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Grid-Drawn Phineas-Style Face: Stepwise Feature Placement
Learn to draw a Phineas-style face on graph paper by placing each feature in sequence using a simple grid convention and checkable steps.
Free lesson
Four exercises
Worked answers
Object Drawing Lessons
This lesson teaches a reliable method for drawing a Phineas-style face on graph paper by breaking the face into five feature groups and placing each group on a grid in a fixed order. The convention is simple: one grid square equals one unit, and all placement instructions use square counts from a stated origin. Because hand-drawn lettering and feature shapes vary, the rubric rewards consistent placement and proportion rather than a single exact outline. Work through the worked example, then complete the four practice tasks. Each task is self-contained and can be solved from the text alone.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Set Up the Grid and Choose a Convention
Draw or print a square grid. For this lesson, treat each square as one unit. Mark the origin at the lower-left corner of the drawing area and count right for horizontal placement and up for vertical placement. Decide a head height in squares before drawing; a head height of 8 squares is a hypothetical example that keeps the arithmetic simple. Record your chosen head height at the top of the page so every later step uses the same number.
Use a light pencil for grid lines and a darker pencil for the face. Keep the grid visible until the final check. The convention for this lesson is that the face is centered on a vertical midline and that the eyes sit on a horizontal eye line placed one-third of the head height below the top of the head. These are placement rules, not claims about any official style.
- Mark the origin and label the horizontal and vertical axes in squares.
- Choose a head height in squares and write it at the top of the page.
- Draw a light vertical midline through the center of the drawing area.
- Mark the eye line at one-third of the head height below the top of the head.
Place the Head Shape First
The head shape controls every later placement, so draw it before any features. A Phineas-style head is often drawn as a rounded triangle or a wide inverted teardrop, but this lesson accepts any closed head outline that fits inside the planned bounding box. The bounding box is the rectangle defined by the head height and a chosen head width. For the worked example, a head height of 8 squares and a head width of 6 squares is used as a hypothetical example.
Center the bounding box on the midline. Draw the head outline so that the widest part is near the eye line and the chin narrows toward the bottom. Check that the outline stays inside the bounding box and that the midline passes through the center of the chin and the top of the head.
- Draw the bounding box using the chosen head height and head width.
- Center the box on the midline.
- Sketch the head outline inside the box, widest near the eye line.
- Confirm the midline passes through the top of the head and the chin.
Add Eyes, Nose, and Mouth in Order
Place the eyes on the eye line. For a head width of 6 squares, a hypothetical example is to put the eye centers 1 square to the left and right of the midline, giving an eye spacing of 2 squares. Draw each eye as a small oval or circle about 1 square wide. Because letter styles and feature shapes vary, the rubric checks that the eyes are level, centered, and spaced consistently rather than matching one exact shape.
Place the nose below the eye line, centered on the midline. A simple nose is a short vertical line or a small triangle about 1 square tall. Place the mouth below the nose, centered on the midline, and keep it inside the lower half of the head. Draw the mouth as a single curved line or a small open shape. Check that the nose and mouth both sit on the midline and that the mouth does not touch the chin outline.
- Mark the eye centers on the eye line using the chosen spacing.
- Draw both eyes at the same size and level.
- Draw the nose centered on the midline below the eye line.
- Draw the mouth centered on the midline below the nose.
Add Hair and Run the Final Check
Hair is the last feature group because it can overlap the head outline. For a Phineas-style face, a common approach is a small tuft or a set of short spikes at the top of the head. Place the hair above the top of the head outline and keep it within the bounding box width. Use three to five short strokes or a single tuft shape; the exact number is a style choice, so the rubric checks that the hair is attached to the top of the head and does not cover the eyes.
Run a final check by counting squares. Confirm the eye line is one-third of the head height below the top, the eyes are level and equally spaced from the midline, the nose and mouth are centered, and the hair sits above the head outline. If any count is off by more than half a square, adjust that feature only and recheck.
- Draw the hair above the top of the head outline.
- Keep the hair within the bounding box width.
- Count squares to confirm the eye line placement.
- Check centering of eyes, nose, and mouth, then adjust one feature at a time.
Worked example
Using a head height of 8 squares and a head width of 6 squares, place the eye line, eye centers, nose, mouth, and hair on a grid with the origin at the lower-left. State the square counts for each placement.
