Why learn the Portrait Scale System?

1. Helps to catch the shape quickly and avoid "drifting" of the facial features

• If the goal of a portrait is to "look like", it is recommended that you learn the Face Proportioning System.
• With the scale system, you can check if the nose is drawn high, the mouth is crooked, and the eyes are drawn to the forehead.
• Example: The proportionality system is like the lines of a map, giving you points of orientation that keep your features in a relatively accurate position even when you change angles.

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2. Cope with different head angles and perspectives

• When sketching or drawing, the angle of view changes and the spacing between the features compresses or stretches due to perspective.
• After learning the proportionality system, you can figure out the approximate proportionality of the five senses at a 3/4 viewing angle, or when looking up or down.

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3. Quick Checks and Fixes

• When you feel strange in the middle of the drawing, we suggest you don't need to erase and redraw, just use the line check of the scale system.
• This is important for sketching, exams or commercial drawing to quickly find areas that need correction.

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4. Laying the groundwork for further styling and stylization.

• The proportionality system is the common basis of "realism" and "metamorphosis".
• Understand the correct proportions first, and then exaggerate the comic and illustration so that it will not be so distorted as to be unreadable.

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5. So that you understand the structure better than if you had to memorize it.

Rather than memorizing proportions, the scale system helps you understand the logic of skull structure and the arrangement of the five senses.

We emphasize structural observation from "inside (skull) to outside (flesh)".

*The following is a frontal model to illustrate the facial structure, in reality, the proportion of each person will be more or less different.

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Facial Layers

First, treat the whole face as a three-dimensional block and divide it into several main planes:

1. Frontal Plane → The arc from the hairline to the arch of the eyebrow.
2. mid-plane(eye and nose area) → forehead turns to nose and cheekbones.
3. plane of the lower segment(Mouth and Mandible) → Bottom of the nose to the chin, including the protrusion of the lips and the angle of the mandible.
4. Side Plane → Lateral zygomatic area to the ears and temples.

The proportions of the head can be divided into three parts:

1. Hairline to the arch of the eyebrow

• In the semi-lateral view, the hairline is located at the Junction of forehead arc and forehead plane

• The centerline of the eye falls approximately at the height of the head 1/2 Halfway there.

• Counting down from the top of the head, the second line is the hairline.

• Counting down from the top, the third one isEyebrow Arch Connection

2. Arch of the eyebrow to the lower edge of the nose

• Eyebrow Arch Position. The bony elevation above the eye socket, thePart of the frontal bone。

• On the side, you can clearly see how it crosses from the forehead into the eye sockets.

• The following pictures show the front and side view for us to see the relative position.

3. Subnasal fringe to chin

In the front view on the left, the thicker line is the lower edge of the nose. The right side helps us to understand the approximate position

● Distribution of the five senses:

• eyes: Located at the horizontal midline of the overall head height (1/2).
• Nose width: Usually about the same as aroundinner corner of the eyeDistance.
• corner of the mouth: Approximately align the pupil with the vertical line of the pupil.

For a deeper understanding of the three-dimensional origin of the five senses, it is recommended to read the structure of each part (eyes, nose, mouth, ears) in separate chapters.

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Read more.

1. How to Draw Eyes: Mastering Proportion and Detail Drawing Techniques
2. How to Draw Noses Realistic: Beginner Techniques
3. Capturing Realism in Lip Drawing: Key Structures and Shading
4. How to Draw Ears:Simplified Ear Structure and Shading Tips

Between "understanding the structure" and "drawing accurately", there is actually a lot of time for fumbling.

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How to start an avatar? (geometric simplification)

The head can be broken down into geometries such as spheres (skull), rectangles, and cylinders (face and neck).

Understanding the basic structure of the head helps in understanding and depicting the pose and angle of the head.

1. Simplify the overall shape of the head.

• Draw one first.圓Heads up, bottoms down.mandible。
• Half of the circle is approximatelyarch (of the eyebrow)position; the arch of the brow further down iseye socket。
• Can also be changed tosquare frameAngle of View: The angle of view is determined first, and then the square angle is established.

Tip: Use a square toControlling Perspective DirectionIt is a more stable position for the head.

You can also use the Square Assist to grab the head facing, a simplified method:

1. Determining the viewing angle will determine the angle of the cube (head profile).
2. Setting the line of sight and vanishing point. (Setting the line of sight and vanishing point helps us to check whether the direction of the perspective line is connected to the vanishing point.)

* Use a square frame to control the direction of perspective. To assist us in capturing the head position

2. Position and draw the five senses

• firstlyVertical/Horizontal Auxiliary LinePosition the five senses in relation to each other.
• Apply facetrisection (math.)(hairline → eyebrow arch → under nose → chin) to determine the approximate height, and then gradually refine the shape.

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3. Different angles for headshot reference

The following provides different angles of the head, and it is recommended to grasp the perspective of the head at different viewing angles by simplifying it into a square.。

• Each angle of the head has its own specific vanishing point and perspective shortening (near and far).
• Start by cutting three sides out of a square:positively、Inferior aspect of mandible to neck、sideAnd then the five senses are placed.

