Buzz
Whether you're sketching anatomical figures or preparing for Halloween, learning to draw a skull is all about mastering proportions. Start with a simple circle and sketch some faint guide lines to mark the position of the jawline, teeth, and eye sockets. Once the main outlines are in place, you can sharpen the skull drawing by shading the darker areas.
Steps
Drawing a Skull from the Front View
Draw a Circle. Begin by lightly sketching a circle. The size should match the width of the skull you're aiming to draw. This rough outline will help define the upper part of the skull.
- If you're struggling to draw a perfect circle, you can use a compass or trace around a round object of similar size to the skull you're drawing.
Draw a horizontal and vertical line passing through the center of the circle. To create reference lines for the skull features, place a ruler through the center of the circle. Draw a horizontal line first, then rotate the ruler to draw a vertical line.
- Extend the vertical line downward through the circle to help you position the jawline.
Draw two hexagons below the horizontal line. Draw an eye socket in each of the bottom quadrants of the circle. The top edge of each hexagon should align with the central guideline and occupy half the area of each bottom quadrant.
- Leave a gap of 1/5 of the circle's width between the two hexagons.
Draw the nasal cavity along the vertical line. Draw a short horizontal line on the vertical line around the midpoint of the eye sockets. From the ends of the horizontal line, draw two vertical lines that slightly angle outward toward the circle's center. When your pencil reaches near the bottom of the circle, connect the lines to a single point at the base of the circle along the vertical line.
- The nasal cavity forms a diamond shape near the bottom, but becomes more square as you approach the top.
Outline the angular edges on both sides and the center of the skull. Lightly sketch from the temples toward the eye sockets, creating a slight protrusion outward. Curve inward toward the center of the skull, then outward at the level of the nasal cavity. Next, draw a diagonal line down from the nasal cavity. Continue the line horizontally to connect it with the opposite side of the skull.
- Repeat this step on the opposite side to connect with the previous sketch.
- Draw a horizontal line at the bottom of the skull, twice the length of the nasal cavity.
Draw the upper jaw along the horizontal line at the middle of the skull. Draw oval shapes below the horizontal line to represent the teeth. Each tooth should be about half the distance from the bottom of the nasal cavity to the horizontal line of the jaw. Draw three large teeth on each side of the vertical line, then add two smaller ovals at each end to show the teeth curving toward the back.
- Teeth can be round or square based on your preference. You can refer to pictures for inspiration, as everyone has a unique tooth structure.
- If you want the skull to be missing some teeth, leave a few spaces empty.
Draw the jawline. Measure the distance from the top of the skull to the intersection of the two guide lines (horizontal and vertical). Draw a horizontal line the same distance from the bottom of the nasal cavity to the jawline. This line should be half the length of the teeth. From both ends of the horizontal line, draw two diagonal lines extending outward. Next, draw a straight line connecting the jawline to both sides of the skull.
- Both diagonal lines should be the same length as the horizontal line in the middle of the jaw.
Tip: Keep in mind that the jawbone is not as wide as the upper part of the skull.
Draw the lower teeth along the jawline. Shape the lower teeth to match the size of the upper teeth, with the incisors being larger than the surrounding teeth. Draw 4-5 teeth on each side of the vertical centerline, then add 1 or 2 smaller teeth on the outside.
- For added perspective depth in the skull, leave small gaps at the ends of the teeth to show the space between the skull and the jawbone.
Shade the nasal cavity and eye sockets. Use a darker pencil or press harder to shade each eye socket and the nasal cavity. These areas are hollow and deep, so they will be darker than other parts of the skull you are shading.
- If you want the cavities to have a smooth texture, use a blending stump to shade with graphite.
- To highlight the teeth, go over the lines between the teeth, skull, and jawbone.
Erase unnecessary lines. Before you start shading your drawing, erase any visible horizontal and vertical guide lines. Gently erase the circular lines as well.
- Be careful not to accidentally erase the actual drawing while removing the guide lines.
Polish the skull to create depth. Use a crosshatching technique to polish the areas above the eye sockets, particularly at the eyebrow region. Continue working on these areas until they appear deeper than the rest of the skull. Other areas that require polishing include:
- Top of both sides of the skull
- Along the jawline
- On both sides of the nasal cavity
Draw a skull in profile view
Draw a slightly elongated circle at both ends. Instead of sketching an oval that narrows at both ends, outline a slightly flattened circle that matches the size of the skull you're aiming to draw. This circle will flare outward slightly across its horizontal axis but won't taper at either end.
Draw a concentric circle and guide lines in the middle. Draw a faint second circle within the first. The space between the two circles should be equal to a quarter of the radius of the larger circle. Next, draw a horizontal line crossing through the center of the skull and a vertical line passing through the same point. To sketch the jawbone, position your pencil on the vertical line where it meets the bottom of the smaller circle. Draw a horizontal line extending to one side of the skull.
- Draw lightly, as you will erase the guide lines later.
Create the jawline on one side of the skull. Draw a faint vertical line starting from one side of the skull where you plan to sketch the jaw. Position the pencil at the intersection of the vertical line with the horizontal guide. Draw a curve downward towards the end of the jaw, moving away from the skull. Once this curve matches half the horizontal width of the skull, draw a diagonal line that slopes back toward the skull.
- The jawline will end at the intersection of the smaller circle with the vertical guide line.
Sketch the nasal cavity and protruding eyebrow bones. Place the pencil tip on the jawline, where it extends from the skull. As you draw upward towards the nose, curve inward at the intersection of the lower horizontal and vertical guide lines you used earlier for the jaw. Then, draw a diagonal line slightly protruding outward.
- The protrusion above represents the eyebrow bone, which will then connect to the skull.
Outline the eye socket and shade it. Draw a crescent shape just below and behind the eyebrow. Extend the crescent until it meets the middle of the nasal cavity. Next, shade the eye socket to give it depth and a hollow effect.
Draw a winding line at the back of the skull connecting to the jawbone. Draw a curved line descending from the eye socket and curve back up towards the middle of the skull. Continue the line horizontally, making it slightly winding until it reaches the middle of the jawbone. Then, draw a jagged curve downward to connect with the curve of the skull.
- This step will form the base of the skull.
Draw the upper and lower teeth. Draw a long 'S' shape down the middle of the jawbone and add two faint horizontal lines from the sides of the jaw to the 'S' shape. Leave enough space between the two horizontal lines to draw teeth. Draw 6-7 teeth along each horizontal line. The teeth closest to the 'S' curve should be as wide as the eye socket. The teeth towards the back should become progressively smaller, ending with tiny remnants.
Tip: Omit a few teeth if you want the skull's mouth to appear incomplete.
Xoá các đường hướng dẫn hiện rõ. Để hoàn thiện bức vẽ, bạn sẽ dùng viên tẩy nhỏ để xoá các đường kẻ hướng dẫn dọc ngang vẫn còn trông thấy. Nếu bạn đã vẽ đè lên các đường kẻ này thì cứ để như vậy, chỉ xoá các nét nổi rõ.
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Lời khuyên
- Trang trí cho đầu lâu bằng các ngọn lửa, xương chéo, đôi cánh hoặc hoa hồng xung quanh.
- Tô màu đầu lâu bằng chì màu hoặc bút dạ nếu thích.
Những thứ bạn cần
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Eraser
- Paper
- Colored pencil (optional)
