does drawing this cross even help? 😵‍💫  

I usually use the cross as more of a way to help keep track of the head angle

I only use the cross to know where my characters are facing doesn’t really help me decide where the eyes are going or whatever but I have found it helps to know how the eyes will curve on the face at different perspectives

i usually do the basic cross but it doesn't really work for me... this is actually really helpful though, thank you!

Simple answer to why I use it: ✨perspective✨

The cross only really helps me with perspective and not placement of the facial features like if I’m drawing the head at an angle, I’m definitely gonna start using this method instead

THIS WAS SO HELPFUL I always wondered why the placed the cross there in the first place because in how to draw books it always looked so unnecessary because half the time it wasn’t even placed right and the proportions were so off it’s like the artists only put the cross their and didn’t actually understand what they were using it for

Having a curved vertical line can help you track where the cheek and the jaws bend which can give better form to your heads. This only works if you know what you’re doing, though.

the cross just helps me keep track of what direction the character is facing, what angle the head is at and sometimes facial expression.

I don't even use the cross anymore but I'm so used to drawing it 😞

Using the cross is easier for me since using more complex guidelines just makes me mess up more- I’m glad other people found this helpful though :)

I never considered varying up the construction lines to better suit how someone interprets the portions/placements of the features on the face before. I've always just stuck to the usual cross example (although I do occasionally add curvature to the lines for different facial angles). This makes a lot of sense.

THATS how I do it too! It’s honestly SO HELPFUL. If I didn’t find out the trick were you put eyes in the middle of face and nose in middle of eyes to chin etc, I WOULD BE LOSTT

Personally, learning the planes of the face is the thing that helped me the most, especially when you need to draw a foreshortened head. Treating the head like the torso or another anatomy part was way more helpful than treating it like one big flat plane.

Lavender is actually one of the best art tips people she’s helped my art so much

Your tutorials are always helpful, you're a very good teacher

By the way. I just finished both Unfamiliar books & loved them! It was my 1st ever comic & now I'm really enjoying indie comics. I bought both a hard copy & a Kindle version of your book as I want to keep my paperbacks in pristine condition. I would have never even known about or imagined that comics encompass more than straight White male superheroes if it weren't for you & I'll always be grateful for that. Funny how supporting artists makes ones own word brighter.

I do draw the cross but not to help me measure anything it just makes imagining the face and angles alot easier

In my opinion, too many lines are too messy. Maybe because I have Extropia, which make looking at messy things like novels is already hard enough. And now I’m telling myself to look at lines… when they become too much, adding on with my chicken lineart and all that… they just started making x2 of themselves… so 2 lines is enough for me

Ooh this is helpful. I’ve been going off the Loomis method for general placement, but I’ve been struggling with drawing chins. This is a nice way to break the planes of the face down. 😮

The cross is amazing for me since I do a ton of weird perspectives, and I don’t tend to use a lot of guidelines

The more detailed version is how I was taught to draw back in school, it has always really helped ❤

Definitely gonna have to give this a try!

I definitely find the Loomis Method helpful. Thanks for clarification on the eye placement. I always heard that they belong in the center but I was never clear if that meant above, below or directly on the line.

I also use 3 line guidelines and that is by far the best thing I discovered, and lips and chin are more proportional and help with character design

To add onto this as an artist myself, another thing I've learned, especially for drawing faces from other perspectives (like for comics, for example) is to draw the face guidelines as a triangle. The basic cross technique is still used to cut down the middle and the horizontal line is in the middle of the eyes, like in the video, but the outer corners of the eyes are marked (I draw the eyes first) and you draw lines that come down to a point where the mouth would be. Then you draw a line through the centre and then a shape where that line and the vertical centre line meet for the nose (I do circles, but it depends on the nose type). And you can imagine that triangle as bending across the head to turn it in basically any direction :)

Tbh I use that guide line, not for symmetry but for helping to draw which angle the characters at and which angle it’s looking

This is actually really helpful…..

for me just use it as a guide as to which way they're facing, i also like to cut off where the hairline starts on the forehead and cheeks so the face looks like a mask, it help for more trickier perspectives

The strategy you use, I use too!

I draw the cross along the centre of head sphere. The sphere represents the cranium, and the eyebrow line usually lies around that line. Useful, for sure!

this is really helpful! I actually do use that cross (I find it much easier than going with multiple lines actually, but that's personal) but I do use the horizontal line of the cross for the middle of the eyes and it (that cross) does help with perspective - even when I do side view or 3/4, I find it helpful for making sure I don't have the nose for example in the middle of the face (in angel perspectives), or too far off from the centre of the face

Seeing that Christopher Hart art style has dragged me kicking and screaming back to parts of my childhood art journey that I had prayed to be lost from my memory forever

i do it the way you do! ever since switching to that versus the simple cross ive found that my proportions look a LOT more real

I’ma be honest I just do this so I know where the character is looking and then use the middle one to determine the face axis

Actually good explanation!!!

Thank you

I typically just use it for perspective angling, nothing else. as it helps determine where the little lines would meet for the chin if the generic placement would be a certain angle.

The basic cross is always helpful, tho I use a varian of the basic cross, a cross with two horizontal lines instead of one, the top line indicates the top of the eyes and the bottom one the bottom part (duh). The eyes are the feature that wanders the most in my drawings if i have no guide so that's why i use the cross, it helps me with the mouth and nose a bit too but i use it mostly to center the eyes

The cross is a similar thjng to parting the face. Using the horizontal line, you can part the face into two, and that's where the eyes are usually. And with the vertical intersecting line, you can part the face which helps in showing us the center , kind of- and with these two linesm drawing a hear from different angles becomes easier. The technique is similar to yours, excluding the last two steps, for the placement of the nose and mouth. It is quie helpful too. But it depends on preferences, ofcourse.

the cross is helpful for me in the same way that starting a drawing on lined paper is less scary than one on a blank page. it helps me estimate things better and also align things, even if I don't want them perfectly placed.

