The techniques in this tutorial are based on Andrew Loomis’ renowned book "Drawing the Head and Hands." Loomis, a masterful illustrator, created a method for constructing the head that is both simple and effective, making it a popular choice for artists of all skill levels. While the method itself is straightforward, mastering the drawing of a head involves understanding many complex factors like perspective, proportions, and the structure and placement of individual features. The tutorial aims to guide you through this process step-by-step, emphasizing that consistent practice and attention to detail are key to making progress.
Loomis Head Construction
The Loomis method begins with drawing a ball, which represents the upper part of the head. This ball is divided into four equal parts by drawing a vertical and a horizontal line through its center, forming a cross. These lines serve as guides for placing facial features: the eyebrows align with the cross, the hairline is halfway to the top of the ball, and the nose’s tip is halfway down. This foundational structure helps in achieving accurate proportions and symmetry.
After establishing the basic structure, you can erase the construction lines, leaving a clean outline of the head. The method's simplicity belies its depth, and achieving proficiency can take months of practice. However, once mastered, it enables artists to draw heads from any angle with confidence.
Steps of the Loomis Method
1) The Ball: Start with a ball or sphere representing the cranium. The method uses this simple shape as the starting point, ensuring consistency in drawing heads regardless of pose or perspective.
2) The Cross: Draw a vertical and horizontal line through the ball’s center, forming a cross that marks the direction and orientation of the face. This step requires some understanding of perspective, but practicing with real objects like a basketball can help develop this skill.
3) Flattening the Ball: Loomis recognized that the head is not a perfect sphere. To better represent its shape, imagine slicing off small sections on each side of the ball, creating a “flattened ball” that better approximates the head’s true form.
4) Dividing the Face: The vertical line down the center of the face is divided into equal sections to mark key facial features: the hairline, brow line, nose tip, and chin. These distances are uniform, making it easier to place features accurately.
5) Placing the Ear: With the facial features in place, the ear can be positioned at the back corner of the flattened ball, completing the basic structure of the head.
Key Takeaways
Understanding perspective is crucial to mastering head construction. The cross divides the ball into equal parts, and the spacing between the brow, nose, chin, and hairline is consistent, making the Loomis method both systematic and adaptable.
Loomis emphasized that drawing the head is inherently challenging and requires extensive practice. Artists are encouraged to draw heads repeatedly from reference, correcting and refining their technique over time. By following these steps and maintaining a disciplined practice routine, artists can gradually build their skills and confidence in drawing the human head from any angle.
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