How to Draw a Realistic Self-Portrait Step by Step

Published on 11 July 2022 12 min read

Drawing a realistic self-portrait may seem like mission impossible. However, if you know how to space the main features of your face so that they have the right proportions, it becomes perfectly possible. All you need to know is where to draw the guidelines that give you the proper placement for each feature. You'll be able to draw a front-facing self-portrait or one with a three-quarter profile.

Lighting Your Self Portrait

When you're drawing a self-portrait, use a light source that's above your head. This will give you more shaded and highlighted areas. These areas will add details to your self-portrait that make it more realistic.

Pros and Cons of Drawing from a Mirror or a Photograph

Whether you choose to draw from a mirror or a photograph, you should look at and study your subject more than you look at your drawing. You should be studying the source of your drawing about 80% of the time that you spend working on your self-portrait.

Drawing from a Mirror

When you draw from a mirror, you're drawing from a three-dimensional image. That will help you capture the shading and highlights that bring out the contours of your face. A mirror also lets you choose the angle of your portrait. You can also adjust the brightness and angle of your light source to add more shading as you're working if you draw using a mirror.

However, you'll want to place the mirror so that you can look at it without changing the position of your head too much. You'll also want to choose a comfortable sitting position that gives you the angle you want for your self-portrait and also lets you see the mirror comfortably. Drawing from a mirror helps even advanced artists improve their skills, but it is more difficult than drawing from a photograph.

Drawing from a Photograph

When you draw from a photograph, you can choose an image of yourself at any age, or you can take a selfie and draw yourself as you are now. If you choose to take a selfie, make sure that the photograph is lighted from above and provides enough shading and highlights to capture the contours and details of your face. Stand in front of a plain, solid color wall or a solid color drop cloth so that the focus is on your face.

When you draw from a photograph, you're drawing from a flat, two-dimensional image, but you can look at it without worrying about how many times you move your head or change your position. Drawing from a photograph is the easier choice for those reasons. Placing your photograph at eye level directly in front of you makes it easy to glance down at your drawing and return to studying the photograph.

Positioning Your Drawing Surface

Your drawing paper should be as nearly vertical as you can get it to help prevent your self-portrait from becoming distorted. A tabletop easel with a built-in clip will keep your drawing paper nearly vertical and prevent it from slipping as you work.

Creating Your Guidelines

Before you start drawing any features or getting into any details, you should first establish the basic positioning of your features. On the one hand, every human face has its own distinctive look. On the other hand, when you're drawing, you can rely on two facts. The features of every human face have nearly the same proportions in relation to each other, and they are in nearly the same position from face to face.

The Basic Guidelines

Draw your guidelines very lightly so that you can easily erase them later. You might think that a pencil with very hard lead, such as a 5H, will help with making light-colored lines, but the harder the lead, the more difficult it is to erase the line. So stay with an HB drawing pencil, colored pencils, charcoal, pastels, or even an everyday writing pencil.

You should also free up your drawing by using your entire arm from the shoulder down, not just your forearm, wrist, or hand.

Step 1:

Start by drawing a large circle on your paper. You can draw around a roll of strapping tape, the lid of a coffee can, a pie pan, or something similar that you have on hand. While faces are more oval than round, you'll be adding the guideline for the chin later, and that will give you the basis for creating the oval shape.

Step 2:

Draw a vertical line and a horizontal line that cross as close to the center of your circle as you can get them. Remember, these are just guidelines, so they don't have to be perfect.

Step 3:

If you are drawing your self-portrait as a three-quarter profile, draw a curved line about three-quarters of the way from the edge of the circle representing the side of the face turned toward the viewer. The curve of the line should follow the curve of the circle on the side of the face turned away from the viewer.

Use this line as an axis of symmetry when you sketch the features of the face in the next section. Remember that the eyes should be equal in size and that the space between the eyes should be equal to the width of one eye.

Step 4: The Chin Line.

With your pencil or a ruler, measure the width of the circle. Make a line below the circle at a point that is half the width of the circle. So, if your circle measures 10 inches across, the line should be 5 inches below the circle.

