As a traditional artist, I don't like using the cross in styles like anime, because I have to erase it. Which is why I start with the eyes, but that probably isn't very professional 😂
I have a semi realistic/anime(?) Artstyle so that really helps. I use the horizontal line (cut the circle in half) to know where the top of the ears + brows are. It's helped me a lot to make the face more realistic at the cost of having to make the eyes a bit smaller
I only use the cross to know where my characters are facing doesn’t really help me decide where the eyes are going or whatever but I have found it helps to know how the eyes will curve on the face at different perspectives
Having a curved vertical line can help you track where the cheek and the jaws bend which can give better form to your heads. This only works if you know what you’re doing, though.
THIS WAS SO HELPFUL I always wondered why the placed the cross there in the first place because in how to draw books it always looked so unnecessary because half the time it wasn’t even placed right and the proportions were so off it’s like the artists only put the cross their and didn’t actually understand what they were using it for
The cross only really helps me with perspective and not placement of the facial features like if I’m drawing the head at an angle, I’m definitely gonna start using this method instead
I never considered varying up the construction lines to better suit how someone interprets the portions/placements of the features on the face before. I've always just stuck to the usual cross example (although I do occasionally add curvature to the lines for different facial angles). This makes a lot of sense.
THATS how I do it too! It’s honestly SO HELPFUL. If I didn’t find out the trick were you put eyes in the middle of face and nose in middle of eyes to chin etc, I WOULD BE LOSTT
By the way. I just finished both Unfamiliar books & loved them! It was my 1st ever comic & now I'm really enjoying indie comics. I bought both a hard copy & a Kindle version of your book as I want to keep my paperbacks in pristine condition. I would have never even known about or imagined that comics encompass more than straight White male superheroes if it weren't for you & I'll always be grateful for that. Funny how supporting artists makes ones own word brighter.
Personally, learning the planes of the face is the thing that helped me the most, especially when you need to draw a foreshortened head. Treating the head like the torso or another anatomy part was way more helpful than treating it like one big flat plane.
To add onto this as an artist myself, another thing I've learned, especially for drawing faces from other perspectives (like for comics, for example) is to draw the face guidelines as a triangle. The basic cross technique is still used to cut down the middle and the horizontal line is in the middle of the eyes, like in the video, but the outer corners of the eyes are marked (I draw the eyes first) and you draw lines that come down to a point where the mouth would be. Then you draw a line through the centre and then a shape where that line and the vertical centre line meet for the nose (I do circles, but it depends on the nose type). And you can imagine that triangle as bending across the head to turn it in basically any direction :)
Ooh this is helpful. I’ve been going off the Loomis method for general placement, but I’ve been struggling with drawing chins. This is a nice way to break the planes of the face down. 😮
I still use the cross and ill continue to use it. Personally it helps more with drawing where the face is positioned. Idk if it's something that benefits beginner artists but it works for me.
I definitely find the Loomis Method helpful. Thanks for clarification on the eye placement. I always heard that they belong in the center but I was never clear if that meant above, below or directly on the line.
In my opinion, too many lines are too messy. Maybe because I have Extropia, which make looking at messy things like novels is already hard enough. And now I’m telling myself to look at lines… when they become too much, adding on with my chicken lineart and all that… they just started making x2 of themselves… so 2 lines is enough for me
for me just use it as a guide as to which way they're facing, i also like to cut off where the hairline starts on the forehead and cheeks so the face looks like a mask, it help for more trickier perspectives
The cross is a similar thjng to parting the face. Using the horizontal line, you can part the face into two, and that's where the eyes are usually. And with the vertical intersecting line, you can part the face which helps in showing us the center , kind of- and with these two linesm drawing a hear from different angles becomes easier. The technique is similar to yours, excluding the last two steps, for the placement of the nose and mouth. It is quie helpful too. But it depends on preferences, ofcourse.
this is really helpful! I actually do use that cross (I find it much easier than going with multiple lines actually, but that's personal) but I do use the horizontal line of the cross for the middle of the eyes and it (that cross) does help with perspective - even when I do side view or 3/4, I find it helpful for making sure I don't have the nose for example in the middle of the face (in angel perspectives), or too far off from the centre of the face
I used to just do the cross but recently I’ve started adding another line for the eye. It’s really helped me keeping the eyes the same size or it’ll help with perception
I draw the cross along the centre of head sphere. The sphere represents the cranium, and the eyebrow line usually lies around that line. Useful, for sure!
