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HOW to DRAW & SHADE a WHIMSICAL BABY'S Face in Copic Markers & Colored Pencil (Whimsical Women #15)

25/1/2021

I LOVE teaching how to draw a whimsical face, and have enjoyed creating the whimsical face drawing tutorials in this series SOOO much!! I can't believe this is the LAST ONE in this series!!

Today's art reference photo features the challenge of drawing a baby face because this lesson has been requested AT LEAST a million times by my beloved students!! The proportions are totally different when drawing a baby - so watch closely, and don't worry - I'll talk you through ALL my tips & tricks!!

Believe it or not ... this is the FIRST time I've ever taught how to draw a baby's face!!

We start this out in a similar way to the other whimsical faces in this series, but as you'll see when you watch the video... the proportions of a baby's face are very different from those of an adult. They are much rounder and wider. The face shape is also more of a circle than an oval.

However, because this girlie has her mouth open, the circular face shape does end up morphing into more of an oval.

While I was measuring out some of the initial proportions, I noticed that this particular reference seems to follow almost the exact same dimensions as the wrinkled Burmese woman from last week! Isn't that crazy?!

If at any point in today's free face drawing lesson, things feel too advanced, you're not alone and this is totally normal. THIS is an advanced drawing project, and really all of the lessons in the Whimsical Women series are.

If you're just learning to draw or have never tried drawing a face with pencil before, check this series out for beginners. It's SUPER simple and only takes 5 minutes! Even better- I keep it light and FUN, because I truly believe that the more FUN you're having with your art, the more you're gonna want to do - and the more you do, the better you become!!

Back to drawing this baby....

Initially, while I was studying the reference photo, other observations I saw in her facial features were how large and open her cute little eyes were, and how short her nose is compared to the whimsical face drawing guidelines we typically follow when I'm teaching you how to draw a female face.

HOT TIP: When you're ready to start shading, make sure you erase all of your guidelines, and even pounce on the lines of your drawing that you DO love - just to remove a smidge of that graphite. I've found this helps to save my lighter skin tone markers from getting muddy, and it helps to keep my markers from dragging graphite around the page. It's pretty crazy how reactive the graphite is if your marker accidentally touches it!

Throughout this series, I've been shading all of my projects with alcohol markers, and teaching you along the way how to work through potential issues like blending, streaking, and whatever else might arise if you happen to be using copic markers like me!

I recently created a Skin Tone Markers Guide that is basically a 12-page eBook just FULL of alcohol marker swatches from three different brands (of varying price points, because I KNOW full well how expensive copics are, and how LONG it's taken me to build my collection!!). In this free PDF, I walk you through some great examples of alcohol marker shades that go well together to shade light, medium, and dark complexions - across all THREE marker brands (Copic, Ohuhu, and Arteza), so you're sure to be set up for shading success!

I feel like a really good copic marker alternative is Ohuhu, followed by Arteza and Parkoo (Parkoo markers aren't in my Skin Tone Markers Guide, but this brand is a SUPER cheap copic marker alternative worth checking out if you're on a tight budget. I did a review of these markers here). I love the Ohuhu brush markers because they have a brush nib like Copics. That nib makes me feel like I'm painting when I'm coloring!

If you'd like a copy of my Skin Tone Markers Guide, simply click the button below, and I'll send that cheatsheet straight to your inbox to help you save some time AND money!!

Something I've found SUPER interesting throughout this series, is watching all the different art supplies people are choosing to do these projects in! Of course some are working with alcohol based markers and enjoying this medium along with me - but tons are doing the prompts in watercolor, pastels, acrylics, or mixed media - and I just love seeing everyone's individual style and creativity with their preferences!

If you're not aware, I'm actually creating a book from the entire Whimsical Women of the World series, and I'll be featuring student artwork as well (4 drawings per prompt, to be exact)! If you've been drawing along with me and are interested in submitting your work for publication, please read through the submission requirements and send along photos of your interpretation of the projects. I can't wait to see them!! All submissions are due on January 31, 2021.

