How to Draw Planar Head

Lesson 3 - Planes and Head Structure

In lesson iii of the portrait prep series, I'm going to give an overview of Planes and Caput Construction. We'll exist using the Asaro caput, the Reilly method, and the Loomis method. (No clue what that means? No trouble! I'll explain in a 2d.)

Head structure is and so important because it in involves the unabridged head -- non only an isolated look at the face, or the sides of the confront, or simply features.  Information technology provides you with a framework which y'all can build upon.  This as the final puzzle piece that enables yous to brainstorm your journey in drawing portraits!

The Asaro Head

The beginning method to hash out is the Asaro head.  I know of no improve fashion to understand the shading of the caput than this model.  This is a three-D model of the caput created by John Asaro and helps our overall understanding of how light is reflected on the surfaces of the head.

When nosotros study portraiture, we are learning the exaggerated planes and angles of an object that we oftentimes think of as round or spherical.  Together we tin can practice looking at the model caput (even if nosotros're merely using a reference photo of the head) and draw information technology from our point of view.

Asaro Caput Exercise

Report the images in the graphic below and notice how the light in reflected on each aeroplane of the head.

Key things to look for in this challenge:

1. How many light sources are in that location?

ii. Where is the light source?

3. Can you determine (and label) the value of each plane from 1 to ten?

4. How many planes are represented within each feature?

Head Construction Methods

In that location are two methods that are most popular for amalgam the head: the Loomis method, and the Reilly abstraction method.

Someone may enquire the question: Why should I learn methods for how to construct the head? Tin't I just copy from a photo instead?

Head cartoon methods are giving you two essential benefits a photo can never provide:
1. The relationship of the features.  (All the features are interconnected and have a human relationship to each other.)
2. A manner to label what you lot come across.  We're talking virtually a vocabulary and a language for something otherwise undefined.  If something is undefined, so it's abstruse and tin can remain elusive.  Equally realists, we can't depict something nosotros can't encounter or define.

The all-time means to learn caput structure is to continue practicing it.  Practice the things you learn often and keep pushing yourself and you WILL see results.

And so with that properties, permit's dig in!

Practicing the Loomis Method

The Loomis method is explained in particular in Andrew Loomis's book, "Drawing The Head and the Easily".  Information technology's a gratis ebook and can be constitute on google easily  (you can go here: Loomis Book).  Refer to the images below the steps from the Loomis book.

These are the basic steps that we want to go along in mind for our purposes in portraiture:

1. Draw a round ball.

2. Draw a vertical middle line (middle of the olfactory organ).

3. Draw a horizontal middle line (middle of the brow).

4. With an imaginary knife cut off the sides of each of the ball to represent the side plane of the head. (The top part of the circle is two/three of the summit from the middle of the circle. This is as well where the hairline should be. The bottom function of the circle represents the bottom of the ear and is the same airplane for the bottom of the olfactory organ.) Y'all will also have to decide where the circle curves at the side plane of the face.

5. Determine the angle of the side aeroplane by making the line from the ear to the brow.

6. Then extend the line to the front end plane.

7. Then return the lower and upper lines parallel to the eye line. This will requite you the thirds of the face up: hairline to brow line, forehead line to base of operations of the nose, base of operations of the nose to bottom of the chin.

8. So side by side draw the bottom of the mentum line. Extend the line (create a box similar shape) and draw the jawline.

9. Discover the eyes past placing your mark one-half mode betwixt the summit of the head and the bottom of the chin.

10. The lesser of the bottom lip is halfway between the base of the olfactory organ and the bottom of the chin.

The Reilly Caput Abstraction

Goose egg is written down from Frank Reilly.  Nosotros have very few writings from his students.  I think that there are things nosotros can learn from the Riley method. But by and large we're relying on what his students wrote nigh this method and what these students and then students of the students were able to communicate about the method.

 One thing the Riley method incorporates well is a rhythmical relationship of the features in the head and face. And so every feature has a relationship with the rest of the features.  You could almost use one continuous line without Always Lifting your pencil from the newspaper to create all of the rhythms in the face.

