The Head: the Loomis Method

Drawing a face that looks right from any angle seems impossible at first. The Loomis method, created by illustrator Andrew Loomis, solves it by building the head from a sphere and a few guidelines. Once the structure is right, the features fall into place.

The Loomis method step by step

1. Draw a sphere. This is the cranium (the top and back of the skull).
2. Cut the sides. The skull is flatter on the sides. Draw an ellipse on the side of the sphere; its tilt and width show which way the head is turning.
3. Draw the center line. A vertical line down the middle of the face, curving around the sphere. It shows where the face looks.
4. Draw the brow line. A horizontal line across the sphere, through the middle of the side ellipse. This is where the eyebrows go.
5. Find the nose and chin. The distance from the hairline to the brow line equals the distance from the brow to the bottom of the nose and from the nose to the chin. Extend the center line down and mark these points.
6. Draw the jaw from the side of the skull (near the bottom of the ear) to the chin.

Classic proportions of the face

• The eyes are at the halfway point of the head (from the top of the skull to the chin), not higher.
• The face divides into three equal parts: hairline to brows, brows to nose base, nose base to chin.
• The space between the eyes is about one eye wide. The head is about five eyes wide.
• The ears go from the brow line to the bottom of the nose, behind the jaw's vertical line.
• The mouth sits about a third of the way down from the nose to the chin.
• The corners of the mouth line up roughly with the pupils.

Turning and tilting the head

The Loomis guidelines wrap around the sphere, so they follow any rotation:

• Turning left/right: the center line moves to the side and curves; one side ellipse appears, the other disappears.
• Looking up: the brow and nose lines curve upward (like a smile shape); you see more of the underside of the jaw and nose.
• Looking down: the lines curve downward; you see more of the top of the head.