Free PDF: Simple Tricks to Draw Realistic Facial Features

Learn how to easily structure eyes, nose, ears, and mouth from basic shapes and create realistic portrait drawings

The challenges of capturing likeness and interesting facial expressions are what artist Sam Brisley (@bris1985) loves most about drawing portraits. The human figure is complex and intricate, providing an endless source of learning and exploration for those who represent it.

As a structural engineer from nine to five and a portrait artist in his free time, Sam started learning about portraiture, figure drawing, anatomy, and gesture drawing from a young age, always finding time to keep developing his abilities.

Sharing some of the lessons he's learned along the way, in this free downloadable cheat sheet, Sam offers tips, tricks, and examples to teach you how to draw expressive facial features based on simple structures.

Easy ideas for drawing realistic facial features

To hone your technique, before you get started with a full portrait drawing, Sam recommends you start by practicing facial features individually in your sketchbook, experimenting with different facial expressions and ages. In his guide, he shares tips and reference images to get you started.

For example, Sam explains the basic structures and anatomies of eyes, nose, mouth, and ears are dictated by the structures around them, offering examples and tips to help you draw based on these structures (including boxes, cylinders, and spheres).

Another trick Sam includes in the PDF is that, for drawing ears, you can start by sketching the letters c, y, and o. Plus, he explains how noses are an excellent opportunity to show off core shadows.

Ready to grab your pencils and start drawing? After clicking on the button below, you will find a PDF file in the Downloads folder on your computer titled Cheat Sheet for Drawing Realistic Facial Features, by Sam Brisley.

Don't miss the amazing course of Sam Brisley’s, Artistic Portrait Drawing: Capture Authentic Expressions. In his course, you'll draw striking pencil portraits by learning how to apply shadow mapping techniques to capture realistic facial structures.

Learn more about portrait drawing with these resources

- Explore our full range of online portrait drawing courses to explore the art of drawing the human form in more detail.

- Learn how to draw body language to convey specific emotions with these easy gesture drawing exercises.

- Discover a selection of free tutorials for learning to draw faces and expressions.

- Get stuck into five anatomy books to improve your figure drawing.