Seeing that Christopher Hart art style has dragged me kicking and screaming back to parts of my childhood art journey that I had prayed to be lost from my memory forever
This is because these are ACTUAL face proportions. That's why it works so well. The face shape and feature size it what defines the artstyle most of time c:
The basic cross is always helpful, tho I use a varian of the basic cross, a cross with two horizontal lines instead of one, the top line indicates the top of the eyes and the bottom one the bottom part (duh). The eyes are the feature that wanders the most in my drawings if i have no guide so that's why i use the cross, it helps me with the mouth and nose a bit too but i use it mostly to center the eyes
The technique you use is what's taught in schools. The simple cross is what experienced artists use after they've drawn faces for years and don't really need all the lines anymore. It's better to start with the full guidelines, not just the simple cross when you're learning.
it’s honestly all just preference. i use the cross because i have a pretty good idea of where the facial features should go anyways, even without the help. i believe that how you do art doesn’t matter, just that you enjoy it.
I like using that cross not to see where the facial features will go but to see how I’m going to draw the body. I’m talking about perspective btw. Sorry I don’t think this comment made sense 😅
So I've seen suggestions of the guidelines you've proposed, but surprisingly I've never seen anyone describe it as "half the face for the eyes, half THAT bottom half for the nose, and then half again for the mouth". That helps SO MUCH with visualizing how to get the lines placed correctly. And getting those positions correct can also help with the positions of other features, eg. The jaw line, ears (top and bottom), etc. I'm quite happy to see this short :3
I typically just use it for perspective angling, nothing else. as it helps determine where the little lines would meet for the chin if the generic placement would be a certain angle.
the cross is rlly helpful when drawing the head shape for me so that the features stay aligned, and then you can layer these guidelines to get the rest right :DD
I use other kinds of guidelines, but are very similar to the ones in this video! I make two horizontal lines to define where the eyes will be, it's like the limits of the eyes, but it also helps me to draw the eyebrows. For the nose, I do the same guideline you did, which shows where it ends, and for the mouth, I kind of imitate the bone structure of the face, using the "maxilla" as a reference to where the lips should be. I use the upper eye guideline and the nose guideline as a reference to where I should draw the ears. Basically, there are many ways to draw guidelines, and the ones you use are up to you, some might work better than others depending on your style! It's the magic of artstylie diversity ✨
the cross is helpful for me in the same way that starting a drawing on lined paper is less scary than one on a blank page. it helps me estimate things better and also align things, even if I don't want them perfectly placed.
I have never really seemed to use these cross technique since my art style is more relaxed and facial features float more, but if you are an artist I can definitely anyone using this technique.
I never realized the lines were divided in mid sections like 💀 I saw them each as separate sections that were in approximate sizes.. this helps and explains a lot
I personally do the cross just to find out the head angle and where I want the person to look. The vertical helps with how low the face is going to be, while the horizontal helps with the eye’s level and angle.
The eye line isn't cutting the circle in half, just if anyone is struggling, I know it's obvious but still. It's more of like the bottom third of the circle as shown.
I always wrap the cross around the face like a string around a 3d object. It helps the features from looking flat or 2d even if you've properly drawn a 3d face.
I think the cross is actually left over from the one you use. I learned my favorite from Marc Burnet. His is nearly the same except where you put the eyes, he puts the eyebrows.
Strongly depends on the art style. In your art style the eyes are bigger and noses are very small. But for an artist who for example draws semi realism those same guides might not work. So then the simple cross in the middle might work better once you remember to make it curve to the direction you want the eyes and the nose to point to.
I always use that cross, I don't follow it, I just use it as a slight guide. If I use yours my draws would be 20% more to the south... Would look horrible.
The cross is to tell where the head is looking at, but if its in the front it's most likely so you have equal sides. I believe the reason you would see a cross in the middle most of the time is because a lot of guides have the head facing forward.
I do the basic cross but more so for the perspective of the head, which helps with the face! And I use the middle cross section for the eyes most of the time! It helps a lot for me even though I've been drawing all my life
I feel like its because most young or inexperienced artists see other artists drawing "a cross" and dont really understand what its actually supposed to be doing or what its for, they just see other artists doing it and saying "it helps", so they replicate it by drawing a random cross that has no purpose. Essentially its not supposed to be a random cross its supposed to be a guidline of the angles and rough placement of the major structures of the face, in fact the only time a cross like the first example would ever be at all relavent is drawing a face that has no angle and is fully forward, the way you describe it is great and its how these lines are actually supposed to work.
