Chapter 4 | OUR HEAD FROM THE SIDE
The head from the side no longer has the shape of an egg. This is due to the shape of the skull. From the side it becomes clear that our head is much larger than just our face.
Exercise 1: draw the skull from the side. Also try it mirrored (flipped horizontally). If you like it, make a drawing with more skulls.
Exercise 2: Practice first with the outline of the skull, possibly in a circle. Immediately indicate half for the eye level. This basic shape is more difficult than the egg from the front, but you really don’t have to make it very precise.
Now take a look below at the two heads in red, facing each other. Only the basic shape and the eyes at half height are drawn.
In the next image the profile of the faces are added. Note the hollows between forehead and nose and under the lower lip. The ears are drawn slightly behind the center of the head. Seen from the side, the neck is angled back. With a horizontal oval you show nicely where the brains are and where the eye socket and nose begin.
Exercise 3: Draw the two heads looking at each other. Start with the basic shapes and don’t forget the neck.
In a man, the forehead often slopes further back than in a woman.
EXTRA: You can also play pranks with profiles. Come up with completely different profiles that look at each other.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) 500 years ago regularly went to the market to observe and draw all kinds of people out of curiosity. He drew profiles that didn’t have to be pretty, but they were special. Both old men had almost or no teeth left at all (unfortunately there were no good dentists yet) so their profile has changed a lot.
Two profiles (redrawn version)