QUICK TIP for COLORING with COPIC MARKERS! If you're having trouble with the skin tones you're working with looking too yellow (like mine was getting in this particular drawing), all you have to do to even that out, is select a shade across from it on the color wheel. In my case, since I felt like the skin tone of my girlie was getting too yellow, I worked in some very light lilac to even things out.

If you haven't played with this copic blending technique before, you might want to do it on a scrap piece of paper off to the side of your drawing until you come up with a look that you like. When you're happy, try it out on your drawing!

Today's little model is also presenting us with the drawing challenge of how to draw a tongue!! LOL!

I actually spent quite a bit of time shading this little lady's tongue, and am happy with how it turned out- once my colored pencil layering was added.

I feel like my own drawing skills, and really my COLORING SKILLS, have totally improved as a result of doing the proejcts in this series. So if you HAVEN'T been drawing along with me, and are looking for a good drawing challenge - the Whimsical Women Series is PACKED with juicy lessons to help you grow as an artist.

I encourage you to really take more time replicating the shadows and highlights you're seeing around the nose and mouth of this face, and ANY face you draw, because the nuances you observe here and render in your own drawing - bring that person to life, and add a realistic quality to your work - even if you're working in a whimsical style like me!

I ended up adding more shading with my white colored pencil and sharpie, and I'm really happy with the results.

If you'd like to draw and shade along with me in "real time," I've got this lesson and each one from the series ready and waiting for you in the Whimsical Women of the World classroom over at Awesome Art School, where we take everything step by step -from drawing to shading and everything in-between!!

Thanks for hanging out with me today. Enjoy the tutorial, and I'll see ya back here next week with something FUN & NEW!!

If you need any new drawing supplies, here are links to all of my favorite supplies that were used in this project! All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!

👉Hammermill Cover Cardstock 100lb 8.5" x 11" (fave to use with markers and best value at 4-8 cents per sheet and 250 sheets!!)

👉This Arteza pencil set is a new find and a GOOD one!!

👉Pentel GraphGear Mechanical Pencil Set (only ones I use)

👉Ohuhu Markers 24 piece skin tone set (Around $1/marker and with the brush nib, the best alternative to Copics in my opinion!)

👉Copic Skin Tone Pack of 6 ($33)

👉Copic B Set (my fave which has the most skin tones) (72 Set for $330)

👉Arteza Everblend Skin Pack of 36 ($36 - insane value!!!)

👉Arteza EverBlend Alcohol Markers (60 Set for $112 - also insane value!!)

❤️ Want FREE, immediate access to my Fun Fab Drawing Club and/or Mixed Media Society plus discounts on all my art books, sneak peek at YouTube videos and new book content, behind-the-scenes fun and MORE? Join me over on Patreon today and get HUGE PERKS in return for a small monthly donation.

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❤️ SIGNED COPIES of my art books on ETSY

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HOW to DRAW & SHADE a WHIMSICAL Padaung Woman's Face with Wrinkles in Copics (Whimsical Women #15)

18/1/2021

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I LOVE teaching how to draw a whimsical face, and have been enjoying creating the whimsical face drawing tutorials in this series SO much! Today's art reference photo features a request I get all the time- how to draw wrinkles. When I saw this beautiful Padaung woman and began to study her features, I felt a deep connection with her and knew she needed to be a part of this series. I hope you enjoy today's whimsical face drawing tutorial!

If you've been hanging out with me for the Whimsical Women of the World portrait drawing series on YouTube, you know how we start out each and every face we draw! No matter the ethnicity or gender - our human faces all follow the same basic face drawing guidelines.

If you're not sure what I'm talking about, you NEED to download my Whimsical Face Drawing Guidelines for your art table! These guidelines are EVERYTHING, and will help your face drawings look more proportional! Click the button below and I'll send the cheatsheet directly to your inbox!

The woman in today's reference photo presents us with quite a few unique drawing challenges!

