Pastel Journal - USA (2019-09)

Thefollowingguidelinesaregenerallytrueformostfaces.Measurementscanvaryslightly,whichiswhatcreates

eachperson’suniquelook,buttheseguidelinesoffera goodstartingpoint.If youlookatyourworkandnoticesome-

thinglookswrong,there’sa goodchanceoneormoreoftheserelationshipsisoff.

• Thenosebisectsthefacealmostinhalf.Thecurveat
  thetopofthenoseisgenerallyinthemiddleofthe
  face,rightbetweentheeyes.


• Theeyesareroughlyhalfwaybetweenthetopofthe
  head(belowthehairline)andthechin.


• Thebottomofthenoseishalfwaybetweentheeye
  lineandthebottomofthechin.


• Themouthisalmosthalfwaybetweenthebottom
  ofthenoseandthechin.
  
  
  • Theearslineupwiththemouthandtheeyeline
    (orjustbelowit).
  
  
  • Theedgesofthenostrilslineupwiththeinner
    edgesoftheeyes.
  
  
  • Theeyesareoneeyewidthapart.
  
  
  • Thebaseofthenose,includingnostrils,istypically
    oneeyewidth.
  
  
  • Thecornersofthemouthlineupwiththecenters
    oftheeyes.
  
  
  
  

BASIC FACIAL STRUCTURE AND FEATURES

Thesegeneral guidelines apply to the proportions of most faces, and they allow us to measure the space

betweenfeatures and create a sort of road map to the face. Study the lines in the photos and the listing

ofkeyfeatures to understand the basics.

In this side-by-side

comparison, the

model is in profile

as well as straight

on. Closely examine

the lines placed over

these photos: the

relationship between

features such as the

brow and lips, and

that of the hairline,

eye line and base of

the chin. If you look

at the lines indicating

the top of the head

(note that if your

model has thick hair,

this can be just below

the hairline) and chin,

you’ll see that the eye

line is almost halfway

between those two

points. This serves as

a good starting point

for placing features.

Model in profile Model straight on

About (the) Face
So how do we create a portrait that
looks accurate? The first step is to
understand the basic structure and
proportions of the human face (see
“Basic Facial Structure and Features,”
above).

The second step is appreciating

what constitutes a successful likeness

(see “What Makes a Likeness?” on

page 10). Keeping these two tenets in

mind, I’ll walk you through a demon-

stration (on pages 12-14) in which I

use pastel pencils to create a portrait.

TIP

When drawing a portrait, there’s

always more visual interest

offered by a slightly turned head,

often called a three-quarter

turn. This angle usually creates

a shadow down the side of the

face, tip of the nose and shoulder.

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