I’m going to show you how to draw a skull from the front view perspective. Drawing a skull is a great way to understand the anatomy of the face, which can come in useful if you’re interested in improving your portrait drawing skills.
I’ll walk you through step-by-step how to draw a skull and talk you through the anatomy of the bones of the face and the proportional relationships of the different features, so you can understand how to create a realistic-looking skull.
Skull Drawing Video Tutorial
Learn to draw a skull step by step and follow along with the video tutorial.
Skull Anatomy
Before we begin, let’s quickly review the basic anatomy of a human skull. The human skull is made up of 22 bones that are connected by sutures, which are fibrous joints that allow for movement and growth during childhood. These bones include the cranium (skullcap), facial bones, and the mandible (jawbone).
Start with Basic Proportions
To draw a skull from the front view perspective, it’s easiest to start with simple shapes. I’m going to approach this skull using the Loomis method, which will guide us through drawing a skull from scratch, to find the basic proportions of the head.
Start by drawing a circle to represent the cranium. This is going to be the largest shape in the drawing, because the cranial mass is larger than the rest of the facial bones, so make sure to centre this in the middle of your paper, leaving space below for the rest of the head. When you draw these first blocked in shapes, you should be thinking about the composition of the drawing. I want the skull to be large enough that it fills the page, and centred.
the next step is to draw an inner circle that is around 2/3 the size of the first circle, centred within it. This inner circle represents the facial projection, the top of which shows where the top of the forehead would be on the frontal bone.
The next step is to draw a horizontal line through the middle of the circles, which marks where the top of the eye sockets will go.
Then, draw a vertical line down the centre of the circles to mark the middle of the skull, extend this line past the circle shapes. The measurement from the bottom of the inner circle to the end of the extended line, should be the same as the measurement of the horizontal line to the bottom of the inner circle.
Draw Additional Proportional Guides
Now we need to draw three more horizontal lines. Take the measurement between the horizontal centre line and the bottom of the inner circle and mark off the same distance below the inner circle and at the bottom of the vertical line.
The bottom of the inner circle equates to the nose line and the equal measurement you’ve dropped below this marks the bottom of the jawline.
Then draw a horizontal line across the top of the inner circle. This marks the apex of the frontal bone, the top of the facial projection. If you were drawing a face, this would be where the hairline would go.
Look at the proportions of the skull I’ve mapped out—you can see that it is divided into thirds. From the jaw line to the nasal cavity line is one third, then from the nasal cavity to the brow bone is one third, then from the brow bone to the top of the forehead is one third. If you like, you can lightly label each line so you can remind yourself of what each one represents.
The next step is to mark the sides of the facial projection, inside which the eye sockets, temporal bone, zygomatic bone (cheek bone) and the mandible (jaw).
Create two vertical lines that point inwards from the top horizontal line to the jaw.
Next, we’re going to establish the proportions of the mouth with a horizontal line. The mouth sits just under halfway between the line that represents the bottom of the nose and the line we marked for the jaw. Extend the line outwards. This will mark the point at which the sides of the jaw bone change angle to the chin.
Draw the chin
The final step of this first stage, of establishing the proportions of the skull, is to define the bottom of the mandible jaw area. The width of the chin is usually smaller than the width of the mouth and can vary from person to person, draw this width, then join it up to the side of the jaw.
Draw the Eye Sockets
The first set of features we’re going to draw is the eye sockets. These can be drawn as two large symmetrical shapes, a bit like aviator sunglasses.
I’m going to work on blocking in the shapes, before refining them. This helps to create symmetry in the drawing. So I’m focussing on the angles of the lines and width of the shapes, to ensure they are accurately placed. In this blocking in stage, I keep the lines fairly straight so I can determine the angle of each line. I then refine them with smooth contour curves afterwards. The top of the eye socket sits on this horizontal line that we drew to represent. Then brow area and the bottom sits halfway between the brow line and nose line. Look carefully at the reference image and copy the shape.
Draw the Nasal Cavity
I’m going to start by sketching the top of the nasal bone, which is a protrusion at the top of the nose, this can be marked with a diagonal lines pointing downwards from the centre of the face to the eye sockets. It’s around the height of this top inner corner of the eye socket, then points downwards towards this edge here.
The nose itself, or cavity where the nose would be sits below it. Broadly, we can sketch it out as the shape of a simple triangle to represent the proportions, then work to refine it, just like I did with the eye sockets.
The top of the triangle starts at the same height of the inner corner of the bottom of the eye socket then I form this slim triangle shape, ending at this horizontal line that we marked for the bottom of the nose.
Once we have the broad shape of the triangle, we can refine the edges to create contours. Level the top of the triangle off into a slight curve, then draw larger curves around the two corners at the bottom.
In the middle of the nose, there is another bony protrusion. As we’re drawing this face from the front view, it splits the bottom of the triangle shape in half. The bony protrusion at the bottom of the nasal cavity is called the anterior nasal spine of maxilla and the bone above that splits the nasal cavity into two separate parts is called the vomer. So to draw the vomer, extend this line upwards to completely split the nasal cavity in two.
Draw Zygomatic Bones
I’m going to draw in two extra guides, these function as rhythm lines that dictate the width of the mouth area, so they will help us to draw the mouth and the bottom of the zygomatic bone. Draw these as large arcs that come down from the bottom of the inner circle and intersect the chin. I’m drawing these lightly so that I can erase them afterwards.
Now I need to draw the bones in the mid face and side of the head on the skull. We’re going to start by drawing the bone near the temple, which is called the frontal process of the zygomatic bone. For this, draw two lines, one either side of each eye socket, pointing diagonally downwards and outwards. They each start near the top of the eye socket, then slant down away from the centre and stop at the end of the eye socket.
