Generalized Distributions and Ratios in the Human Face
No two faces are identical, and each face has its own specific characteristics and unique proportions. For this reason, our face is a significant part of our identity as human beings. However, the „individual characteristics“ of all faces can be simplified and „integrated into a basic structure“ (Marina Fridman, 2023). The following five reference points are used to assist learners in the process of portrait drawing. Additionally, they provide interesting insights into the general proportions commonly found in human faces:
Even though these elements might seem obvious, it is important to point them out because they often „become lost in the complexities of the face.“ Luckily, once they have been consciously noticed, they are very easy to remember. However, one must remain aware that every face is different, and these elements should be seen as guidelines rather than fixed rules in portrait drawing. Our understanding of proportions should never make us „lazy in our observation of the model.“ Always double-check with your subject, as these guidelines are not universally applicable.
Observations by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci, one of the „greatest portrait artists“ (Juhi Kulkarni, 2007-23) of the Renaissance, created „thousands of drawings about anatomy.“ In his many notes, accompanied by explanatory drawings, he provides valuable insights into using proportions in portrait drawing.
To draw a head in which the features and agree with the turn and bend of the head, pursue this method. You know that the eyes, eyebrows, nostrils, corners of the mouth, and sides of the chin, the jaws, cheeks, ears and all the parts of the face are squarely and straight set up on the face.
Leonardo da vinci
This quote shows that da Vinci was well aware of the fact that all faces have something in common and seem to follow a general scheme.
In full face there are of 11 types. These are equal, take in the middle, train in the middle, with the tip thick, and at the root narrow or narrow at the tip and wide at the root full stop with nostrils wide or narrow high or low and the opening wide or hidden by the point. And you will find an equal variety in the other details, which things you must draw from nature and fix them in your mind, or else when you have to draw a face by heart carry with you a little book in which you have noted such features and when you have cast a glance at the face of a person you wish to draw you can look, in private which nose or mouth is most alike or there make a little mark to recognise it again at home.
Despite his adherence to general anatomical schemes, Leonardo da Vinci was highly aware of the unique and individual variations among people. His exceptional eye and keen perception allowed him to distinguish individual peculiarities from broader concepts. This ability is evident in the detailed categorisations he made in his notebooks, which later enabled him to draw portraits from memory. Here are a few examples of the insights he recorded:
The distance from the attachment of one ear to the other ear is equal to that from the meeting of eyebrows, to the chin and then find the width of the amount is equal to the length of the parting of the lips to the bottom of the chin.
The cut or the depression below the lower lip of the mouth is halfway between the bottom of the nose and the bottom of the chin.
From the eyebrow to the junction of the lip with the chin and the angles off the jaw where the ear joins the temple will be a perfect square. And each side by itself is half the head.
Studying Leonardo’s notes and sketches is deeply inspiring because he not only captures the nuances he perceives in nature but also connects them to broader, universal concepts. His work reveals that, while each individual is unique, there are underlying similarities that unite us all.
Sources:
Marina Fridman. „5 Proportions of the Face to Use During Your Next Portrait Drawing.“ The Drawing Source. Last modified 2023. https://www.thedrawingsource.com/proportions-of-the-face.html.
Juhi Kulkarni. „Leonardo da Vinci on Portrait Drawing.“ Anatomy Masterclass. Last modified 2023. https://anatomymasterclass.com/news/leonardo-da-vinci-on-portrait-drawing.
