Shadowing Practice: HOW I DRAW THE FACE/HEAD - Learn English Speaking with Video

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In this video, I'm going to show you a method on how I draw the face in the head.

I'm also going to be showing you guys a study technique on how I'm able to draw the face in any angle, while also sharing some guide on how I personally stylize.

Okay so the short answer for this video is going to be references, but the longer answer is techniques and drawing methods, which we'll explore in this video.

When it comes to drawing and studying the face, the way I do it can be broken down into three faces.

Method, Shapes, Anatomy Structure, and Stylization.

These concepts are easy to understand but they're going to be challenging to master.

Let's start off with the basic method, called the Loomis method.

You've probably heard this a million times already.

The reason being is it's the most simple but solid method to draw the face.

There are tons of other ways that you could draw the head, but I've started drawing with this one and I've seen most professional apply this method, especially with anime and manga.

You see, it's impossible to draw the face without any anatomy knowledge.

Thankfully we have drawing methods like the Loomis method

that can help us get a hint of anatomy without overloading our brain too much.

Okay so the first step is draw a circle.

Make it at least a decent circle.

Not like this one or this one or this- Two thousand years later.

Like this.

It's also very important to look at this not just a circle but a sphere.

In fact always think in three-dimensional.

You don't have to draw this but keep it in mind.

This circle is going to be the cranium.

Also, don't worry about the name so much.

Just focus on what I'm doing.

Next is we're going to draw some lines to indicate the eyebrows.

This line will wrap around the whole circle.

That's why it's important to think in three dimensional because you're going to follow that curve of the sphere.

We're also going to add a center line.

This is going to indicate where the head is facing.

Then we're going to draw a smaller circle again.

Here we go again.

You have to stop drawing circles.

This dumb circle would help us indicate the size of the face and to add some dimension.

It's like cutting a portion of a ball.

Then we'll add a crossing line to it, with a vertical line extending over the head.

We're also going to add another line below the portion that we cut.

From there we're going to add the jaw.

Start from the side of the face and connect them using the center line.

From there you could add the necessary facial anatomy, starting with the eyes.

When drawing the eyes, make sure that there's one eye distance between the two eyes to ensure that they're proportional.

Then add the nose, mouth and ears.

is refining the head.

Here you can notice that the guide seems wrong and overall doesn't look good.

So this is the part where you make some decisions and changes.

You don't always have to trust the method.

If the drawing feels off then it's most likely off, but it still depends on your experience.

Again, you don't have to follow the method perfectly.

For me, as I gained experience, I began to rely less on the method since I already know how the head works, but it's still a solid technique to follow if you're not sure what you're doing.

Okay, we finally have a decent head structure that we can work on.

From here you could add your character features and designs.

And eventually have something like this.

Probably not like this since it did take me a lot of practice to execute this properly.

So to get used to the Loomis method, always try drawing with a reference.

Try and break down how the head works using the guidelines.

Reference is really important if you want to get used to the human proportions.

If you're struggling to draw a head from a reference, you can trace it, but don't trace them like this.

Instead, break them down using the Loom's guidelines, and then copy that guideline and draw from there.

If you're struggling with an angle, try again, but limit yourself only with 3 attempts on each reference.

If you still can't get it right by the third attempt, move on to another reference and come back to it later.

Don't stay too long on one reference or else you will only get stuck and frustrated.

Always move forward and take breaks occasionally.

You could do them fast like 1-2 minutes on each reference or you could go slow with 5-10 minutes, but it is better if you balance them both.

My key to drawing the face is I always start with the eyes.

You don't have to but I once heard from a professional that if you can get the eyes to look right, then the whole face is gonna be fine.

Not the exact quote but something like that.

That's why I prioritize the eyes most of the time.

But I still think having a good head structure is also really important.

I think the eyes are the most important feature of the face because the eyes are the window to our soul, and the eyes are the focal point of the face, which is the point of interest most of the time.

People are more likely to pay attention to the eyes compared to the other facial features, that's why I like to simplify the nose and the mouth.

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Alright let's move on to shapes.

If you still have no idea what our fundamental is, this is it.

There's a lot of fundamental but I think the most important ones are shapes and my personal favorite anatomy.

So to further improve your skills we're going to be using another method

that is really useful and has saved me a lot of time when drawing the face.

And that is drawing the cube.

This is going to be your exercise.

Draw a bunch of cubes whenever you can, because cube is going to be your best friend.

