Art question - I hope this is the right place

[dumb_n00b]

Whenever I draw a 3/4 view of anyone's face with pencils, I often have enormous difficulty getting the eye farther away from the viewer to look natural. This includes when I draw from life. Could anyone offer any hints?

[briggsy@ashtons]

This is a very familiar difficulty for artists.

First, some general problems. In three-quarter views, your clever brain works out for you that your subject is actually bilaterally symmetrical, and it tries to make you to draw it that way - you'll find that you keep extending the far side of the face too far out, and/or shifting things that are in the middle of the face, like the nose, too far into the middle of your drawing. It's like foreshortening, you keep ending up with a horrible compromise between what you see and what your brain works out for you. Keep trying to see the actual shape objectively.

Also make sure that you have mastered drawing the eye itself in three-quarter view. Watch out for the tendency to make the far corner angular when it isn't - it will either be foreshortened or will disappear completely around the eyeball. And if the eyes aren't looking at you, remember that the irises and pupils will be elliptical, not circular. Avoid these problems by constructing the sphere of the eyeball. Any good drawing book such as Loomis' Head and Hands will show what I mean if you're not sure.

Now, specifically in regard to the far eye, ALWAYS BEGIN BY SKETCHING IN THE WHOLE EYE, i.e. including the part hidden by the nose. This will prevent a lot of potential distortion as your brain tries to squeeze the hidden corner into the drawing one way or another.

Please let me know if any of this helps!