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Understanding
The Nose
Michael R. Britton
The good news is that there is a better way. This better way is the centuries-old
classical method of portrait drawing. Quickly summarized, the classical method
establishes the facial arena (the area of the head that encompasses the eyes, nose,
mouth) by first fixing the brow ridge. The brow ridge is established by sighting
its horizontal relationship relative to the top of the head and the bottom of the chin
at the mental protuberance.
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Anatomy of a
Smile
Michael R. Britton
Capturing the subtle, fleeting expressions of human emotions in portrait drawing is a challenge for every artist. Charles Darwin wrote
in his book, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals,
that there are six primary emotions: happiness, sadness, surprise, fear,
anger and disgust. The expressions of these primary emotions are
instinctual, the muscle interactions and movements are involuntary.
Unlike animals, human beings can express counterfeit emotions such
as a fake smile to mask anger or deceit.
The facial muscles are delicate, finely attuned and more easily seen
as they lay just under the skin. The facial muscles not only convey
moods and expressions they also exhibit sympathetic characteristics.
For example, when we are threading a needling we very likely purse
our lips to help the thread through the needles eye. Or consider
the wringing expression on our face when we are wringing out a
heavy towel.
I always begin the mouth by articulating the Interstice, the horizontal line
where the upper and lower lips meet.
The lips wrap around the convex projection of the dental arch and the
Interstice roughly corresponds to the
middle portion of the frontal, upper
teeth.
The Nodes of the mouth are lower
than the middle of the Interstice,
except in a smile when the facial
muscles pull up the Nodes. Note how
I have simplified the interstice with
straight, architectonic lines carefully
observing the structure.
THE SMILES
CONSTRUCTION
A smile is the result of happiness however fleeting. A smile lifts and widens the lower face, the
uplifted cheeks will crease the flesh just below the
eyes creating crows feet.
The main muscle of smiling is the Zygomaticus
Major, a long and narrow band that inserts at
the Node and is attached to the outside of the
Zygomatic Arch (cheek bone). When we smile
the Zygomaticus Major pulls the face up and outwards, in effect, raising the entire cheek so that
it bulges out. The lower eyelids are also pushed
upwards, this is the result of a secondary action
where the Orbicularis Oculi (the muscle of the
eye socket) contracts.
The smile line, the Nasolabial Furrow, is deepened as it is simultaneously pulled and pushed
upwards and outwards. It is best, in my
opinion, to understate the sharp fold of the
Nasolabial Furrow, otherwise the smile will
degenerate into a grimace.
As the Node of the mouth is pulled out and
upwards the flesh is gathered into suble vertical
ridges.
The Interstice of the mouth curves upwards,
stretching and flattening the lips while shortening the Philtrum. The nostrils of the nose also
widen as they are pulled outwards.
Michael R. Britton
STEP 1
Once the placement and overall size of the ear has been established,
begin with the arabesque (the outside shape) of the Auricle which
includes the ear lobe (Lobus). It is important that the arabesque is drawn
with architectonic lines. By this I mean lines that are more or less
straight that describe the plane changes and change of directions. The
illustration above is drawn with architectonically straight lines while the
illustration below is drawn with round lines. Which gives the better
impression of form and structure?
Obviously, the drawing to the right is
an exaggeration, but it is something to
be aware of not only with the ear, but
with everything that you draw.
In profile, the ear is generally one
and a half times greater in length than
its width, which is a 3:2 ratio. Not
always though! Remember everyone
has their own distinct proportions.
STEP 2
Once the arabesque has been established, the first step in constructing
the auricle is the placement and arabesque of the Concha. The Concha
is the bowl of the ear. I find it easiest
to draw in both the Tragus (Latin for
Goats beard), which is just above
the oblique notch and the anti-Tragus all in one go. The anatomical
terms of the ear are unique in that
there is both the primary term (such
as Tragus) and the anti which
refers to the usually smaller, mirrored form.
STEP 3
Ringing the Auricle is the Helix which begins within the floor of the
Concha at the Crus de Helix. It is absolutely imperative that the
Helix be drawn with architectonic, straight lines even if you have to
exaggerate the straightness of the lines. Otherwise the result will be
a doughy ear.
STEP 4
The anti-Helix forms the main body of the Auricle. It roughly
parallels the Helix. At his juncture I am also defining the plane
changes, particularly the inward turning plane of the anti-helix as
it turns into the Concha and further articulating the anti-Tragus.
STEP 5
As the anti-Helix sweeps upwards it
forks into an upper, larger and more
rounded leg and into a smaller, narrower and sharper leg. The resulting depression at this fork in the
road is called the Fossa Triangularis. Some people will have a very
defined Fossa Triangularis, while
others will have a very subtle form.
Now you are ready to develop the tones and values of the ear.
To avoid having formless, cauliflower-like ears, construct the ear
following these five steps. Keep in mind that the ear is cartilage and
varies significantly with each individual, but the structure remains
the same.
and the Lobus will align with the nose. But note that the ears themselves
are not aligned! The human head is asymetrical.
In the drawing of Colleen, on the right, we are looking up at her. Thus the
alignment of the ears are completely different: the Helix is aligned with
the bridge of the nose and the Lobus with the left node of the mouth.
Suprasternal Notch
Manubrium
First, lets examine the Clavicles anatomical structure. Understanding structure is a critical key to improving your drawing and painting.
The Clavicle is a gentle S shaped bone, it gracefully arcs backwards from the
pit of the neck (the Suprasternal Notch) like a birds wing. If you own one of our
fine skeletons try standing on a chair, or ladder, and look down. Youll see that
the Clavicles describe an archers bow. When we stand with our arms relaxed
the Clavicles descend downwards from the sternal notch. But fold your arms
and the Clavicles will ascend upwards.
The medial (inside) head of the Clavicle originates at the Suprasternal Notch
and is attached to the Manubrium,the upper portion of the sternum, by ligaments. The medial head of the Clavicle thickens into a conical shape at the
Suprasternal Notch.
The medial two-thirds of the Clavicle is roughly cylindrical. The lateral (outside) portion, the final third, flattens and widens as it concludes at the Acromium Process which is visible as the second, lateral bump on the shoulder.
The Acromium Process is actually the forward projecting part of the Scapula
(shoulder blade), but the Coracoacromial Ligament joins the Clavicle and
Acromium Process together so that it appears as one gentle form.
Sternal Notch
Ligaments
Scapula
Clavicle
Acromium Process
Coracoacromial
Ligament
In this pose the model is hunched forward. Note the radical difference in measures from the previous pose. The Clavicles are
also swept upwards much more dramatically.
When the shoulders are
raised there is a marked
triangular depression above
the Clavicles.
This depression is called the
Supraclavicular Fossa.
Although in most portrait poses the Clavicles are subtle they should not be overlooked nor skimped on. Ive illustrated
the rhythmic movement that the Clavicles
serve here as the viewers eye travels
down the facial arena the far Clavicle
guides the eye leftwards along the corresponding Clavicle, up the shoulder and
back of the neck and back into the head.
Without this rhythmic guidance that the
Clavicles serve, the viewers eye would
simply drop off of the page. No one likes
to be dropped.