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About instructor
Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.
LESSON NOTES
This is a great exercise to improve your perspective skills, especially with organic forms like human heads. You're going to figure out the orientation of the head in space by considering a simple box, then using that box as a map for a portrait. Watch this video for tips on how to do this properly.
Practice this from the photos I've provided in the downloads tab and don't forget to submit your drawing to the community!
RELATED LINKS:
One-Point Perspective
Two-Point Perspective
How to Learn Perspective - Draftsmen S1E26
DOWNLOADS
project-portraits-in-perspective.mp4
213 MB
project-portraits-in-perspective-transcript-english.txt
5 kB
project-portraits-in-perspective-transcript-spanish.txt
6 kB
project-portraits-in-perspective-captions-english.srt
8 kB
project-portraits-in-perspective-captions-spanish.srt
9 kB
ASSIGNMENTS![]()
![Youssef Ateya]()
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![Arca Ludo]()
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![@alexate]()
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![Melanie Scearce]()
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![@jtrigoli]()
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![@yearly7777]()
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![Marcin Ch]()
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![@lynnare]()
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![Marcin Ch]()
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![Alison Shelton]()
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![Dado]()
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![@hampop]()
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![@yoyoy12]()
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![Rachel Dawn Owens]()
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![Ami learning to draw]()
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![Melanie Scearce]()
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![Ami learning to draw]()
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![Rachel Dawn Owens]()
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![Christopher Corbell]()
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![Tony Reza]()
In this project we'll practice applying perspective to organic forms. Heads, while organic, adhere to the rules of perspective similar to boxy objects, so we'll start by constructing 3D heads. Look for clues of the angle of each axis such as angles from brow to ear, the vertical center line of the face, and the horizontal side to side angles of the features.
I've prepared a range of portrait photos for you to work with, that you could find in the downloads tab under the video. You'll notice each photo is numbered. Please label your drawings with the corresponding photo you're drawing to help me and the community give you a critique. Otherwise it would be very difficult to know which box matches each photo.
Level 1: Basic Box Construction
Draw a box representing a simplified version of each head.
- Try to match the orientation and dimensions of the head in the photo
- Rely on your intuition to imagine each head's rotation and dimensions
- Iterative process: Redo and refine as needed
Level 2: Head Construction
Start with a small box representation of the head, same as Level 1. Then add linear head construction with accurate perspective.
- Use primarily straight lines to draw, emphasizing plane changes
- Find angles in the organic shape that correlate with the simple box (ex: top and back of the head)
- Observe, analyze, then draw
- Avoid drawing tiny heads; aim for at least 4 inches in height
Deadline: Submit by 1/15/2024 for a chance to be in the critique video!
HI i still think i need to work on my line weight and proportions and how can i simplify the shapes and a lot of things but line weight and line quality are at the top of the list haha , any critiques or feedback are more that welcome , they are mandatory if you read this you are the chosen one to give me a critique and be fearless with it haha, BTW this was my favorite exercise in the whole course
I'm starting with the first 5 and will do the rest after watching the demo.
A) It was a bit tricky finding the edges and vertices on the back of the head.
B) Also, if a side of the head is hidden, it was hard to find its edges and vertices too.
C) I was also unsure about which axis to keep constant (I mean, since this is 2-point perspective, I wondered which axis I should keep fixed).
Hope I got the tilts right
*There is a small issue when uploading from the phone, we can only upload 8 images, otherwise the "Attach" button disappears at the bottom of the window and it can't be reached by scroll
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5d
Very nice! The orientations look great to me, and you placed the heads in the box well. They all feel so three dimensional. I love the sketchiness -- maybe going in and darkening a few key lines (a la the organizing line weight lessons), or tightening up specific areas can make these drawings pop even more.
definitely struggling with this one, perspective in general has been a difficult thing for me to conceptualize, im hoping with more practice it will start to click. im open to any and all feedback!
Later when watching Stans demo's I realised that I had placed the edge of the cube a litlle to close to front of the face.
Also I'm not sure how to star those drawings usualy I start with the closest edge of cube and then find angle from brows to ridge and then copy it to match the roof of the cube.
