I was really tickled, not to mention intmidated, to be invited to be a guest blogger on Scott Cowan’s blog. This is like finally getting a date with someone you’ve been flirting with who you never really expected to ask you out. Now you have to put up, (not out, really!) or shut up.  Be engaging, creative, interesting and interested.

Title insurance would not be my best first date topic.

So I want to share a little exercise that will hopefully be entertaining,  hands on, and maybe awaken a little part of your forgotten creative soul. By the end of it, you will have some basics that will help you draw a human face.

Ready?

Get this-the human head is remarkably similar in shape to an egg.  Obviously every face has it’s nuances, but in general for the proper placement of features on a face these guidelines will really help you. So get out a piece of paper and a pencil and play along.

1. Draw a shape as close to an egg as possible. Run a light line down the middle of the
oval dividing it in half lengthwise.  If you are a bit challenged by drawing the egg shape, get one out of your fridge and use it as a model.  Then you will have to willingly suspend your disbelief.

2. Find the middle of the egg and draw a line horizontally. This is where the eyes will be. Eyes are big marble shaped things that sit inside the sockets and are protected by eyelids, but the basic underlying shape is round. Just above the marbles is where the eyebrows will sit. Draw a line there too.

3.  Now, halfway between the brow line and the chin is another horizontal line,which will be the bottom of the nose. Of course a head wouldn’t be right without ears, and they generally lie between the brow line and the bottom of the nose.

4.  Lastly, divide the space between the bottom of the nose and the chin into thirds, and the upper third is where the mouth goes.

Now, aren’t you proud of yourself? You took the first steps for drawing a head!

Ok, so I really am a better painter than graphic designer,  which is why my digital drawing didn’t make it into the post,  but you get the gist. When you break down a seemingly complex and difficult thing like the human face into segments,  find the underlying constant and remember the basic principals, then you can start to have fun with adding dimensions, nuances, life.  Kind of like dating….

Thanks Scott!