Above: A tutorial about how to draw the human head in the 3/4 pose
(Between front and profile view)
Below: The art supplies that I used to make the drawing.
Click on the images to go to the other four parts of this series.
Welcome to the fifth and final installment of my series about drawing the human head from memory. This video will give you a dizzying amount of information on how to draw the head at 3/4 view. Lets start out by observing what happens when the head turns. Notice what little space the face takes up when the head is turned in profile view. Notice that the back of the head becomes more rounded as the face seems to shrink. Lets take a closer look at the face. The green shape connects the two outer corners of the eye and the outer corners of the mouth. Observe what happens to this trapezoid shape as the head turns from side to side. Notice that as the green shape gets smaller, the back of the head becomes more rounded. Now lets look at a silhouette of the face. Be sure to observe what happens to the silhouette of the face at 3/4 view- It is no longer an oval shape. There are indentations and protrusions
In the 3/4 view of the head, there is an indentation by the eye and a protrusion at the cheekbone and mouth. This is due to underlying bone and muscle structures.
Now, lets look at the individual features of the face starting with the eyes. Notice that the eye shifts in shape as the head turns. When the head is in profile... the shape of the eye looks like a Hershey's kiss turned to the side.....as the head turns, it morphs to an almond shape. Since I am teaching you how to draw the eye 3/4 view for this video, we will remember that the 3/4 view eye resembles Pac Mans mouth. Notice that the pupil and iris are more oval like and that there is no white on the inner corner of the eye.
Now lets observe the nose. Notice the relationship between the nose and the cheek. In the 3/4 view, the nose is partially covering the cheek and almost to the edge of the face. Notice how the nostrils shift as the head turns. When you draw a head in 3/4 view, you essentially draw 1 1/2 nostrils.
As for the mouth, take a few seconds to notice the changes. The top lip morphs from a flattened M shape from the front....to a lightning bolt shape in 3/4 view. The bottom lip has a squared section and triangles on each side.
The ears move from being close to the center of the head from profile view, to the edge of the head in front view. In 3/4 view, the ears seem to be at the verge of protruding through the back of the head....but they are not there yet.
Now its time for the demonstration. Since we studied a male head in the first part of the video, lets switch it up and draw a female head. Just follow the directions for each step and also on the shading tutorial.
Step 1: Draw the shape that you see. Notice that it is an egg shape with various protrusions and indentations. This is the most difficult step so take some extra time.
Step 2: Notice the rectangular shape. The four dots are the centers of each eye and the corners of each mouth. Place each dot in the appropriate place. Then, about 2/3 of the way down add a line for the bottom of the nose. Step 3: Add the eyebrows and ears. Step 4: Fill in the eye shape. Remember the Pac Man rule. Here is a close up. Step 5: Complete the nose. Notice the solid line leading from the bottom of the nose to the brow. Also, remember the rule about 1 1/2 nostrils. Here is a close up. Step 6: Complete the mouth. Overall the mouth looks like a flattened heart shape. For now, put in one solid shape and ignore the rules that you learned before. We will make the rectangular shape on the bottom lip and the lightning bolt shape on the top when we shade. Shape 7 Add the hair. Be creative, you dont have to re create this hairstyle.