It's going to help you understand a lot of stuff and would help you a lot with drawing heads.

A cube is the most useful shape out there.

They're like vegetables.

They're boring, but they're good for you.

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So start drawing cubes.

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Bonus points if you apply perspective.

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Okay, so try drawing cubes from different angles like this.

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This is a drawing exercise to help you understand how space works.

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I've seen some professional artists practice this, even though they're already so good.

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So it might sound simple, but it can make a big difference in how you draw faces or anything else in general.

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Drawing cubes this way helps you get a feel for three dimension, so your drawing doesn't look flat or unrealistic.

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The neat thing about this exercise is that it's very flexible.

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You can draw cubes anywhere you like, from above, from the side, or at any interesting angles.

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Every time you draw cubes, you're basically building a foundation that will help you understand how spaces work.

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You could also try and break down references using just cubes.

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It's going to help you a lot to understand the facial structure and proportions.

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You'll eventually develop a concrete mental image of the face every time you draw simple cubes.

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anatomical structure.

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Most people skips this part because it's not the most exciting and pleasing process, and it's very complicated to draw.

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You won't even see most of it by the end of the process.

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So what's the point, right?

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Well, it's actually the whole point, because this is the key to drawing accurate and proportional faces.

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But don't worry, we're only going to focus on the basics and not memorize every muscle on the face.

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But let's first start with the skull, an essential part in understanding the face.

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To construct the skull we're gonna use the knowledge about shapes and the Loomis method.

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The skull can be simplified with a bunch of shapes, spheres for the eye sockets, a triangle for the nose, and a sphere for the mouth area.

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Again, use the Loomis method for the guidelines.

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You don't have to master everything about the skulls, but I do suggest understanding the simple structure because it's gonna be useful later on.

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So yeah, just show a bunch of skulls until you get it.

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User reference by the way.

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Okay, moving on to the ratios of the face.

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The face can be divided into three equal parts.

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The forehead, the middle part, and the lower jaw.

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It is best to imagine it as planes.

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That is why it is really important to have a level of understanding of space here.

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By the way, this is mostly consistent, and it's usually the standard for most faces, but it can be altered by some stuff like age, perspective, stylistic preference, and other stuff.

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So here are some examples on how you can adjust those ratios in accordance to your style.

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For example, for acute and feminine proportions, you would want to make the forehead area the biggest, and then for the middle and bottom part,

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you can adjust them however you like as long as it's relatively smaller than the head.

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Another example would be drawing masculine or male characters.

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This is much more simpler because all you have to do is follow the standard ratios.

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You can adjust them a bit but don't overdo it because it may look off.

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Now let's talk about everyone's favorite angle, the 3 4th angle.

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I'm not really sure why this is popular but I think it has something to do with depth.

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Let's take this for example.

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Imagine the head as a cube.

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This is the head facing front while this is a 3 4th angle.

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See the difference?

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The front facing cube looks flat, while the 3-4th angle has more depth and perspective.

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It also has more sides which means you'll have something more to look at.

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So let's study the 3-4th angle of the face.

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The most prominent feature is going to be the side of the face, or the cheek area.

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If we look at the skull, the cheek is poking out, so the result would be this iconic angle.

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There are different ways that you could draw this.

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For male characters, they're usually sharp and straight, and the cheekbones are usually visible but it still depends on the age and your style preference.

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For female or younger characters the cheekbones are less visible and the cheek area looks rounder and softer.

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Also, only take references from real life.

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This will ensure that your drawings is as realistic as it can be

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and when you're choosing references make sure that it's taken by a professional with good quality lighting, composition and other stuff.

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A good source would be contrast.

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I would avoid photos with distractions.

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It's better to draw something that is natural with most of the face being visible and clear.

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Always remember, when using reference you don't actually just copy.

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You're kind of recreating the image and that's how I mostly draw.

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I've already developed mental blueprint for how to draw

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and I just use that blueprint to reconstruct the reference that I'm looking at.

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Does that make sense?

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Anyway, the planes of the face.

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This is the Asaro head.

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It's a 3D model of the head to help you understand the facial anatomy better.

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This is what you want to study

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if you mainly want to paint the face realistically or

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if you want to understand the face in terms of lighting and structure.

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I suggest getting used to the techniques that I mentioned earlier because you're really gonna need it here.

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Using the guidelines and the ratios that we talked about earlier, you're going to be copying a bunch of these.

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There's not much I could say about this

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because I think you're going to understand it better if you try it for yourself.

