Proportions in a face

[Tehdugz]

Quite a simple question really - When drawing a face what is the best way to proportion eyes/mouth/nose/eyebrows etc

I can draw all the parts fine on their own, but the moment i start drawing on a face i just cant seem to place them in a position that looks right! - Any thoughts?

[Joel Fagin]

I don't know all the fiddley details but the basics...

The eyes are half way down the head (not including the hair, obviously). The bottom of the nose is half way between the eyes and the chin and the mouth is half way between the bottom of the nose and the chin.

Tops of the ears are roughly level with the eyes (so glasses can fit correctly ) and there is the a space of one eye between the eyes.

- Joel Fagin

[Black Sparrow]

Anyartbookwouldhavethisin it. It's often just a question of finding one you easily understand.

[Tehdugz]

hehe, cheers - you've basically just confirmed what i have in my mind, now all i have to do is practice it to the point where it goes onto paper.

Thankee!

[Compugasm]

If you look at the face straight on, and remove the hair. The eyes should be in the middle of the head.

[Amazon King]

Quite a simple question really - When drawing a face what is the best way to proportion eyes/mouth/nose/eyebrows etc

I can draw all the parts fine on their own, but the moment i start drawing on a face i just cant seem to place them in a position that looks right! - Any thoughts?

An art teacher I had in high school once said "start with the nose and work your way out." The nose is generally the same width as the eyes. Using the eye width as a rule, the whole nose should be 1 1/2 to 2 eyes from the nostrils to the brow. One eye length from the bottom of the lower lip to the underside of the nose, and half that for the top of the upper lip. Corners of the mouth naturally line up with the pupils.

The forehead gets a lot of people in trouble, as they tend to draw it too squat. The brows are your dividing line, cutting the head in half. Take half of the area above and make that the forehead, then use the remainder to establish a hairline. Ears line up with the brows and the nostrils. After that, you're basically done.

Have fun!

[Suika]

I highly recommend Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. It has a great section on proportions. These diagrams for example have been very beneficial to me (sorry for the bad quality, but these were taken with a digital camera):

[Hellbenders]

Remember, these guidelines are only generalizations! Many faces don't exactly conform to these guidelines, especially in comics. Experiment with the placements of eyes, chins, mouths, ears, etc. with different characters and notice the different looks that they have.

[Dutch!]

And remember...on profile shots, the ears take up at least a third of the side of the head!