How to start your portrait drawing.

I can help you draw & paint better ⬇
/ stephenbaumanartwork
Description: Andrew Loomis gave us a great tool to help block in a drawing. There are others like Bridgman, Vanderpool, and even my own, but Loomis is by far the most well-known. In this demo you will learn how to draw one from start to finish.
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Website - stephenbaumanartwork.com/
#artlessons #drawingtips #howtodraw
00:00 - Start
00:39 - Starting the demo
05:33 - Thirds of the face
09:13 - Review
10:27 - Block In Bootcamp
About me:
My work focuses on the human figure. I've given drawing and painting workshops and demos throughout the United States and Europe. I have been making realistic drawing and painting tutorials for two years now that I release through my Patreon page.

[@thinhnguyenart]

When I was in middle school, I came across Loomis' Heads & Hands book. I remember copying all the exercises and being obsessed with figuring out the exact proportions. I've realized along the way, they were only helpful rules and parameters to ground something on, but when creating from references, they will deviate naturally. Found his techniques to be very informative! Thanks for going over this!

[@peterlennig]

❤

[@ducksoff7236]

Should get Loomis's "Fun with a Pencil" if you don't already have it. He shows a ton of ways to not use exact proportions on the head.

[@Vishakha79]

​@@ducksoff7236is it a name of a book? Is it gonna b available free of cost as a pdf on Google?

[@RP-cn8si]

Ordered this book from the library because of this comment, and my- what an absolute delight it is! Loomis is an incredible master, and incredibly engaging and enjoyable as a teacher. Thanks for the mention!

[@ericcoyle3520]

Just project an image and trace it. This is so laborious and suggests all heads are average. Try looking. That's what drawing is all about; seeing.

[@juleswinnfield9097]

Been drawing Loomis heads for about 6 months now and this has got to be THE BEST explanation of its steps I've seen so far.

[@krzemirhelinski7443]

Stephen is... GREAT! I'm an architect. Seeking proper tutorial for my teen daughter, I watched thousand of tutorials on drawing. Stephen's are absolutely the best!!! 🥰🥰🥰

[@SiNNeR90737]

I have been drawing since i was 10 yrs old. I spent a lot of years incarcerated in a cell since i was 18. And with nothing to do for a total of about 13 years. I got really into improving my art skills, and inside are some unbelievably skilled artists. I got taught by some of the most skilled artists I have ever met. Which pushed me to another level with my art. I'm 40 now, and I am still learning new things. This gave me another way of approaching portraits. Thanks for informative and clear explanations of each step you demonstrated.

[@matthewdavis9437]

I'm very interested in knowing what the prison artists have taught you 😅 Can you elaborate a little?

[@SiNNeR90737]

@matthewdavis9437 The importance of the correct shadow placement and darkness as well as the techniques to accomplish vivid realism and the process of determining proportions and the many ways of creating textures and the correct ways to apply them. Plus a lot more. There's so much I learned over the years it would take forever to try to describe or explain all of them

[@vikky.pavlova]

The best explanation of this method on KZbin

[@brown_recluse_human3458]

The Loomis technique, combined with some college level drawing classes, were game changers for me.

[@edpeachtree2987]

Thanks for the lesson!

[@BuddAyye]

This video is so valuable! I just got back into sketching after lying dormant for about 15 years and the use of three dimensional shapes is absolutely brilliant. I’m going to practice drawing just spheres for a little!

[@howardmceachern6614]

I have found this tutorial to be one of the best in the Loomis method. Thanks for your patience and instruction.

[@awayoflife44]

I like how you had a recap at the end! Thanks for the lesson 👍🏼

[@sandrahorak9771]

You explained this very well. Thank you!

[@yasamanhoorfar5205]

best loomis video out there! Showing the skull was very effective to visualize and understand why the portions and the guiding skeleton is designed this way in the loomis method. Thank you so much! I recently graduated from art school and being there for 6 years absolutely killed my drawing skills because of too much technology. I want to get into a fashion school and it feels great to go back to the basics and boy am I rusty.

[@Vishakha79]

Thanks a lot for sharing this information with us. I am feeling extremely confident that now I've no fear in sketching portraits. Your way of explaination is crystal clear. I've never ever felt this confident after watching this lesson n practising. Im highly grateful to you. We all are so lucky to have you as our mentor!