If you're drawing along with me (AND I HOPE YOU ARE!!!!), you'll notice this woman's head is tilted slightly and her nose is actually quite short, so it will feel like her facial features are a bit off from our face drawing guidelines. It's ok! Sketch in your guidelines like we always do, then study the reference photo and adjust accordingly. As you'll see in the video, I had to do a lot of checking, rechecking and erasing to get things the way I wanted them.

AND full transparency - I had ZERO idea how to draw the brass rings around her neck! So while I sketched in her facial features, I tried to do a little problem solving in my mind about how I would attack that area of the drawing, and later - how I might want to approach the coloring portion of the project.

In case you're wondering where this particular model is from - she's from the Padaung tribe in Burma- where the cultural tradition for Padaung women of wearing brass rings around the neck is still practiced by some today. Some say this is rooted in religion, some say it was and still is a defense against tiger attacks (which apparantly happen at the throat). Others have said the rings ward off men from other tribes because it makes these women "unattractive" and less appealing to kidnap and turn into slaves. Girls typically begin wearing the rings around age five.

These women have been called "giraffe women," because of their stretched necks, but their necks actually haven't been stretched at all. It's an illusion. The pressure and weight of the rings press down on their collarbones and actually shift the rib cage's position so this area of the body becomes deformed, giving the appearnace of an elongated neck.

OUCH, that sounds painful!! I can't even imagine...

If this is drawing project is feeling too advanced for you - hang in there. She's tough. If you need something simpler, start at the beginning of the series and work up to this one. If you're completely new to face drawing- this short playlist will be more your speed and will teach you how to draw and shade a very simple whimsical face in pencil.

One of the main facial features that attracted me to this reference photo is based on a drawing lesson request I get all the time - how to draw wrinkles, or an older mature face...

The trick to drawing wrinkles is to just DRAW THEM! That's it. They're kind of like their own independent facial feature that you have to observe and try replicating on your paper. Study your reference photo to look for the extra lines, and draw what you see.

What can make drawing wrinkles extra challenging, is that every wrinkle has a highlight AND a shadow that goes with it! So the tricky part is not only getting them drawn in - but shading them realistically as well! This is an excellent example of where drawing becomes an art of observation.

If you feel like you want a copy or the real time lesson for this or any of the projects in the Whimsical Women of the World series, the stand alone classroom is available at Awesome Art School. If you'd just like the reference photo and do not need the real time drawing lesson, you can find them in my YouTube & Cheatsheet Library. Feel free to use MY drawing here and in the video as your reference as well.

I know this project, and many of the drawing projects in this series feel much more realistic and not how I typically define my "whimsical style." But I kept the word in this series on purpose because it serves as a reminder that each and every drawing project doesn't have to be perfect! It removes some of the pressure that drawing realistically can impose on us. You don't have to be a perfectionist, you can approximate things and take artistic liberties if you call your piece "whimsical" versus "realistic."

EMBRACE the freedom of NOT being perfect. Try your best to replicate what you see, but don't get into a tizzy if it doesn't work out. Do your best, HAVE FUN with it, and move on.

As I mentioned, every wrinkle has it's own highlight and shadow going on. If you're trying to add more realism to your shading, you really need to pay attention to where the shadows lie. Are they on the right or left side of the wrinkles you're observing? That's where your darker shading needs to go- in every intricate crease. These details will give your work more depth.

If you're new to shading with alcohol markers, I know there are SO many skin tones and SO many brands out there, it can really be overwhelming when you're first getting started, and/or have a limited budget to spend on art supplies.

Personally, I love shading with copic markers because of their juicy, brush nib. It feels like a paintbrush to me! But at around $9/marker, they're totally out of reach for most of us. I've been collecting them little by little for a LONG TIME! A really great copic marker alternative brand is Ohuhu. Their markers are surprisingly juicy for the cost and have a brush nib very similar to the one I'm in love with from my Copics.

