Teaching drawing facial features used to make my students (and me!) break out in a light sweat. The second I said “portrait,” I’d see panic in their eyes! Teaching portrait drawing to beginning art students like those in a General Art 1 or Middle School Art courses can be so tough!
Over the years, I’ve figured out a way to teach facial features that doesn’t overwhelm beginners or send anyone spiraling into the “I can’t draw” doom zone.
It’s not quick, because it involves slowing down, breaking things apart, and using shading practice worksheets and portrait drawing worksheets to scaffold before tackling portraits “head-on” (pun intended).
Why Beginners Struggle With Drawing Facial Features
Most beginners struggle with drawing facial features because they try to tackle the entire face all at once — and they do it almost entirely with lines.
So many lines. Bold lines. Un-erasable lines. Outline lines. Heavy lines. Confidence-crushing lines.
And here’s the problem: lines instantly make faces look cartoony, abstract and unrealistic.
On top of that, beginner artists almost always draw what they think they know instead of what they truly see.
They think they know what an eye looks like.
They think they know how a nose works.
So they draw the symbol of an eye or nose from their memory of past drawings, etc.
This is why slowing down, breaking the face into small sections, and focusing on VALUE instead of lines makes such a huge difference. Once students start observing tiny areas and shading what they actually see, everything shifts.
Suddenly portraits stop looking like cartoons… and start looking like real humans. These students often can’t believe how well they can draw!
My Step-by-Step Approach to Drawing Facial Features
Step 1: Start With Shading Practice
Before I ever say the dreaded “portrait” word, I begin with beginner worksheets that teach students the values of graphite: 6B, 4B, HB, 2H and everything in between. Students learn how each pencil behaves and then practice building value scales using those pencils. Many students really need this practice to learn how to gradually release the tension on the pencil so they can create a blended value scale that doesn’t have stripes of value jumps.
After that, students move on to a slightly more advanced shading worksheet focused on observation and value replication. This helps bridge the gap between simple scales and the grid drawing method that will come later.
Step 2: Use the Grid Method – Small Facial Features First
Instead of jumping into full portraits, we practice drawing facial features using the grid method. Breaking things into smaller parts keeps students from getting overwhelmed and lets them focus on accuracy, proportion, and shading.
Small wins here build big confidence!
I just listed a new resource with these small 4″x4″ gridded images of eyes, noses, ears, mouths, and lips on Teachers Pay Teachers that is perfect for this step.
You could choose to have students practice all of these (ears, noses, eyes, mouths, lips, etc.) before starting a full face portrait. Or you could do just one! It really depends on the class you have and your students… and how much patience they have!
Step 3: Complete a Half Face Portrait as Optional Additional Scaffolding, if Needed.
If you feel students need even more work before completing a portrait on their own, then the next step would be a half face portrait drawing.
You can just take a black and white portrait, cut it in half and glue to down to drawing paper. Or, I also have a number of half face gridded portrait practice worksheets in my TPT shop as well.
If you want to read more about the half face portraits, check out this blog post.
Step 4: Attempt a Full Face Portrait Drawing!
Now, students are ready to attempt a full face portrait drawing on their own!
TLDR REVIEW:
- Practice Shading First
- Start with Grid Drawing just One Facial Feature
- Optional Half Face Portrait Practice
- Finally, You Are Ready to Attempt a Full Portrait!
Looking for Resources to Help?
Portrait drawing doesn’t have to be stressful! Breaking it down into steps makes it easier and more accessible for the beginning level art students. When you do it in steps like this, students really gain confidence quickly.
I have a large number of ready made resources for you to do this quickly and easily in my TPT shop. Click the images in the content above and I’ll also link some extra resources below!
