How to Draw a Side Profile
Hello everyone, today I propose that we discover together how to draw a face in profile. You will see that with just a few simple concepts, it is easy to succeed and have fun bringing many characters to life.
Get your pencils, paper or tablet ready and above all, your creativity!
SMALL ANATOMICAL POINT OF A PROFILE FACE
To start off well, let's go back to basics: a profile face is primarily a face seen from the side, and so far so obvious. This mainly means that we will find common features between a frontal view and a profile drawing, which will help us a lot in drawing.
First we find the skull [fig. 1], to which we add the facial muscles, organs, nerves and the skin [in yellow, fig. 2], in short, everything that adds substance and volume.
Although the shape of the skull differs slightly from one person to another, it can be considered a common base to which we add various distinctive elements (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.).
These elements will help differentiate each individual and add personality to your characters, they are also the same elements that change over time and allow to distinguish a young face from an older face.[fig3].
When drawing a profile, it is not always obvious where to place the eyes, mouth or even the ears. It is important to bear in mind that a face in profile follows the same rules of proportion as a face seen from any angle [fig. 4], so it may be useful, if you want to draw the same character from the front or from the side, to use lines as a guide.
NOTE:
It is good to know that when we do not know how to draw an element, our brain tends to want to draw everything from the front view, as it is from this angle that we most often observe others or our own face. If it helps, you can take a side picture to use as a guide.
FACE PROPORTIONS
Regardless of the perspective, the face always obeys the same proportions:
We divide the vertical axis (in green) into three:
- The first third corresponds to the area between the eyebrows and the top of the forehead
- The second level corresponds to the area between the tip of the nose/bottom of the ear and the eyebrows/top of the ears
- The third level corresponds to the area between the base of the chin and the tip of the nose/ear. This last level is in turn divided into three (in red), with the upper lip and Cupid's bow in the upper level, the lower lip and the beginning of the chin in the middle level and the chin in the last level.
The horizontal axis (in blue) is divided into two:
- The left half comprises the entire face up to the beginning of the ears
- The right half mainly comprises the skull.
One of the most common mistakes when drawing the profile of a face is to represent the volume of the skull narrower than it actually is, so it is something to pay attention to.
One can also notice an alignment between the corners of the mouth and the eyes (in yellow).
These “rules” of proportions are general, it is worth noting that sometimes one cannot fully adhere to them, however they serve as a guide and facilitate the accuracy of the design.
DRAWING A FACE IN PROFILE
If you work on paper, I recommend you to start by drawing the structure with rather thin lines, so that you can erase it more easily later on.
If you work digitally, it is best to realise the structure on a separate level from the rest.
1. Start by drawing a simple circle.
2. I add a line that crosses the circle from right to left in the centre and another perpendicular to the first, which I extend downwards, will serve as a guide for what follows.
3. As we have seen before, the face is proportioned in about three equal parts, so I draw guidelines, although this remains optional if you feel comfortable.
4. I draw the base of the face shape, drawing a straight line starting from the blue horizontal line (A) and descending to the last green line (B). Then I draw the shape of the jaw, rising first to the blue vertical line (C) and then rising sharply to the point (D). I also add two vertical but slightly curved lines to suggest the neck.
5. I then add the ear, which occupies about the entire space of the middle third. We often make the mistake of drawing the ear too small or too far back on the skull, but in a face in profile it is the ear that helps us understand the volume of the skull.
You can choose the shape of the ear you prefer, I offer some examples below. If you have difficulty positioning all the elements that make up the ear, a simple shape suggested as (A) will do just fine.
6. I add the nose, which is located in the same 1/3 of the ear. To do this, I start by drawing a triangle shape, then add curves for the nostrils and an angle at the top to suggest the volume associated with the brow ridge.
When creating a character, the shape of the nose is often of great impact, because it gives it personality. Below, I suggest some other nose shapes. Remember that as long as the nose is in the right place and has nostrils, all shapes are there and will be consistent.
7. I draw the mouth and the chin, they occupy the last 1/3 of the face. This part is generally more complicated because it is full of small curves.
I start by drawing a petal shape for the upper lip (1), then connect it to the nose with a small curve for the cupid's bow (2). I add a round curve to suggest the lower lip (3). I do not connect it to the corner of the mouth with a line because this often weighs down the design and gives the impression of a very defined mouth. To give more volume to the lower lip and at the same time to the chin, I add a wave-shaped curve (4).
A chin with soft contours chin and gentle curves [fig. 1] will be rather feminine, while a chin with angular or even square lines will be more masculine.[Fig2]
8. Now I deal with the crucial part, the eye! The biggest challenge in drawing an eye in profile is to remember that it is in profile. Often our subconscious makes us draw a frontal eye because it is easier.
To position the eye correctly, I draw a line (in yellow) parallel to the structural lines (in blue) that passes through the corner of the mouth. This line must not be crossed by our eye.
To draw the eye, I first draw a circle to serve as the eyeball (1). On the left, I draw two ellipses for the iris and pupil. Then I add two curves following the circle to create the eyelids (2). Under the lower eyelid I draw a V shape to highlight the volume of the eye (3). To further accentuate the volume of the eye, I add two small lines at the ends and connect the upper eyelid line to the small line above the iris (4). Finally, I add the eyelashes (5), which will be longer at the ends near the iris.
If we want to draw more or less open eyes, just change the position of the two eyelid lines and we can create many different emotions.
Finally, I draw the eyebrow. It is located just above the horizontal blue line. It does not touch the outer line of the face and stops before the end of the eye (about at ¾).
9. I will draw the hair, and here the imagination is free! The only “rule” for the hair is to know the hairline (red line). It forms a curve on the forehead and then descends vertically on the temple before continuing down towards the neck and the top of the nape.
To draw hair (here short hair) I will make many strokes to suggest strands following the volume of the skull. The strands in front fall on the forehead, I make them slightly curved to suggest weight and volume.
Hair is usually THE element that creates a character's identity, so don't hesitate to have fun with hairstyles. I have included some examples of hairstyles below, and if you would like to explore the topic further, I invite you to watch this course on drawing hair.
10. And that's it! To finish, I delete all the construction lines (or delete the level).
11. What about the beard?
Like the hair, the beard also follows one “rule”: the area in which it resides (in yellow). To suggest the hair, I make small lines, like for hair.
Now that you know all the basics, feel free to play with certain parameters (nose, eyes, mouth, chin...) to create many unique character profile views.
Writer and illustrator: Chloé