If you'd like some tips about what skin tone markers go well together, I've recently created a HUGE cheatsheet to help you out!! I say "cheatsheet," but it's really a little book, because this PDF is 12 pages of detailed color swatching!!!

Click the button below and I'll sent that straight to your inbox! You'll find recommendations as to which skin tone markers work well for light, medium, and dark complexions across three different alcohol marker brands (Copic, Ohuhu, and Arteza). It's really quite comprehensive, so even if you're not a total newbie to working with alcohol markers - there are still some gems in here for you that you may not have thought of before!

As you'll see in the video, there are so many layers of shading happening in the face with my alcohol markers. For these projects, my shading is about 95% alcohol markers, with a bit of colored pencil and white paint pen on top to help bring each drawing to life.

HOT TIP: I found a really sharp tip to be helpful for wrinkle definition when I got to the colored pencil portion of this project.

Make sure you watch the video to really get a feel for where both the shadows and highlights go to help the wrinkles pop.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I can get inside my own head with a project too much. For this one, there were some shadow shapes that weren't making sense to me and I had to just tell myself to quiet these thoughts and JUST DRAW. It doesn't have to make sense. Just draw what you see and turn that critical side of your brain off for a bit. This can be a really powerful mindset shift, and it will show in your work.

Even when I started shading the brass rings, I still had no idea how I was going to capture them because I've never drawn anything like this in my whole life. I had no idea how the piece was all going to come together, but I just started shading, and kept pushing forward- trying to quiet the doubts in my mind while I tried a variety of techniques to help me replicate what I was seeing in the reference.

Don't think just because I'm a teacher, I always have a plan and know what I'm doing. I don't! I'm always learning, always trying new things, and doing a series like this pushes me to try even more! I hope it pushes you too!!

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Mixed Media Art Journaling Ideas: UPCYCLE OLD BOOKS & THRIFT SHOP SHEET MUSIC!!

18/1/2021

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The thrift shop is AMAZING if you need mixed media art journaling ideas! Join me on a little field trip to one of my favorite shops in Durham called The Scrap Exchange. I'll show you EXACTLY what I look for when I'm on the hunt for old books to upcycle into mixed media art journals and altered book art journals! It's SO much fun, and you won't believe HOW CHEAP!!

I might have spent a whopping 8 bucks!!

And, yes... before you EVEN THINK IT... this is pre-covid, hence the NO MASK routine- when things were "normal." Sigh...

Before we even walk into the store, here are the TOP 3 THINGS I'm always looking for when I'm on the hunt for an old book to upcycle into an altered book art journal for my mixed media masterpieces!!

1. Matte pages that are super flat - not glossy

2. Threaded binding

3. Thin books (12 - 30 pages usually feels good to me because I like to FILL my art journals completely!!)

QUICK THRIFT TRIP TIPS: Head to the children's section & sheet music book section and you're sure to score!!

Grabbing an old book like the one pictured above is AWESOME to keep around when you're in the mood for collage!

I love these types of books because the pages are usually really thin and distressed looking already (another LOVE IT for me). Additionally the pages are usually very pourous and soak up whatever adhesives and primers I throw at them from matte medium to gesso!

Lots of people have asked if I feel bad taking these old books home to use for art. I'll tell ya what- I don't. Not one bit!! That's because I specifically look for the books that are super beat up and completely on their last legs anyway- with missing pages, no cover, etc. I take the ones that no one else wants. THESE are my treasures!

I also REALLY love picking up books that have a variety of font sizes and typefaces in them. It just makes things more interesting to look at if you mix these elements up in your collage art.

Magazines like the one above are GORGEOUS, but I really shy away from them because they are typically super glossy, and I know working on a matte surface is going to yield better results, so as much as this glamour shot is calling my name - back she goes onto the shelf for someone else.

The pages of the children's encyclopedia above are PERFECT and exactly what I'm looking for, but there are SO many pages in this book, it's a little overwhelming. If I can't find something, I may come back to this one, because it's possible to systematically score and remove pages to thin the book out without compromising it's integrity if it has threaded binding (see below). I don't know if I'm in the mood for that much effort though, and with SO many options in this thrift shop - I keep digging!

