Front view reference

What the front view is used for

Character designers start model sheets with a front view because it shows proportions and the outfit's layout most clearly: where the buttons sit, how wide the shoulders are, how the hair parts. In portraits the same directness creates strong eye contact, so it suits confident, honest or confrontational moods.

The downside is flatness. With no turn of the head, depth has to come from light, shadow and overlapping forms rather than from the angle itself.

Front view variations

• Full front, eye level: neutral, used for reference sheets.
• Front view from slightly above: the forehead grows, the chin shrinks; gentle and cute.
• Front view from slightly below: the jaw and nostrils show more; powerful or imposing.
• Body front, head tilted: breaks the symmetry while keeping eye contact.
• Front with weight shift: the body faces the camera but the hips tilt, as in a contrapposto stance.

How to draw a face and body from the front

Draw a vertical centre line and a horizontal eye line across the head. On an adult face the eyes sit around the halfway point of the head height, and the space between the eyes is about one eye wide. The bottom of the nose falls roughly halfway between the brows and the chin, and the mouth about a third of the way down from nose to chin. Anime styles move the eyes lower and make them larger, but keep the same centre line.

For the body, check that both shoulders, both hip points and both knees line up symmetrically before you add any tilt. Then break the symmetry on purpose: shift the weight, raise one hand, part the hair to one side. A perfectly mirrored front view almost always looks lifeless.

How to photograph a front view

Place the lens at the subject's eye level for a neutral look. Use a 70–135 mm equivalent lens for head-and-shoulders shots; wider lenses up close enlarge the nose and shrink the ears. Even, frontal or butterfly lighting flatters a front view, while side light adds the depth the angle lacks.

• Turn the body a few degrees and the face back to the lens to slim the shoulders.
• Push the chin slightly forward and down to define the jawline.
• Keep both arms slightly off the body so the waist does not widen.