How to Draw a Face Outline: Easy 9-Step Guide for Beginners

Ready to bring your characters to life? This guide is perfect for budding artists ages 7+ who want to learn the fundamentals of facial structure. All you need is a pencil, an eraser, and a sheet of paper to start building your portrait skills.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A clean, professional face outline drawing suitable for coloring and practice.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Eye Shapes

Close-up of two eye outlines drawn with simple curved lines on white paper.

Start by drawing two curved lines for each eye. Tip: Keep your pencil pressure light so you can easily adjust the shape if needed. Notice how the corners don't quite touch—this leaves room for the natural shape of the eyelid.

Step 2: Adding Pupils and Lashes

Drawing the pupils and eyelashes inside the previously sketched eye shapes.

Draw a small circle inside each eye for the pupil and shade it in. Tip: Add a few thick, flicking lines above the eyes to represent eyelashes; keep these strokes quick to make them look natural and tapered.

Step 3: Brows and Nose Bridge

Adding eyebrows and the start of the nose bridge to the face sketch.

Sketch thick, slightly angled shapes above the eyes for the eyebrows. Then, draw a small curved line for the bridge of the nose. Tip: The nose bridge should align slightly with the inner corner of the eyes to keep the face balanced.

Step 4: Defining the Nose and Lips

Detailed sketch of the nose tip and mouth with lips.

Draw the tip of the nose using a soft curve, then add the lips using three simple lines. Tip: Keep the middle line of the lips slightly wider than the top and bottom lines to give the mouth a gentle, relaxed expression.

Step 5: Shaping the Face and Chin

Outlining the jawline, chin, and hairline for the face structure.

Draw a long, smooth curve to create the jawline and chin. Then, sketch the hairline. Tip: Use short, light strokes for the chin to give it a soft, realistic look rather than a sharp, pointy one.

Step 6: Adding Ears and Hair

Adding ears to the sides of the face and sketching the initial hair layers.

Draw two curved lines on the sides for the ears, then add hair flowing from the hairline. Tip: Draw the hair in overlapping sections to create volume and depth, making it look less like a flat helmet.

Step 7: Completing the Hairstyle

Refining the hair shape and adding inner ear details.

Use long, sweeping lines to draw the top of the hair. Add small, curved details inside the ears. Tip: Follow the natural curve of the head when drawing the hair to ensure it looks like it's sitting on top of the skull.

Step 8: Neck and Hair Texture

Drawing the neck and adding texture to the hair ends.

Draw two lines extending from the jaw to form the neck. Add jagged, curved lines at the base of the hair. Tip: The neck should be about as wide as the distance between the eyes for a natural, proportional look.

Step 9: Final Contours

Finalizing the face outline with neck contours and hair texture.

Add final curved lines to contour the neck and add texture to the hair. Tip: Use a darker pencil for these final lines to make your drawing pop, and erase any stray construction lines from earlier steps.

Step 10: Personalize Your Character

A finished, colored portrait of a character based on the outline tutorial.

Your outline is complete! Now, have fun adding color. You can experiment with different hair colors, makeup styles, or accessories to make this character truly your own.