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Because you like to draw, obviously you want to see examples of the side view of the face so you can sketch like the top artists out there. Clearly these pictures will help you out as you read this article and others on the site. Now let us take a closer look at the side view of the face in the form of a skull first.
When looking at the side view of a skull, I decided to show two examples from commonly known top artists: Leonardo Da Vinci (1489) and Norman Rockwell (circa 1960). What is interesting about Da Vinci’s rendering of the skull was that it was drawn before plastic skulls or anatomy books were invented, so no doubt he based it on the real thing and not another artist’s interpretation. Notice how he began to draw the nose to imagine how it is attached to the skull.
Looking at the side view of the skull is useful when studying the side view of the face. Looking at Norman Rockwell’s skull, who was an expert at drawing photo-realism, he skips small details to show just the important shapes and bumps. His artistic style shines through.
Da Vinci’s drawing can be found in Leonardo da Vinci on the Human Body and Rockwell’s drawing was found in The Famous Artist’s Course.
Obviously Da Vinci could not use photo reference and drew men out of his head. He would never draw women, the theory being because he was gay. Norman Rockwell obviously use photo reference constantly, but it did not detract from his talent.
Here is a comparison from three comic artists: Adam Hughes (2014), J. Scott Campbell (2014) and Terry Moore (2011). As you can see from these three side view of faces, each top artist has their own interpretation and style. Adam Hughes likes to make his noses dark to simulate the blood being visible through the skin. J Scott Campbell Elongates the face and body to make his women look more attractive. He also makes thick, visible lips. Terry Moore likes to use flowing hair by using confident, sharp lines. Look at the back of the head he drew to see what I mean.
The first two drawings were taken from Masters of Anatomy and the Terry Moore drawing was taken from his 2013 convention sketchbook.