I thought I would sit down and explain how I go about layingout faces that I carve. I mainly use the “Rule
of Thirds” when I set out to lay out a face. This rules states that the face can be broken up into three areas
and that they are all equal. I use dividers to get my measurements, you could use a ruler but dividers are
easier to use.
I start by deciding the length of the nose, from the bottom of the nose to the start of the brow. I then use that measurement to determine the other two dimensions, the bottom of the chin and the point of the hair line. (Note that the top of the head is a little higher; this top line is where the hairline is located.)
The location of the mouth is half way between the bottom of the nose and the bottom of the chin, and the width of the nose is the same as the width of the eyes .
If you are using a piece of found wood or a block and you need to determine the width of the face first you can easily do this. Decide what the width is going to be and then you can add
one-quarter of the width to it ( width x 1.25), that will be the length of the face as shown above to the hairline. For example if a face is 2” wide add 1/4 of 2”, which ½”. That would make the facelength 2-1/2” long.
If you have determined the length of the face first, you can take 3/4 of the length and that will be the face width (length multiplied by .75). Then you can divide it into thirds to locate the bottom of the nose and the brow and the hairline. Then use the “Five Eyes Wide rule, to determine the width of the eyes and the nose.
If I am carving A face on a block or a piece of driftwood where the width of the face is constrained by width of the piece, then I will determine where the face will fit width-wise. Then I use 1-1/4 of the width todetermine the length of the face.
When I start a face, I locate the bottom of the nose first, and the line of the brow, this gives me the length of the nose and I use it to determine the rest or the face measurements.
Remember that this is a general guide, there all all kinds of faces, long ,square, round oval etc.
I hope this short article will be of help to you in laying out your faces, please feel free to comment!
Email me if you have any questions.
GaryMc