If you're using your pencil, put the tip of your pencil at the bottom edge of the circle and put your finger at the halfway point. Keep your finger at that point on the pencil, and slide the pencil down until your finger is at the bottom of the circle. Make your line where the point of the pencil is.

The line should be centered in line with the circle, and it should extend horizontally half the distance toward each side of the circle. This is the chin line for a man's self-portrait.

For a woman's self-portrait, draw the chin line slightly closer to the circle.

Step 5: The Jaw Lines

To create the guidelines for the jawline, draw lines down starting at the point where the horizontal line crosses the outside of your circle. Angle the lines slightly toward the center of the circle and stop at a point about halfway to the chin line.

Next, draw one line up from each side of the chin line and connect it to the line you just drew down from the right or left side of the circle.

If you have a rounded jawline, make the angle of these last two lines softer. If you have an angular, sharply defined jaw, make the angle of the last two lines sharper.

Step 6: The Eye Line

Erase the horizontal line and draw a new horizontal line at the point halfway between the top of the circle and the chin line.

Step 7: The Nose Line

Draw the nose line halfway between the eye line and the chin line.

Step 8: The Lip Line

Draw the lip line halfway between the nose line and the chin line.

Step 9: The Hairlines

Draw the first hairline halfway between the eye line and the top of the circle. Draw the second hairline halfway between the first hairline and the top of the circle.

Step 10: The Ear Lines

Draw a vertical line on each side of the circle between the eye and nose lines.

Step 11: Label the Lines

Label the chin, jaw, eye, nose, lip, hair, and ear lines for reference as you draw.

Sketching in the Eyes, Eyebrows, Nose, Lips, and Hair

Sketching the Eyes

Step 1:

If you're drawing a front-facing portrait, measure the length of the eye line from jawline to jawline and divide the length by five. Then draw four short vertical lines along the eye line to divide it into five equal sections. If the eye line measures 10 inches long, then your sections will measure 2 inches each.

Step 2:

As you face your portrait, draw the eye on the left so that the outer corner touches the first short vertical line on the left and the inner corner touches the second vertical line from the left.

Draw the eye on the right side so that the outer corner touches the first vertical line from the right and the inner corner touches the second vertical line from the right.

Draw the pupils so that the eyes are looking in the direction that you want them to look. Make sure that both pupils are looking in the same direction.

Make the line for the upper eyelid a little thicker.

Draw the crease in the eyelid above the eye.

Step 3:

If you're drawing a self-portrait with a three-quarter profile, place the eyes on the eye line with the eye on the right touching the edge of the circle and the symmetry axis and the eye on the left at a distance of one eye width away from the symmetry axis.

Step 4:

Draw a horizontal line halfway between the eye line and the first hairline to locate the brow line

Step 5:

While studying and following your facial structure, start a line for the left side of the brow line halfway between where the eye line crosses the jawline and the first vertical line on the left side. Angle the line up so that it meets the line that you just drew above the first vertical line to the left on the eye line.

Start a line for the right side of the brow line halfway between where the eye line crosses the jawline and the first vertical line on the right side. Angle that line up so that it meets the brow line above the first vertical line on the right.

Step 6:

Again while studying and following your facial structure, draw a line for the cheekbones on the left side at the same point where you started the first angled line of the brow bone. Curve that line down to meet the nose line at the point where the vertical line that crosses the circle meets the nose line.

Start a line for the cheekbones on the right side, starting at the point where you angled the line up for the right side of the brow bone line and curve that cheekbone line down to meet the nose line at the point where the vertical line that crosses the circle meets the nose line.

Step 7:

Sketch the eyebrows along the browline. Study your image in the mirror or the photograph to get the right shape. If you need to create a happier expression for your self-portrait, move the eyebrows farther apart.

Sketching the Nose

Step 1:

Draw a straight vertical line from the inner corner of each eye to the nose line. Sketch in your nose between these two lines.

If you have an average-length nose, sketch it just above and along the nose line.

Sketch the end of a shorter nose between the nose line and the eye line.

Sketch the end of a longer nose below the nose line.

Step 2:

Suggest the shape of the nose by sketching a curved line from near the inner end of one eyebrow down to about halfway between the eye line and the nose line.

