Cartoon Face Feature Placement: Eyes, Nose, Mouth

Object Drawing Lessons

This lesson teaches a repeatable method for placing eyes, nose, and mouth on a simple cartoon face. It uses a defined convention: the face is a circle or oval; the vertical midline runs from top to bottom; the horizontal midline runs left to right; x-height means the distance from the baseline (bottom of the lower-case x) to the midline (top of the lower-case x). For feature placement, treat the horizontal midline as the eye line unless a task states otherwise. Letter styles vary, so the convention is a guide, not a universal rule. All measurements are simple and checkable. Use the same units throughout. The practice tasks are self-contained; where a diagram is needed, it is described in words. This is for cartoon faces only, not realistic faces or full figures.

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

Set the face frame and reference lines

Start with a circle or oval for the head. Draw a vertical midline from the top to the bottom. Draw a horizontal midline from the left edge to the right edge. These two lines cross at the face center. Mark the top, bottom, left, and right edges. For a circle, the horizontal midline is the eye line by convention. For an oval taller than wide, keep the eye line at the horizontal midline unless the task says otherwise. Label the baseline as the bottom edge of the face and the midline as the horizontal center line. X-height is baseline to midline; use it only when a task refers to letter-height spacing.

Keep lines light so you can adjust them. Measure the face width and height with a ruler if needed. Record the units, such as centimeters or grid squares. Do not mix units. If the face is 10 cm wide and 12 cm tall, the horizontal midline is at 6 cm from the top. The vertical midline is at 5 cm from the left. These numbers are hypothetical examples; measure your own drawing.

1. Draw a circle or oval for the head.
2. Draw a vertical midline from top to bottom.
3. Draw a horizontal midline from left to right.
4. Mark the top, bottom, left, and right edges.
5. Label the horizontal midline as the eye line for this convention.

Place the eyes on the eye line

Place two eye marks on the horizontal midline. A simple convention is to divide the face width into four equal parts along the eye line. Put the left eye center at the first quarter mark and the right eye center at the third quarter mark. For a 10 cm wide face, the quarter marks are at 2.5 cm and 7.5 cm from the left edge. The space between the eyes is then 5 cm, and each eye is 2.5 cm from the nearest side edge. These are hypothetical examples; use your measured width.

Eye size can vary. A common cartoon choice is an eye width of about one quarter of the face width, but keep the centers on the quarter marks. Draw simple circles or ovals. Check that the two eye centers are level and equally spaced from the vertical midline. If the face is an oval, the eye line stays at the horizontal midline, but the side margins may look different; measure from the actual edges.

1. Measure the face width along the eye line.
2. Divide the width into four equal parts.
3. Mark the first and third quarter points as eye centers.
4. Draw each eye centered on its mark.
5. Check that both eye centers sit on the horizontal midline.

Place the nose and mouth below the eye line

Place the nose on the vertical midline, below the eye line. A simple convention is to put the nose tip halfway between the eye line and the bottom edge of the face. If the eye line is at 6 cm from the top and the bottom edge is at 12 cm, the halfway point is 9 cm from the top. That is 3 cm below the eye line and 3 cm above the bottom edge. These numbers are hypothetical; measure your own face.

Place the mouth on the vertical midline, below the nose tip. A simple convention is to put the mouth line halfway between the nose tip and the bottom edge. Using the same example, the mouth line is at 10.5 cm from the top, which is 1.5 cm below the nose tip and 1.5 cm above the bottom edge. Keep the mouth centered on the vertical midline. The mouth width can be about one third of the face width, centered on the midline. Check that the nose and mouth are centered and that the mouth is below the nose.

1. Find the midpoint between the eye line and the bottom edge; mark the nose tip there on the vertical midline.
2. Find the midpoint between the nose tip and the bottom edge; mark the mouth line there on the vertical midline.
3. Draw the nose centered on the vertical midline at the nose tip mark.
4. Draw the mouth centered on the vertical midline at the mouth line mark.
5. Check that the nose is above the mouth and both are centered.

Check proportions and adjust

Use simple arithmetic to check placement. For a face 10 cm wide and 12 cm tall with the eye line at 6 cm from the top: eye centers at 2.5 cm and 7.5 cm from the left; nose tip at 9 cm from the top; mouth line at 10.5 cm from the top. Check that the eye centers are 5 cm apart and each is 2.5 cm from the nearest side edge. Check that the nose tip is 3 cm below the eye line and 3 cm above the bottom edge. Check that the mouth line is 1.5 cm below the nose tip and 1.5 cm above the bottom edge. These values are hypothetical examples; substitute your measured numbers.

Valid alternatives are allowed. You may move the eye line slightly up or down, widen or narrow the eye spacing, or change the nose and mouth heights, as long as you state the convention you used and the result is checkable. The rubric rewards consistent, measurable placement, not a single universal answer. Keep units consistent and record your measurements so another person can verify them.

1. Record face width and height in one unit.
2. Record eye line height from the top.
3. Calculate quarter marks for eye centers.
4. Calculate nose tip and mouth line midpoints.
5. Compare your drawing to the calculated marks and adjust.

Worked example

A cartoon face is a circle 8 cm wide and 8 cm tall. The horizontal midline is the eye line. Place the eye centers at the quarter marks, the nose tip halfway between the eye line and the bottom edge, and the mouth line halfway between the nose tip and the bottom edge. Give all positions in centimeters from the left edge or top edge.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Placing the eyes above or below the horizontal midline without stating a different convention. Use the horizontal midline as the eye line, or write down the new eye line height and check it with a measurement.
• Spacing the eyes unevenly from the vertical midline. Measure from the vertical midline to each eye center; the two distances should match.
• Putting the nose or mouth off the vertical midline. Measure from the left and right edges to the nose and mouth centers; the distances should match.
• Placing the mouth above the nose tip. Check the order from top to bottom: eye line, nose tip, mouth line, bottom edge.
• Mixing units, such as centimeters and grid squares, in the same check. Choose one unit and convert all measurements before calculating.

Self-check rubric

• Face frame includes a vertical midline and a horizontal midline, with edges marked.
• Eye centers sit on the stated eye line and are evenly spaced from the vertical midline.
• Nose tip sits on the vertical midline below the eye line at the stated height.
• Mouth line sits on the vertical midline below the nose tip at the stated height.
• Measurements use one consistent unit and are recorded so another person can check them.
• Any alternative convention is stated clearly and checked with simple arithmetic.

Questions and answers