Back to Basics -- Facial Anatomy

In this week's lesson for the Back to Basics workshop I demonstrated step-by-step how to create a portrait on toned paper (http://www.strathmoreartist.com/artist-studio/about/). As a supplement to that video I thought it might be a good idea to offer some information about the structure of the human face for anyone who may be interested in this subject but who is approaching it for the first time.

We'll begin with a few general notes: first, all measurements will be based upon the overall height of the head (from the top of the hair -- NOT from the hairline on the forehead -- to the tip of the chin) and overall width (from temple to temple); and, second, this system of measurements is intended as a general "ruler" -- each person is unique in a variety of subtle ways, noting how your subject differs from the "rules" and depicting those differences is how you will achieve an accurate portrait.

centerline of the nose

First vertical measurement -- beginning with the face looking straight-on at you, imagine a line down through the center of the nose, from top of the hair to tip of the chin. Dividing that line in half will give you the (general) position of the eye line.

eye line

Second vertical measurement -- divide the vertical line segment running from the eye line to the tip of the chin in half and you have the position of the base of the nose.

base of the nose

Third vertical measurement -- divide the line segment running from the base of the nose to the chin in half and you have the position of the bottom of the lower lip (not the line between the lips.)

bottom of lower lip

First horizontal measurement -- with the eye line extended from temple to temple, note that the vertical centerline divides the face in half.

pupil

Second horizontal measurement -- divide the eye line segment running from the temple to the vertical center line in half. This gives you the position of the pupil of the eye.

inner corner of eye

Second horizontal measurement -- divide the line segment from the pupil point to the vertical center line will give you the position of the inner corner of the eye.

outer corner of eye

Third horizontal measurement -- divide the line segment between the pupil point and the temple will provide you with the outer corner of the eye.

NOTE: Each eye is one eye width. The distance between the two eyes is one eye width. The distance between the outer corner of the eye and the temple is half an eye width.

"wing" of nose

When the subject's face is relaxed (showing no emotion) --

• the inner corner of the eye lines up vertically with the outer edge of the nostril (the "wing" of the nose)
• the inner edge of the iris (the pigmented part of the eye) lines up with the outer corner of the mouth

corner of mouth

ear alignment

When the subject is looking directly at you, the top edge of the ears line up with the eye brow and the bottom edge of the ear lines up with the base of the nose. (If the subject pivots his/her head up or down though be careful to observe how the facial features also move up or down respectively.)

ear alignment with head rotated down

ear alignment with head rotated up

If the subject turns his/her head partially toward profile, note that measurements on the far side of the nose decrease due to foreshortening.(See the article on foreshortened circles for a review of foreshortening.) while the distance between the outer corner of the eye and the temple increases dramatically.

The neck is half the height of the face.

And, finally, once you have mastered the anatomical proportions of the head you can use it as a "unit of measurement" for the rest of the body (7 1/2 to 8 heads high, depending on the system you subscribe to.)

I hope you find this helpful (and human anatomy just a little less mystifying.) Watch for two more Back to Basic posts (which will conclude this series) soon... along with a sneak peek or two at some of the new adventures we have in store.

Cheers!

Sneak Peek 3 - The Road Less Traveled

"I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

                                 -- Robert Frost

 the "blocking-in" will take viewers from the initial gesture to the final contour drawing

When I was in the sixth grade I was introduced to three things that have had a profound influence on my life: the Folk Revival Movement (which, in turn, introduced me to the music of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie), the Great Outdoors (through our class' two-week "total immersion" stay in Muir Woods), and the evocative poetry of Robert Frost.

The latter taught me the pleasure to be found in seeking out alternatives to the mainstream and the well-warn path. And, in art, that eventually led to a fondness for working on toned paper -- which is a delight to work on, and produces eye-catching works, but has never seemed to be as popular among artists as its white paper "cousin."

the intermediate stage will see the buildup of light and shadow passages

It also just so happens that the Strathmore Artist Paper company produces two delicious lines of toned paper. So, when asked to come up with 4 lesson plans for my "Back to Basics" online workshop, I decided that toned paper might be the perfect subject for the final episode.

Since I had already addressed still life and cityscape as subjects, and weather had temporarily forced us indoors (where landscape wasn't a viable option), I chose portraiture as the subject for my final lesson. (However, participants are encouraged to select subjects based upon their own artistic interests and needs; toned paper will be the true focus of this lesson.)

participants will have an unobstructed view from my "shoulder cam"

The lesson starts off with a discussion of compositional options and an introduction to the paper and the medium used in the video. The introduction is then followed by the step-by-step demonstration -- alternating between over-the-shoulder "peeks"and close-ups of the drawing as it progresses from the initial "blocking in", through the gradual development of tonal areas, to the completion of the finished work. 

With the shooting and initial editing complete on my end (the final running time of each episode will be determined by the team at Strathmore) I can now turn my attention to completion of the "bonus" materials for each lesson. (Two bonus videos have already been completed for Lesson 1, and one for Lesson 3, while samples of alternate media and techniques are planned for Lessons 2 & 4.) And watch for a series of prolifically illustrated, workshop-specific posts right here beginning the first week in March.

you can be there as the finishing touches are added to the portrait demo

And, while we're waiting for things to get underway March 10, I'll be popping into the Forum/chat room at Strathmore (most likely every day) to meet new participants and see how everyone is doing. (We already have over 600 people signed up from 6 continents... although I'm still hoping that someone at one of the Antarctic research stations will decide to join us online.) I hope you'll be there too!

Cheers! 

Sneak Peek 2 (Blown Away!)

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

                                                                             -- John Lennon

Well, sometimes reality steps in and throws us a curve ball when we least expect (or need) it. But, if we're "going with the flow" we can try to take it in stride and use it as a wonderful opportunity for a little "creative problem solving."

My "plan" for Lesson 4 in the Back to Basics workshop originally called for an outdoor demonstration -- with a sculpture of Mark Twain as my subject and the afternoon sun as our light source. Unfortunately, Nature decided to throw in a brisk breeze as a little challenge. Our in-camera mic lacked noise cancellation, and both the tripod and drawing paper were buffeted by the gusts.

Oops! I was so focused on the wind that I forgot I was wearing sunglasses.

My camera person added weight to the tripod for added stability (see both clips). My sound engineer added a portable noise-cancellation system to our equipment inventory. And I experimented with some dubbing during the initial editing. (Although, without an ambient sound bite, that wasn't completely satisfactory.)

"It was quiet... too quiet!"

So, creative solution: do an indoor portrait demonstration video for Lesson 4 (already underway) and shelve the Mark Twain video project till the sunshine/warm temperatures/calm winds return. (Watch for the latter as a possible "bonus" video in March.)

_____________________________________________________________________________

A few words of inspiration from the delightful Mr. Clemens --

pen & ink on Strathmore Series 400 Calligraphy laid paper