Learning how to draw faces feels impossible for most beginners. You start with high hopes, pencil ready, only to create something that barely resembles a human face. The eyes look wonky, the nose sits wrong, and the proportions seem off, no matter how hard you try.
But here’s the truth: drawing faces isn’t actually harder than drawing anything else. The challenge comes from specific reasons that, once understood, become completely manageable. With the right approach and techniques, anyone can learn how to draw faces that look realistic and proportional.
The transformation possible when you understand facial fundamentals
Why Drawing Faces Feels So Difficult
• We’re Face Recognition Experts
Your brain processes thousands of faces daily. This makes you incredibly sensitive to facial errors in drawings. When something looks “off” in a portrait, you notice it immediately, even if you can’t explain why. This hypersensitivity creates frustration because you can see the mistakes but don’t know how to fix them.
• We Draw Symbols, Not Reality
When drawing an eye, most people draw their mental symbol of an eye rather than observing the actual shapes they see. We think we know what faces look like, so we skip careful observation. This symbol-drawing habit prevents realistic results and keeps beginners stuck.
Drawing what we think vs. drawing what we see
• Facial Proportions Aren’t Intuitive
Face proportions follow specific rules that feel wrong to beginners. Eyes sit halfway down the head, not near the top where they seem to belong. The space between eyes equals one eye width. These measurements contradict our instincts, leading to proportion errors that make portraits look strange.
Standard facial proportions that apply to most faces
How to Draw Faces: The Foundation Approach
⇒ Start With Basic Head Construction
Before drawing any features, establish the head shape and proportions. Draw an oval for the basic head shape. Add a vertical center line and horizontal guidelines for eye placement, nose bottom, and mouth position. This framework prevents proportion mistakes and gives you a roadmap for feature placement.
⇒ Learn the Five-Eye Rule
The face measures approximately five eyes wide. One eye width between the eyes, one eye width on each side of the face, and two eye widths for the actual eyes. This simple measurement system helps you place features correctly and maintain realistic proportions across different face shapes and angles.
Building facial structure before adding features
⇒ Master Light and Shadow First
Faces aren’t made of lines. They’re created by light hitting three-dimensional forms. Learning to see and draw values (lights and darks) transforms flat drawings into dimensional portraits. Practice with simple lighting setups before attempting complex portraits.
How values create form and dimension
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Draw Faces for Beginners
Step 1: Draw the Basic Head Shape
Start with a simple oval, slightly wider at the top than the bottom. This becomes your foundation for all facial features.
Step 2: Add Placement Lines
Draw a vertical center line down the middle. Add horizontal lines for eye placement (halfway down), nose bottom (three-quarters down), and mouth (between nose and chin).
Step 3: Place the Eyes
Position eyes on the horizontal eye line, one eye width apart. Keep them simple at first — basic almond shapes work perfectly.
Step 4: Add Nose and Mouth
The nose sits between the eye line and the nose bottom line. The mouth falls between the nose bottom and chin, typically closer to the nose than the chin.
Step 5: Refine and Add Details
Once basic placement looks correct, gradually add details. Keep comparing proportions to your reference and adjust as needed.
Complete step-by-step progression from construction to finished portrait
Common Mistakes in Learning to Draw Faces
❌ Eyes Placed Too High
Beginners often place eyes near the forehead. Remember: eyes sit halfway down the head.
❌ Making Features Too Small
Noses, mouths, and eyes are usually larger than beginners draw them. When in doubt, make features slightly bigger rather than smaller.
❌ Ignoring the Skull Structure
Features don’t float on a flat surface—they wrap around a three-dimensional skull. Understanding basic skull structure improves every aspect of portrait drawing.
❌ Rushing to Details
Working on individual eyelashes before establishing correct eye placement leads to problems. Always work from general to specific.
Common mistakes:
- Drawing the outline of the eye
- Adding eyelash details too early in the drawing process (lower eyelashes also in the wrong spot)
- Cutting short the eyebrow
- Drawing the pupil and iris because you know they are present, but not actually what you are seeing in the reference photo
Correcting mistakes:
- Using shading to define the eye shape
- Waiting until the end to add some detail (but not all)
- This eyebrow has a broken edge, meaning the end is not visible, and it bleeds into the dark background
- Drawing what you see and using different values (lights & darks) to define the shapes
Essential Tools for Drawing Faces
The great news is that you don’t need expensive supplies to start! A few pencils (2H, HB, 2B), basic paper, and a kneaded eraser cover most needs. Good lighting and a comfortable workspace matter more than premium materials.
Practice Exercises That Actually Help
✅ Grid Method Practice
Use photo references with grid overlays to practice accurate proportions. This trains your eye to see relationships between features. (I like the Grid# app.)
✅ Value Studies
Practice simple three-value drawings (light, medium, dark) before attempting full portraits. This builds essential shading skills. (I use the Value Study app.)
✅ Feature Studies
Draw individual eyes, noses, and mouths from different angles. Understanding features separately improves complete portraits.
Effective exercises for developing portrait skills
Grid study
Grid study
Four value study
Six value study
Nose feature study
Mouth feature study
Building Your Portrait Drawing Skills
Learning how to draw faces takes consistent practice and patience. Start with these fundamentals, practice regularly, and don’t expect perfection immediately. Every artist struggles with portraits initially. The key is understanding why they’re challenging and approaching them systematically.
➡️ Focus on construction and proportions before details. (Think of building a house – you need the scaffolding in place before you can construct the rooms.)
➡️ Learn simple shading (light and shadow) before detailed artwork.
➡️ Most importantly, draw from real life or good photo references rather than making a face from your imagination. This helps you see where the light source is coming from and have more accurate lights and shadows.
Lulu’s portrait progression from 2012 to 2025
Ready to Master Portrait Drawing?
Understanding how to draw faces is just the beginning. If you want hands-on guidance and personalized feedback to accelerate your progress, join my intensive 3-Day Portrait Drawing Workshop.
You’ll learn the exact construction methods professionals use, master proportion techniques that work for any face, and develop the observation skills that separate good portraits from great ones. Whether you’re a complete beginner or someone who’s been struggling with facial proportions, this workshop provides the structured approach you need.
Get personalized instruction and immediate feedback
Transform your portrait drawing from frustrating guesswork to a confident, systematic skill-building process. Register for the 3-Day Portrait Drawing Workshop and discover that learning how to draw faces doesn’t have to be hard… it just needs to be understood the right way.
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