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Pencil your character's face

Pencil your character's face
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Draw and shade a character's face with pencil, practicing proportion, facial features, and expressions while learning basic sketching and simple shading techniques.

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Step-by-step guide to draw and shade a character's face with pencil

What you need
Eraser, paper, pencils hb and 2b, sharpener, tissue or cotton swab for blending

Step 1

Place a sheet of paper flat on a table so it will not move while you draw.

Step 2

Lightly draw a circle near the top half of the page to make the basic shape of the head.

Step 3

Draw a light vertical line down the middle of the circle to split the face in half.

Step 4

Draw a light horizontal line across the middle of the circle to mark the eye level.

Step 5

Mark two small points on the eye line to show where the eyes will go and how far apart they are.

Step 6

Draw the eyes over those marks and add small dark pupils inside each eye.

Step 7

Draw a small simple nose halfway between the eye line and the bottom of the circle.

Step 8

Decide what expression your character will have such as happy sad or surprised.

Step 9

Draw the mouth a little above the chin that matches the expression you chose.

Step 10

Draw the eyebrows above the eyes to help show the expression.

Step 11

Draw the ears on each side of the head roughly lined up with the eye line.

Step 12

Draw hair and a short neck to finish the head shape and style your character.

Step 13

Shade under the chin and along the sides of the nose using gentle short pencil strokes to create shadow.

Step 14

Gently blend the shaded areas with a tissue or cotton swab to make the shadows smooth.

Step 15

Share your finished creation on DIY.org

Final steps

You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!

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Help!?

What can I use instead of a tissue or cotton swab for blending if I don't have one?

If you don't have a tissue or cotton swab for the instruction to gently blend shaded areas, use a clean fingertip, a soft piece of cloth, or a folded coffee filter to smooth the pencil strokes under the chin and along the sides of the nose.

My eyes look uneven—what should I do to fix them?

Erase lightly and reposition the eyes using the light vertical and horizontal guideline lines and the two small eye-placement points on the eye line before redrawing and adding the dark pupils.

How can I adapt this activity for younger or older children?

For younger kids, simplify by skipping shading and blending and having them draw the big circle, eye points, simple eyes and a smile, while older kids can follow the full steps—light construction lines, detailed pupils, hair, and the gentle short pencil strokes for shading.

How can we personalize or extend the character after finishing the head?

Personalize your character by changing the mouth and eyebrow placements from the expression step, experimenting with different hair styles from the hair step, adding clothing or a background, and finishing by sharing your finished creation on DIY.org.

Watch videos on how to draw and shade a character's face with pencil

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Facts about pencil drawing and sketching for kids

✏️ The "lead" in pencils is actually graphite — artists have been sketching with graphite since the 1500s.

📐 A common proportion guide: the face is roughly five eye-widths across (one eye-width between the eyes).

👀 A handy rule artists use: the eyes usually sit about halfway down the head.

🎨 Chiaroscuro is an Italian word meaning "light-dark" and describes how artists use strong shading to make faces look 3D.

🎭 Psychologist Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions that show up in many facial expressions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust.

How do I guide my child to draw and shade a character's face?

Start with light construction lines: an oval head, a vertical centerline and horizontal lines for the eyes, nose, and mouth. Place the eyes about one eye-width apart; ears sit between eye and nose lines. Sketch features lightly, adjust proportions, then choose a simple expression by changing eyebrow and mouth shapes. Shade using a clear light source: add midtones, core shadows and a cast shadow. Blend gently and finish with darker accents to define details.

What materials do I need to pencil a character's face?

You’ll need a range of pencils (HB for guidelines, 2B–4B for shading), a soft eraser and a kneaded eraser for lifting highlights, a sharpener, and sketch paper or a sketchbook. Optional helpful items: a blending stump or tissue, a mirror or photo reference, and a ruler for initial proportions. Keep a clean workspace and an apron to protect clothing from smudges.

What ages is this pencil face-drawing activity suitable for?

Suitable for ages 5 and up with adjustments: preschoolers (5–6) can practice simple faces and basic shapes; ages 7–9 can learn proportions and light shading; ages 10+ can explore expression, proportion rules and more detailed shading techniques. Offer more hands-on guidance for younger children and encourage older kids to practice observation, try different pencil grades, and experiment with subtle value transitions.

What are the benefits of drawing and shading a character's face?

This activity builds fine motor skills, observational ability and spatial awareness. Children learn facial proportions, emotional expression and how light affects form, which boosts visual literacy and confidence. Drawing also supports patience, focus and creativity; repeated practice improves hand-eye coordination and problem-solving. It’s a low-cost, screen-free way for kids to express feelings and develop artistic habits they can expand into other creative projects.
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