Facial features
Place and shape the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and jaw-to-neck connection as one working face from any angle.
What it is
Facial features include the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and the jaw-to-neck connection. Treat them as three-dimensional forms of flesh, cartilage, and bone that occupy space and respond to light.
Simplify each feature into a solid form. Build the eye as a ball with lids around it, the nose as a wedge with nostril wings and an underside, and the mouth as a cylindrical volume with corners that turn into the cheeks.
Across angles and lighting, keep each feature consistent with the head's construction. The nose connects to the brow and upper lip, the ears sit on the side planes, and the jaw flows into the neck. Stylized features still follow these volumes and connections.
Why it matters
Solid facial features give portraits structure as the head turns, lighting changes, or the style becomes more simplified. Weak control can make features look pasted onto the skull, flatten with rotation, distort expressions, or reduce likeness.
You can check it when
- ✓Draw each feature as a simple 3D form, such as a box, wedge, cylinder, or sphere, before adding details. It still reads as that feature.
- ✓Turn the head and check that the features stay attached to the skull. The eyes wrap around the surface, the nose follows the center line, the ears sit on the side planes, and the jaw aligns with the chin and cheekbones.
- ✓Shade and edge each feature to show form, including lid thickness, the nose underside, lip volume, ear folds, and the jaw angle.
- ✓Check the jaw and neck connection from multiple angles. It reads as a supporting structure with visible weight, not a narrow stick or loose curve.