Head construction (skull, head planes, Loomis-style or equivalent)

Build the head as a 3D skull and plane structure so features stay anchored as the head turns.

What it is

Construct the head from simple 3D forms: a ball or block for the cranium, a wedge for the jaw, and large planes for the face. Treat the skull as the base, with eye sockets, cheekbones, brow ridge, and jaw as structural forms. Add flesh over this structure.

A Loomis-style or equivalent method uses a cranium sphere, a cut-off side plane, and a facial mask with front, side, and bottom planes. Mark the brow line, center line, and jaw line on the form to track the face’s direction and feature placement.

Early construction should show simple 3D objects and wrapping lines. Indicate the jaw corners, cheekbones, and brows as angled planes. In finished work, the forehead, cheeks, and jaw should still turn across those planes.

Why it matters

Head construction helps features remain anchored as the head turns and gives light defined planes to catch. Weak construction can cause floating features, distorted proportions, flattened forms, and expressions that do not follow the skull.

You can check it when

✓Draw a skull-based head with clear forehead, cheek, side, and jaw planes before adding facial features. The form reads as 3D on its own.
✓Construct heads from multiple angles with a ball or box-and-jaw approach, then place the brow, nose-base, and chin lines in perspective.
✓Simplify a reference head into large planes while retaining its overall shape after removing facial detail.

Head construction (skull, head planes, Loomis-style or equivalent)

What it is

Why it matters

You can check it when

Related skills