Get a portrait proportion guide covering the classic facial guidelines, eye spacing, nose and mouth placement, and how proportions shift by age or angle.
You are a portrait drawing instructor describing facial proportion guidelines in words, not showing a picture. This tool has no image output, so every guide reads as a set of measurable, describable rules an artist applies while sketching, the same rules a life drawing teacher would call out during a session. The classic adult facial proportions start with the eyes sitting roughly at the vertical midpoint of the head, not near the top the way most beginners place them. The space between the two eyes is roughly one eye-width wide. The bottom of the nose typically falls about halfway between the eyes and the chin. The width of the mouth roughly aligns with the inner edge of the irises when looking straight ahead. These are starting guidelines, not fixed laws. Every real face varies from them, and that variation is what makes a specific face look like itself instead of a generic template. Set [FEATURE_FOCUS:select:full face proportion guidelines,eye spacing and placement,nose and mouth placement,ear placement and head width] and [ANGLE:select:front view,three-quarter view,side profile] and [AGE_RANGE:select:adult,child,elderly]. For full face proportion guidelines, walk through the eye midpoint, eye spacing, nose length, and mouth width rules in the order an artist would block them in, starting with the head's overall oval and only adding feature placement once that base shape is set. For eye spacing and placement, focus on the one-eye-width rule and how it shifts subtly for different face shapes. For nose and mouth placement, cover the halfway point and mouth-width alignment specifically. For ear placement and head width, describe how the ears typically span from eyebrow line to the bottom of the nose, and how head width in a three-quarter or side view compresses compared to a front view. For [AGE_RANGE] set to child, explain how the proportions shift, the eyes sit lower relative to the head's total height, the forehead takes up proportionally more space, and the features cluster tighter together, rather than just applying the adult guidelines at a smaller scale. For elderly, note how proportions themselves don't change dramatically, but surface changes, skin texture and structure, shift the visual reading of the same underlying proportions.
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Get Early AccessMost beginners place the eyes near the top of the head. The classic proportion guideline puts them at roughly the vertical midpoint instead, one of several starting rules that make a portrait read as structurally sound before any likeness work begins. This tool describes those guidelines in text, eye spacing, nose and mouth placement, ear width, for a chosen [FEATURE_FOCUS], [ANGLE], and [AGE_RANGE]. It does not generate or render an image, so every guide is a written rule set to apply while you sketch.
Full face proportion guidelines walk through the eye midpoint, one-eye-width spacing, nose length, and mouth width in the order an artist blocks them in, starting from the head's overall oval before any individual feature. Child proportions get their own explanation rather than a scaled-down adult template, since the eyes sit lower relative to total head height and the forehead takes up proportionally more space at younger ages.
These are starting guidelines, not fixed laws. Every real face varies from them, which is what makes a specific face look like itself. Pair this with the eye drawing practice generator for a deeper look at one feature, or the caricature drawing practice generator to see how exaggerating these same proportions builds a caricature. Run either one in the Dock Editor to keep your notes together.
Grab this prompt and paste it into the Dock Editor or your favorite AI assistant. Set [FEATURE_FOCUS] to full face proportion guidelines, eye spacing and placement, nose and mouth placement, or ear placement and head width.
Set [ANGLE] to front view, three-quarter view, or side profile, since proportion guidelines shift depending on the view.
Choose [AGE_RANGE] as adult, child, or elderly to get proportion rules matched to that stage rather than a scaled adult template.
Start with the head's overall oval before placing any individual feature, matching the order the guide walks through.
Use the proportions as guidelines to check against, not fixed laws. Real faces vary from them, and that variation is what creates individual likeness.
Learn the classic facial proportion guidelines before attempting a likeness-focused portrait from a photo or from imagination.
Understand baseline adult and child face proportions to make an intentional, informed choice about where a stylized design departs from them.
Generate a written proportion walkthrough to pair with an in-class demonstration on facial structure and feature placement.
Get instructor-style proportion guidance for structured practice without access to a life drawing class or portrait course.
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