Manga Head Construction: Proportion Grid and Expression Drills

Object Drawing Lessons

This lesson teaches a repeatable method for constructing a manga-style head from scratch. You will draw a proportion grid, place features using measured landmarks, and run three expression drills in blank frames. The approach uses simple arithmetic and a defined convention so you can check your own work. All measurements are hypothetical examples; measure your own paper and tools. The focus is head construction only: proportion, feature placement and expression, not full-body figures, specific characters or panel layout.

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

Set up the proportion grid

Start with a vertical oval for the head. Mark a vertical centerline and a horizontal midline. The midline sits halfway between the top of the skull and the chin. Divide the lower half into three equal bands: hairline to brow, brow to nose base, nose base to chin. These bands are your placement landmarks.

Use a light pencil so grid lines can be erased later. Label each band with a letter: A for hairline-to-brow, B for brow-to-nose, C for nose-to-chin. Keep the bands equal unless your chosen style deliberately stretches them; if you change a band, note the new value and keep all later measurements consistent with it.

1. Draw a vertical oval about 12 cm tall on A4 paper (hypothetical example; measure your own paper).
2. Mark the top, chin and midline. The midline is halfway between top and chin.
3. Divide the lower half into three equal bands and label them A, B and C.
4. Draw a vertical centerline through the oval.
5. Check that A, B and C are equal within 2 mm using a ruler.

Place eyes, nose and mouth by landmark

Place the eyes on the midline. The eye line is the midline itself. Each eye width is about one-fifth of the head width at the midline; the gap between the eyes is also about one-fifth. This gives five equal units across: eye, gap, eye, plus outer margins. Measure the head width at the midline, divide by five, and use that unit for eye width and eye gap.

Place the nose base on the line between bands B and C. The mouth sits about one-third of the way down band C from the nose base. Ears run from the midline to the nose base line. These are conventions, not universal rules; letter styles vary, so record any deliberate deviation and keep it consistent across drills.

1. Measure head width at the midline; divide by five to get one eye unit.
2. Mark eye width and eye gap using that unit, centered on the midline.
3. Mark the nose base at the B-C boundary.
4. Mark the mouth one-third down band C from the nose base.
5. Mark ears from midline to nose base line on both sides.

Run three expression drills

Use three blank frames of the same size. In each frame, redraw the same head construction, then change only the features that carry the expression. Drill one: neutral. Drill two: surprise, with raised brows and widened eyes. Drill three: anger, with lowered brows and a tightened mouth. Keep the grid identical so the comparison is fair.

For each drill, note the brow angle, eye shape and mouth curve in a small table beside the frame. This makes your choices checkable. Valid alternatives exist: a surprised mouth can be a small oval or a wide open shape; an angry mouth can be a straight line or a downward curve. Choose one and state it.

1. Draw three identical blank frames, each 8 cm by 10 cm (hypothetical example).
2. Redraw the same proportion grid in each frame.
3. Drill 1: neutral brows, level eyes, slight mouth curve.
4. Drill 2: raise brows by one band-A unit, widen eyes, open mouth.
5. Drill 3: lower brows toward the eye line, narrow eyes, tighten mouth.
6. Record brow angle, eye shape and mouth curve beside each frame.

Check and refine

Check proportions with a ruler before refining line quality. Confirm band equality, eye unit consistency and mouth position. Then erase grid lines and darken final features. If a check fails, adjust the landmark rather than redrawing the whole head.

Keep a simple log: date, head height, eye unit, band values and any deliberate deviation. This log lets you repeat the same construction later and compare expression drills fairly.

1. Measure bands A, B and C; confirm equality within 2 mm.
2. Measure eye width and gap; confirm each equals the eye unit within 1 mm.
3. Confirm mouth is one-third down band C.
4. Erase grid lines and darken final features.
5. Log measurements and deviations for the next session.

Worked example

A head is 12 cm tall and 8 cm wide at the midline. Using the five-unit eye convention, find one eye unit, eye width, eye gap, and the mouth position if band C is 2 cm tall.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Placing eyes above or below the midline. Re-measure the midline as halfway between top and chin, then place eyes on that line.
• Using unequal eye units across the face. Divide head width by five once and reuse that unit for both eyes and the gap.
• Changing the grid between expression drills. Redraw the identical grid in each frame before changing features.
• Treating one mouth shape as the only correct answer. State your chosen convention and check consistency, not universal correctness.

Self-check rubric

• Bands A, B and C equal within 2 mm, or deviation recorded.
• Eyes on the midline; eye width and gap equal the stated unit within 1 mm.
• Nose base at B-C boundary; mouth one-third down band C.
• Three drills use identical grids; only expression features change.
• Expression choices recorded and consistent with the stated convention.
• Valid alternatives accepted when the convention is stated and applied consistently.

Questions and answers