Most faces you draw will not look straight at you. When the head turns, the features move around the curve of the head like stickers on a ball. Three views matter most: front, three-quarter and profile (side).
- In three-quarter view, the center line of the face curves around the head, and the far eye looks narrower than the near eye.
- Less of the face shows on the far side; more of the cheek and ear shows on the near side.
- In profile, the ear sits just behind the middle of the head, and the head (with the skull) is about as deep from front to back as it is tall.
Key idea
When the head turns, the center line curves, the far eye looks narrower, and in profile the ear sits just behind the middle of the head.
Why it works
A head is roughly a ball with the face on its front. Things on a ball that turn away from you are seen at a slant, so they look narrower; this is called foreshortening. The ear is on the side of the head, but the head is deeper than people think, and the skull behind the ear is large. That puts the ear behind the middle when you see the head from the side.
Worked example: Three-quarter view
You draw a head turned partly to the left. How do you place the eyes?
- Draw the head shape and a center line that curves to the left of middle.
- Place the eye line where it would be from the front, curving around the head.
- Draw the near eye full width. Draw the far eye narrower, close to the center line, partly hidden by the bridge of the nose.
Answer: The far eye is narrower and close to the curved center line.
Common mistake
Two common mistakes: keeping both eyes the same width when the head turns, and putting the ear too close to the face in profile, which leaves almost no back of the skull. Check: in profile, find the middle from front to back; the ear starts just behind it.