Step 3:

Sketch the bridge of the nose between the eyes.

Sketching the Lips

Step 1:

Draw one straight vertical line from the center of each eye down to the lip line.

Step 2:

Sketch the lips between the lines coming down from the eyes with the bottom edge of the lower lip on the lip line.

Average size lips should fall within the two lines without touching them.

Adjust your sketch accordingly if you have smaller or larger lips.

Sketching the Hair

Step 1:

Use the second hairline to represent the actual hairline above your forehead and the points where the second hairline crosses the circle to represent where the hairline above your forehead ends, and the growth of the hair along the side of your head begins.

Step 2:

Use more angular, well-defined lines for the hair of a man's self-portrait and smoother lines for the hair of a woman's self-portrait.

Adding the Details that Create a Realistic Portrait

Step 1:

Use light pressure and a kneaded eraser to remove all of the unnecessary lines you've used to position the features of your portrait. If you labeled the lines, erase the labels.

Step 2: Sketch the Ears

Sketch the ears if they're visible in your self-portrait and fill in the interior spaces.

Step 3: Fill in the Details Around the Eyes

Fill in the eyebrows. Add eyelashes to the eyelid. Shade the irises of the eyes and fill in the pupils leaving a highlighted area of reflected light.

Step 4: Fill in the Hair

Fill in the hair with a mix of bolder, darker strokes, thinner strokes, and lighter highlighting strokes that are in keeping with your hair color.

Step 5: Fill in the Lips

Make the line between the upper and lower lip more defined. Add the wrinkles to the lips and shade in the lips.

Step 6: Add Shading and Highlighting to Contour the Area Around the Eyes and Nose

Use the shadows from your light source as a guide to add shadows below the brow line, below the eyes, on the bridge of the nose, under the nose, and below the lower lip on the upper lip.

Step 7: Add Shading and Highlighting to Contour the Cheekbones

Use shading and highlighted areas to contour the cheekbones and make them sharper or softer as needed.

Step 8: Add Shading and Highlighting to Contour the Chin and Jawline

Define the chin and the jawline more accurately, making it more angular or softer as the case may be. You can make your self-portrait look like a younger version of you by making the jawline narrower.

Step 9: Add Shading and Highlighting to Contour the Neck

Draw the neck and add the shadows cast by the chin and jawline. Use shading and highlighting to show the contours of the neck.

Step 10: Add Wrinkles, Freckles, Age Spots, Moles, Jewelry, and Other Details

Add wrinkles to the forehead and mouth if you have them. Also add freckles, age spots, moles (beauty spots), jewelry, a neckline, and any other details you want to include to make your self-portrait more realistic. Remember to add the shadows cast by items like jewelry. The more details you add, the more realism you will achieve.

Frame Your Self Portrait

Choose a frame for your self-portrait and hang it. Light wood frames complement self-portraits done with colored pencils and pastels, while black frames enhance self-portraits done with drawing pencils and charcoal.

Summary List:

Draw a circle.
Draw horizontal and vertical lines that cross in the center of the circle.
Draw the chin line below the circle at a distance of half the width of the circle.
Connect the chin line to the circle with the jawlines.
Erase the horizontal line and draw the eye line at a point halfway between the top of the circle and the chin line.
Draw the nose line halfway between the eye line and the chin line.
Draw the lip line halfway between the nose line and the chin line
Draw one hairline halfway between the eye line and the top of the circle.
Draw a second hairline halfway between the first hairline and the top of the circle.
Draw an ear line on each side of the circle between the eye line and the nose line.
Label the lines for easy reference.
Sketch the features of your face.
Fill in the features and add contours with shadows, shading, and areas of highlights.
Add the details that will increase the realism -- wrinkles, freckles, age spots, moles, and so on.
Frame and hang your portrait.

When you break drawing a self-portrait into separate, easy steps, it becomes less daunting and more achievable. It can be fun to experiment and draw self-portraits with different lighting effects and different facial expressions. As already mentioned, it's also a terrific way to improve your drawing skills. Just consider all of the techniques you use. If you'd like to explore other types of drawing, pick one of our Daisie drawing courses.