As you'll see in the video, we ended up with quite a few awesome finds! I found an old fashioned giant coloring book of "Alice in Wonderland" that felt just perfect to me. Mandi grabbed an old book of paper dolls, some sheet music, and a board book.

Board books like the one she found (below) can be great as altered books! They're super sturdy and this one has a particularly fun shape! Just a word of warning - board books often have a sheen or gloss to them, which can make art-ing on top of them tricky. A great work around is to literally spray them with paint primer, or to sand the gloss right off the page!

Once you've decided which book you want to turn into an art journal, it's super easy to get started. I often begin with shoring up the pages using some pretty duct tape down the center to reinforce the binding. This typically sets the stage for my entire color scheme for a piece!

If getting started feels hard (TRUST ME, YOU'RE NOT ALONE!!), I've got a Bob Ross inspired "Kick in the Pants" PDF for you to help you start art journaling so you can get over the fear of the blank page, and just start HAVING FUN already!! CLICK the button below and I'll send that fun art journaling cheatsheet straight to your inbox!!

After you grab your art journaling cheatsheet, be sure to binge this entire series on YouTube about art journaling. I promise it will help you get OVER the HURDLE and just start creating. Here is one of the funny, no stress projects we do! Aren't these emus hilarious?!

If you're in the mood to try addding human faces to your art journal, but kinda hate drawing or feel intimidated by it - I've got an entire NO DRAW series of art journaling prompts to help you try this as well. It's SO much fun!! You can download my FREE face shape template, and I teach you EXACTLY how to use her so you can play around with adding gorgeous faces in your art journal - without the stress of having to learn how to draw!

The children's book I bought on this thrift shop field trip turned out to be so much fun to work in. Here's one of my favorite pieces I created inside. She's actually a mixed media art tutorial as well. That tear wasn't meant to be there, believe it or not. Find out HOW it came to be by clicking HERE.

If hope you have just as much fun on your own thrift shop adventure and creating your own mixed media art journal as I did!! See ya back here next week!!

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HOW to DRAW & SHADE a WHIMSICAL Face WITHOUT Face Drawing GUIDELINES?! (Whimsical Women #13)

11/1/2021

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I LOVE teaching how to draw a whimsical face, and have been enjoying creating the whimsical face drawing tutorials in this series! Today's art reference photo features a three quarter view face AND a tricky new head tilt to give us some practice drawing faces at different angles!

Because her head tilt is so unique- none of my cheatsheets will work to help you draw her from scratch...SO I'm teaching you how to create YOUR OWN FACE DRAWING GUIDELINES!!!

I honestly don't know WHERE this gorgeous model is from, but for the sake of our Whimsical Women of the World portrait drawing series, I'm going to pretend she is from the Ukranie!

We've done two, three quarter portraits already in the Whimsical Women of the World series, and I've shown you two different ways to approach drawing faces from this angle here with an Asian model, and here with a Latina model.

Because today's model has her head tilted, we can't use the face drawing guidelines from either of our previous lessons. That's actually one of the reasons I selected this photo- because it presents us with a new challenge to learn from!

Most artists come up with ways to help themselves accurately replicate what they see in a reference on their own paper. Many will use a light table or some form of grid to at least get them started. If you've seen any of my videos before, you know I really like to draw from scratch as much as I can, because I want to continue developing my drawing skills, building muscle memory, etc.

Today I want to teach you how to come up with YOUR OWN guidelines, so you can truly draw faces at any angle!

When I have to create my own guidelines from scratch - my trick is to lay a sheet of trace paper on top of my reference image to sketch in key angles and note specifically where the facial features features should be located in relation to one another.

