To realize a relaxed feeling in your portraits quite often you will need to render the skull slanted. Most people when they are at ease will view with their skull slightly slanted. In this article we will point out what to look for and how to tackle the slanted skull.



In the slanted skull view the subject will show a clear change of direction from the action of the torso to the tilt of the skull. Also take note of where the shoulders are. The subject's shoulders will almost be aligned with the base of the nose.

With this information in mind, the first step is to measure the angle of the skull's tilt (from the base of the chin to the top of the skull) before sketching the arabesque. To do this hold your pencil (or a knitting needle) at arm's length, looking through one eye, and adjust the angle of the held pencil so that it relates to the angle of the tilt. Keeping your arm straight and locked you can now transpose this angle onto the drawing.

Now that the angle of the tilt is established you can sketch the arabesque and verify the height/width proportion.

The axis of the features is perpendicular to the slanted facial angle. A common tendency while sketching is to straighten out the features so that they are horizontal to the paper. Be on the lookout for this and ever on-guard because this tendency is delicate and is constantly trying to sneak into the drawing.

It is not a recommended practice to position all of the features at this stage. It is actually more proper to first fix the brow line and the base of the nose and work from there.

When the skull is slanted you should also be aware of the effect that gravity has on the face. The skin, in particular on the underside of the jaw, will be slightly pulled down. This effect is quite delicate but for those of you who are advanced portraitists you should capture this in your original arabesque. If you are a beginner just put this information away for future reference.

Take note, also, of the neck. The major visible neck muscle is stretched out. Its companion is compressed. This opposing muscle action is referred to as abduction/adduction. This action of the neck always renders a beautiful effect.

Once the arabesque is placed and you are satisfied with its accuracy relative to size and shape you can render the features and hatch-in the main big darks and lights. Keep the tone simple. The more complex the lighting arrangement, the more this applies.

The value arrangements are worked further, but are still somewhat crude and unresolved. The main concern is the overall light effect.

There are a few things to keep in mind as you prepare to finish the drawing:

1. Ask yourself how far you want to carry the drawing. You can get a good effect if you give the shoulders and upper torso an unresolved quality. Remember, drawings are not meant to resemble photographs.

2. As you gain a deeper understanding of the facial structure the tendency exists to render what you know rather than what is actually there. So make sure you always pause to observe the life model or the subject in the photo.

In conclusion, the slanted skull view is special in that the features will be centered on a slanted axis and that the tension in the shoulders will be different from one side to the other. Also the transition from the torso and shoulders to the skull should be carefully inspected.