• 96 studies

Face Practice Drawing: Mirror Studies on a Timer

Press Pick another study for one timed study of your own face in a mirror, with no photos.

Face Practice Drawing: Mirror Studies on a Timer

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  1. Sit where the mirror shows your whole face without leaning. A phone camera propped up and held still works too.
  2. Read the look-for line first. It names one thing to check on your own face.
  3. Where things sit: hold the pencil at arm's length, shut one eye and mark a length with your thumb.
  4. Most memory studies: look for about ten seconds, turn away from the mirror, then draw.
  5. Check the box when the time is up, whatever the drawing looks like.
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  1. Mark where your eyes sit between the top of your skull and your chinThumb on the pencil marks skull top to eye line. Lower that length below the eyes and see where it ends.

Next step Turn a study into a self-portrait

All 96 studies

One feature 16

  • A shut eyelid with its row of lashes The lash line becomes one curve. Look for the mound the eyeball makes under the lid.
  • The bridge of your nose where it meets the brows Leave both eyes out. Find the dip between the brows and the two soft slopes that run down from it.
  • The edge where your hair meets your forehead It is a soft, broken edge. Draw the shape of forehead it leaves, not a line of hair.
  • The groove that runs from your nose to your upper lip A shallow channel with a soft ridge on each side. See where it meets the dip in the lip.
  • One corner of your mouth, drawn large See whether the corner tucks in, turns down or sits level, and what small shadow lies beside it.
  • One eye glancing sideways: head turned, gaze kept on the mirror See whether the iris still looks round, and on which side the white shows.
  • One eye, its brow and the cheekbone below as a single study Leave the outline of the face out. Let the three parts sit at their true distances.
Show all 96 studies (89 more)

One feature, continued

  • One eyebrow, hair by hair at one end and as a flat shape at the other See which way the hairs lean at the start, the middle and the tail.
  • One temple, from the tail of the brow to the hairline Look for a shallow hollow behind the brow bone, and for where the first hairs start.
  • The tip of your nose and both nostrils, with your chin lifted From below, the nostrils are two slanted shapes. Compare their tilt and their size.
  • Your chin and jaw, from the lower lip down Find the small shadow under the lower lip and the edge where the jaw turns under.
  • Your left eye wide awake, upper and lower lid included See how much of the iris each lid covers before you draw a full circle.
  • Your lips pressed tight, then pushed forward, as two small drawings Put them side by side. Compare how thick each lip looks in the two.
  • Your right eye together with its eyebrow and the skin between Compare the gap between brow and lid with the height of the open eye.
  • Your throat between the ears and the collarbones Turn your head a little and see which cords stand out between ear and collarbone.
  • Your upper lip alone: its two peaks and the dip between them Compare the height of the two peaks, then see how the lip thins toward each corner.

Where things sit 16

  • Compare how wide your head is with how tall it is Measure the width at its widest, turn the pencil upright and step that length up the face.
  • Compare the height of your forehead with the length of your nose Mark hairline to brow on the pencil, then brow to nose base. See which is longer on you.
  • Compare the length of one ear with the length of your nose Turn until the ear faces the mirror and mark it from top to lobe on the pencil. Face front and hold that length against the nose.
  • Compare the width of your mouth with the width of your nose Run plumb lines up from the corners of the mouth. See what they pass on the way to the eyes.
  • Compare the width of your neck with the width of your jaw Hold the pencil level under the chin. Mark both widths before you draw either.
  • Draw a plain oval and place five marks: brows, eyes, nose base, mouth, chin Measure each mark in the mirror before you put it down. No features, only where they go.
  • Draw only the outside shape of your head and hair, with nothing inside Check the height of the shape against its width, then how much of the height is hair.
  • Find the slope of the line through both eyes with your head leaning Lay the pencil along the eyes, keep its angle and carry it to the paper. Repeat for the mouth.
  • Find what sits straight below each pupil, looking straight ahead Drop the plumb line from the pupil. Note where it meets the mouth.
  • Find what sits straight below the inner corner of each eye Hold the pencil as a plumb line from the corner. See what it touches on the way down.
  • Map your face with three level lines and one line down the middle Brows, nose base and mouth for the level lines. Check each gap against the others.
  • Mark where your eyes sit between the top of your skull and your chin Thumb on the pencil marks skull top to eye line. Lower that length below the eyes and see where it ends.
  • Measure how far your chin sits above the notch between your collarbones Mark chin to notch on the pencil, then hold that length against the face. See what it matches.
  • Measure whether your nose ends nearer the brows or the jawline Two lengths on the pencil: brow to nose base, nose base to jaw. Write down which is longer on you.
  • On an angled head, measure how far the ear sits behind the eye Mark it on the pencil with your thumb, then try that length from the eye down to the jaw.
  • Step the nose-to-lips gap down to the bottom of your face Thumb on the pencil marks nose base to lip line. See how many times that fits down to the chin.