As you'll see in the video, I traced the outline of the model's face shape and laid my pencil across her face to help me determine the correct angle of her eyes, nose and mouth. This nose is especially tricky because it's upturned. I found the shape to be very much like a triangle, so sketched that in. Additionally I noted approximately how wide the eyes and lips were, as well as the basic hair shape.

When I finished tracing, I laid a sheet of drawing paper to the side of my trace paper and tried to replicate the guidelines I had created for myself on the trace paper.

If at any point, this one feels too hard- try something simpler! I've got two playlists on my YouTube drawing channel for beginners: how to sketch and shade a simple face, and how to draw profiles - all in graphite! If that feels more like your pace- start there and pop back here when you're ready! We're not going anywhere :)

If you want to do this lesson or ANY of the drawing projects from my Whimsical Women of the World series in REAL TIME - with NO timelapses, you can find these projects in the Whimsical Women of the World Classroom over at AwesomeArtSchool.com. If you're already in my Fun Fab Drawing Club- you'll see the Whimsical Women classroom in your library of club courses!

If you haven't been to AwesomeArtSchool.com before, I highly suggest you check it out!!!

I've got so much FUN stuff for you to explore whether you like to draw, paint, do mixed media art - it's all there, and there really is something for everyone!

Back to today's project! When you feel like your drawing is in good shape and you'd like to start shading, go ahead and erase all of your guidelines.

If you are shading in copic markers (or ANY brand of alcohol markers!), be sure you've removed as much as you can of the graphite from your guidelines because the graphite really has a tendancy to smear and get carried away by these juicy markers.

One of my little workarounds to make sure this doesn't happen when I'm using my light skin tone markers, is to use kind of a pouncing motion to lift some of the graphite from the facial features I've drawn, so there is less of a chance I'll drag it across my page with my marker.

If you're new to shading with alcohol markers, I know there are SO many skin tones and SO many brands out there, it can really be overwhelming when you're first getting started, and/or have a limited budget to spend on art supplies.

If you'd like some tips about what skin tone markers go well together, I've recently created a HUGE cheatsheet to help you out!! I say "cheatsheet," but it's really a little book, because this PDF is 12 pages of detailed color swatching!!!

When I'm coloring with copic markers, I typically shade light to dark, laying down a foundational shade of the lightest skin tone I'll be using to shade the face. Then I slowly work in an additional 2-4 more skin tone markers to help me indicate the range of shadows I see in my reference photo.

Every time I add in another layer of shading in a slightly darker shade, I ONLY shade in the areas where I see shadows on my reference model's face and simply keep darkening smaller sections of the areas I've already shaded. When I have a good four layers of shading down, I will take the lighter skin tones and color the entire face with it - shading in a DIFFERENT direction from my original strokes to try and blend any streaks, color transitions or mistakes.

I feel like this particular step is TRULY MAGICAL!! It takes all my previous layers, re-wets them, and BLENDS them together.

As you'll see in the video, I also use a combination of skin tone famlies. I started out in yellows and beiges, and eventually worked in some pale pink, which adds a layer of sophistication in the complexity of my shading. Don't be afraid to reach for a wide variety of colors, because it's the BLEND of all these tones that really takes your work to the next level!!

When you hit this point of your project, you're about half-way done. Her eyes aren't finished, she hasn't "come alive" yet, and you're in what I lovingly like to call "the ugly phase." Try to be patient and keep working your layers. I promise she WILL come out of it. My biggest advice is DON'T GIVE UP. If you do- the "ugly phase" wins - and you'll never know what your girl could've turned into, SO just KEEP GOING.

Hair can be daunting for a lot of us, but the COOL THING about alcohol markers, is you can really sweep your marker from root to tip fairly quickly to fill the space and create the illusion of volume in no time. I like to use three shades of color in the hair of my girls to break up the space and add depth.

I LOVE outlining my girls, but if you don't - do whatever works for you! This is just an artistic preference for me, and part of my whimsical /illustrative style. I use my fineliner for this job, and look at THAT... she's coming alive, and busting OUT of her ugly phase. LOVE IT!! I told you it would happen!!

