Rules of Thumb for Drawing the Adult Human Head
The Rule of Thirds dictates that the head can be broken down into 1/3 sections, with delineations marked at the brow and the bottom of the nose. Although the shape of the hair can lend a portrait the unique personality of the sitter, avoid including it until you work out the details of the head. Refer to the following rules of thumb to check proportions of your drawing as you develop your sketch. Draw lightly and avoid erasing. Instead, you should use lightly drawn previous lines to hone in on your shapes and emphasize the lines that you decide are closest to the target.
- A - From the top of the head to the chin, the eyes are positioned approximately at the mid-point.
- B - A typical head is about five eyes wide. The eyes are approximately one eye width apart.
- C - The bottom of the nose is about halfway between the eyebrows and the chin.
- D - The ears are positioned between the horizontal lines of the eyebrows and the nose.
- E - The mouth is placed between the nose and the chin, approximately two-thirds of the way up from the chin. The corners of the mouth should line up with the iris of each eye.
- F - On the profile, the ear is place behind the vertical center line.