Draw Heads Fast, at Any Angle. Methods of a Storyboard Pro

Name: Draw Heads Fast, at Any Angle. Methods of a Storyboard Pro
Rating: 4.6 (4 reviews)

This isn't an academic portrait course. It's the head drawing method I've used as a storyboarder / illustrator for years

Created bySteve Worthington

Last updated 12/2024

English

What you'll learn

Learn how to draw believable heads from any angle, fast and without reference.
Use a simple yet reliable breakdown of the main forms to get you most of the way to a believable head quickly that works from all angles..
My method combines what I've learned from George Bridgman, Andrew Loomis and John Watkiss (John was my teacher and drawing mentor)..
This course covers a method of quick construction to establish head positions, and placement of the features, quickly and reliably.
Learn an overview of the features with tips on their construction.
My method of self testing so you can improve quickly by making mistakes and becoming aware of them.
Learn an introduction to muscles and expression.
This course will show you how to block in those heads in so you can keep sketching in those scenes in the usual hurry.
This course does not claim to show you everything there is to know about drawing heads, but rather how to break it down practically for a speedier workflow.

Course content

1 section • 24 lectures • 2h 45m total length

Introduction2:03
Master quick, reliable head drawing from multiple angles by understanding skull structure, planes, facial features and muscles, and shading, while testing yourself to improve speed in storyboard workflows.
Requirements1:53
Gather traditional or digital drawing tools, tracing materials, skulls, balls, eggs, and fashion catalogs to master head construction with brow, center, side lines, and nose lines.
Very simple3:26
Draw heads quickly with an oval and a directional cross to show where the person looks. Add a forehead line, eyes, mouth, and optional ears for expressiveness in storyboards.
Loomis Method Quick Overview5:43
This quick loom is method overview guides drawing heads from a ball, with construction lines and equal nose base and chin, then adding eyes, ears, and mouth from multiple angles.
George Bridgman's Approach13:48
Learn George Bridgman's method of building heads from mass with blocks and planes. Create interlocking volumes, establish front, side, and top references, and shade for three-dimensionality.
More on the Loomis Method27:05
Explore the Loomis method for quick head construction from a ball, detailing hairline, brow line, base of the nose, chin, and side planes to rotate the head at any angle.
The Satellite Cube23:34
Master drawing heads fast at any angle using a Loomis approach and a satellite cube, aligning face planes, cheekbones, and the base of the nose with guiding lines.
Using Magazines3:52
Practice drawing heads quickly by tracing magazine faces onto tracing paper, establishing key lines (circle, brow line, undercut) and comparing different head shapes to build a skull-based framework.
Starting With a Cylinder8:51
Construct heads on a cylinder by placing the hairline, brow line, nose base, chin, and mouth along a center line, then align ears between the brow and nose.
Planes18:15
Apply simple planes to construct heads from imagination, using flat and curved planes to model light, shade, and facial features from front and profile angles.
Skulls4:01
Master skull construction by identifying reliable bony landmarks like cheekbones and cranium, noting deformable areas and the keystone wedge between the eye sockets, through practice and self-corrections.
Muscles of Expression7:27
Examine how facial muscles—from circular eye muscles to lip and jaw muscles—create expressions, including happy cheek pulls and snarling, with ninety degree creases and nostril changes.
The Mouth: Some Tips5:18
Master mouth construction with a focus on muzzle shape, teeth overlap, and the pillars of the mouth; learn lip forms, depressions, and open-mouth dimension for expressive character portraits.
Noses: Some Tips5:21
Draw the nose as a tapering wedge that begins with the bony part and nasal bones, then transitions to cartilage into a fleshy lump with the nostrils and their wings.
Ears: Some Tips4:18
Master drawing ears from any angle by modeling the ear as a protruding cylinder with a fleshy lobe, rim, and flap, for front and rear three-quarter views.
Eyes: Some Tips6:05
Learn to draw eyes as a globe, with a raised front, tilted pupil, and sloped iris, while rendering eyelid thickness, eye sockets, and proper level alignment across angles.
Fat, Aging, and Some Expressions2:41
Explore how facial fat and aging affect expressions, highlighting jawline, eyes, and mouth; learn by pulling faces, using mirrors or online references, and testing on tracing paper or layers.
Light and Shade1:23
Explore shading heads by imagining light from different angles and applying the planes of the head, learning quick, reference-free light and shade on six heads for storyboard work.
Placing the Head on the Neck9:37
Place the head on the neck by aligning with the rib cage and torso, using a simple neck line. Practice life drawing from various angles to capture head-to-body relations.
Rhythm Lines3:35
Rhythm lines map facial structure, tracing the center line, eye area, jaw, and cheekbone to guide head drawing. Practice varied angles and adapt lines as you progress.
Some Timelapse Doodles4:49
Learn to draw heads quickly from memory and screenshots, analyzing forms and planes from multiple angles. Use simple structural sketches and light and shade to reveal accuracy and guide improvement.
Self Testing2:15
Practice drawing heads from multiple angles by assembling a collage, tracing circles and a cross for direction, then add features, compare with the actual result, and repeat.
A Fun Project0:31
Draw heads from imagination in multiple directions, from simple forms to loomis-style ball and jaw, then explore cylinders, egg shapes, and planar heads with light and shade.
Conclusion0:08
Express gratitude for completing the class, invite learners to connect with the storyboard pro on the web, and wish them good luck.

Requirements

Any drawing tool you like will do. A pencil works great! Or you can work digitally. Layers are needed for some lessons (self testing for example) so tracing paper if you are working traditionally. Any old paper since you'll be practicing and making mistakes a lot. That's how you improve. So an eagerness to discover where your shortcoming lie is a must. You need to be comfortable drawing 3 dimensional forms in perspective. Boxes, cylinders, triangular shapes, balls, ellipses, that sort of thing. If you are comfortable with that, let's get started!

Description

Drawing believable heads from any angle, and fast. That's what I had to learn to do as a storyboard artist working with directors on tv shows, movies and commercials. To do that you need to know your way around a head.

Heads are complicated. Easy to mess up. I needed a simple yet reliable breakdown of the main forms to get me most of the way to a believable head quickly. At least at the start. I kept on learning less immediately essential details in the meantime.

I needed something that worked from any angle so I wasn't stuck to a few positions. So the heads looked believable and the features were all in the right places every time.

The method I arrived at combined the teachings of George Bridgman, Andrew Loomis and John Watkiss. John I was fortunate to know personally as both a friend and mentor for many years before his tragically early death.

This class covers a method of quick construction to establish head positions, and placement of the features, quickly and reliably. Also an overview of the features with tips on their construction, a way to test yourself so you can improve quickly by making mistakes and becoming aware of them, muscles, expressions and so on.

A lot of years of learning on my part, condensed into a single class. Of course you'll need to keep working at improving over time and I can't cover every aspect in huge detail, but this class will show you how to get those heads blocked in so you can keep sketching in those scenes in the usual hurry!

What do you need?

Any drawing tool you like will do. A pencil works great! Or you can work digitally. Layers are needed for some lessons (self testing for example) so tracing paper if you are working traditionally.

Any old paper since you'll be practicing and making mistakes a lot. That's how you improve. So an eagerness to discover where your shortcoming lie is a must.

You need to be comfortable drawing 3 dimensional forms in perspective. Boxes, cylinders, triangular shapes, balls, ellipses, that sort of thing.

If you are comfortable with that, let's get started!

Who this course is for:

Artists who want to draw storyboards, comics and illustrations, or sketch out scenes for any reason. Urban sketching, for example. Illustrators who draw sequential art. Cartoonists.