Draw a Head from Sphere, Box and Wedge Masses

Object Drawing Lessons

This lesson teaches head construction by treating the skull as a sphere, the jaw as a box, and the face plane as a wedge. You will combine these masses, check their alignment with simple measurements, and redraw the same head from front, three-quarter, and profile views. The convention is explicit: the sphere is the cranium, the box is the lower jaw, and the wedge is the facial plane. Letter styles and feature shapes vary, so the rubric rewards consistent mass relationships rather than one universal face.

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

Define the three masses

Use a sphere for the cranium. Its center sits above the ear line. Use a box for the jaw: its top face meets the sphere at the cheek line, and its front face slopes toward the chin. Use a wedge for the face plane: the wide end sits at the brow, the narrow end at the chin, and the wedge tilts forward from the sphere.

Keep units consistent. If the sphere diameter is 6 cm, make the jaw box about 4 cm wide and 3 cm deep, and the wedge about 5 cm long. These numbers are hypothetical examples; measure your own paper and adjust proportionally.

1. Draw the sphere and mark its vertical and horizontal midlines.
2. Place the jaw box so its top edge touches the sphere at the cheek line.
3. Attach the wedge from brow to chin, checking that its narrow end aligns with the box front.
4. Lightly label each mass S, B, and W before adding any features.

Combine masses from three angles

Front view: the sphere is a circle, the box is a rectangle, and the wedge is a triangle pointing down. Three-quarter view: keep the sphere drawn as a circle of the same diameter, show two faces of the box, and shift the wedge toward the far side. Profile view: keep the sphere as a circle of the same diameter, show the box side face, and draw the wedge projecting forward as a narrow triangle. In this convention the sphere is always drawn as a circle so its diameter can be measured and compared across views; the box and wedge change outline as the head turns.

Check alignment by drawing a vertical line through the sphere center and the chin. In front view this line should pass through both. In three-quarter view the chin shifts toward the far side while the wedge still projects forward; in profile view the forward projection is most visible. In all views the jaw box must still sit under the sphere.

1. Draw the front combination and label the three masses.
2. Rotate the same combination 45 degrees for three-quarter view, keeping the box under the sphere.
3. Draw the profile combination with the wedge projecting forward.
4. Compare all three drawings: the sphere circle diameter should stay constant, and the jaw box should never float above the cheek line.

Check with simple arithmetic

Measure the sphere diameter and the jaw box width. In this example, a jaw box width of roughly two-thirds of the sphere diameter is one valid choice: if the sphere is 6 cm, the jaw box would be about 4 cm. Likewise, a wedge length from brow to chin of about five-sixths of the sphere diameter (5 cm for a 6 cm sphere, ratio 5/6 ≈ 0.83) is one valid choice, not a required target. A different drawing may use a different chosen ratio, such as 6/8 = 0.75; record whichever ratio you actually use. Other ratios are acceptable if recorded and explained.

These ratios are checkable examples, not fixed standards. Record your actual measurements and note any deliberate variation. A narrower jaw or longer wedge can be valid if the three masses still connect logically.

1. Measure sphere diameter with a ruler.
2. Measure jaw box width and wedge length.
3. Compare ratios: jaw width divided by sphere diameter, and wedge length divided by sphere diameter.
4. Write the two ratios beside each drawing and circle any value outside your chosen range.

Use a consistent drawing convention

Adopt one convention for the whole set: draw masses with light pencil, label them S, B, W, and use a single baseline-to-midline reference for any lettering or feature marks. Letter styles vary, so do not penalize a different but consistent letter shape.

The rubric rewards clear mass relationships, consistent labels, and measurable checks. It does not reward a single feature style. Valid alternatives include a rounder jaw box or a steeper wedge, provided the sphere, box, and wedge still connect at the cheek line and chin.

1. Choose a light pencil for masses and a darker pencil for final outlines.
2. Label every mass on every drawing.
3. Keep the same baseline-to-midline reference for any written labels.
4. Before submitting, verify that each drawing passes the ratio check or has a noted reason for variation.

Worked example

A student draws a sphere 6 cm wide, a jaw box 4 cm wide, and a wedge 5 cm long. The jaw box top edge sits 1 cm below the sphere center. Is the combination balanced?

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Floating the jaw box above the cheek line. Lower the box until its top edge touches the sphere at the cheek line, then redraw the wedge from brow to chin.
• Making the wedge too wide so it covers the sphere. Narrow the wedge at the brow and keep its wide end no wider than the jaw box.
• Changing the sphere diameter between views. Measure the sphere in each view and keep the diameter constant; rotate the masses, do not resize them.
• Labeling masses inconsistently or omitting labels. Use S, B, W on every drawing and check labels before adding features.

Self-check rubric

• Sphere, box, and wedge are all present and labeled S, B, W.
• Jaw box top edge touches the sphere at the cheek line.
• Wedge runs from brow to chin and aligns with the box front.
• Sphere diameter stays constant across front, three-quarter, and profile views.
• Measurements and ratios are recorded and checked.
• Convention is consistent: light mass lines, dark final outlines, baseline-to-midline reference for labels.
• Valid alternatives are accepted if mass relationships remain logical and measurements are explained.

Questions and answers