Head Anatomy Critque-Tutorial

[link] submitted to :devPro-Critique: by ~Natsume-san

This work needed a lot of anatomical help, so I decided to do it as a tutorial as well for others who might run into the same problems.

Form/Composition

When drawing a portrait, it's usually best to include the neck and a bit of the shoulders too. The expression is mildly interesting. Is he sleeping? Daydreaming? Meditating? It does make me wonder exactly what he's experiencing during this seemingly peaceful moment.

Colour

Not applicable

Contrast

Definitely need better values. The entire picture is too light. Darker darks and lighter lights will help define the three-dimensionality of the figure.

Fluidity

The head is disconnected. A background, even just some scrubbed in charcoal or pencil, would help bring the subject into focus at the forefront of the picture.

Proportion

The anatomy needs a LOT of help. I highly recommend Burne Hogarth's "Dynamic Anatomy" and "Drawing the Human Head" as references.

First I went back and found the general shape of the head. Remember, the human head is a sphere (the cranial mass) joined with a cylinder (the facial mass).

Next I placed the vertical midline.

Since you've chosen a 3/4 view, I drew a curving line from the top of the cranial mass to the botton of the facial mass to indicate the movement of the midline of the face.

I measured from the original midline to the new midline then added to the back of the cranial mass to reflect the change of angle to the head.

Here are the landmarks for the features. The top line divides the total mass of the head in half and marks the brow line. Half way from the brow line to the chin is the bottom of the nose. Divide from the bottom of the nose to the chin in thirds to find the placement of the lips. This is a rough formula and will change depending upon the individual features of the model.

Next I blocked in the major facial masses: the eye sockets, the nose, the cheek bones, ear, the barrel of the mouth and the box of the chin. Remember, the bottom of the cheek bones approximately bisects the nose. The midline of the lips indicates the point of the jaw. The corners of the mouth line up with the middle of the eyes. Don't forget that the midline curves, so the mouth will be shown in a foreshortened position. The bottom of the ear lines up with the bottom of the nose and the top of the ear lines up with the brow line. The ear tilts back from the facial mass by approximately 15 degrees.

The wings of the nostrils indicate the inner corner of the eyes. Even with the face at a 3/4 view, this will still hold true. The distance between the eyes is one eye length. The upper lid travels further over the curve of the eye than the lower lid.

The head is probably the most difficult part of the human anatomy to draw. You made a good start, but just need to remember to block in the basics first then go for the details. Again, don't forget to include a bit of the neck and shoulders.

Subject Matter/Social Context

Portraits are always a wonderful way to immortalize someone. A bit more practise and I believe you'll get the hang of it.