You can draw a face straight on. Then you turn the head a little, and the far eye drifts outward, the nose looks pasted on, and the portrait stops looking like your reference.
The fix starts before the eyes. In this lesson, I’ll show you how to draw a 3/4 view face using the Loomis Method, following the same pencil portrait from a light circle to the finished drawing. Pay particular attention to the center line and the side plane. Those two decisions do much of the work of turning the head.
If the basic construction is new to you, start with my front-facing Loomis Method tutorial. You only need a pencil, an eraser, and paper to follow along here.
What Is a 3/4 View Face?
A three-quarter view sits between a front view and a side profile. You can see both sides of the face, but one side appears narrower as it turns away. The angle is a range, rather than one exact amount of rotation.
Look at the reference in the images below. She faces toward the right side of the picture. The center of her face shifts to the right, while the side plane of the skull is visible on the left. The far eye and the far half of the mouth have less visible width. Drawing both halves as though they were facing you would lose that turn.
The basic order: circle, brow line, curved center line, side plane, facial thirds, jaw, ear and neck. Once those agree on the direction of the head, add the features.
How to Draw a 3/4 View Head with the Loomis Method
1. Start with the Cranium, Not the Hair
Draw a light circle for the main rounded mass of the skull. Keep the pressure low enough that you can adjust it without leaving a dark ring around the portrait.
The circle is not the whole face. The jaw and chin extend beneath it. Hair also sits outside the skull, so don’t measure the circle from the outside of the hairstyle. Try to picture the head underneath first.
2. Wrap the Brow Line and Center Line Around the Head
Add the brow line across the sphere. In this reference it sits a little below the circle’s middle and has a gentle curve. Follow the actual tilt of the head; the line is wrapping around a rounded form.
Next, draw the vertical center line through the front of the face. Because the head turns toward the right of the image, move this line toward that side. Let it curve over the sphere, then continue below the circle toward the future chin.
This is worth checking before you go further. The line should pass through the middle of the forehead, nose, mouth and chin. It divides the face, even though it does not divide the visible head shape into two equal halves.
3. Add the Side Plane of the Skull
Indicate the flattened side of the head with an oval inside the left side of the circle, as seen in this drawing. That oval is the visible side plane. It helps separate the side of the skull from the front of the face.
Study its width against your reference. A head turned farther toward profile will show more of the side plane; a head closer to front view will show less. Don’t copy the same oval into every portrait.
4. Mark the Hairline, Nose and Chin
Use three approximate divisions: hairline to brow, brow to the base of the nose, and nose to chin. In this lesson, the base of the nose falls near the bottom of the initial circle, and the chin is measured beneath it.
These are construction guides, not a rule that every person has three identical measurements. Compare them with the reference. Individual proportions and an upward or downward tilt can change the distances you see on the page.
If the lower face feels stretched, check the nose-to-chin distance now. It is much easier to shorten a light chin mark than to move a mouth you have already shaded.
5. Build the Jaw, Then Place the Ear and Neck
Bring the jaw down and forward from beneath the side plane toward the chin. On the far side, draw the shorter visible contour from the cheek area toward that same chin. The two sides should not be mirror images.
Keep the chin connected to the center line. If it drifts back toward the middle of the circle, the upper face may look turned while the jaw looks frontal.
Place a simple ear shape inside the side plane, roughly between brow and nose level for this pose. Indicate the neck from behind the jaw and beneath the chin. Notice how its back edge begins behind the ear area, rather than attaching directly below the middle of the face.
Finally, block in light shapes for the eye sockets and marks for the nose and mouth. I use the mouth opening around a third of the way from the base of the nose toward the chin as an initial estimate, then check it against the model.
How to Draw Facial Features in Three-Quarter View
6. Build the Nose with a Few Edges and Shadows
Think of the nose as a small projecting wedge. Its tip comes forward from the face, and the nostril and wing help show that projection.
In my drawing, I establish the nostril, the wing and the shadow beneath the tip, then use a softer mark along the bridge. I leave much of the lit side as clean paper. A dark outline all the way around the nose would flatten it and make it look separate from the face.
Check how the nose overlaps the far side of the face. That overlap changes with the turn; don’t force the nose into a symmetrical front-view shape.
7. Shorten the Far Side of the Mouth
Draw the opening between the lips first. Follow the center dip and the angle of the mouth in the reference, then let the line soften toward the far side.
The far half of the mouth has less visible width because it turns away. If you give it the same width as the near half, the lips will seem to face forward while the rest of the head turns.
For the lighting in this portrait, the upper lip is darker, while the lower lip is described mainly by softer tone and the shadow underneath. Keep that shadow separate from the line where the lips meet. Add a little shade under the chin to separate the face from the neck.
8. Soften the Guides and Build the Hair in Large Shapes
Once the features sit correctly, lighten the construction lines. You don’t have to erase every trace, but they should stop competing with the drawing.
Add the eyebrows with short strokes in the direction of growth. Then establish the silhouette and main waves of the hair. I work with large sections first, leaving lighter gaps where the hair catches the light.
The hair extends beyond the original circle because it sits on top of the skull. Keep that extra volume. Darken selected areas near the neck and underneath overlapping waves, rather than turning the whole hairstyle into one even gray mass.
9. Draw the Eyes to Match the Turn
I leave the eyes until late in this demonstration. You can finish them earlier if you prefer, but check the sockets and head angle before adding lashes and highlights.
Begin with the upper eyelid, using a stronger line than on the lower lid. Add the iris and pupil, checking how much the lids cover them. Preserve a small highlight where the reference shows one.
The far eye has less visible width in this pose. Don’t draw a second identical eye and move it sideways. Compare its inner corner with the bridge of the nose, and follow the brow and socket direction you established earlier.
The eyes generally sit near the halfway level of the whole head in a neutral pose, not halfway down the initial skull circle. Treat that as a check, then use the reference for the exact placement.
Finish with a few darker accents beneath the nose and lips and inside the hair. Step back before adding more. If something still feels wrong, check the angle and spacing before making the shadows darker.
Three Mistakes That Make a 3/4 Face Look Flat
Keeping the Center Line in the Middle
This makes the construction read as a front view. Move the facial center line toward the direction the head faces, and keep the nose, mouth and chin aligned with it.
Copying Front-View Proportions onto Both Sides
The far side is not a copy of the near side. Check the visible width of the far eye, cheek and mouth. Look for overlaps as well as size differences; a head turn changes which edges you can see.
Detailing the Features Before Checking the Jaw and Chin
A carefully shaded eye cannot correct a misplaced chin. Before adding detail, compare the circle, side plane, center line and lower face with the reference. Correct the largest mismatch first.
A Simple Three-Quarter Head Drawing Exercise
Before repeating the full portrait, draw three small construction studies from the same reference. Stop each one after the jaw, ear and feature guides. Compare where you put the center line, how wide you made the side plane, and how long you made the lower face.
Choose the study that captures the angle best and develop that one. This keeps the practice focused on the part that controls the likeness, rather than making you redraw the hair every time.
When you are comfortable with the turn, try my Loomis tutorial for a face looking up. It shows how the construction changes when tilt is added.
Learn the Loomis Method from More Angles
If you find yourself getting stuck at the center line or side plane, spend more time on those first few marks. They are the foundation I build the rest of the portrait on.
My Complete Loomis Method Course takes you through head construction and facial features across different angles, with guided drawing lessons you can follow at your own pace.
