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My coworker said to always start sketches with the eyes first
Someone in the break room at my last cleaning job told me to always start my little desk doodles with the eyes so the face has life from the beginning. I tried it on three different quick sketches last week and every one looked weird because the proportions were off and I had to erase everything. Has anyone else gotten advice that sounded good but totally messed up your process?
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davis.ruby1mo ago
Oh man, I tried the eyes first thing too and it was a TOTAL disaster. The problem is that eyes are super detailed and if you lock them in without the rest of the face mapped out, you end up having to squeeze everything else into whatever space is left. I found it works way better to do a light circle for the head shape, then mark where the eyes should sit about halfway down that circle, and then sketch both eyes at the same time so they're even. That way you're not stuck trying to fit a nose and mouth under eyes that ended up way too low on the face.
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the_linda1mo ago
Eyes first was a nightmare for me too. What finally clicked was doing a really loose oval for the entire head, then drawing a horizontal line across the middle for where the eyes go. After that I add a little vertical line in the center to keep everything symmetrical. It sounds basic but just having those guide lines stops me from drawing eyes that are way too big or super uneven. Once those light shapes are in place, the rest of the face just kind of falls into position.
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