[@manzencastillo]

You do know what we need. Thank youu for posting this!!!

[@TheMoskibear]

Thank you, you're so clear with the explanation.

[@SockMonkeyofcourse]

A well-designed module! Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. As an instructional designer, I can profess that this is the fundamental composition of a well-designed module of instruction. Nice work Stephen!

[@anthonyw2931]

100% agree

[@lilithlee9731]

finally found a real breakdown and explanation of the head ! thank you it helped so much.

[@colincannings7946]

Thanks, I really enjoy watching the construction of the Loomis Head

[@melissaaimeeroberts9971]

You're a fantastic teacher, thanks for sharing :)

[@afafyounaki608]

Thank you so much for your great way of teaching Drowning 💐

[@jimc778]

I have the Loomis book and you describe the process better than the book. I have been struggling with following the book due to not really understanding what Loomis is teaching in the book. He doesn’t give a lot of the “why’s” in the technique like you just explained. Thanks for posting this!

[@suplxx7630]

THANK YOU SIR!

[@theMarkofArt]

I don't know what it is but I can listen to you speak about anything... Love your voice, Stephen!

[@kevincage1641]

@ stephenbauman This is one of the best videos explaining the Loomis drawing system. One reason is how you relate the head to the Human Skull. Thanks very much.

[@k_drawing]

your explanation is very precise. It's pretty academic, but it really helps understanding the structure.Thanks for sharing good information. I should visit often to listen your lecture :D

[@rajuavaad1816]

Beautiful sir thanks

[@RealShinpin]

I’m a firm believer in mastering shape and form before learning this type of stuff. I learned these things before form, and lost years of progress because of it.

[@cluster7505]

Thank you for sharing! I will look into the mastery of shape and form before learning this.

[@RealShinpin]

@@cluster7505 oh will you ? :) So ur the guy huh? Xd

[@ZachBobBob]

What do you mean by shape and form? Is this not that?

[@RealShinpin]

@@ZachBobBob Sort of. But I would draw this kind of thing non stop, and still end up not going anywhere. When I started learning to put basic shapes into perspective, that's when I started improving. The video is definitely how you should go about drawing the face. I just wish i'd have learned to draw basic things, before trying to learn the face haha.

[@ZachBobBob]

@@RealShinpin Ah yeah that makes sense. Thanks for the reply tho I was curious what you meant, I wanna learn from others mistakes

[@user-ed6uv8qj9y]

This video is so helpful thank-you!

[@josephinecassar4573]

Very good and very clear

[@noonymoh5182]

Thank you for this explaintion

[@matthewwilliams3827]

Pretty much the best method for drawing imo

[@vivianbunch1963]

Great tutorial. Very easy to understand and follow. I am going to check out your classes. Thank you!

[@brentharris4320]

Great job. Fantastic video.

[@Rdavis6593]

This is a very helpful video. Thank you.

[@garygimmestad4272]

I’ve watched several Loomis head videos. In terms of a logical progression of shapes and lines, yours is the best route to success. Now that I’m less frustrated with my inability to relate proportions and intersections, I can now actually enjoy exploring head directions. Yes, it’s generic, but it’s really helping me to see the basic forms of the human head. Thank you!

[@ericalessandrini9174]

Thanks for the video Stephen! And you are actually right about the usage of this method... I started practicing portrait drawing with this method but it turns out that when you need to draw from a reference this doesn't work after you draw the sphere, the centerline and the eyebrow line!

[@micheldoumambilatsamba4618]

Thank you my guy

[@lisasstuff9033]

Thanks!

[@tamiraelhiba2576]

Fantastic.

[@asmhan.m]

Thank u that was so helpful for beginner like me

[@clutchandthrottle]

Loved it ❤❤❤❤

[@milenydias2185]

você virou meu KZbin favorito de arte

[@divert4abit86]

Thank you ♥

[@SHI_VAM0Shar-mA]

Thanks very informative video 👍

[@suespeers5468]

Thank you so much for this video. I now have a much better understanding of the Loomis method and see why it is so popular. .

[@2209009pm]

This video was great.

