Portrait drawing by Anna

I have a trouble with 3/4 view portraits. How can I improve this portrait proportions?

Thank you,
Anna

Dear Anna,

Many thanks for your portrait, I like it; however, as you pointed out, it can be improved.

You can do the following:

1. Draw the central line of the face from the top-middle of the forehead to the bottom-middle of the chin. Make sure this line is arched to the left as girl is looking in this direction.

2. Check how the bridge of the nose corresponds to this line. You may find that it sits deeper than it should be or the chin is protruding further that it should be. Also, make sure that the base of the nose is also positioned correctly according to this central line.

3. Make sure both eyes are located on the same distance from the central line. These distances are seen in perspective, so do not use a ruler, but common sense of foreshortening : )

4. Redraw yes. Currently, you have eyes and face in different planes – face is turned 3/4, while eyes 1/4. From this point of view, the iris of an eye should look like an oval, not a circle. Remember about the eye’s thee-dimensional shape – draw an eyeball, then wrap eyelids in perspective around this ball.

You may want to check once again the Drawing Academy tutorial on how to draw an eye in perspective.

I hope this gives you a good direction on how to make your wonderful artwork even better.

To your creative success,

Vladimir

To learn how to draw skillfully,