Draw Facial Features
Learn to draw facial features by sketching eyes, noses, mouths, and ears step-by-step, practicing proportions, expressions, and shading with simple pencils.
About this tutorial
Learn to draw facial features by sketching eyes, noses, mouths, and ears step-by-step, practicing proportions, expressions, and shading with simple pencils.
What you need
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Gather your materials and find a comfy spot to draw.
- 2
Step 2
Lightly draw a circle to mark the top of the head.
- 3
Step 3
Draw a vertical center line down the middle of the circle to mark the face center.
- 4
Step 4
Draw a horizontal eye line across the circle halfway down to place the eyes.
- 5
Step 5
Sketch two almond-shaped eyes on the eye line spaced about one eye-width apart.
- 6
Step 6
Draw round irises in each eye and darken the pupils leaving a small white highlight.
- 7
Step 7
Draw curved eyebrows above the eyes to show the expression you want.
- 8
Step 8
Mark a short vertical guideline from the eye line down to where the nose will end.
- 9
Step 9
Sketch the nose shape using the guideline and add two small nostrils.
- 10
Step 10
Draw a light horizontal line halfway between the nose tip and the chin to mark the mouth center.
- 11
Step 11
Sketch the mouth shape along that line for a smile a frown or a neutral look.
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Step 12
Draw ears on each side between the eye line and the bottom of the nose.
- 13
Step 13
Add two simple neck lines under the jaw to finish the head shape.
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Step 14
Choose a light direction and softly shade the opposite areas with gentle pencil strokes then blend with a tissue or blending stump.
- 15
Step 15
Take a photo of your finished facial feature sketch and share it on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do I teach my child to draw facial features step-by-step?
Start with simple warm-ups: straight and curved lines, circles, and ovals. Teach one feature at a time—eyes (draw an almond shape, add iris, pupil, highlights, lashes), nose (guideline, bridge, nostrils, subtle shading), mouth (center line, upper and lower lip shapes), and ears (curves and lobes). Show proportional rules (eyes midway on head, space of one eye between eyes). Finish with light shading and expression practice. Use short, guided sessions and reference photos.
What materials do I need to draw facial features with my child?
Youll need basic drawing supplies: plain sketch paper or a sketchbook, a range of pencils (HB for guidelines, 2B2B–4B for shading), a good eraser, pencil sharpener, and a blending stump or cotton swab for soft shading. Add a ruler for proportional guides and printed or digital reference photos showing faces from different angles. Optional: coloured pencils for practice and a mirror so children can study their own features.
What ages is this drawing activity suitable for?
This activity suits a wide age range: preschoolers (46) can practice simple shapes and copying facial parts, early primary (79) learn basic proportions and simple shading, older children (1013) refine expressions and value, and teens can work on realism and advanced shading. Adapt instruction to attention span and motor skillsshort demonstrations for younger kids, step-by-step challenges and reference study for older ones.
What are the benefits of practicing drawing facial features for kids?
Practicing facial features builds observation, fine motor control, and proportion awareness. It helps children read emotions by studying expressions, boosts confidence through visible progress, and teaches light-and-shadow basics useful across art. Regular practice also improves patience and visual memory. Encourage varietycartoon faces, self-portraits, and different agesto keep learning fun and show how features change with expression and age.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can I use if I don't have a blending stump or a sketching pencil?
If you don't have a blending stump or tissue, use a folded clean tissue, cotton swab, or your fingertip to blend the shading and substitute an HB or 2B pencil (or soft charcoal) for sketching the guidelines and features.
My eyes look crooked—how do I fix them so they match the instructions?
Keep the vertical center line and horizontal eye line from the instructions, lightly measure one eye-width with your pencil to space the almond-shaped eyes, then erase and redraw the smaller eye until both align.
How can I adapt this drawing activity for different ages?
For younger kids, pre-draw the circle, vertical center line, and eye line and let them trace eyes and add simple mouth shapes with crayons, while older children can follow all steps and focus more on the light shading and blending with a tissue or blending stump before photographing their sketch for DIY.org.
What are simple ways to extend or personalize the finished facial feature sketch?
After completing the eyebrows, nose, and mouth as instructed, personalize the sketch by changing eyebrow curves and mouth expression, adding hair and color with colored pencils or markers, and creating several variations to photograph and share on DIY.org.