted when proportions and placement follow the stated guides. All measurements are hypothetical examples; measure your own paper and tools.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Set Up the Oval Guide
Start with a light oval that is slightly taller than wide. For example, on a 10 cm tall practice area, make the oval 7 cm wide and 9 cm tall. These numbers are hypothetical; adjust to your paper.
Mark the vertical midline and a horizontal eye line at about half the oval height. Mark a nose line about one third down from the eye line to the chin, and a mouth line about halfway between nose and chin.
- Draw a light oval 7 cm wide by 9 cm tall.
- Add a vertical midline through the center.
- Mark the eye line at 4.5 cm from the top.
- Mark the nose line at 6 cm from the top.
- Mark the mouth line at 7.5 cm from the top.
Place Features Inside the Oval
Eyes sit on the eye line, spaced about one eye-width apart. Keep both eyes inside the oval edges. The nose base rests on the nose line, centered on the midline.
The mouth sits on the mouth line. Ears attach near the eye line and extend to the nose line. Use light marks first, then darken the lines you keep.
- Mark two eye positions on the eye line, each about 1.5 cm from the midline.
- Draw the nose base on the nose line, centered.
- Draw the mouth on the mouth line, centered.
- Add ears from eye line to nose line.
- Refine curves so features stay within the oval.
Refine and Check Proportions
Check that the eye line divides the oval roughly in half, the nose line is below the eye line, and the mouth line is below the nose line. Keep the face round by avoiding sharp corners on the oval.
Valid alternatives include different eye shapes, nose widths, and mouth curves, as long as placement follows the guides. The eye line sits at half the oval height; feature styles vary, so do not force a single style.
- Compare eye line to oval midpoint.
- Confirm nose line is between eye line and chin.
- Confirm mouth line is between nose line and chin.
- Smooth the oval outline.
- Erase extra guide marks lightly.
Worked example
Draw a round face on a 10 cm tall area using an oval 7 cm wide and 9 cm tall. Place the eye line at 4.5 cm, nose line at 6 cm, and mouth line at 7.5 cm from the top. Mark two eyes 1.5 cm from the midline.
Worked answer
A light oval 7 by 9 cm with a vertical midline. Eye line at 4.5 cm, nose line at 6 cm, mouth line at 7.5 cm. Two eyes centered on the eye line, each 1.5 cm from the midline. Nose base on the nose line, mouth on the mouth line, ears from eye line to nose line. All features inside the oval.
Four practice exercises
Exercise 1
On a 12 cm tall area, draw an oval 8 cm wide and 10 cm tall. Mark the eye line at 5 cm, nose line at 7 cm, and mouth line at 8.5 cm from the top. Place two eyes 2 cm from the midline.
Show answer and check
Oval 8 by 10 cm with midline; eye line 5 cm, nose line 7 cm, mouth line 8.5 cm; eyes 2 cm from midline on the eye line.
Why: The eye line is half of 10 cm. Nose and mouth lines are below it in order. Eyes are centered on the eye line.
Check: Measure oval height and width; confirm 5, 7, and 8.5 cm marks; check eye distance from midline.
Exercise 2
A student draws an oval 9 cm wide and 8 cm tall. Identify the problem and state a fix using the lesson convention.
Show answer and check
The oval is wider than tall, so it is not a round face guide. Fix by making height greater than width, for example 8 cm wide and 9 cm tall.
Why: The convention requires a slightly taller oval. Swapping width and height restores the guide.
Check: Compare width and height; height should be greater.
Exercise 3
Given eye line at 4 cm, nose line at 6 cm, and mouth line at 7 cm from the top of a 9 cm oval, check the order and state whether placement is valid.
Show answer and check
Order is valid: eye line above nose line above mouth line. Placement is valid if features stay inside the oval.
Why: The lesson requires eye line, then nose line, then mouth line. The given values follow that order.
Check: List the three marks from top to bottom and confirm the sequence.
Exercise 4
Draw a round face with ears from eye line to nose line. Use an oval 7 cm wide and 9 cm tall with eye line at 4.5 cm and nose line at 6 cm. Describe where ears attach.
Show answer and check
Ears attach at the oval edges between the eye line at 4.5 cm and the nose line at 6 cm.
Why: The lesson places ears from eye line to nose line. The oval edges are the attachment points.
Check: Confirm ear marks start at 4.5 cm and end at 6 cm on both sides.
Common mistakes
- Making the oval too wide, so the face looks squashed. Keep height greater than width, for example 9 cm tall and 7 cm wide.
- Placing eyes above or below the eye line. Mark the eye line first, then center each eye on it.
- Putting the mouth above the nose line. Check order: eye line, then nose line, then mouth line.
- Drawing features outside the oval edge. Keep eyes, nose, and mouth inside the oval; ears may touch the edge.
Self-check rubric
- Oval is taller than wide and smooth.
- Vertical midline is present.
- Eye line, nose line, and mouth line are in correct order.
- Eyes sit on the eye line and inside the oval.
- Nose and mouth are centered on the midline.
- Valid alternatives in feature style are accepted if placement follows guides.
Questions and answers
Do I need exact measurements?
No. The numbers are hypothetical examples. Measure your own paper and keep the order of guide lines.
Can I use different eye shapes?
Yes. Valid alternatives are accepted if eyes sit on the eye line and stay inside the oval.
Where should the eye line go?
Place the eye line at half the oval height, measured from the top of the oval. Then keep the nose line below it and the mouth line below the nose line.
Are printable resources available now?
No. They are planned but not yet built; the resource plan describes the proposed diagrams and worksheet.