Have you tried half face drawings with your students? If not, you’re missing out on an amazing learning tool! Half face drawings are one of the best ways I have found to help students build confidence in their portrait drawing skills. I’ve found this technique incredibly effective, especially when preparing students for more complex projects like gridded self-portraits. By focusing on just one half of the face, students can zero in on proportions, values, and details without feeling overwhelmed by the entire portrait all at once.
The Power of “Before” and “After” in Half Face Drawing
I like to kick off my portrait unit the same way every year with my Art 1 students: I give them a blank sheet of paper and about 10 minutes to draw a human face—no help from me, no instructions, just pure effort. The results? Well, let’s just say they’re usually not great—and that’s the point! The students can clearly see where their skills are starting from. This initial drawing becomes a perfect “before” snapshot.
Later, when we compare their first attempt to their completed half face drawing, the progress is undeniable. The improvement is jaw-dropping! I love seeing students’ reactions when they realize how far they’ve come. Their confidence skyrockets, and they start to believe that, yes, they really can draw realistic faces. Above, you can even see examples of some of my students’ “before” drawings and the dramatic difference with their half-face work!
From Magazine Photos to a Better Resource
I used to use magazine photos for this project. I’d spend time flipping through pages, hunting for good-quality, frontal faces, then running to the copy machine to make black-and-white reference images. It was tedious, but it got the job done. Then, students would cut the images in half, glue them to their drawing paper, and start their half-face portraits. However, this wasn’t always smooth sailing—some students struggled to cut the images straight, and glue stick smudges became a messy problem.
Making the Process Easier and More Effective
This year, I finally decided to make things easier—for both me and my students. I created a new resource that includes 10 different half face drawings featuring people of various ethnicities. Each face is split across two pages: one page has the reference photo, and the other provides a background with a grid that forces students to focus on matching values and proper placement of facial features. The grid helps students position everything correctly, and the reference photo allows them to carefully study details like shading and textures. It also is a great introduction to the gridded drawing technique for them.
I also moved away from using celebrity photos. While students enjoyed drawing familiar faces in the past, I noticed they were more successful when they didn’t recognize the person. A less familiar face allows students to concentrate on what they actually see—the values, shapes, and lines—rather than what they think the face should look like. The result? More realistic, accurate portraits.
Want to Try It? Get a Free Half Face Drawing Resource!
If you think this could save you time and help your students improve, you can find my half face drawing resource in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. It’s an easy way to get started with portrait drawing, and the included grid system really boosts students’ accuracy.
Guess what? If you’d like to try this out, you can download one of these half face drawing resources for free just by signing up for my newsletter! It’s my little gift to help you get started and see the magic of half-face drawings in action. Click the photo below to sign up for my newsletter and you’ll be able to download!
