Skulls have been used as decorations for a long time and are the original memento mori. With some studies, it might be easier to explain them properly. Start with a reference image and an outline to understand the basic anatomy of the human head. Once the dimensions are selected, you may choose whether you want your skull to look realistic or comical. Establish your look before attempting any form of a skull, including a sharp skull and crossbones, terrifying Halloween decorations, colorful sugar skulls for the Day of the Dead, and more.
The perfect harmony of basic and complex geometric shapes in the skull can give deep insights into art and the human form. You’ll learn the relationships between the various shapes and lines with practice. According to illustrator Lucas Elliott, drawing skulls allows you to observe how everything merges into one another. The ridge where the eyebrows rest, the eye sockets, and the temple which bows into the cheeks next to the face.
Table of Contents
How to Draw A Skull in Simple Steps
- Start By Drawing Simple Lines and Shapes
A broad oval should represent the top of the skull. Then draw lines indicating the location of the jawbones’ points of descent to form the base of the skull. Where the nasal cavity is, draw a vertical line through the middle of the face. As the skull faces to the side, remember that this will not appear in the center of your picture. Draw horizontal lines to denote the mouth’s midpoint, the bottom of the nasal cavity, and the middle of the eyeliner. In the words of cartoonist Ben House, “Reference lines are like leaving yourself a map.” “If you have a roadmap for yourself, you don’t have to look at your reference pictures continuously, and you may have some fun.
- Draw Your Nose and The Spaces Around Your Eyes
Draw the hole where your nose would be and your eye sockets. The nose becomes a giant hole in the face, which is the nice thing about the skull, says House. The point where the rounded top of the skull meets the flat bottom should be where the bottom of the nasal cavity lands. To position your eye holes horizontally and vertically, use your lines as a reference. This step will depend on the face’s vertical centre line. Without a centre line, House warns, “everything can go wrong.”
- Clarify Your Jawline and Cheeks
The outside shape of the skull should have more properly specified lines. On the side of the skull that is partially hidden from view, the three-quarter view will highlight the curves of the temple, cheek, and mouth. The temple, cheekbone, upper jaw, where the teeth are, and the bottom of the lower jaw or chin should all have curves projecting from them. According to House, the lines will need to be drawn several times before they are perfect.
- The Top of The Skull Should Have More Details
The top of the skull should have a few additional contour lines added. On a human skull, the temple line adjacent to the eye socket curls around to the rear to produce an indented area on the side of the head. This should resemble a big, crooked, irregularly shaped C. Additionally, new curved lines can be added to indicate the right cheekbone’s separation from the upper jaw and the direction of the top browline’s outward curve from the corners of the eyes.
- Sketch Out The Teeth
Your skull will start to appear uncannily realistic once you add teeth. A reference image can be useful, especially for the upper teeth, as the top of teeth is usually not shown in our drawings. The bottom teeth’s tops may be covered if there is an overbite. Remember to centre your teeth along the same symmetry line as you did for the nose and eyes. Start with the top two teeth, then expand from there. It will help if the shape has flaws and irregularities. Teeth are not uniform, according to House. It will be odd if you build them that way.
- Final Strokes and Shading
It’s time to give your most crucial lines additional clarity and shading now that the teeth are in place. The caves of your eyes and nose should be the darkest spots on your skull, then the area between your cheekbones and the top of your skull where the jaws meet. You are free to be as specific as you like. According to House, everything just “pops to life” in the shade.
Conclusion
In this article, we have given you information about the skull structure, and also we have given some tips that will help you to make a perfect skull structure. So, you must go through this article!
Also read: Learn How to Meet Anime Eyes: Easy Guide