Ps. Given the demo Proko provided I will have to sometimes dismiss the location of the ear an place it little higher/lower.
gave the exercise another go, this time followed demo with portraits.
with portraits it always amazes me how by using those big shapes at the beginning it doesn't look like a face but than it shapes up and actually begins looking quite accurate.
This was HARD! I think I’ll try some more before I move on to level 2.
Question: I have noticed that the planes of the box seem to be always quite parallel and don’t taper at the end which suggests that both vanishing points are far away from each other.
When would you use a shorter distance between vanishing points? Is this only a camera lens effect? Is it used for more dynamic? I added a picture to clarify what I mean.
Thank you!
This exercise turned out to be much trickier than I expected. Recognizing plain change in perspective was already challenging for me, and keeping the proportions consistent made it even harder.
I tried to analyze the portrait carefully and construct boxes in two-point perspective to capture the head’s rotation in space, but I often found myself unsure how much tilt or convergence to apply. I realized I tend to rely more on visual intuition than on actual structural understanding.
I’d really appreciate any feedback, especially on how to better judge proportion and rotation when building forms from reference. Some guidance on exercises or ways to strengthen spatial awareness would be very helpful.
This is challenging. I did rough sketches on paper then I inked them in procreate. I’m not sure my approach is correct so I will watch the demos next.
Hello everyone!
I’ve had to watch Stan’s demo to approach lvl 2 project, had no idea how to do it 😃 may I ask for a critique? I know I’ve tilted it too much, I’m also not happy with the nose, I’ve tried to copy the shadowed areas there and it seems off. I’d appreciate your tips and advices!
Looking for feedback 👋
I worked first on figuring out the bounding boxes for the first 6 heads first and then drew the actual heads on top.
Feel like i kind of gotten these right, but something feels off for each one.
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1mo
Very solid head constructions!
Hi! I drew 3 box heads in different angles. I would like to know your approach on drawing from box head to human head. I would like to know that how do you manipulate the cube form to draw the cranium and jaw? Thanks!
@Rachel Dawn Owens@Chuck Ludwig Reina@Melanie Scearce@Martha Muniz@Stan Prokopenko
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1mo
Hey Ami! Drawing a head in a box is deceivingly difficult. It's a multistep process that requires you to understand each concept before moving forward. I recommend completing the level 1 exercise: using the provided photos in the downloads tab, try to match the orientation of each head with your box. You can even find your own photos and use those as reference if you like. Post it here and tag everyone above so we can give you feedback. Once you've done that, you'll have a better idea of the 3D forms in space. That's the key to developing your understanding: starting with the basics and gradually building up your skill and knowledge. You can then use that knowledge to move on to level 2 where you'll start experimenting with more specific head construction.
Patrick linked you a very good tutorial about the Loomis method: https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/how-to-draw-the-head-from-any-angle/assignments. This is a great method that gives you the general proportions of an average head. Study these and internalize the rules, and with a lot of practice you will find that you can begin to draw heads from difference angles pretty intuitively.
Below I've attached a few pointers I think might be helpful to you. Hope you find this insightful :)
Hi! I did the first step which is I drew a Box Head in different angles.
THE SECOND STEP
I have some questions on second step:
1. After drawing a box head, how do I manipulate or carve the box into head form?
2. What 3 forms I have to draw the cranium and especially the jaw and how do I draw these forms inside the box?
Thank You for reading!
@Rachel Dawn Owens@Melanie Scearce@Patrick Bosworth@Marshall Vandruff@Stan Prokopenko
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1mo
I love how much you’re digging into this, trying to figure it out. Maybe a few skull studies would be helpful. It’s a good time of year to find a Halloween decoration and set up your own still life even 💀
The box idea is the simplest way to understand the structures of the head. Proko goes into step-by-step head construction later in the Drawing Basics course. Check the level 2 demo video: https://www.proko.com/s/H99g
Also, just keep having fun with it. Doodle over your box drawings and see what you come up with. You might be surprised.
Here are my attempts - I tried the level 2 part though I don't feel like I quite know what I'm doing with the planar representations of the actual heads - more to come on that I hope. (Haven't watched demos or critiques yet). I did a dozen total, here are 6 of them.
Level 1 finally done GOLLY… I did enjoyed it as well and I would like any tips on my portrait shapes, in case I did an error