Worked answer
The bounding box is 6 squares wide and 8 squares tall, centered on the midline. The eye line is one-third of 8 squares below the top, which is about 2.67 squares; mark it at 2.5 squares below the top as a practical hand-drawing value. The eye centers are 1 square left and right of the midline, so the eye spacing is 2 squares. The nose is centered on the midline, about 1 square below the eye line. The mouth is centered on the midline, about 1 square below the nose. The hair sits above the top of the head outline and stays within the 6-square width.
Four practice exercises
Exercise 1
A grid drawing uses a head height of 9 squares. Where should the eye line be placed below the top of the head, and what is one practical hand-drawing value?
Show answer and check
One-third of 9 squares is 3 squares. A practical hand-drawing value is exactly 3 squares below the top.
Why: The convention places the eye line at one-third of the head height below the top. Dividing 9 by 3 gives 3, which is a whole number and easy to mark.
Check: Count 3 squares down from the top of the head along the midline and confirm the eye line is level across the face.
Exercise 2
A head width is 8 squares. The eye centers are placed 1.5 squares left and right of the midline. What is the eye spacing, and how many squares remain between each eye center and the side of the bounding box?
Show answer and check
The eye spacing is 3 squares. Each eye center is 4 squares from the side of the bounding box, so 2.5 squares remain between each eye center and the side.
Why: Eye spacing is the distance between the two eye centers: 1.5 plus 1.5 equals 3 squares. Half the head width is 4 squares, and 4 minus 1.5 equals 2.5 squares from each eye center to the side.
Check: Count from the midline to each eye center (1.5 squares), add the two distances for spacing (3 squares), and count from each eye center to the bounding box side (2.5 squares).
Exercise 3
A face uses a head height of 10 squares. The nose is placed 1 square below the eye line, and the mouth is placed 1.5 squares below the nose. How far below the top of the head is the mouth, using the one-third eye-line rule?
Show answer and check
The eye line is about 3.33 squares below the top. The mouth is 1 plus 1.5 equals 2.5 squares below the eye line, so the mouth is about 5.83 squares below the top.
Why: One-third of 10 is about 3.33. Add the nose offset (1) and the mouth offset (1.5) to get 2.5, then add to 3.33 to get about 5.83 squares below the top.
Check: Count down from the top: about 3.33 squares to the eye line, 1 more to the nose, and 1.5 more to the mouth; confirm the total is about 5.83 squares.
Exercise 4
A student draws the hair first, then the head outline, and finds the hair extends 1 square past the bounding box on each side. The head width is 6 squares. What is the hair width, and what is one fix that keeps the hair within the box?
Show answer and check
The hair width is 6 plus 1 plus 1 equals 8 squares. One fix is to redraw the hair so it spans at most 6 squares, centered on the midline, and stays above the head outline.
Why: The hair extends 1 square past the box on each side, adding 2 squares to the 6-square head width. The fix is to limit the hair width to the bounding box width and keep it above the head.
Check: Count the hair width in squares and compare it to the head width; confirm the hair does not extend past the bounding box sides.
Common mistakes
- Drawing features before the head outline is fixed. Draw and center the head bounding box first, then place features relative to that box.
- Using different units for different features. State one unit (one square) at the top of the page and count every placement in that unit.
- Placing the eyes above or below the eye line. Mark the eye line at one-third of the head height below the top and place both eye centers on that line.
- Letting the hair cover the eyes or extend past the bounding box. Keep hair above the head outline and within the chosen head width.
Self-check rubric
- Head outline is closed, centered on the midline, and fits inside the stated bounding box.
- Eye line is marked at one-third of the head height below the top, within half a square.
- Both eyes are level, equally spaced from the midline, and recorded as the chosen spacing.
- Nose and mouth are centered on the midline and placed below the eye line in order.
- Hair is attached above the head outline and stays within the bounding box width.
- All placements use the same unit (one square) and are checkable by counting squares.
Questions and answers
Do I have to use a head height of 8 squares?
No. Eight squares is a hypothetical example chosen for simple arithmetic. Choose any head height, write it at the top of the page, and use it consistently.
What if my head outline is not a perfect triangle?
That is acceptable. The rubric checks that the outline is closed, centered on the midline, and fits inside the bounding box, not that it matches one exact shape.
How precise must the square counts be?
Aim to be within half a square of each stated placement. Small hand-drawing differences are expected and are allowed by the rubric.
Can I change the eye spacing?
Yes, as long as both eyes are level, equally spaced from the midline, and recorded as your chosen spacing.