4 Resources for Sketching Faces Digitally

Let’s face it. There are few digital art challenges tougher than sketching faces. And like a bad tattoo, a few missed elements can quickly turn a masterpiece into a disaster. 

Whether you’re using a digital canvas or sculpting software, every facial element has to be properly mapped, layered, and shaded to produce a convincing result. Then there’s basic anatomy and technique—features like eyes and noses need to be individually mastered as well as harmoniously proportioned. 

Of course, the very best portrait artists are immensely talented, but they’re also relying on a lot of knowledge and time-saving tricks to produce amazing faces in record time. Here are 4 of our top resources for digital creators looking to elevate their profiles with their next profile. 

1. Sculpting the Face and Digital Realism

One of the most frustrating parts of digital sculpting is optimizing your workflow from beginning to end. There are many steps to creating a realistic digital bust, and a few amateur errors can quickly produce a mediocre result that takes hours to fix—if you can fix it at all.

If you’re ready to professionalize your skills for realistic digital sculpting, this course by Ryan Kingslien is for you. Each of the two classes contains eight modules featuring the Digital Sculpting Method in ZBrush. 

You’ll spend 10-20 hours a week perfecting your 3D bust, refining your skills, and exploring the essential layers of face creation from start to finish. 

Participants will learn: 

• Facial foundations
• Structuring the neck and shoulders
• Connecting the nose and facial plane
• Sculpting hair, pores, and wrinkles
• Basic anatomy of fat, muscles, and skin

In addition to hours of pre-recorded tutorials, you’ll also have access to live office hours with Ryan every week! He’ll be able to answer questions in real time and review your work to help you get the best results. 

Registration ends Jan. 19—so sign up soon!

2. Face Rig in Blender Tutorial

Unlike physical media, sketching faces using digital software lets you adjust expressions and features without starting over from scratch. But if you don’t have a solid workflow and some foundational experience, your project can quickly become a hot mess as you stretch and modify individual elements. 

This tutorial teaches you how to create a wide range of expressions and implement them on your face rig. You’ll learn how to adjust all the key expressive elements of your face to create powerful, believable emotions on a realistic sculpture. 

Once you’ve mastered these techniques, creator Konrad Hekto will show you some of his secrets for animating your face with skillful puppeteering and intuitive processes. 

This tutorial includes:

• 21 tutorial files for sketching faces

3. Expressions by Rachel Bradley

The human face offers nearly unlimited expressive possibilities, and artists need to have a deep reservoir of facial nuances at their fingertips. From the timeless, curious expression on the Mona Lisa’s countenance to the Surrealist horror of The Scream, a great expression can be all it takes to turn your next project into a masterpiece.  

Creator and model Rachel Bradley is making sure digital artists have all the reference images they need for capturing the perfect facial expression. This pack gives you over 200 moods and reactions to choose from, including glee, rage, confusion, and many more. And if you like her work, she has 15 other reference sets to choose from!

You’ll receive:

• 212 hi-res expression reference pics

4. Instant Eye Stamps for Procreate

Eyes are one of the trickiest facial features to capture, and a single glance can set the tone for an entire scene. But if you’re still gaining experience or just short on time, eyes can easily become a hangup for your next portrait.

That’s where a set of eye stamps from Disasterology Ink can be a lifesaver. This carefully curated collection gives you both male and female stylized eyes you can instantly drop in when you’re sketching faces. 

You’ll get a variety of line-drawing eyes that range from simple to complex, and each one gives you a unique emotion to play with. Need some fast fury or quiet questioning with the click of a button? You’ll have no problem finding the perfect option with this pack. 

This set includes:

• 60 eye stamps for Procreate.

Sketching Faces Doesn’t Have to Be Sketchy!

Digital artists can easily spend a lifetime perfecting all the dimensions of creating great faces, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait forever to get good results. There’s always time to improve your understanding of anatomy and proportion while exploring the wonderful expressive qualities of every wrinkle and wink. 

These are just a few of the fantastic resources for sketching faces you’ll find at Cubebrush for everything from building your technique to streamlining your workflow. Visit our archive to find the digital assets and resources to improve any project you’re facing!