I usually use the cross as more of a way to help keep track of the head angle
I do the same thing. It’s to help me figure out my angling and where things roughly should be in terms of perspective
Same, its kinda like drawing the contours of a sphere so you know its not a circle.
@@thelingeringartistagreed
Same, and reminds me where I want them to look.
Me too. I usually use it to see where the character is facing
i usually do the basic cross but it doesn't really work for me... this is actually really helpful though, thank you!
As a traditional artist, I don't like using the cross in styles like anime, because I have to erase it. Which is why I start with the eyes, but that probably isn't very professional 😂
I have a semi realistic/anime(?) Artstyle so that really helps. I use the horizontal line (cut the circle in half) to know where the top of the ears + brows are. It's helped me a lot to make the face more realistic at the cost of having to make the eyes a bit smaller
Itl help with the angling thou for me
Gosh, tell me about it
I only use the cross to know where my characters are facing doesn’t really help me decide where the eyes are going or whatever but I have found it helps to know how the eyes will curve on the face at different perspectives
Yeah same. Mostly I just eyeball the features (literally), sometimes even drawing them in before the outline of the face.
Yeah for me it feels so hard to draw the head even just looking forward without the cross
Yeah I also eyeball the features 😂
FR SAME LOL
Lavender town in pokemon red and blue is dangerous
Simple answer to why I use it: ✨perspective✨
Having a curved vertical line can help you track where the cheek and the jaws bend which can give better form to your heads. This only works if you know what you’re doing, though.
THIS WAS SO HELPFUL I always wondered why the placed the cross there in the first place because in how to draw books it always looked so unnecessary because half the time it wasn’t even placed right and the proportions were so off it’s like the artists only put the cross their and didn’t actually understand what they were using it for
The cross only really helps me with perspective and not placement of the facial features like if I’m drawing the head at an angle, I’m definitely gonna start using this method instead
the cross just helps me keep track of what direction the character is facing, what angle the head is at and sometimes facial expression.
I never considered varying up the construction lines to better suit how someone interprets the portions/placements of the features on the face before. I've always just stuck to the usual cross example (although I do occasionally add curvature to the lines for different facial angles). This makes a lot of sense.
Using the cross is easier for me since using more complex guidelines just makes me mess up more- I’m glad other people found this helpful though :)
THATS how I do it too! It’s honestly SO HELPFUL. If I didn’t find out the trick were you put eyes in the middle of face and nose in middle of eyes to chin etc, I WOULD BE LOSTT
What's how I was taught how to draw faces back when I did portraiture on art class. I've never had such a small tip help me so much for my art.
@@MAOSAKA_ honestly facts bro :)
Lavender is actually one of the best art tips people she’s helped my art so much
Your tutorials are always helpful, you're a very good teacher
i do it the way you do! ever since switching to that versus the simple cross ive found that my proportions look a LOT more real
I do draw the cross but not to help me measure anything it just makes imagining the face and angles alot easier
By the way. I just finished both Unfamiliar books & loved them! It was my 1st ever comic & now I'm really enjoying indie comics. I bought both a hard copy & a Kindle version of your book as I want to keep my paperbacks in pristine condition. I would have never even known about or imagined that comics encompass more than straight White male superheroes if it weren't for you & I'll always be grateful for that. Funny how supporting artists makes ones own word brighter.
Personally, learning the planes of the face is the thing that helped me the most, especially when you need to draw a foreshortened head. Treating the head like the torso or another anatomy part was way more helpful than treating it like one big flat plane.
To add onto this as an artist myself, another thing I've learned, especially for drawing faces from other perspectives (like for comics, for example) is to draw the face guidelines as a triangle. The basic cross technique is still used to cut down the middle and the horizontal line is in the middle of the eyes, like in the video, but the outer corners of the eyes are marked (I draw the eyes first) and you draw lines that come down to a point where the mouth would be. Then you draw a line through the centre and then a shape where that line and the vertical centre line meet for the nose (I do circles, but it depends on the nose type).
And you can imagine that triangle as bending across the head to turn it in basically any direction :)
Ooh this is helpful. I’ve been going off the Loomis method for general placement, but I’ve been struggling with drawing chins. This is a nice way to break the planes of the face down. 😮
The cross is amazing for me since I do a ton of weird perspectives, and I don’t tend to use a lot of guidelines
I still use the cross and ill continue to use it. Personally it helps more with drawing where the face is positioned. Idk if it's something that benefits beginner artists but it works for me.