Thankyou! I find your videos very useful! (;

Helps with perspective too. Like, if a character is looking down then the center of the face will be placed differently.

I use both tbh, the cross to keep track of the angle and the other one to put the features in

you have just permanently changed the way i draw. thank you

i use the cross bc it makes the sketch look good

Oh my goodness you are amazing for this thank you!

The cross helps me understand where is the character looking

i used to do the basic one when i was a lot younger because i thought it made me look professional 😭 i do use it now though, and it helps when im actually TRYING to use it right lol

I mainly just use it as a general reference for the direction the character is looking more so than placing features

i usually draw just the vertical line lmao. i find it way more important than the other one

I use the basic cross because it makes the starting circle seem less empty and terrifying

This is because these are ACTUAL face proportions. That's why it works so well. The face shape and feature size it what defines the artstyle most of time c:

i don’t really use it for placements, but it helps me visualize how the face is tilted

I never realized the lines were divided in mid sections like 💀 I saw them each as separate sections that were in approximate sizes.. this helps and explains a lot

its also easy to wrap around the head to get the dimensions right since its like a circle and those are pretty easy!

I don't draw much anymore, but when I did I mostly used it as a starting point

The technique you use is what's taught in schools. The simple cross is what experienced artists use after they've drawn faces for years and don't really need all the lines anymore. It's better to start with the full guidelines, not just the simple cross when you're learning.

genuinely helpful thanks

Studying the human skull helps too. Before I had no idea why I was using the cross but now that I've studied the skull i know why

I always draw a skull under the face without other guidelines. Idk why

i usually just use the cross to indicate which direction the character is looking since my art style is super simple and looks like adventure time lol

it’s honestly all just preference. i use the cross because i have a pretty good idea of where the facial features should go anyways, even without the help. i believe that how you do art doesn’t matter, just that you enjoy it.

I have never really seemed to use these cross technique since my art style is more relaxed and facial features float more, but if you are an artist I can definitely anyone using this technique.

I usually start with simple shapes on the face to map out the features

It helps u line up the eyes

I still use the cross and ill continue to use it. Personally it helps more with drawing where the face is positioned. Idk if it's something that benefits beginner artists but it works for me.

It looks cool

I still prefer the cross because I'm lazy but yes, for accuracy and learning placement, this is the better thing to do.

they help you to remember what direction the face is looking and how to keep facial features proportionate. Next

Random tip: the center of the circle bit of the head is usually where the eyebrow is ^^

Yesss! I've used this technique for years, but i, too, always found the plain cross never worked for me.

I use it to help me think of the head as a 3D object, and it helps me with direction

So much more helpful I will definitely try it!

I used to use these all the time, but have been using them less and less lately. Mostly cause I've been entering a much more "toon" phase in my art, and pushing the floating facial features for expressions. Like, lately I've been falling somewhere between Scott Pilgrim, DCAU, and Adventure Time.

This is how I learned it from my dad aswell! Though I think no matter the guideline it helps one way or another

Finally an art tip video that speaks the truth and explains why we do these things.

I used the cross and it turned out kinda cool :D

The eye line isn't cutting the circle in half, just if anyone is struggling, I know it's obvious but still. It's more of like the bottom third of the circle as shown.

For me the cross is for guiding me for what perspective I want the head to be in lol

I personally do the cross just to find out the head angle and where I want the person to look. The vertical helps with how low the face is going to be, while the horizontal helps with the eye’s level and angle.

It does make sense. I do it when I make art.

i usually just use it to give me some kind of idea, where the character looks, before i start doing the facial features.

I used to just do the cross but recently I’ve started adding another line for the eye. It’s really helped me keeping the eyes the same size or it’ll help with perception

The cross for me is for perspective

Well the nose is turned for stylisation but that point of yours is very valid

I use the line as a mid point to! Once you learn how to use the guide lines it helps so much

I've done this for a long time and it really helps ❤

The cross is to tell where the head is looking at, but if its in the front it's most likely so you have equal sides. I believe the reason you would see a cross in the middle most of the time is because a lot of guides have the head facing forward.

I do the basic cross but more so for the perspective of the head, which helps with the face! And I use the middle cross section for the eyes most of the time! It helps a lot for me even though I've been drawing all my life

The guidelines never help with me bc some of the time when I’m writing, the words I write fall of the line, which just so happens when I’m drawing

My art teacher taught us this and I use it all the time! Its ao helpful, and I still use the cross to figure out where I dont want my eyes to cross

Sam would love this

I use other kinds of guidelines, but are very similar to the ones in this video! I make two horizontal lines to define where the eyes will be, it's like the limits of the eyes, but it also helps me to draw the eyebrows. For the nose, I do the same guideline you did, which shows where it ends, and for the mouth, I kind of imitate the bone structure of the face, using the "maxilla" as a reference to where the lips should be. I use the upper eye guideline and the nose guideline as a reference to where I should draw the ears. Basically, there are many ways to draw guidelines, and the ones you use are up to you, some might work better than others depending on your style! It's the magic of artstylie diversity ✨

I just like the messy look when its on traditional art.

I was also taught you can do the same on the top half for the eyebrows and hairline!

I found out this also helps me more in my style tbh. I think the cross works for a very simplified style but more complex ones need more guidelines!

I use the cross to help with symmetry!

For me, I draw a 3d square, then a cross, makes me make them more lifelike and more imaginable

Thank you Lavender towne!

I just use it to get an idea of the circle in a 3d space for the most part- just helps me visualize it better