Once you're happy with the shading you've done in marker (or whatever art supplies you're using!), it's time to add some colored pencil.

If you need help with this part of the project, you can find it in real time over at AwesomeArtSchool.com in the Whimsical Women of the World classroom. I share tips and techniques like how I hold my pencil, and why, so I get the effects I'm after.

I suggest you don't add MORE alcohol marker layering on top of your colored pencil, because the colored pencil can really have a waxy finish to it, and can fight with your markers.

If you haven't heard, I am writing a book about this series and would love to feature YOUR ARTWORK! Please read the submission requirements and upload your interpretation of this or ANY project from the Whimsical Women series, right here on my website.

I hope you learn as much from this drawing project as I did! Please scroll down for supplies used to create this project, and leave a comment if you have any questions!!

See ya back here next week!!

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HOW to DRAW & SHADE a Whimsical MALE Face with Asian Eyes in Copic Markers (Whimsical woMAN #12)

3/1/2021

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Today I want to show you how to draw a whimsical MALE face just to mix things up a bit with the whimsical face drawing tutorials in this series- especially because I often get requests to draw guys, and I'm a boy mom of 3- so here ya go!!

In today's face drawing lesson, I'll also cover how to draw Asian eyes (forward facing), and have an awesome new Skin Tone Marker cheatsheet just waiting FOR YOU if you didn't grab that last week!

To draw this cutie, we start with an oval like always, then we're gonna MAN-ify the facial features!

In general, keep in mind that men have more STRAIGHT lines when it comes to drawing.

When you're ready to darken the face shape for this dude, start by straightening the lines on the sides of his face (like shown above).

Then, as you work your way down toward a chin area, you can imagine we're attaching a triangle to the bottom of his face - just cutting off the pointy part and leaving a straight line. It's probably easier to see this in action, so check out the tutorial over on my YouTube drawing channel.

The next main difference when drawing male faces (even whimsically), is to change the width of the neck. The male neck is MUCH wider than a female's.

Now it's time to sketch in our face drawing guidelines!

I find this fact kind of amazing ... the face drawing guidelines for drawing men and women are identical! Crazy, right? No matter WHAT our ethnicity or gender are - we all start out with the same basical human face shape, and our faces naturally follow the same basic face drawing guidelines to make us look proportionally correct!

If you're not sure what I'm talking about, you HAVE to download my FREE Face Drawing Guidelines Cheatsheet to help you out! I printed and laminated mine because drawing proportions of the face are SO important. It's a reference I've ALWAYS got on my art table. Click the button below and I'll send it straight to your email ;)

Back to our drawing!!

The biggest difference when you're drawing asian eyes vs. any other ethnicity, is often the absense of a dramatic upper eyelid. That's it! Pretty simple adjustment, right? Watch the video to see how this looks in real time, step by step.

Male hair, like hair for women -also has volume that extends above and outside the face shape oval we've drawn in, so make sure you block in the general shape you see for hair. This will make it much easier later when it's time to shade.

If you're drawing along with me (and I HOPE you are, because you'll learn SO much MORE by doing this than just watching me!!), I think you'll find that drawing eyes on a male face is actually QUITE easier, because there is no makeup to worry about!

If you'd like a copy of this reference, or any reference from this series, I've popped them into TWO convenient locations for you over at Awesome Art School! The stand alone, Whimsical Women of the World classroom - where everything (even the color shading part of each lesson) is in real time, step by step has references, as well as my YouTube Cheatsheet & Video Library.

If you're a member of the Fun Fab Drawing Club or Mixed Media Society- you've already been given free access to the Whimsical Women of the World classroom.

As you'll see in today's whimsical portrait drawing tutorial, when you get to the lips, you have to be careful about not letting them get girly. Watch the shapes carefully here. Even if your model has very full lips, you don't want to draw the lines in super dark, because the more you define them and darken these lines, the girlier your dude will start to look!