For me the cross really works as just a basic guide line to approximate where the features should be, it doesn’t have to be exact
The more detailed version is how I was taught to draw back in school, it has always really helped ❤
Tbh I use that guide line, not for symmetry but for helping to draw which angle the characters at and which angle it’s looking
I definitely find the Loomis Method helpful. Thanks for clarification on the eye placement. I always heard that they belong in the center but I was never clear if that meant above, below or directly on the line.
In my opinion, too many lines are too messy. Maybe because I have Extropia, which make looking at messy things like novels is already hard enough. And now I’m telling myself to look at lines… when they become too much, adding on with my chicken lineart and all that… they just started making x2 of themselves… so 2 lines is enough for me
This is actually really helpful…..
for me just use it as a guide as to which way they're facing, i also like to cut off where the hairline starts on the forehead and cheeks so the face looks like a mask, it help for more trickier perspectives
I also use 3 line guidelines and that is by far the best thing I discovered, and lips and chin are more proportional and help with character design
The cross is a similar thjng to parting the face. Using the horizontal line, you can part the face into two, and that's where the eyes are usually. And with the vertical intersecting line, you can part the face which helps in showing us the center , kind of- and with these two linesm drawing a hear from different angles becomes easier. The technique is similar to yours, excluding the last two steps, for the placement of the nose and mouth. It is quie helpful too. But it depends on preferences, ofcourse.
Definitely gonna have to give this a try!
this is really helpful! I actually do use that cross (I find it much easier than going with multiple lines actually, but that's personal) but I do use the horizontal line of the cross for the middle of the eyes and it (that cross) does help with perspective - even when I do side view or 3/4, I find it helpful for making sure I don't have the nose for example in the middle of the face (in angel perspectives), or too far off from the centre of the face
Beautiful as an angel💫.
The strategy you use, I use too!
Helps with perspective too. Like, if a character is looking down then the center of the face will be placed differently.
I used to just do the cross but recently I’ve started adding another line for the eye. It’s really helped me keeping the eyes the same size or it’ll help with perception
I draw the cross along the centre of head sphere. The sphere represents the cranium, and the eyebrow line usually lies around that line. Useful, for sure!
Actually good explanation!!!
Seeing that Christopher Hart art style has dragged me kicking and screaming back to parts of my childhood art journey that I had prayed to be lost from my memory forever
This is because these are ACTUAL face proportions. That's why it works so well. The face shape and feature size it what defines the artstyle most of time c:
The cross helps me understand where is the character looking
I found out this also helps me more in my style tbh. I think the cross works for a very simplified style but more complex ones need more guidelines!
you have just permanently changed the way i draw. thank you
The basic cross is always helpful, tho I use a varian of the basic cross, a cross with two horizontal lines instead of one, the top line indicates the top of the eyes and the bottom one the bottom part (duh). The eyes are the feature that wanders the most in my drawings if i have no guide so that's why i use the cross, it helps me with the mouth and nose a bit too but i use it mostly to center the eyes
The technique you use is what's taught in schools. The simple cross is what experienced artists use after they've drawn faces for years and don't really need all the lines anymore. It's better to start with the full guidelines, not just the simple cross when you're learning.
Tbh, a circle and then the cross inside of the head feels like it would help too.
Oh my goodness you are amazing for this thank you!
genuinely helpful thanks
I use the basic cross because it makes the starting circle seem less empty and terrifying
i use the cross bc it makes the sketch look good
Random tip: the center of the circle bit of the head is usually where the eyebrow is ^^
it’s honestly all just preference. i use the cross because i have a pretty good idea of where the facial features should go anyways, even without the help. i believe that how you do art doesn’t matter, just that you enjoy it.
i don’t really use it for placements, but it helps me visualize how the face is tilted
Thank you
The cross for me is for perspective
So much more helpful I will definitely try it!
I like using that cross not to see where the facial features will go but to see how I’m going to draw the body. I’m talking about perspective btw. Sorry I don’t think this comment made sense 😅
So I've seen suggestions of the guidelines you've proposed, but surprisingly I've never seen anyone describe it as "half the face for the eyes, half THAT bottom half for the nose, and then half again for the mouth". That helps SO MUCH with visualizing how to get the lines placed correctly. And getting those positions correct can also help with the positions of other features, eg. The jaw line, ears (top and bottom), etc. I'm quite happy to see this short :3
its also easy to wrap around the head to get the dimensions right since its like a circle and those are pretty easy!
