Whether you're making an anatomical drawing or preparing for Halloween, learning how to draw skulls is helpful. Start with a simple circle, then draw some light guidelines to help you position your jaw, teeth, and eye sockets on the paper. Once these elements are drawn, finish the skull with shading.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Front View
Step 1. Draw a circle
Don't press too hard with the pencil and draw a light circle. Make it as wide as you would like the whole skull to be. You will use this shape to create the top of the skull.
If you have trouble drawing a circle, use a compass or trace a round object the size you want to give the skull
Step 2. Draw a horizontal and vertical axis through the center of the circle
You need to create guidelines for positioning the various elements, then place a ruler on the paper so that it passes through the center of the circle. Draw a horizontal line, then rotate the ruler and draw a vertical one.
Make sure that the vertical line continues under the circle, so that you can use it when drawing the jaw
Step 3. Create two hexagons under the horizontal axis
Draw an orbit in each of the two lower quarters of the circle. Make the top line of each hex rest on the horizontal guideline and make them large enough to fill about half of each quarter.
Leave a space between the hexagons approximately 1/5 of the width of the circle
Step 4. Draw the nasal cavity along the vertical axis
Draw a short horizontal segment on the vertical axis, straddling the two orbits. Then draw two lines that descend from each end of the segment, towards the outside of the circle. When the pencil is close to the bottom of the circle, rejoin the lines on the vertical axis towards the bottom of the circle.
The nasal cavity is diamond-shaped near the bottom, but squarer at the top
Step 5. Draw the angled edges of the sides and center of the skull
Create a few light strokes from the temples towards the eye socket so that the skull widens slightly. Now go backwards, towards the center of the skull, before curving at the level of the nasal cavity. Then draw a downward angled line under the nasal cavity. Run this line horizontally to connect to the opposite side of the skull.
- Repeat this on the opposite side making sure it joins the line you just drew.
- The horizontal line in the center of the skull should be approximately twice the width of the nasal cavity.
Step 6. Draw the upper teeth along the horizontal line in the center of the skull
Draw vertical oval shapes under the line to form the teeth. Each tooth should be approximately half the distance between the bottom of the nasal cavity and the tooth line. Draw three equal-sized teeth to the left and right of the vertical guide, then add two smaller ones on either side to give a sense of depth.
- Draw rounded or square teeth as you like. Consider using a photo to draw anatomically correct, as people's teeth are quite unique.
- If you want your skull to be missing some teeth, blow some while drawing them.
Step 7. Draw the outline of the jaw
Measure the distance between the top of the skull and the point where the horizontal and vertical guides meet; to set the bottom of the jaw, draw a horizontal line at the same distance starting from the bottom of the nasal cavity. Make it about half the length of your teeth, then draw a line at each end that curves up and away from the center. Then, connect the lower part of the jaw to each side of the skull with two straight lines.
These straight lines should be the same length as the horizontal line in the center of the jaw
Advise:
keep in mind that the jaw bone is less wide than the top of the skull.
Step 8. Trace the lower teeth along the jaw
Make them the same size as the top ones and remember to make the front ones larger than the side ones. Draw four to five teeth on each side of the vertical guide and make one or two smaller ones on the sides.
To give the skull some perspective, you can draw a small gap at the end of each end of the tooth line. It represents the space between the skull and the jaw
Step 9. Blacken the nasal and eye cavities
Use a darker pencil or press firmly to shade each socket and nasal cavity. Since they are deep and hollow, make them darker than the other parts of the skull you are going to shade.
- If you want these parts to come out even, you can use a smudge pencil (also called a blender or tortillon) and brush it over the graphite.
- To make your teeth stand out, go over the lines that separate them from the skull and jaw again.
Step 10. Eliminate unnecessary guidelines
Before you start shading the skull, take an eraser and remove the still visible parts of the guide lines. Carefully erase the lines of the circle as well.
Be careful not to erase the actual drawing as you remove the guidelines
Step 11. Shade the skull to add depth
Do a light cross-hatch or shade the space above the eye sockets where the forehead should be; continue until it appears more sunken than the rest of the skull. Other areas to shade include:
- The upper sides of the skull;
- The part along the jaw;
- The sides of the nasal cavity.
Method 2 of 2: Side View
Step 1. Draw a slightly elongated circle at the ends
Instead of making an oval with narrow ends, draw a circle as big as you want the skull to be. Make the circle a little longer than it is wide, but don't thin the ends.
Step 2. Draw a second circle concentric to the first and draw guidelines across the skull
Without treading, draw another circle within the one you just drew, approximately 3/4 of the size of the first. Then, draw a horizontal and a vertical line through the center of the skull. To draw the jaw, place the pencil on the vertical guide, where it touches the base of the smaller circle. From there, draw a horizontal line towards one side of the skull.
Draw without pressing your hand too much, so later you'll be able to erase the guidelines
Step 3. Create the jaw outline on one side of the skull
Draw a slight vertical line that goes down from the side of the skull where you want to draw the jaw. Put the pencil where the vertical jaw guide meets the horizontal line you just drew. Create a curved line that runs away from the skull and goes down to the bottom of the jaw. Once this line is the same length as half the width of the skull, turn it into a straight line that slopes back towards the skull.
Break the outline of the jaw to the smaller concentric circle, where it meets the vertical guide
Step 4. Draw the hollow of the nose and the protrusion of the forehead
Place the pencil on top of the jaw, where it moves away from the skull. As you approach where your nose should be, bend the line towards where the lower horizontal guide meets the vertical jaw guide. Then, go up with the line at an angle and make it protrude slightly.
The upper bump is the forehead before it reconnects to the skull
Step 5. Draw the orbit and shade it
Draw a vertical crescent shape just behind and below the forehead. Extend this crescent until it reaches the middle of the nasal cavity. Then, shade it so that it looks hollow and deep.
Step 6. Draw an irregular line at the bottom of the skull where it meets the jaw
Draw a line that goes below the orbit and bring it towards the center of the skull. Keep drawing it in a horizontal direction that continues zigzagging slightly until it reaches the jaw line. Then, fold the uneven line so that it connects to the curve of the skull.
This way you create the lower part of the skull itself
Step 7. Create the upper and lower tooth rows
Draw an elongated S shape in the center of the jaw and draw 2 light horizontal lines that go from the side of the jaw to the S; leave a space between the lines large enough to accommodate the teeth. Next, draw six or seven teeth along each of these lines. Create the outer teeth approximately the same width as the orbit, then make them smaller and smaller as you get closer to the S.
Advise:
if you don't want your skull to have all teeth, avoid drawing any.
Step 8. Erase visible guidelines
To finish the drawing, use a small eraser and remove the horizontal and vertical guides that you can still see. If you drew on it, leave it alone: only erase the obvious parts.
Instead of using a regular eraser, try using the eraser on the bottom of the pencils
Step 9. Shade the parts of the skull where you want to create a depth effect
Press firmly as you stroke along the back of the skull to accentuate the curvature. Then shade the center of the skull, behind the orbit. Create a large crescent shape and use cross hatching to make the skull appear uneven.
It characterizes the jaw by shading its upper part, where it meets the lower part of the skull
Advice
- Embellish the skull by drawing flames, crossbones, wings or roses around it.
- If you wish, you can color the skull with colored pencils or markers.
