189 ADVANCED DRAWING AND ILLUSTRATION Unit 2: Portrait

Lesson 1: Facial Features

Duration of Days: 5

Lesson Objective

Students will be able to draw individual facial features (eyes, nose, and mouth) by looking at them as 3D shapes rather than flat symbols.

Students will learn to draw individual facial features for accuracy. Studnets will apply value and shading to create dimension in the feaures.

Why does an eye look more like a sphere than a flat oval shape?

How can we use "negative space" to get the curve of a nose exactly right?

How do the muscles around the mouth change its shape when someone smiles or frowns?

Anatomy: The bone and muscle structure underneath the skin.

Planes: The flat or curved surfaces of a feature (like the bridge vs. the side of a nose).

Highlights/Shadows: Using light and dark to make a feature look 3D.

Form: Making a drawing look like it has volume and weight.

VA.CR.HS.3. Refine and complete artistic work.
VA.PR.HS.5. Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.
VA.RE.HS.9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.

Attention to Detail: Finding small "clues" in a subject, similar to finding evidence in a reading passage.

Precision: Executing a task with a high level of accuracy.

Description: Students will do "deep dive" sketches of single features, focusing on the specific folds of an eyelid or the structure of a nostril.

Purpose: To master the "parts" of the face so they look realistic when put together on a full portrait.

DOK Level: Level 2 (Skills & Concepts) – Applying knowledge of light and anatomy to render realistic forms.

Medical Illustration: How artists draw the human body for science and surgery.

Makeup Artistry & Special Effects: Understanding the "planes of the face" to apply highlight, contour, or prosthetic makeup in movies.

Lips are just two pink shapes.” (Correction: Lips are made of five distinct muscles).

“The white of the eye is pure white.” (Correction: It’s a ball; it has shadows in the corners and under the lid).

For Beginners: Focus on one feature at a time using a "grid" to help copy a reference photo exactly.

For Advanced: Draw the features from "extreme" angles or focus on the textures of aging skin and wrinkles.

  • The "Feature Focus": A sketchbook page filled with 3 eyes, 3 noses, and 3 mouths drawn from different people.

  • Accuracy Check: A drawing where the student correctly identifies where the "planes" of the nose change from light to shadow.

  • High-quality reference photos of different eyes, noses, and mouths.

  • Soft graphite pencils (4B or 6B) 

  • Handheld mirrors to look at their own features up close.