Japanese pro Advice to students – How to draw balanced faces: female characters

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How to draw balanced faces: female characters

Student
Hi! I’ve done a couple of faces, would like some input in regards to what I’m doing wrong.
I feel like there’s something I can’t quite put my finger on in regards to the faces being off.

Student’s drawing

Teacher

Well done! You’ve had a really great go at a difficult lesson! The character on the right side of the screen is very well drawn! So, I will explain using this character.

2 seems to struggle with balance when the face is turned diagonally to the side. The eyes on the far side of the screen should be drawn with a compressed vertical width. The left and right parts of the face are well balanced in 1, but in 2 the left and right parts have become disconnected. You may want to draw horizontal lines across the face in your underdrawings to position the parts correctly.

In 3, pay attention to the height of the face parts. Your drawing will look cute if the face is divided into two parts, top and bottom, with the eyes slightly below the midline. The position of the eyes in 3 is a little too low.

The balance is cute when the eyes and mouth form an equilateral triangle when connected by a line, as in the face in 1. When the face is looking straight ahead, the mouth should be drawn at the point where the nose and chin are divided into two parts.

Trace Sensei’s drawing or place it right next to the screen and compare the two as you reproduce it. Keep up the good work!

Teacher’s Advice

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