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I suggest drawing the planes with the lines first without using values yet, also to avoid overcomplicating things.

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So how do you stylize a face?

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Well, here's what I would do.

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I would create a reference board with all of my favorite artworks and artists, and I would just redraw them.

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That's it.

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I would consistently study them over a period of time, analyze their art and imitate them, because if you want to force an art style, you have to be great at copying and at the same time understanding what you're doing.

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So you basically have to get fundamental knowledge and copying skills if you want to learn an art style effectively.

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Here's an example.

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My favorite style of art is anime and manga, so it's only natural to look at anime and manga for reference, right?

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Well, yeah, but I have a better idea.

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So what I would do is look at Pinterest.

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There you could find some fan arts, visual anime illustrations, and so much more.

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Suddenly, references look more dynamic and expressive.

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That's because anime is meant for animation, so they're not really reference material, unless you're planning on making animations.

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But you can still study animation frames because it is still a carefully thought out production.

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So technically, it still does contain valuable reference material such as composition, posting, lighting, anatomy, and other stuff.

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Since my goal is to improve my illustration, of course I would look through other artists that are putting most effort in a single frame.

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So you would naturally look at other people's illustration and paintings.

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And I prefer semi-realism in my art because it just looks so interesting.

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Artists like Ilya Kupchinov and Krenz.

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They're such perfect examples of effectively applying realism to something that they stylize.

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And the reason why their art looks so good is because they look real.

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Lighting is an important fundamental when making believable art.

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That's why when you know fundamentals, you would know art.

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Imitating or creating an art style is going to be easier at this point because you know exactly what you're doing.

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Moving on to how you can stylize a face.

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In anime, eyes are the most prominent feature.

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They're really expressive and you could recognize an anime character with just the eyes.

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Most of the anime characters have the same anatomy blueprint, but they bend most of the fundamentals like the facial anatomy.

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Most of the time, the mouth and nose are less likely to exist.

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They're not as expressive as the eyes, but the mouth can also be expressive.

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Hair is also important in anime.

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They usually don't follow the rules of physics.

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So you can be expressive with the hair as much as you want.

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In terms of the overall head shape and appearance, they usually simplify its construction to make it easier to replicate.

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That's why most of the anime characters have the same face syndrome, because they're following a standard.

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So those are just examples of facial features that you can modify.

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You can go in-depth on how you can actually stylize them in another video.

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So to summarize, if you want a realistic or semi-realistic art style, study real people and realistic proportions.

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If you want to learn style, look at other people's art or just watch anime and study some frames.

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Again, fundamentals over design.

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And that's it.

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Hopefully this video helps you and as always my friend, see you on the next one.

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Peace.

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Learn English While Exploring Art: The Perfect Practice Scenario

Imagine watching a video tutorial where an artist breaks down how to draw a face—explaining techniques, sharing tips, and guiding you through each step. This real-life scenario isn’t just about art; it’s a goldmine for English learners! You’ll hear natural speech, technical terms, and conversational phrases that help you follow instructions, ask questions, and talk about creative processes. Whether you’re into drawing or just want to improve your listening and speaking, this video gives you context to practice English in a fun, engaging way.

Useful Chunks & Collocations to Master

"broken down into": The artist breaks the process down into three key parts. Great for explaining steps!
"get a hint of": The Loomis method helps you get a hint of anatomy without overcomplicating things. Perfect for talking about learning basics.
"rely less on": As you gain experience, you’ll rely less on strict methods. Useful for discussing skill development.
"make some decisions": If the guide feels off, make some decisions to fix it. Ideal for problem-solving conversations.
"a solid technique": The Loomis method is a solid technique for beginners. Great for recommending tools or strategies.

Your Shadowing Challenge: Speak Like the Artist

Ready to practice? Grab your phone and open a shadowing app—like shadowspeaks or shadow speak—to record yourself. Pick a 30-second clip from the video (try the part where the artist explains the circle and sphere). Listen closely, then repeat immediately, copying the tone, pace, and emphasis. Focus on phrases like “think in three-dimensional” and “it's important to look at this not just a circle.” Do this 5 times, then compare your recording to the original. Notice how your flow improves! Shadowing helps you master natural speech patterns, and with tools like shadow speech or shadowspeak, you can track your progress. You’ve got this—every repeat brings you closer to sounding like a confident English speaker!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	You've probably heard · I've started · has saved
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	can be broken · can be simplified · can be divided
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	face, which is · template, which is · sides which means

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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