Art Camp | How to Draw Basics: Heads

The human body is one of the most complex subjects for artists to master drawing. Wonky proportions, uncertain anatomy, and tricky perspectives are common woes with the figure, but especially so when it comes to the head! With so many moving parts and little details, the head can seem nearly impossible to get right. In this short but info and drawing packed course, young artists will learn basic anatomy of the skull, how to draw the skull from any angle, simplification of features of the head, landmarks of expression, and much more!

Lesson 1 | Skull from Front, Side, and Back: 
In our first lesson, young artists will start with an introduction to the course, class procedures, and themselves. Once everyone knows what to expect and has met their fellow learners, we will proceed into a step-by-step guided drawing of the skull from three angles: the front, side, and back. 

Lesson 2 | Skull in Perspective 
Our second lesson will teach how to draw the skull from any angle using boxes in one-point perspective. This lesson will start with an introduction to one-point perspective and the important vocabulary associated with drawing in perspective, like “horizon line” and “vanishing point.” Young artists will be asked to draw nine boxes in one-point perspective use each box as a block from which to carve the skull. 

Lesson 3 | Dressing the Skull 
Now that the skull has been conquered, the next step is to dress the skull with all the muscles and features we expect the human face to have. We will draw a skull from the front angle together, which will act as a helpful review and practice, then dress that skull with important muscle groups and then the rest of the facial features. Before we add each facial feature to the skull, we will practice drawing that feature to the side of the skull drawing or on a new sheet of paper first. The drawing of muscles atop the skull will be another guided, step-by-step tutorial, but young artists will be encouraged to experiment with adding on various forms and shapes of eyes, noses, mouths, and ears. 

Lesson 4 | Expression Gestures 
We will begin the lesson with two ten-minute faces as a warm-up then proceed to draw faces starting at 30 seconds and steadily increasing back up to ten minutes. While it may seem impossible to draw a face in 30 seconds, through extreme simplification it can be done! By practicing gestures at various intervals, young artists will increase their observational skills, build their visual libraries, and practice simplifying faces. Any time remaining will be spent drawing gestures at learner requested intervals. While we work on these gestures, I will point out distinct landmarks of expressions. For example, a face that is angry will tend to have knit brows that slope downwards toward the nose, the corners of the mouth pointed down, and narrow eyes.

Lesson 5 | Portrait 
Our final lesson tasks young artists with putting everything they have learned together into one final project that will challenge their observational skills and give them ample time to practice building detail into their artwork. The face and head is one of the most important parts of the human figure, as it is the part that we tend to recognize our friends and family by, the part that allows for complex expressions, and helps us represent ourselves. Throughout this course, learners have learned everything they need to draw a beautiful final portrait. 

How to Draw Basics courses are designed to teach learners the fundamental drawing skills they need to be able to draw anything through a naturalistic lens. Naturalism is a method of learning to draw with three principles in mind: understanding of the subject, observational skills, and practice of artistic technique. These courses combine lecture periods, worksheets, and free-hand drawing to ensure learners understand the material and get ample practice time. In my How to Draw Basics courses, students will learn basic art vocabulary, easily repeatable exercises to practice outside of class, and other basic drawing skills. During our drawing periods, I enjoy getting to know your learner and allow students to talk amongst themselves. I think art is most fun when it is communicative!