In this tutorial, learn to draw the profile of a human face in standard, simplified, and chibi forms! 

Introduction

Hello, all! 

My name is Dreamer! Welcome! 

Have you ever succeeded in drawing a frontal view of your character, but when you try to draw the profile, it doesn’t look right? 

Well, don’t worry! It happens!

In this tutorial, I will be showing you three ways you can draw a profile view! We will go over three styles: standard, simplified, and chibi!

 

DISCLAIMER: My “standard” profile view is still very much stylized; it just has more shape definition than the simplified view! Also, the way I draw things doesn’t have to be the way you draw them! Experiment with other styles to find one that best suits you!

 

Now without further ado, let’s get into it!

A Quick Anatomy Lesson

So, when drawing the profile view of a character, the shape of the eye changes! It’s no longer a full almond—more like an almond that is cut in half! I like to think this is so because only half of the face is shown in a profile view!

This doesn’t mean you need to squish your character’s eyes; only that the size and shape will be a tad bit different in this view than in a frontal view, because the person isn’t seeing it straight on!

Base Sketch for a Profile View

This is the base I draw before I get into details on the profile view. First, you want to draw a circle. Draw vertical and horizontal lines in the center of the circle; this will help determine where the eye and ear will go. Then, add a vertical line under the left part of the circle—this is where the nose and lips will be. Connect the two vertical lines together with another line for the jawline, and there you have it! 

TIP: With the exception of some chibi heads, the back of the neck is closer to the back of the head, not directly under the ear! Remember this when making the face, otherwise your character’s profile will look squished!

Simplified Profile

I usually use this type of profile whenever I’m sketching a loose thumbnail or doodle. It’s not too serious, so it keeps things looking light and fun!  

It’s also the best starting point for the profile, because after you learn this style, you can just incorporate the nose and lips into it when you get more comfortable with drawing this version!

 

In my style, the male and female profiles look different, even when they’re in a more simplified form.

My male characters tend to have their profiles made up of straighter lines and more square shapes, while my female characters tend to have their profiles made up of more curved lines and circular shapes. Also, men have an Adam’s apple, and women do not. So, keep things like this in mind when drawing your characters!

The biggest advantage about the simplified profile is that the nose, lips, and chin are combined into one simplified shape, so you don’t have to worry about those details! Using the base sketch I showed you earlier, you can incorporate the overall shape for the nose and lips on the side you want the character to be facing, and then the ear at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines! 

Again, I like to use this type of profile when I am doodling or coming up with a thumbnail for an illustration, because it’s very simple and gets the point across well. But you may want to use it as your main style! It all depends on how you want your character to look, and what you want your art style to be!

Standard Profile

So, the biggest difference between the standard view and the simplified view is that the standard view defines the shapes of the nose, lips, and chin. The simplified profile just combines all those facial features into one overall shape! The standard profile is what I usually apply to my more detailed illustrations.

Just like in the simplified view, in my art style, the features of my male and female characters’ faces have certain geometrical differences. My male characters’ faces are made of straighter lines and square-like shapes, and my female characters’ faces are made of curved lines and circular shapes. Again, keep this in mind when drawing your characters’ faces! 

Again, the standard profile view has the nose, lips, and chin separated into individualized shapes. So, using the base sketch from earlier, we are going to incorporate those into the profile view depending on which side you want your character to face! The ear goes in the same spot, though :)

The standard profile is the hardest of the two to draw, so don’t sweat it if it looks bad the first couple times! Keep practicing, and it will begin to look better and better with each illustration you make! :D

(Tip: noses come in different shapes and sizes! Experiment to find some that best suits your characters’ demeanor!) 

Chibi Profile

Now, let’s talk a bit about the chibi! If you don’t know, or need to be refreshed, a chibi’s face has more exaggerated facial features than a regular face. They’ll have bigger eyes and ears, and smaller noses. Sometimes the mouth can be smaller, too!

 

(FYI: People make their chibis different heights, but they will ALWAYS be smaller than the average human! So, try to keep them between 2 and three heads tall!)

Keeping the facial features in mind, let’s draw a chibi profile!

The base sketch will be a bit smaller than the base sketch of a standard-sized human, but the placements are still the same. The ear is still on the vertical and horizontal lines, and the overall shape of the nose, lips, and chin still goes on the side where you want your character to face! The neck is smaller, though, so keep that in mind! For the inside of the ear, you can even just draw a simple, “b”-shaped line! Whatever works for you!

So long as you remember that the chibi profile is basically the same as the simplified profile, you should be able to map the facial features with ease! Just remember that they’re exaggerated :)

Encouragement

Like all things, you must practice to receive the best results! Keep trying and practicing with drawing these views, and it will come naturally to you in no time! Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Keep at it; I promise you it gets better!! 

Outro

Congratulations! You just learned three ways to draw a profile!! I’m so proud of you! Again, you may not like the way I do things, and that’s okay! People draw things differently than one another; experiment and observe other artists to find a style that best fits you!

Just remember to give credit to the artists (shout out to the ones I’ve studied :D)!

Until next time!!