Realistic Faces Aren't Hard — Here's Why

Drawing celebrities is risky. One wrong line, and it's a completely different person. So today, we're taking that risk. Sydney Sweeney. All right, step one to actually getting a head right. We've gotta stop obsessing over the details and start thinking simple. Seriously, it all comes down to the sphere. That's your MVP right there. So, let's kick things off by dropping a circle on the page. My way of tackling circles for beginners is dead simple. Just drop four points. Top, bottom, and the sides. Basically, you're just boxing it in. Keep refining the shape until it feels right. But hey, don't sweat it too much. It's just a circle. Don't let it stress you out. Looking at the model, you'll see our sphere isn't actually whole. We need to carve out that side flat. But where exactly? I know that's what you're wondering. Let's find that sweet spot. Quick heads up. If you wanna go from zero to mastering Loomis, my full course is your best bet. It's on a huge discount right now. So, hit the product on your screen or the link in the description to grab it. Let's get back to it. In short, guys, here's the simplest way to look at it. That side cut starts right at the edge of the brow and goes all the way to the back of the head. Height-wise, it's basically 2 3rds of your sphere, lining up with the hairline at the top and the nose at the bottom. We'll dive deeper into that in the next few steps. Next up, the brow line. It's a horizontal line cutting right through the center of our side flat. Just eye your reference, find the brows, and drop that line across. It flows over the face and then tilts back through the side cut, heading straight for the top of the ear. Simple as that. Brows to the top of the ear. That's your line. Now for the vertical center line. This one splits the face right down the middle. It follows the curve of the sphere at the top, then drops straight down from the brows to the chin. Why do we need it? Simple. It's our anchor. It keeps everything symmetrical so you can place the nose, mouth, and eyes exactly where they belong without any guesswork. Now, we're gonna divide this line into three equal sections. First, we drop a line at the top of our side cut. That's your hairline. Below that is the brow line we already marked. Next, we hit the bottom of the side cut for the nose line. Finally, just add one more equal space down for the chin. There you have it. Three perfect thirds that give the face its balance and symmetry. And just like that, the upper head is done. Now, let's tackle the jaw. From the right side of our sphere, we'll drop a line straight to the chin. On the left, we start a vertical line inside the side cut and curve it down to meet the chin as well. Boom, there's your jaw line. Now, let's clean this up. We'll erase the inner part of the circle since we don't need it anymore and carve out the eye sockets. See this blue curved line? It's our guide for the mouth width, making sure it's perfectly sized. Finally, we'll just block in the neck and shoulders. Nothing fancy, just a quick sketch. Now that our structure is set with the nose, eyes, and mouth in place, let's dive into the real details. Quick tip, use your eraser to knock back those base lines until they're just ghost lines. It's the best way to keep your final piece looking crisp and professional. Stay clean. All right, let's build this nose. Forget fancy shapes. It all starts with three simple circles, one big one in the center for the tip and two smaller ones on the sides for the nostrils. Keep these lines super light. Think of them as whispers on the page. If you press too hard now, you're gonna regret it later when we clean up. Now that we have our footprint, it's time to connect the dots. I'm using those initial circles as a guide to establish the bridge and start defining the structure of the nostrils. Notice how the pencil is just skimming the surface. We're not committing to heavy lines yet. We're just finding the shape. Here's where it starts to look like an actual nose. I'm darkening the shadows at the base and defining the curvature. The key here is understanding volume. See that small dotted circle I made? That's my reminder that this is a 3D form catching light. The strongest darks are gonna be under the structure. Okay, let's establish the mouth. It doesn't just float there. It connects to the nose. I'm extending the center line down to find the chin and then laying down a soft horizontal line for where the lips meet. See those faint marks near the nostrils? That's our philtrum area, the key connection point between the two features. Keep this geometry light. The important part, understanding the planes. The upper lip is darker because it often faces away from the light. I'm using short slanted strokes to fill that shape in. Notice how I defined the corners? That initial horizontal line is now a distinct boundary, not just a scratch on the paper. We're thinking structure here, not outlines. The sole of the mouth is in the center and corners. I'm darkening that meeting point heavy. Below that, I block in a dark triangle. That's the separation between the lower lip and chin. Check the texture on the lower lip. Just soft vertical strokes to show the volume stretching. Boom, a mouth with character tied perfectly to the nose. Don't forget the shadow under that bottom lip. That dark little pocket is what actually makes the chin pop and gives the mouth its 3D weight. Keep it soft, blend it out, and you're solid. That's how you tie the whole lower face together. Now that the mouth is set, let's go back and tighten up the jaw line in that cheek plane. We're basically tweaking the edges to get as close as possible to our reference. Think of it as a final structural check. Once that feels right, we're ready to move down to the neck and the rest of the body. I decided to knock out the brows real quick before moving down. Since the hair covers half of them, they're actually super simple to draw. I'm just placing them on that horizontal line we set up earlier. The trick is matching the angle and the tone from the reference, not too heavy, not too light. Just think of them as tiny individual hairs sitting side by side. Keep it subtle. Moving down, let's sketch this necklace or choker, whatever you want to call it. It's super basic, so no need to overthink it. Next, I'm just tweaking the back of the neck and shoulders to match the character's anatomy and blocking in the dress. I'll add some quick shading for light and shadow, but we're not spending much time here. It's not our main focus. Let's get to the fun part, the hair. First things first, we're laying down the foundation. Instead of thinking about hair, think of it as a helmet or a cap sitting right on top of the head. I'm just tracing the outer edge to get that silhouette locked in. Keep your wrist loose and don't worry about the mess. We're just mapping out the territory here. Now, let's talk about flow. I'm starting to carve out these big chunks following the natural curve of the head. Notice how the lines aren't just random. They all point back to the roots. You want to visualize these sections as ribbons. This is what gives the hair that alive feeling before we even add the shading. Moving right along to the shadows. I'm hitting the areas where the hair overlaps with some deeper tones. This is where the magic happens. It's called ambient occlusion. By darkening the gaps between the chunks, we're making the hair look thick and layered. Pro tip, keep your strokes consistent with the direction of the growth. To wrap this up, it's all about the highlights and those tiny details. I'm using the eraser to pull out some light and give it that healthy shine. Then I'll add a few stray hairs breaking away from the main mass to keep it looking real. And just like that, you've got hair that actually has some weight to it. Nice and clean. To keep everything in sync, we're starting with a simple horizontal line right under the brows. This is our anchor. It ensures both eyes are on the same level and matching the head's tilt perfectly. Once that's set, I'm jumping in with my HB pencil to define the upper lids, matching that deep, dark tone from our reference. Next up, let's add some life between the brows and the lids. I'm laying down some soft shading here to really sculpt the area and make the bone structure pop. After that, we'll map out the lower lids. Take your time here. Getting the placement right is the only way to capture the exact openness of her gaze. Now, pay close attention to the irises. Since we're working with a three-quarter view, they won't be centered. Notice how I'm shifting them to the left to follow the head's rotation. It's all about perspective. Once the placement feels solid, I'll drop in the pupils and some consistent shading to give them that depth. Last but not least, let's add those delicate lashes on the top and bottom. Keep them light and natural. With that, the eyes are perfectly aligned and full of character. Everything is coming together now, looking sharp and balanced. And that's it. If you made it this far, yeah, you're serious about this. Keep practicing. That's really all it takes. On the screen right now, you'll see my full course. If you want to level up faster and actually understand what you're doing, it's all there. Just click it and check it out. All right, I'll see you in the next one.