Drawing women is hard. Relearning how to draw women is perhaps even harder. At least that’s what I’m finding out as I continue to tackle Andrew Loomis’ drawing drills.
Much of the difficulty in drawing women’s faces lies in the degree of accuracy you have to employ placing features in their proper locations. There’s little room for experimentation and exaggeration. One wrong line here or a bit too much shading there and she suddenly starts looking like a man. And maybe some people won’t find anything wrong with that. You know, you can argue we should start drawing women with more imperfections–as they are, not how we want them to be, in other words, quit the age-old “fairer sex” idea that some women actually find offensive. And the truth is, I agree! But there’s time to learn all the nuances of the feminine figure. Right now, I’m just focused on getting the “pretty woman” right.
All the faces shown on the photos above and below without color were actually copied from Loomis’ book (though not perfectly). The only original female face I drew in these photos is the one with color.
FRUSTRASHOW 
I find the less details you put onto a women’s face, the better. Unless they’re an older character.
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That’s true. But to me that also means you have less room for error because you’re drawing fewer lines. It’s a real challenge!
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I couldnt help but notice: is moonwalkerwiz your other blog? it looks interesting!
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That’s the author name I use for my other blog. That’s actually more like a personal journal but I haven’t updated it for quite some time. Last entry was a Man of Steel review which you reblogged–thanks! 🙂 I’m more focused on illustration right now that’s why this blog is the one I’m always updating.
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I find it harder to draw male faces. They always look feminine.
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Wow! That’s interesting. I guess it has something to do with the gender you frequently draw? I’ve definitely drawn more guys than women, so that’s probably why I find them easier to draw.
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Could be. For me, I started drawing faces using my own face by looking in the mirror. I think I may just need more practice.
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That’s complex. I remember the first face I drew was a ninja turtle, Raphael’s. =))
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