Drawing the Human Head Series: Lesson 10 — DETAILED STUDY OF THE PARTS OF THE FACE (CONCLUSION)
To finish, observe the series of noses drawn , starting from their simplified shape, and viewed from different angles. Study your own nose in a mirror; draw it in one of these positions…
What has been said about the nose is equally applicable to the ears, of which we always remember more or less but vaguely the general shape —who is capable of drawing an ear from memory, exactly as it is?— Study also the illustrations above, which present ears seen from the front, in foreshortening, from the front and from the back (fig. 64).
THE LIPS AND THE MOUTH
When the mouth is closed, we only see the lips: thick, fleshy, fine, thin; they have a particular perspective because they are located, like the eyes, on a curved plane; they have prominences, folds, a particular color, reflections… Oh! It is not as easy as one would think at first glance to draw a closed mouth!
Look at it in the illustrations on the following page (fig. 65), for example in three-quarter view, foreshortened on the side farthest from us (a); and slightly from above or below, allowing one lip to be seen more than the other (b); or simply from the front, studying this curious undulating line in the center (c). Notice this kind of small dimples at the commissures, and thanks to the particular direction of the line — upwards or downwards —, we begin to speak of the character of a person who laughs for no reason, or who always has a wooden face (d).
Study the way to give volume by drawing with the lead pencil (this teaching is applicable to all processes, including painting): first draw a general tone, quite regular, which will nevertheless model the lighted and shaded parts; then, draw with strokes — one could almost say with brush strokes — in the direction that will envelop the lips, leaving the trace of the pencil passage, which will imitate and recall these small vertical furrows of the folded skin of the lips when the mouth is closed (e).
Notice that the color is pale, almost imperceptible when it comes to men’s lips; and that, on the contrary, it is darker when it comes to women’s lips; they present a reflection whose shape follows the movement of the tracing, small grooves (f).
Finally, consider the shape of the lips when slightly parted, and you will better understand their appearance; look carefully at these soft fleshy prominences which indicate the modelling and the direction of the line that separates the lips when the mouth is closed (g).
Also, when drawing the mouth, do not forget to include in this study the lower part of the nose as well as the fold of the chin under the lower lip. These elements are intimately linked to the appearance of the mouth and explain its shape, size and general structure.
I assume that you have followed these explanations attentively. In that case, I have nothing more to tell you other than to recommend that you move from theory to practice and apply these principles “by practicing and verifying” the elements of this chapter before moving on to the next one, the study of expression.
