Drawing a Side View Face with a Four Square Method

By Lauren Davis 

One of the more difficult techniques when it comes to female portrait drawing is a side view face. Getting the eyes nose and mouth just right can be near impossible. Jack Hamm recommends this four square method for beginners. Hamm said, “You can use it to get the proportions correct.” (Hamm, 30) This the picture I ended up though using this trick and how I got there.  

Step 1 - The Setup 

The first step is drawing a square with a cross through the middle of it. This is how you achieve the "four squares." I used a ruler because I can't draw a straight line to save my life. Then you use cue lines to add in facile features. The author said, "Watch out for how the bridge of the nose may run into the eye if the face is in semi-profile." (Hamm, 26) He warned the artist to keep the bridge consistent with the position based on the face. (Hamm, 26) After drawing the basic shapes you can continue to shading and detail work. Make sure to have the pupil of the eye facing the correct direction and the eyelashes pointing out. Also, remember that the lips go outside the square.

                                                Step 2- Hair and Shading 

After you finish the setup, the next step is very similar to the first drawing. A simple shading process should suffice. By adding places of light and shadow you give your picture life and the illusion of depth. The jawline contour is especially important with the side view. Changing the placement and the darkness of it and the cheekbones will drastically change the shape and feel of the face. Cheekbones and jawline are the focal points of the makeups shading. The nose and lips are less important. I chose a very odd hairstyle for this one based off an example from the book. I was very disappointed with how it turned out but it's not terrible.

                      Step 3 - Final thoughts and Finishing Touches 

For finishing touches, I completed the hair, fixed some of the rough edges and evened out the hairline. Overall, I didn't thank this method was very helpful. I tried very hard to understand the forms that could be helped by the box and struggled to see the use. But I liked the help in getting the eye placement correct and I like the eyebrows better in this piece. I think overall it's not bad and I'll appreciate any help I can get on profile sketches. What do you think? Have you tried this and found it helpful or do you have a better method? Leave it in the comments below. 🔹

                                                     Citation

Hamm, Jack. Drawing the Head and Figure. Time Warner International, 1963.