If you get to a point in this drawing (or ANY drawing!), and you feel like something looks a little off and needs to move - don't be too precious about what you've already drawn in. Go ahead and erase whatever is bugging you and draw it again!

You drew it once, you can TOTALLY draw it again. And that adjustement might make your drawing look SO much better! I drew this guy's left eye THREE times before I was happy. Then when I pulled my markers out, I drew BOTH of them over again - I think TWICE!! Don't worry about it. Just do what feels right to YOU.

The lighting effect is the main reason I selected this particular image for today's free drawing lesson. I think you're gonna enjoy it when you're ready to shade because it's unique.

You'll see the nose bridge is actually in SHADOW today (instead of highlighted as it typically is), because there are TWO light sources for this particular photo. One on either side of his face!

Check out the video to see how I show this to you in action. It's super interesting, and if you've been drawing any of the projects from my Whimsical Women series, it's honestly the opposite from what we normally see in terms of light source.

I've been using alcohol markers to do all the shading for my Whimsical Women of the World face drawing projects, but PLEASE use whatever art supply YOU LOVE best!!

If you are using alcohol markers too - please don't worry if you don't have copic markers. I know they are SO expensive, and I've been collecting them over a long period of time. I totally love the Ohuhu brand as well and they are way cheaper. Arteza also has some good markers for even less. If you're new to shading with alcohol markers, or need some tips on which skin tone markers go nicely together for a variety of ethnicities, I recently created a FREE 12-Page cheatsheet ALL about this to help ya out!!

I organized it by color family for skin tones that are light, medium, or dark, and have marker swatches from each brand (Copic, Ohuhu, Arteza) that will work well. This should REALLY save you some swatching and trial/error time!

Click the button below and I'll send it straight to your inbox.

This was actually the first time I used my Skin Tone Marker Guide to help me shade a face in this series and I was thrilled with how easy it made things go! Usually I am swatching like a mad woman off to the side and fly by the seat of my pants, but this really organized my thoughts and totally saved me some time. I really hope it does the same for YOU!

Before we continue, super quick announcement: All prouct links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links, but by law, there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!

If you're interested in how to draw a male face, and are new to me and my channel, you'll find a few here and there, but I know my audience is most interested in drawing female faces, so that is primarily what you'll see.

I do, however, have a book dedicated to drawing guys in a whimsical style called How to Draw Fun Fab Fellas that I created for my own boys when they were younger. It's available on Amazon if you're interested! It covers how to draw a male face from all the main angles- forward facing, profile and 3/4 view.

Full transparency here - I'm not in love with the way this project turned out - just being totally honest.

I think the model is SUPER CUTE, but sometimes this just happens, and you've got to be honest with yourself.

I want to make sure you know how I feel about my own work, so you can own your feelings, and not obsess over them for too long if something you were excited to do, didn't turn out how you'd envisioned.

It's ok, and happens to ALL of us! Art is supposed to be FUN. If something doesn't go as planned, change what you can. If the project is done- move on and do something else! It's as SIMPLE as that.

I've got 3 more whimsical face drawing projects coming up for you in this series, including a more mature woman with wrinkles and an up-turned face, so keep your eyes peeled for those!!

I hope you have fun with this project if you choose to draw along with me!!

See ya back here next Monday for more!!

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HOW to DRAW & SHADE a WHIMSICAL BABY'S Face in Copic Markers & Colored Pencil (Whimsical Women #15)

HOW to DRAW & SHADE a WHIMSICAL Padaung Woman's Face with Wrinkles in Copics (Whimsical Women #15)

Mixed Media Art Journaling Ideas: UPCYCLE OLD BOOKS & THRIFT SHOP SHEET MUSIC!!

HOW to DRAW & SHADE a WHIMSICAL Face WITHOUT Face Drawing GUIDELINES?! (Whimsical Women #13)

HOW to DRAW & SHADE a Whimsical MALE Face with Asian Eyes in Copic Markers (Whimsical woMAN #12)

Karen Campbell

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