In this challenge, we”ll look at drawing a skull through an easy, step by step process.  Skulls are pretty cool, even if they do freak some people out.  Throughout art history, skulls have been a favorite subject for still life.  They are also a great subject to help with figure drawing skills.

Since they consist of organic shapes and forms, skulls can be great for practicing your drawing skills. Let’s take a look at the drawing process…


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Step 1 –  Begin by drawing a circle for the cranium portion of the head.  Then, draw a line right down the middle section of the head.  This line will curve slightly – especially if the skull that you are drawing is slightly turned to the side.

This line should extend the length of the face and will be used to help determine the location of the bottom of the jaw.  A line should also be drawn to indicate the location of the eyes on the skull.  The line will cross the line that you just drew and also will likely curve a bit.  The eyes are found in the middle of the head, so this line should reflect this.

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Step 2 – Now using the lines as a guide, we can begin to draw a few of the details of the skull.  This would include a few lines for the recesses for the eyes.  Remember, the line that goes across the center of the head should help you line up the location of the eyes.  You can also begin to draw a few of the outlines for the check bones and the jaw of the skull. how-to-draw-a-skull-step-2

Step 3 – We can continue to add details to the drawing in this step by adding lines for the locations where the check and the jaw meet as well a shape for the nasal cavity.   This shape should exist on the line that you drew down the middle of the face in an earlier stage of the drawing process. how-to-draw-a-skull-step-3

Step 4 – We’ll simply continue to add details to develop the drawing further.  In this step, the back side of the skull becomes more organic by drawing a few lines around the original circle.  Teeth are added along the line drawn in the previous step  and a few “cracks” and fissures are drawn as well.how-to-draw-a-skull-step-4

Step 5 – Now we can use the guidelines that we have already drawn to complete the contour drawing of the skull.  Be sure to vary the line quality in order to make the drawing more interesting and add a sense of the form to the image.how-to-draw-a-skull-step-5

Step 6 – You also may choose to add value to the drawing by shading in some areas.  Just be sure to keep your light source consistent and create a full range of value in order to create the illusion of light and form.  how-to-draw-a-skull-step-6


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