Drawing Face Angles ✨

Hello, everyone!😉💕

I recently got a message from a kind member:

"Hey! If I can remember roughly what I said it was just that your ability to draw heads in extreme angles with amazing expressions is something I love about your work. I was wondering if you could give any pointers, tips or even just an insight into your approach with expressions and drawing faces in extreme angles. Sorry if that is such a loaded question, I know its something I just need to study more and work on, any thoughts would be appreciated."

I thought it would be fun to share a little bit of my drawing process, so I made the image above!🤗💕

Before I chatter on- this not a tutorial or a "how to", this is simply how I approach a drawing with a tricky face angle! Whatever approach works for you is just as good as mine.🙏💕 I usually shy away from explanatory stuff because I worry the WRONG/RIGHT tone of some diagrams I've seen in the past can be a bit discouraging? However, I find these face angles to be tricky as well and I struggle to draw them with the anatomical accuracy I aspire for, so.. we are all in this together!😂💕

If you've seen my livestreams, you know that I like to start off with a base sketch that uses the curve of the head shape to dictate where the brow and mouth are. This helps me build the rest of the features so they follow this angle. 

Something I find really difficult to convey is the space under the jaw for the upward tilt of the head. It's like this fleshy no-man's land that I struggle to translate into 2D? 😭 I have been trying to block out the space on the sketch, but it's still quite a challenge.

I use reference, especially for severe face angles! The more intense the perspective, the more distorted the features become, so the spatial relations can look really wonky.. It helps me so much to have some similar point of reference, so I know I'm on the right track. (Don't fret about looking up reference!🤗💨💕 )

Also, if you use CSP, you might be aware of the 3D guides! They can serve as a helpful visual if you're really stuck. 

It sometimes takes me hours to draw a tricky face angle, so don't despair if you're struggling.. 😭🙏✨ It's hard work! You're translating anatomy into your style with the expressions you want to convey- there's a lot happening!😂 Hang in there and feel free to try different approaches that will help make better sense of it all.

I hope all my fellow artists (and anyone interested in the process) will enjoy this!😳 Keep up the great work!💕🤗✨✨

Much love, 

Hamlet