Mini head proportion tutorial!

I already put this up on Twitter, but you guys get the expanded explanation of what all this means. SO, you've drawn a face and you're looking at it and you can't figure out what's off. There's a good chance you've got something on that face that isn't lining up with other features the way that humans would expect them to, and that's throwing off your drawing. There are a lot of ways to draw in a stylistic manner that still looks appealing and alive.

Take this poor soul, for instance. I've seen a lot of people drawing eyes VERY HIGH lately, and I think it's mostly a stylistic choice, buuuuut you never know. It's hard to pull off. The other issue with these eyes is that they aren't really looking anywhere. They're floating in that eyeball space, looking in different directions like a bullfrog. This character doesn't look alive, and they don't have enough space in their skull for a brain. Maybe you don't think your character needs to look like they have a brain! That's your preference! It seems weird to me, but sure.

Here's a much more proportional face. It's still stylized! But the proportions are based in reality, and that sells this as a pleasing look. To make the eyes appear focused, I moved the eyeballs slightly towards the center, and let them touch the top eyelid. Usually, unless a character is surprised, I want the eyeball to touch one or both eyelids. It just feels much more grounded and realistic. 

This character also has enough space for a brain! Look at all that space! Big ol' brain. I generally always draw the top of the skull into my sketches, because I want to make sure that 1) the hair does come away from the skull enough to imply the volume in the hair, and 2) the hair doesn't mask the fact that I don't actually have enough space there for a brain.

Ears are a bit tricky as you stylize the eyes, because I like bigger eyes. Generally, the ears line up with the nose tip up to the brow bone. You can actually drag your hand from the top of your ear around the side of your face, and you'll end up at your eyebrows. Sometimes, this makes the ears WAY too big if you character has big eyes, so use your best judgment. In general, if you ears are in the wrong place, the whole face will be wacky looking, so figure out where the ears are before placing the eyes, and that should help.

The mouth is technically halfway between the bottom of the nose and the chin, but I tend to put it a little higher. I just think it looks friendlier, like they're smiling a little. Don't put the mouth too low, or your character will look...droopy. Like their mouth is sliding away.

The eyes are about the middle of the face's height. Put 'em too high, and your character will look like their skull went missing. It seems VERY weird initially to just leave all that brain space above the eyes, especially if you've been drawing them too high for a long time. But trust me, that's where they go in the real world. Give it a shot. You might have to adjust your personal drawing style around, but it's worth learning how a realistic head is proportioned regardless of how you normally draw. You might find a style you like better!

Here is our Muppet-looking weirdo overlaid with the more realistic model. None of these changes are huge, but they make a difference.