Head Foundations – A Guide to Constructing and Drawing Faces

From Basic Shapes to a Fully Constructed Head

This mini-course is a step-by-step breakdown of how I construct the head, starting from simple geometric shapes and refining it into a solid, believable structure. If you’ve ever struggled with proportion, perspective, or making your heads look natural, this course will help you build a strong foundation.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a better understanding of…

1. Breaking Down the Head into Basic Forms – Learn how to simplify the head into easy-to-draw geometric shapes, making complex angles easier to tackle.
2. Proportions & Guidelines – Understand key measurements and ratios that will help you place features correctly, even when drawing from imagination.
3. The Skull & Planes of the Head – Get familiar with the underlying structure of the head and how light interacts with different planes.
4. Eyeline, Nose Line, and Mouth Line – Learn how these simple guidelines help keep your features aligned and natural-looking.
5. Drawing the Head from Different Angles – Master the ability to rotate and draw the head from various perspectives, making your characters more dynamic and believable.
6. Refining & Constructing Features – Go beyond rough shapes and learn how to define facial features while keeping structure in mind.
7. From Construction to Clean Sketch – See how I refine a rough head sketch into something solid and ready for further detailing or rendering.
8. Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them – Avoid common pitfalls that can make heads look flat, unbalanced, or stiff.

What This Is:

This is a foundational guide for artists who want to improve their understanding of drawing the head. It covers my personal approach to structure, proportion, and angles, helping you build confidence and accuracy in your sketches.

What This Is Not:

This isn’t a super deep-dive into stylization, rendering, or advanced anatomy. Those topics will come in future guides, but this course is focused purely on constructing the head as a strong starting point.

Ready to level up your head drawing skills? Let’s get started!

Hey, I’m Riley! I’ve been sharing my process and techniques with artists online, breaking down my approach to drawing, coloring, and rendering faces. I’ve found that teaching concepts not only helps others improve but also deepens my own understanding. This mini-course is my way of helping artists like you develop a stronger grasp of head construction in a practical, approachable way.

If you ever have questions or need clarification, feel free to DM me on Instagram—I’ll do my best to help!