Anatomical Drawing -- Head

General Features and Placement §

• Male heads tend to be larger than female heads

• The head contains two important masses

  • The cranium (superior part of the skull) which is a spherical mass.
    • From the side, the cranium should be an oval shape (so in reality it is more egg-shaped).
    • The more to the side the head is placed, the more we can see the temporal line. As a construction guide, a longitudinal line can be drawn to distinguish this.
    • The temporal muscles on the side of the head are a spherical mass tangential to the temporal line and occupying the side of the head.
  • The mandible (lower jawbone) rendered as an angular mass (the cross section of a rectangle)
    • A sagittal line passing through the two hinges of the mandible should pass through the base of the nose.
    • From the side, the profile of the mandible is much more apparent, forming an angular shape.
    • The chin should not be exactly where the mandible is. The suprathyroid muscles exists on top of the bone so there should be some space below the mandible.

• The cranium is not a complete oval, think of the region defined by the mandible as cutting off the cranium from below. This corresponds roughly to the maxilla bone.

• The forehead is the region above the eyes. It exists as a plane at the front of the face (shaped by its curvature)

  • Male foreheads are more prominent and have a greater slope
  • Female foreheads are smoother and more vertical.

Eyes §

• The eyes are placed in the middle of the face. This follows from how the eyes are below the widest lateral line passing through the skull
• The eyeballs are placed in the orbits which are effectively hollow sockets for the eyes. The eyes do not fill the orbit all the way (unless the eye is popping out of the head).
  • The eyeball is positioned slightly forward and facing downward in its orbit.
• Eye Width Rule: The distance between the two eyes is one eye apart (on average).

Eyeball §

• Sclera - the white region of the eyes.

• Iris - the colored circular part of the eye surrounding the pupil

  • The iris is typically surrounded with dark bands called the limbal rings which are a result of the corneal limbus that interfaces between the iris and the sclera.
    • The limbal rings are associated with a “youthful” and attractive appearance. They are more prominent in younger people.
    • The ring narrows when the pupil dilates.
  • The iris also has light-colored bands which act like growth rings.
  • The diameter of the iris is half of the width of the eye ball.

• Pupil - the opening at the center of the iris.

  • The size of the pupil adjusts depending on the lighting. In dim light, the pupil is dilated
  • More light sensitivity = larger pupils.

• Cornea - the outermost clear layer of the eye.

  • The cornea pushes outwards and changes the eyelid shape.

• The iris has patterns which are unique to each person. Iridology provides some insights (even associations to Archetypes).

  • Jewels - the iris has dark colored freckle like dots.
  • Flowers - distinctly curved or rounded openings in the fibers of the iris resembling flower petals.
  • Stream - a uniform fiber structure radiating from the pupil
  • Shaker - irises that have a mix of jewels and flowers

Eyelids §

• The canthi are where the eyelids meet. The inner canthus is medial and the outer canthus is lateral

• A face will be flat if the line connecting the four canthi of the two eyes is straight (i.e., it doesn’t consider the curvature of the face)

• The eyelids may obscure part of the iris

  • In a usual relaxed position, the upper eyelid will cover about of the eye.
  • The lower eyelid does not retract when the eyes are opened.

• The upper eyelid’s curvature varies and may be more prominent in the outer corner of the eye.

  • The upper eyelid is not uniformly thick, it tends to be thicker in the outer corner and may taper in the inner corner

• Crow’s feet are wrinkles that appear on the sides of the outer corners of the eye.

  • These become more apparent with age.
  • They form due to muscle contraction around the eyes (i.e., because of smiling)

• The upper eyelid may have a fold which can be rendered using a crease . The presence of a fold depends on ethnicity and age. See more here

  • A monolid eyelid has no fold.
  • The epicanthal fold covers the inner corner of the eye. Render with a fold in the inner eye.
  • The supratarsal fold or double eyelid is a fold of skin that creates a separation between the eyelid and the brow. Render with an additional line above the eyelid
    • The supratarsal fold can mix with an epicanthal fold to varying degrees. More prominent epicanthal fold = crease line starts closer to the inner canthus.
  • Hooded eyes have skin drooping over the upper eye crease. This gives it a heavier appearance

• The lower eyelid has a natural crease visible when the eyelid is open

Eyelashes §

• The length of the eyelash does not vary by sex or ethnicity. They tend to grow at around the width of the eye.
• Eyelashes are thick at the roots and taper at the end.
• Eyelashes grow outward and curl (to varying degrees).
• Long eyelashes tend to be perceived as beautiful

Eyebrows §

• The positioning of the eyebrows vary depending on facial expression. Even so, eyebrows have various shapes

• The hairs on the eyebrow point towards the temporal bone.

• The starting point of the eyebrow is aligned with the inner corner of the eye. The arch is typically above the outer edge of the iris (along the longitudinal direction). The endpoint is aligned with the outer corner of the eye.

• The eyebrow tapers to the end

• An eyebrow that is higher up tends to be perceived as more beautiful

• Thin eyebrows tend to be perceived as more feminine.

Ears §

Facial Structure §

• The facial structure is determined by the cranium, the mandible, and the temporal bone.

• The parotid gland determines the general shape of the jaw.

  • For women the appearance is softer and more rounded
  • For men, the appearance is broader and more square shaped.

• In characterize facial structure we can divide the face into the top (forehead and scalp), middle (cheekbones) and bottom (jaw). We look at the width of each region as well as the height and width of the face.

Angled	Width	Rounded / Contoured
Diamond	Middle is wider than top and bottom	Oval
V-Triangle	Top > Middle > Bottom	Heart
A-Triangle	Bottom > Middle > Top	Pear
Rectangle	Equal Width. Face is long	Oblong
Square	Equal Width	Round

Facial Expressions §

Links §

• Pixel Art - Introduction to Portraits

• Anatomy for Sculptors — Understanding the Human Form by Zarins and Kondrats

• Anatomical Drawing — Hair