Head Drawing and Construction

NOTE: This course is currently active. New lessons added reguarly.

Welcome to the Head Drawing and Construction course! Here, I'll walk you through the basics of drawing the human head, step by step. This course is for both beginners and seasoned artists, focusing on fundamental techniques of head construction—from posing and proportions to sculpting detailed facial features.

In this course, we’ll start with the simple structures like the skull and jaw and move on to more complex parts, treating each as a mini sculpture. I use easy-to-understand proportional systems—like dividing things into halves and thirds—that you can mix with other methods you might know. This approach makes learning easier and lets you tweak things to suit your style.

By the end, you’ll know how to build up a head from the basic shapes to the final expressive features. You’ll get better at understanding light, shadow, and form, key for creating characters and realistic drawings. Whether you’re looking to up your painting game or create new characters, this course provides the tools and insights to improve your art. Join me in this course to change how you approach head drawing and broaden your artistic skills.

Who am I?

I'm Steven Michael Hampton, and I've been teaching drawing and anatomy for 25 years. I've worked with Art Center, Anatomy Tools, LCAD, Blizzard Entertainment, and Lucas Film. Drawing has been my life’s passion, and I've approached it as a technician/illustrator, a fine artist, and an art historian. I'm intrigued by how the technical aspects of drawing support both entertainment and fine art conceptual practices, and how drawing, often seen as a lesser genre, fits into art history. I've earned degrees in illustration, fine art, and art history, and I'm close to finishing my PhD.

Some of my work