Then really the best manner to explain this particular method is to show you in a video I've prepared and you lot tin can await at the reference that I'm picturing here below.

For those that sign upward for the Portrait Prep Cartoon Course, Yous'll accept access to the video lessons. If you'd like to sign upwards for the course, go here to sign up! We're starting the course on June 1, 2020.

To begin the Riley method you lot need to accept the outline of the head consummate. So it doesn't really matter what method you utilise to create the caput y'all just demand to have the top of the caput bottom of the chin in order to fill up in the Reilly abstraction Rhythm lines.

one.  Offset with creating a round circle with the vertical and horizontal line in the frontal view.

2.  Next motility down one-tertiary of the way from the centre of the circle that yous created to create the bottom of the mentum. This establishes the 3 divisions of the caput.

3.  Once you have the head outlined and know where the eyes are in relation to the brow line, you can move to the olfactory organ.

iv.  The nose is the width of the optics.

5.  Brand the upper line to establish the brawl of the nose.

six. Make the line where the keystone is, then add together the curved line on each side to connect the keystone to the ball of the nose.

7. Add ii curved lines from the keystone, to the base of the nose.

eight.  Create the cage of the mouth line by starting at where the intersection of the side plane crosses the vertical lines that were extended from the corners of the optics.

9.  Create the band of the face, or laugh line expanse, by starting at the keystone once again and completing that curve with the jaw line.

ten.  The mentum line extends from the lesser of the mentum and intersects with the muzzle.

11.  The oral cavity is identified past the intersection that just happened with the chin and cage.

12.  Establish the cheek bone area (which should already be showing from our circle before).

13.  Depict the rhythm line from corner of the mouth, pass by the corner of the nose to the side plane of the head where the brow ridge is.  This is the helps establish the upper cheek expanse.

14.  Showtime from the superlative of that rhythm that you just created and fill up in the underside of the cheek.

xv.  Side by side, connect the ears from the cheek line that you merely created to the base of the nose plane.

16.  Draw the side airplane of the confront on the forehead using the placement of outer surface area for the eyes and cheek every bit a guide for connecting this line.

17.  Now you can add the curved brow line.

18.  And finally, the eye curved line.

xix.  You could also add the eye placement as more particular.

Bonus: The John Middick Method

Okay, okay, so I'thou not presumptuous enough to call up that anyone is going to name an entire method after me. Just I do call back it'due south benign to share some of the steps I accept when doing my own head constructions!

I like to ever consider where the caput tilt is with each portrait I do. To do this, I think of 3 axes for the direction and location of the head in space:

ane.  The x-axes is measured by a line across the pupils.  If the line isn't level then the head is tilted.  This is a amend measurement than slant of eyes or eyelids.
2.  The centerline down the nose, mouth, and chin.  If this line is not perfectly centered in that y axis area then the head is angled or rotated to the correct or left.  Questions to ask:  Do I see more of one nostril than the other? More than of ane ear? Is one of the corners of the middle behind the nose?
three.  The position of the chin.  Where is your heart level position: up or down?  Is the bottom aeroplane of the jaw seen?  Practice I see the underside of the plane of the nose or the hairline?  These are all clues nigh the caput rotation.

If y'all can respond these questions then you tin can begin to understand the tilt of your portrait bailiwick meliorate.  Y'all'll know how to think most the bailiwick more in a three dimensional mode.

Remember: Don't overcomplicate it!  Just do the construction very simply in the fashion that feels most comfortable to you. As y'all progress in your sketching with practise, you'll add more and more item. The lesser line is to always keep practicing and practicing and practicing.

And there y'all accept it! You've completed the Portrait Prep series. This is but the tip of the iceberg when information technology comes to portraiture, merely mastering the skills discussed in these web log posts will give you the foundation you need to start drawing the realistic portraits you've always hoped for.

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Source: https://sharpenedartist.com/cpblog/portraitseriesl3

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