FACES CAN BE CALLED ROUND, SQUARE, OBLONG OR OVAL; OVAL BEING CONSIDERED THE PERFECT SHAPE. THE WAY PEOPLE LOOK DEPENDS ON THE SKULL BENEATH THE FLESH. SKULLS DIFFER AS TO AGE, GENDER, AND RACE.

TO KEEP THINGS SIMPLE, THIS LESSON CONCERNS DRAWING A REALISTIC, YOUNG, ADULT, FEMALE CAUCASIAN FACE.

THE FOLLOWING ARE SIMPLE RULES OF THUMB TO BE USED AS GUIDELINES. IN DRAWING A FACE, KEEP THE ACTUAL FACE IN MIND.

THE EYES ARE LOCATED ON A LINE HALFWAY BETWEEN THE TOP OF THE HEAD AND THE CHIN, WITH HALF THE EYE BEING ABOVE THIS LINE AND THE OTHER HALF BELOW IT.

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE EYES IS EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF ONE EYE.

THE HEAD IS FIVE EYE LENGTHS WIDE AT THE EYE LEVEL WHICH SHOULD BE THREE FOURTHS OF THE HEAD LENGTH..

THE EYEBROW RUNS ACROSS THE TOP OF THE EYE SOCKET FROM THE INSIDE CORNER OF THE EYE TO THE OUTER CORNER.

SOME ARTISTS SAY THAT THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE FACE SHOULD BE DIVIDED INTO THREE SECTIONS WITH THE BASE OF THE NOSE AT THE FIRST SECTION AND THE MOUTH AT THE SECOND. THIS IS CLOSE BUT NOT EXACTLY ACCURATE.

THE BASE OF THE NOSE IS MIDWAY BETWEEN THE TIP OF THE CHIN AND THE EYEBROW.

MEASURING DOWN FROM THE BASE OF THE NOSE, THE MOUTH IS LESS THAN HALFWAY BETWEEN HERE AND THE TIP OF THE CHIN. IT’S MORE LIKE TWO FIFTHS DOWN FROM THE BASE OF THE NOSE. THE WIDTH OF THE NOSE INCLUDING THE WINGS, IS EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF ONE EYE.

KEEPING IN MIND THAT THE MOUTH CURVES, THE WIDTH OF THE MOUTH IS EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER OF ONE EYE TO THE CENTER OF THE OTHER. THIS DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE FULLNESS OF THE LIPS GOES ALL THIS DISTANCE.

THE TOP OF THE EAR IS ON A LEVEL WITH THE EYEBROW AND THE BOTTOM OF THE EAR LEVEL WITH THE BASE OF THE NOSE.