How to Draw Female Faces Whimsical Style: Tutorial for Beginners |

Do you see other artists draw faces with such ease that you instantly envy them?

Do you want to fill your art journal with beautiful whimsical faces, but just don’t know how?!

Today, I’m going to show you how to draw female faces – whimsical style.

By whimsical I mean, no realistic drawing, please. Let’s just have fun playing around.

With this step by step tutorial, I’ll try to help you start drawing female faces today.

If you’re only a beginner, I promise you you’ll be further down the road to drawing the faces you love.

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How to draw female faces step by step

First, I’m going to show you how to draw each face feature individually and then we’ll see how to set face proportions and where to put facial features.

This is really a simple tutorial that I know you can easily follow.

But mind you, at first, these faces will look all wonky, even strange. And you might ask yourself why you’re even listening to me.

However, every time I draw faces, they look like strange aliens until I start finishing them. So, I just wanted to say: bear with me, they’ll be beautiful in the end.

Supplies you’ll need

I like drawing with a mechanical pencil and later trace it with a waterproof black pen.

However, you can also use a colored pencil for drawing. I got this advice years ago and it’s also very fun.

As far as paper is concerned, don’t try your first drawings on a textured paper. You’ll just be frustrated because it’s hard to erase the pencil on this paper. Choose a smoother paper.

How to draw eyes

How to draw a female face whimsical style? Just draw big, expressive eyes!

Here’s how to draw simple eyes.

These dotted lines in the images below are a part of the face proportions guidelines we’ll use afterward.

First, draw two arches above the guideline. The distance between the eyes should be the same as the eye length.

However, if you want to experiment, you could make that distance wider, and then you’ll truly get the whimiscalest face.

After you’ve drawn the arches, also draw two lines as in the photo below, to give the eyes some shape for now.

Then add a half-circle for the iris.

Draw another, smaller half-circle for the pupil and leave a small rectangle shape for the catchlight. That’s what gives the eye glow and depth.

In the end, add just two lines for the eyelids. This gives eyes more dimension.

How to draw a simple nose

All you need are three circles!

Draw one big circle, and two smaller ones on each side.

Now, let’s make the nostrils, add shape and delete some extra lines.

Draw two nostrils in the small circles and fill them in.

Add the curvy lines on the nostrils and leave the small arch on the top of the nose.

The nose is usually wide as the distance between the eyes.

How to draw lips

To draw the lips you only need a few lines.

Just remember, the curvier the lines, the more natural and soft the lips look. I got this advice long ago from Jane Davenport, and it never fails me.

First, draw two mountains like in the image below.

Then, add a curvy line for the valley beneath the mountains.

Finally, draw the third line in a bowl-like shape below the valley line.

You don’t have to connect the lines. I find them really interesting when they’re drawn like this. They’re more sketch-like.

How to draw eyebrows

You can experiment with eyebrows and have so much fun with that.

They can be straight or curvy, thick or just thin lines.

For me, the simplest way to draw them is like this.

Draw one curved line, and just add another and connect them at the ends, just like in the photo below.

How to draw hair

This is one of my favorite parts of whimsy faces.

I didn’t prepare a drawing tutorial for the hair, I’ll just show you some of my drawings so you can see how you can experiment with hair.

Just a quick note. If you want your hair to show movement, then add long, curvy lines in an upward direction, or to the sides.

watercolor girls in art journal — I made this page with Jane Davenport face stamps

girl painted with watercolor and fine liner pen

How to draw eyelashes

These can be tough to draw.

But I add the whimsy by just drawing a few curvy lines where the eyes close.

Do you see in the photo below? Yes, I love to make them long and curvy.

You can experiment with them, too. Make them so long that they become the focus of the face if you want to.

painting of a woman in watercolor and pen

Draw cheeks!

I don’t know why, but drawing cheeks is so satisfying and they turn out cute no matter what color or shape.

If you really want to add the whimsical spark, make your cheeks visible by drawing circles for the cheeks.

Also, experiment with the size. I love my cheeks to even be outside the face lines.

Face proportions

When it comes to face proportions, think of symmetry and lines. We’re going to use them to draw a face.

I always begin with drawing an oval shape. It’s just a sketch and don’t worry too much to be precise.

This oval shape represents the whole head, not just the face.

Face symmetry

Do you worry about face symmetry? Well, don’t.

A perfectly symmetrical face is not natural and looks really odd.

So, don’t worry if somehow your eyes aren’t exactly the same size or the exact same shape.

Your drawings will be more interesting and appealing if you don’t look for this perfect symmetry.

You’ll see in my drawings below that I don’t care about that. Drawing a face like this is actually sketching, we’re just setting some guidelines and framing the face.

Later on, after you’re done drawing, you can shade and paint the face any way you like, and give it more interest and dimension.

Draw the guidelines

When you draw the oval, split it in half with a horizontal line and then again with a vertical line.

These lines will help you place the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

Next, split the bottom half once again in half, with a new horizontal line.

The eyes will rest on the central horizontal line, so mark where you’ll put them. You’ll want the distance between the eyes to be the same length as the eye.

Draw the face features

The nose will be on the intersection between the bottom horizontal line and the vertical line. The lips go right under the nose.

For the eyes, draw two arches above the guideline and add the iris for each eye.

When you’ve drawn all the features, start drawing the face line.

In the face proportions guidelines, start the face from the eyes by drawing straight lines downwards until the nose line.

From there, start curving it towards the lips and end with the chin under the lips.

I usually add ears the last, and I make them super simple. Draw them between the eyes and the bottom of the nose. Let the guidelines help you.

I don’t worry about the exact shape or symmetry. There’s no joy in stressing over that.

Let me show you how these guidelines look like on a finished whimsical face.

This is one of my whimsical girls I drew last year. Can you see how I placed all the face features along these face proportions guidelines?

I must say that my whimsical faces have mostly been inspired by an amazing artist Jane Davenport, her books and art supplies.

You can check out her YouTube channel here.

Experiment with different face shapes

I usually start my faces with an oval shape.

But you can experiment with the shapes and add your own touch to it.

For example, you can draw a circle or even a rectangle of some kind.

I sometimes love making my girls’ faces with stronger features rather than making them soft.

Experiment with size and distance

This is another way to add interest and make your faces unique.

The wider the distance between the eyes, the more whimsical the face looks.

Also, the bigger the eyes, tho more whimsy you add to them. Here, you can play with the details in the iris, such as catchlights and color.

Another cool idea is to make the lips too small or too big for the face. You’ll end up with interesting looking faces, and maaaan, what fun you’ll have.

Final details on how to draw a female face whimsical style

woman portrait highlights with posca pen

First of all, I want you to forget about perfectionism.

There’s no perfect symmetry on our faces, and you’ll draw prettier faces if you just let go of expecting the perfect-plastic-surgery kind of face.

Secondly, use curvy lines for the lips and the hair. Then you’ll get a soft, feminine look.

Thirdly, experiment with the size of the facial features and the distance between the eyes. Also, make some crazy flying hair to spice things up a bit.

Then, add cheeks: big cheeks, small cheeks, round ones, square ones – the possibilities are endless.

And finally, have some fun. If you set off to draw whimsical female faces, then don’t pressure yourself with realistic results. Let your imagination flow and see where that takes you.

GRAB YOUR FREE FEMALE FACE PROPORTIONS GUIDE