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45 degrees three-quarter view head reference

Heavy jaw at 45 degrees. Compare the line drawing with the tonal study.

Head rotation reference, Heavy jaw, 45 degrees three-quarter view, line drawing
Line drawing
Head rotation reference, Heavy jaw, 45 degrees three-quarter view, tonal drawing
Tonal drawing

Drawing this angle

At 45 degrees, begin with the skull and a wedge for the face. The centre line now sits well away from the middle of the outer head shape. Measure the near and far widths at the brow, cheekbones and mouth separately. They do not shrink by one uniform amount, because the nose, lips and cheeks project from different depths.

Look closely at the far cheek. Its visible edge may approach the nose or pass behind it, and that overlap is a stronger clue to the turn than a dark outline around the far eye. Follow the near cheek toward the ear, then down to the jaw corner. Compare the ear-to-eye alignment without turning it into a rigid horizontal rule. In the tonal drawing, group the side plane of the face before shading small features. Finish by checking where the chin sits beneath the nose and how the jaw turns back into the neck.

See the full turn

Compare all four heads

Keep drawing

Try the free tonal sampler, or see the line and tonal studies in Head rotation volume 1.