[@rajendranparthasarathy8426]

Sir thanks for the video, this is the good explanation. I will start practicing. Thank you

[@masterofsarcasm]

Amazing! You covered the cheek bones, and nose placement which I have been struggling with placing. 😁

[@nean12350]

Excellent excellent demo. My work changed dramatically using this method as a student. Before that my portrait work felt "flat". Ironically, I could get a facimile of a likeness but not structurally cohesive. I was lucky enough to have a professor who used a modified version of the Loomis. He used to say even if your drawing isn't an exact likeness at least you have a believable head. Getting to the likeness is the next big step. Love all of your demos by the way. Nice that you include them without a fee too. gives inspiration to pursue the more intense classses. Good luck!

[@zainjafry2658]

im really happy i read this comment, its very encouraging to learn that its okay to not always achieve perfect likeness. as i practice on my own without any formal instruction, im finding that im getting better at building similar proportions and structure but im not yet able to recreate a likeness that actually resembles the reference. im happy to know that the only thing stopping me from getting there is simply more practice. thanks !

[@mominsart]

Great inspirational video, apart from all the studies, the best tool everyone has its the Observatio, which simlifying the drawing and sketching process dramatically!!!

[@leoxx5183]

i think you have the most useful video about drawing , i heard about and saw before alot of video no one explane it as much as you , thank you

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Thank you so much 😀

[@aleszol]

really cool

[@ganapathym3664]

Very Helpful

[@duantorruellas716]

Yup thats my technique , i learned it from bridgmans anatomy books when i was a kid. And yes loomis is awesome as well. 👍

[@tmikeporter]

Very helpful. thanks

[@howardmceachern6614]

I just discovered your educational videos. How great, I will be commenting more as I learn. Thank you.

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Welcome aboard, Howard!

[@alif3624]

amazing 🔥 tnx

[@Pip070]

idk what I was doing at first but it was pretty easy when I got the idea of it and the result was pretty good ngl

[@MrMenmo14]

Very practical and concise information. Excellent!!

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Glad it was helpful!

[@LEVISHURYA_FINE_ART]

really useful

[@Neoquimica250]

Just found your channel and its awesome... so useful... thank u so much.. subscribing just now... stay well

[@DmskyGamingking]

Love the drawing 😢

[@kasiako355]

Great tutorial, thank you ❤️ I'm going to watch it again and practice while listening to your instructions :)

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kasiako355]

@@stephenbaumanartwork it sure was! :)

[@Jezz_Mcfly]

Brilliant ! Thank you ✌

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

No problem 👍

[@f37pro74]

Super... Nice class...

[@justmedidi]

wow. yknow i tried learning the loomis method years ago, but i could not for anything get into it. the instruction wasn't clear enough for me and, honestly, i found the material super boring and i lost motivation to continue it. after watching this video, i have such a better understanding of the loomis head. true i have gained some knowledge over time so the material is easier for me to grasp than back then when my skill wasn't where it is now (not an expert of course but there's been growth), but this video had me riveted from start to finish. just wanted to commend you for your teaching, stephen. i'll give this method another go with fresh eyes :)

[@timw4369]

ive never had any proportional training when it comes to portraits. Its always been me using the position of one feature to the position of the other feature. I always found it difficult to get my proportions correct. this makes alot more sense and could really help my portrait art get alot better. This seems to be fairly simple and helpful now i finally know how other artists get their proportions correct.

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Glad it was helpful 👌

[@janicealderson4329]

Thanks for this, I have been drawing for decades never got encouragement from parents (I think I surprised them too much) Am attending a lovely class in France, the teacher is very dinamic , my work is really good now - but needed to improve my knowledge. Went to Art school but unfortunately ended up as a nurse! I once asked the teacher how to do perspective - he said; 'if you don't know by now you never will' - so much for art school!

[@TheIbsenegger]

amazing bro, thanks!!!

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Glad you like it!

[@algernonwolfwhistle6351]

Very good. This is a very helpful explanation.

[@elizabethmarielle2231]

I have flowers for you, Algernon

[@user-do6ii3lj5u]

Best video I’ve ever seen on loomis method

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Wow, thanks!

[@footballgoal7661]

Excellent Tutorial 👍 Thanks

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

You're welcome!

[@rg2265]

Best best best! These cheek bones finally sank innnnnn! Yey!

[@baviddowie7570]

thanks steve this really help

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Glad to hear it!