Then, we’re going to draw the zygomatic bone, which is also called the cheekbone.
Then, to draw the underside of the zygomatic bone, we’re going to swoop down with two arced lines either side like so. The underside of the zygomatic bone extends to the nose line I drew and ends at this rhythm line.
Draw the Mouth
Underneath the zygomatic bone, we need to draw two more arcs, to represent the sides of the mouth. The bony ridge above where the teeth sockets will go is called the alveolar process of maxilla. So once I’ve drawn the sides of the mouth, which ends just above the mouth line and next to this rhythm guide line I’ve drawn, I can draw this alveolar process of the maxilla, which isn’t a straight line, but a slight downwards curve. I follow the curve of the inner circle. Keep your lines loose and sketchy at this stage, because we’ll refine them later.
I’m going to map out the width and broad shape of the teeth as a whole, with a box shape, so drop lines down from the side of the curve you just drew, then draw a downwards curve to mark the bottom of the teeth, that broadly follows the top curve, but is slightly more angled downwards.
From the bottom teeth, we need to draw the side of the jaw. On the human skull, this appears as a hole, so you can see right through it. So outline a curve to meet the underside of the zygomatic bone on each side like so, this is called the ramus. Then draw in the back of the cranium, as it appears on the side of the head and at the back, that you can see through the gap between the ramus and the maxilla. Refine the contour of the jaw with a darker line.
Draw the Top of the Cranium
Next, I sketched a more refined oval shape for the cranium. Use the outer circle as a guide to draw this contour.
Draw the Teeth
Before we add in the details and shade the values in the drawing, we need to draw the teeth
Next I sketch in the teeth. There are 16 teeth on the top and bottom. Due to the perspective, they will appear smaller at the back of the mouth and the top teeth are larger than the bottom teeth. Going to start by drawing in boxes, that will guide me on the placement of drawing each tooth.
Use the vertical centre line as a guide to find the middle of the teeth, you can start from the middle and work your way outwards.
The roots of the teeth are rounded in shape. On the top row of teeth the roots of the front two incisors are placed slightly higher than the second two incisors. Then the canines appear level with the second incisors. Then the molars follow the curve that I drew as a guide, due to the perspective the teeth in front overlap the teeth behind and the teeth at the back of course, appear progressively smaller.
The top row of teeth overlap the bottom set, as most people have a slight overbite. The bottom teeth are smaller, so use the same method of rounding the roots to create the tooth shape on the bottom. The roots of the canines at the bottom are lower than the incisors, and the molars and premolars follow the general curve that I drew.
Draw the Details and Shading
To make the skull appear more realistic, we need to add in details and shading, to give it more volume and depth.
Start Shading Around Teeth
Start with the area around the teeth, I’m going to shade where the teeth root into the skull. The volume around the teeth roots create soft shadows, so I’m shading lightly with my pencil, to create the form. I shade around the jaw and chin area, creating definition. I use my blending stump to blend values and the kneaded eraser to lift highlights. You can also start to erase guidelines at this stage because you won’t need these anymore.
The light source is natural and diffused, it hits the skull from the top, casting soft shadows. There is an area of shadow around the ramus on the mandible, which is this bone on either side of the jaw. So apply more pressure to create darker shading around this area.
Shade Nasal Cavity and Zygomatic Bone
Shade the inner section of the nasal cavity, as this is a concave surface, it will catch light and create shadow. The bone between the nasal cavity and eye sockets also casts a shadow on the inside of the eye socket.
Then shade the zygomatic bone, the light is coming slightly from the left side of the head, creating more reflections on the left side of the zygomatic bone.
Shade the Eye Sockets
Next, we need to shade the eye sockets to give them depth. Begin by identifying the light source, which, as previously mentioned, is natural and diffused, coming from the top. This means the upper part of the eye sockets will catch some light, while the lower part will be in shadow. Start shading lightly along the lower half of each eye socket, gradually darkening the shade as you move downward and toward the inner corners. Make sure to blend the shading smoothly to create a realistic gradient. You can follow with the patterns of light and dark that I’m shading in this area.
Pay special attention to the edges of the eye sockets; they should be slightly darker, as the bone here curves inward, creating more shadow. Additionally, add subtle shading around the inner perimeter of the eye sockets to enhance the three-dimensional effect. Using a blending tool or your finger can help soften the transitions between light and shadow, making the drawing look more lifelike. Remember to keep your shading consistent with the direction and intensity of the light source to maintain a cohesive appearance across the entire skull.
Shade the Cranium
We’ll also need to shade the cranium, where shadows are being cast from the zygomatic bone on to the temporal bone and create form on the spherical shape of the top of the skull.
Shade Mandible
To create more definition on the mandible (or the jaw), we’ll need to focus on the various key areas of this lower jawbone. Start by emphasising the protuberance at the front of the mandible, which forms the chin. This area can be defined by shading around it to give it a more three-dimensional appearance. Increase the contrast on the ramus.
Shade Details
To add even more realism to our skull drawing, we need to draw the fine, light lines that represent the sutures on the skull. Sutures are the joints between the bones of the skull, and they appear as zigzag lines. It’s essential to draw these lines lightly and precisely, as they are subtle yet critical details.
Beneath the eye sockets, there are two small holes, called the infraorbital foramen of maxilla, this is where the nerves and vessels are transmitted. Shade this section.
Finally, use an eraser or a kneaded eraser to lighten areas that are highlighted by our light source. This will give more dimension and shape to the skull. Then add extra details as you see fit with your pencil.