Planes and Forms of the Head

Head Drawing and Construction

Head Construction and Invention

Planes and Forms of the Head

124K
Mark as Completed

Planes and Forms of the Head

124K
Mark as Completed
Michael Hampton
We've mapped basic proportions and now transition to understanding the side plane of the head. This step involves identifying four points: hairline, base of nose, temple, and back of skull, to define the temporal fossa. Drawing is about sculpting, so we cut and add to approximate the reference. This process helps in developing features like the ear, jaw, and cheekbone, and understanding the structure and rhythm of the face. We'll be diving deeper into each feature of the face later, but this will be a good roadmap for you to see how we'll be using the steps we've learned so far.
Newest
Josh Fiddler
That was a dense lecture! Just want to recap because a lot was covered. Please if I'm wrong anywhere, let me know. For This Step 6: Key Planes and Forms of the Skull First, the Side plane of the skull: defined by the Temporal Fossa using for points to get height and width A. Define the height of the Temporal Fossa (FT) i. Place brow line and wrap along surface - everyone's brow line is different, moving up or down, straight, pointy, or non-existent - placing it marks the transition from the front of the skull to the top of the skull ii. Wrap the base of the nasal aperture line - defines the bottom extent of the TF B. Define the width of the FT i. Place the Temple - most often visible as the pointy end of the brow as it turns the corner to the side of the skull ii. Place the back of the head C. draw the ellipse that fits in this space and divide into four: up and down, front to back: D. Place the ear, using 5 lines into a D shape or C shape, depending on how you think of these things E. Locate the TMJ, the joint between the base of the skull and the mandible/jaw, and the auditory mietus, together they look like a little number 8. It is under the bottom of the ear. - it will look different depending on whether the jaw is open or closed. Study this to see how it moves IRL. - use this as a framework to add the the jaw, which begins at this structure just in front of it. F. Add the Jaw, noticing/deciding the angle of remus relative to the mandible: more up and down, or longer deeper angle? Gender differences may help applying from the average. G. Add the Cheek and cheekbone - Offers the Loomis rhythm as it makes a nice solution - top of ear, in a long c-curve that ends at the front end of the mandible - divide with a line from the corner of the jaw up to the c-curve to give the gesture of the angle of the cheek itself - the Cheek Bone itself can be added - extend a line out from the top of the TMJ to the base of the nasal aperture line just in front of the plumb line from the temple. - Add a second line up to the wrapped line fro the bottom of the eye-socket/top of the cheek bone. - makes a nice triangle place holder for later refinement - Turn the corner and show the front plane - add a couple nice s-curves up from the side plane of the cheekbone to create the edge of the socket H. Time for the Plane of the eyes - socket's are angled up from the outside to the keystone on either side. - this gives planes of the forehead for free by extending these lines up through the brow-ridge. - add the keystone I. Now can add the nasal aperture, the extent of the cartilage, and the planes of the nose itself J. Add the denture Sphere - orientation of the face - what do the teeth and lips add to the features of the face - adds the mass of the chin below the denture sphere, - again this will assist in placing the averages and we can go from there Next Features: Defined by Pockets of fat - Discusses the Canthral Ligament, the connective tissue that gives the angle of the eye - This tilt is what we usually ascribe to the aesthetic beauty of the figure. - ROOF Fat
Michael Hampton
Damn! Always love the notes you take, Josh.
@tonycatalano
This music is giving Persona 5. Like we are in a pre-heist team meeting..."If you thought the set-up was something, get ready for some REAL head drawing 😎". On another note, defining the four points for the side plane helps a ton from the typical way it is taught.
Ian Aaron Fuentes Sejas
I have troubles drawing the temporal fossa. How did you find the temple?
Michael Hampton
Most of the time I look for the end of the eyebrow
@veryartthing
How do you find the back of the skull if you're not starting with an accurate skull shape? When you start with this big perfect circle its not gonna accurately reflect where any of this is. I don't know where the circle shape on the inside in this diagram even came from.
Michael Hampton
I look for the width of the occipital ridge. This would be about one ear width behind the ear. I tend to just sight it but you could also use the trapezius to help find you're way there. As this is a construction, I'm mostly dealing in abstraction and estimation. If the basic sphere confuses you and you're looking for something more accurate to the skull try beginning with the form of the cranial mass
Julian Blake
Is it my impression, or the steps 8, 9, 10, and 11 were kindda rushed in the editing? I didn't really get the full process in those steps.
Ash
7mo
Hey Julian! This is a roadmap/course outline for what's to come in the next lesson groups. Mr. Hampton will explain steps 8-11 in the upcoming videos :)
Carlos
8mo
Is there a way of getting the horizontal proportions? Same way you have explained the halves and thirds, but for the width of the face so we don't end up with faces that are, in my case, too narrow. I have thought about this because I don't know where would be a correct position to draw the temple in my sketches to form the temporal fossa. Thank you.
Nick Quason
@Carlos hi if you still need info on this, good ol' Loomis has these guidelines!
Michael Hampton
I don't use anything like this or else I'd happily include it/provide you with a more concrete answer in the videos. You could try experimenting with 5 eyes across. That would work well in a symmetrical view.
@veryartthing
Really would like an answer to this. Rewatched this vid and the next one multiple times and see no explanation for how to find either the temple or the back of the skull accurately.
@meeho
8mo
Sorry, what is step 10? I rewatched it several times and still can't grasp it🥲
Michael Hampton
The eye.
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Educator, painter, writer, and art historian. Author of Figure Drawing: Design and Invention.
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