[@honorembogos-xx2mv]

Thank you so much😊

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

You're welcome 😊

[@mimibi963]

Omgggg😃im so happy to know now how I can draw portraits. Thank you sir 😄

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Welcome 😊

[@emilydahlia4178]

I agree with you Steven, because the hairline to back of head is going to differ person to person extrapolating hair too.

[@Rojo731]

This is a first for me and I love it! I’ve heard a lot of the things you are referencing, but I’ve never seen it all brought together concisely like this. Terrific!

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Glad it was helpful!

[@noirwerewolf1111]

6:28 Thank you!

[@cynthiavalenta303]

This was very helpful. I am truly a novice and need a way to get started. Can you also use the Loomis method for a lateral view of the head? In this case the model would be either looking entirely to the right or left.

[@kuzamabv3276]

thank you so much

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Welcome 😊

[@weaknessua]

Somehow I used this method (although very improvised) since I first tried to teach myself to draw faces! Now I have the full version though, thanks)

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

Glad it helped!

[@colofulartsit8674]

Love your videos! Would you be making any videos about drawing hair?? :)

[@himanshujeebanjyoti5663]

Nice explanation sir love from India

[@tonjel1326]

I’ve finally free-handed my first proportional face. Still suck at drawing eyes/nose/mouth but oh well. Thank you!!

[@senithuosh]

Thanks now my drawings look humanly

[@melissasalasblair5273]

Thanks, I'll try 🥴😆😁

[@sofiailiescu6790]

Brilliant work! This helped me a lot through my evolution of being a young artist. Before this tutorial I have always failed to create a portrait that could at least just look similar to the reference. But after this tutorial, my skills improved and I got better and better. Thank you!❤

[@AlexKellyArtUK]

From my experience with Loomis method of construction there is an inherent difficulty in using a circular as primitive starting point. To draw and use a circle as basis for construction is tricky. Projecting from a circle to a sphere as a flat representation on which to then build landmarks there is greater uncertainty. When using primitives as form method of construction a cube or other polyhedric form is clearer because one is able to compare points, angles and lines with more certainty.

[@HIRAMECLARKEHOPS]

Finally! A video thats not someone yapping about anime or techniques they have no plans to show

[@user-gi7pz9ce2m]

Exactly

[@danielwilliams3161]

Never really used the lumos method as it looked for advanced I usually just like have a different version of it

[@skapon86]

That was a good video, I liked it, it's very easy and simplify things.But it would be helpful to know how to do it from profile and other angels. Maybe you have such videos and I missed them.

[@markaguzmanartist630]

Great explation of the the loomise head you hit the nail , excatly , and most every one and my self its done in so many diffrent ways , ALSO ABDON J ROMERO also does it diffrent , 👌👌👌

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

I did a demo once at his studio in Miami- like 15 years ago! Great guy.

[@jik3905]

God bless❤

[@user-fe8xe5kp6e]

Okay👍

[@Blandde_Arts]

🌿🌹TERIMA KASIH ( thanks ) for the lesson today..🌹❤️🇮🇩🌿....

[@user-nb7rj5ow2c]

❤

[@wingsofmae]

Helpful video. One mistake I used to make that seems common is the line halfing the circle. I used to think the line in the center was where the eyes would be and not the brow.

[@jamesharvley1164]

You weren't wrong. Most art schools use a ghost egg, keep it light until it's right, divide in middle= eyes, divide again = nose, divide again= mouth. Leave a space for an eye between the eyes.

[@Aaalllyyysssaaaaa]

​@@jamesharvley1164I bet that's because the egg includes the jaw but the sphere doesn't

[@jamesharvley1164]

True

[@jamesharvley1164]

@@Aaalllyyysssaaaaa When I do portraits I usually do a quick "ghost" sketch but block in the shadows first, sort of like an alla pimatura but with the sfumato pronounced and prominent. Learned the methodology from Dr. McTaggert at Lander and Dr. Rhee at University of Maryland .

[@rljuarez2645]

Great video! Very informative and the perfect place for beginners! However, I feel like none of the videos I have watched on the Loomis head ever addressed the question of how should we determine how big the cut off part of the sphere should be?

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

It lines up with the edge of the model's forehead.

[@iokhufu]

idk why, but i just cant sit through loomis tutorials. its really not appealing for me but this video really helped my through this and im very happy have learned from you and you will be a reason why i have improved. thank you very much!

[@stephenbaumanartwork]

That’s great to hear! Glad to help.