Application Recommendations: Practice the importance of different viewpoints of the head and you are encouraged to try to reduce the head to a square shape to facilitate our understanding of proportions as well as structural placement.

If you want to draw a rotating head today, there are more structural methods to assist you in drawing it.
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4. Structural line marking undulation, checking position

• 以Structural LinesLabeling the location of transitions (bulges/depressions) on the face helps to understand the continuity of form.

• The structural lines do not exist on the actual face, but doLearning and CheckingVery practical.

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5. Head Characteristics of Different Ages

How to grasp the characteristics of different age groups when we are drawing subjects of different ages? The following are the characteristics of characters of different age groups

1. Characteristics and structure of the child's head

A child's head is slightly different from an adult's in proportion and structure:

● Ratio:Children's heads are relatively large, taking up about 1/4 to 1/3 of their body length.
Cranial development:Incomplete development of the lower jaw, shorter chin, and overall rounder facial features.

The overall proportion of children's head is shorter than that of adults, as shown in the frontal and lateral views.

• The eyes are positioned low:On adult faces, the eyes are usually at the center line (1/2 line) of the overall head, but children's eyes are slightly lower on the center line of the head.
• Distribution of the five senses:
• Nose is short and flat. The cheekbones are not visible and the overall face is rounded.
• Underdeveloped mandible, small and rounded chin.

Skin and Muscle：
The child's skin is smoother, with no visible muscle lines or wrinkles.

The face has fewer variations in light and darkness than in adults.

Elderly Head Characteristics

There are several key changes in the structure of the head in the elderly:

● Skeletal changes:
The overall structure of the skull becomes more pronounced, especially the cheekbones and the angle of the jaw.
Deeper eye sockets and sunken eyes due to loss of subcutaneous fat.
The bones of the jawbone become osteoporotic and smaller, and there may be a slight inward contraction that changes the contour of the mouth.
2-1 Skin and Wrinkles:
● Forehead wrinkles:Associated with the facial expression muscle groups, transverse lines are evident.

Crow's feet:Fine lines around the eyes are common and deepen with age.

● Lines:Deepening of the lines from the corners of the mouth to the sides of the nose, and skin laxity.

● Neck wrinkles:As the skin loses its elasticity, vertical lines become visible on the neck.
● Light and shadow and volume:
The contours of the face in the elderly, due to the loss of protein muscle, the shadow change is more obvious.
Loose skin may cause crease shadows, especially in the chin and neck area.

How to draw shadows in portraits?

The previous paragraphs provide the position of the face structure, then we enter the upper shadow part, the face shadow will be in accordance with the light source of the soft, sharp, near and far to produce different changes.

Want to understand more about portrait proportions and the origin of light and shadow?
Extended reading is recommended:

1. Skull Structure and Basic Structural Analysis
2. Facial Muscle Structure Analysis: Enhancing the Stereoscopic Sense of Figure Sketching

If you don't know how to draw face shading, we recommend simply dividing the face into.

• glossy - Forehead, zygomatic arches, area around the mouth (orbicularis oculi)
• dark part - Sunken eye sockets, shadows under the nose, gaping mouths

• Observation of skin color: darker skin tonesBright and dark baseline valuesAll of them will affect the overall brightness distribution; different lighting positions, the light and dark zones should be adjusted accordingly.

Here are some examples of light and dark skinned models.

When sketching a bust model, the rise and fall of the face needs to match the overall lightness relationship.

Example: Like the overall brightness of the face is too bright.

Therefore, when you draw the fluctuation of the brightness of the face, pay attention to the subtle changes, and master the changes in brightness when you squint your eyes close to the brightness.

How to paint a portrait with one color and two colors?

After understanding the use of black, white and gray to create a sense of three-dimensionality, we try to use one or two colors to draw portraits.

The use of backing paper helps us to simplify the coloring process and focus on the dark structure and shape of the design.

Extended Portrait Timelapse Analysis

After determining the proportions of the portrait's features (0:08 on the time axis), put the undulations of the face into shadow to create a sense of body.

This video uses procreate for easy understanding. If you want to try it out, you can use the built-in charcoal brushes.

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Want to learn how to draw human parts and what to know? Read more

Human Skull Sketch: Learn Anatomy for Accurate Portraits

How to Draw Ears:Simplified Ear Structure and Shading Tips

How to Use Two-Tone Shading: Simple Shadow Techniques

Facial Muscle Structure Analysis: Enhancing the Stereoscopic Sense of Figure Sketching

How to accurately grasp the proportions of the hand and sketch the structure of the joints.

Mastering Nose Structure and Perspective: A Basic Analysis of Painting Still Life Compositions

Mastering the basic proportions and structure of portrait drawing

From Simple Contours to Detail: Mastering the Sketching of Eyes

How to draw lips in pencil: the key to shape and muscle undulation

I hope that this introduction to the structure can help you recognize and understand the structural importance of the head, if there are any subjects you want to see or painting methods you want to know, welcome to leave a message or private message me, I wish you a happy painting!