1. Makes it look more professional
2. ANGLE
I typically just use it for perspective angling, nothing else. as it helps determine where the little lines would meet for the chin if the generic placement would be a certain angle.
the cross is rlly helpful when drawing the head shape for me so that the features stay aligned, and then you can layer these guidelines to get the rest right :DD
I use other kinds of guidelines, but are very similar to the ones in this video! I make two horizontal lines to define where the eyes will be, it's like the limits of the eyes, but it also helps me to draw the eyebrows.
For the nose, I do the same guideline you did, which shows where it ends, and for the mouth, I kind of imitate the bone structure of the face, using the "maxilla" as a reference to where the lips should be.
I use the upper eye guideline and the nose guideline as a reference to where I should draw the ears.
Basically, there are many ways to draw guidelines, and the ones you use are up to you, some might work better than others depending on your style! It's the magic of artstylie diversity ✨
Yesss! I've used this technique for years, but i, too, always found the plain cross never worked for me.
Honestly I don’t rlly use the cross for anything but it’s just a habit I mostly use the cross for my drawings so I can draw the head base ❤❤
Finally an art tip video that speaks the truth and explains why we do these things.
the cross is actually usually helpful, it's just that beginner artists don't fucking know how to use it lol
I’ma be honest I just do this so I know where the character is looking and then use the middle one to determine the face axis
Real tho
Thankyou! I find your videos very useful! (;
the cross is helpful for me in the same way that starting a drawing on lined paper is less scary than one on a blank page. it helps me estimate things better and also align things, even if I don't want them perfectly placed.
it helps draw fascial features
I have never really seemed to use these cross technique since my art style is more relaxed and facial features float more, but if you are an artist I can definitely anyone using this technique.
Thank you Lavender towne!
I never realized the lines were divided in mid sections like 💀 I saw them each as separate sections that were in approximate sizes.. this helps and explains a lot
I used the cross and it turned out kinda cool :D
I still prefer the cross because I'm lazy but yes, for accuracy and learning placement, this is the better thing to do.
I just like the messy look when its on traditional art.
I personally do the cross just to find out the head angle and where I want the person to look. The vertical helps with how low the face is going to be, while the horizontal helps with the eye’s level and angle.
Well the nose is turned for stylisation but that point of yours is very valid
I personally do a circle with the vertical line, it helps me know which way the face is facing and stuff like that
The eye line isn't cutting the circle in half, just if anyone is struggling, I know it's obvious but still. It's more of like the bottom third of the circle as shown.
they help you to remember what direction the face is looking and how to keep facial features proportionate. Next
I always draw a skull under the face without other guidelines. Idk why
“Why do artists always draw this cross”
Me:
MADNESS COMBAT!!
Studying the human skull helps too. Before I had no idea why I was using the cross but now that I've studied the skull i know why
I always wrap the cross around the face like a string around a 3d object. It helps the features from looking flat or 2d even if you've properly drawn a 3d face.
I mainly just use it as a general reference for the direction the character is looking more so than placing features
I think the cross is actually left over from the one you use. I learned my favorite from Marc Burnet. His is nearly the same except where you put the eyes, he puts the eyebrows.
Strongly depends on the art style. In your art style the eyes are bigger and noses are very small. But for an artist who for example draws semi realism those same guides might not work. So then the simple cross in the middle might work better once you remember to make it curve to the direction you want the eyes and the nose to point to.
honestly the cross helps me make sure my eyes are wonky
I use both tbh, the cross to keep track of the angle and the other one to put the features in
I use the line as a mid point to! Once you learn how to use the guide lines it helps so much
I usually start with simple shapes on the face to map out the features
I always use that cross, I don't follow it, I just use it as a slight guide. If I use yours my draws would be 20% more to the south... Would look horrible.
I use the cross to help with symmetry!
The cross is to tell where the head is looking at, but if its in the front it's most likely so you have equal sides. I believe the reason you would see a cross in the middle most of the time is because a lot of guides have the head facing forward.
It helps with anatomy
I do the basic cross but more so for the perspective of the head, which helps with the face! And I use the middle cross section for the eyes most of the time! It helps a lot for me even though I've been drawing all my life
This is how I learned it from my dad aswell! Though I think no matter the guideline it helps one way or another
I feel like its because most young or inexperienced artists see other artists drawing "a cross" and dont really understand what its actually supposed to be doing or what its for, they just see other artists doing it and saying "it helps", so they replicate it by drawing a random cross that has no purpose. Essentially its not supposed to be a random cross its supposed to be a guidline of the angles and rough placement of the major structures of the face, in fact the only time a cross like the first example would ever be at all relavent is drawing a face that has no angle and is fully forward, the way you describe it is great and its how these lines are actually supposed to work.