Turns and tilts 16

  • A slight swivel, nose aimed past one edge of the mirror frame The middle line of the face is no longer in the middle of the shape. Find where it has moved to.
  • A slow turn in three stops, drawn as three small heads At each stop draw the head shape and the nose only. See how far the nose travels across the shape.
  • Draw your head as a simple box seen from a corner, features on its front The front of the box holds the features and the side holds the ear. Check which side you see more of.
  • Glance at your reflection across the top of your shoulder See how much of the jaw the shoulder hides, and which cord of the neck stands out.
  • Hunch your shoulders up to your ears and keep your face level The neck all but vanishes. See where each shoulder line now meets the head: at the lobe, the jaw or the chin.
  • Lay your head sideways on your folded arms, facing the mirror The whole face lies on its side. Keep the eye line upright on the page, just as the mirror shows it.
  • Part-turned head, forehead dipped to the floor See how much of the drawing the top of the head takes. Brows and eyes curve around the form like hoops.
  • Part-turned head, jaw raised to the ceiling Two moves at once. Draw the underside of the jaw as a flat shape and build the head above it.
  • Pull your chin straight back, as if making a double chin The jaw folds into the neck. See which creases appear under the chin and how far the lower lip sticks out.
  • Push your face forward like a tortoise, chin level The chin moves away from the throat. See how much more neck shows under the jaw.
  • Swivel almost to a side view, as far as your gaze can follow Close to a side view. Check what is left of the far eye and what shape the near eye has become.
  • Tip one ear toward its shoulder and swing your chin the other way Nothing is level and nothing is centered. Set the middle line and the eye line before any feature.
  • Tip your head sideways like a puzzled dog, facing straight on Every level line on the face leans by the same amount. Draw the middle line first and cross it at right angles.
  • Turn until the far eye just touches the edge of the nose Stop turning at that point. See what shape the far eye has become and how wide the near cheek looks.
  • Turn your shoulders away but keep your face square to the mirror The neck twists between the two. Compare how wide each shoulder looks from here.
  • Twin sketches: nose pointing just right of the mirror, then just left Two small heads. Watch the middle line curve one way, then the other.

Expressions 16

  • A polite photo smile with your teeth hidden The line between the lips lengthens and curls at the ends. Look for the crease from nose to mouth corner.
  • Bite your lower lip The upper teeth show and the lower lip folds under them. See what the chin does below.
  • Blow as if cooling a spoonful of soup The lips push forward into a funnel. From the front the opening is a small ring.
  • Clamp your mouth as if keeping a secret The lips almost vanish. Look for what bulges around the mouth instead.
  • Cock one eyebrow and lower its partner The two halves of the forehead disagree. Draw each brow as a single stroke with its own angle.
  • Gasp without a sound: lids stretched, lips in a ring Check what shows between the upper lid and the colored ring. The jaw hangs loose and the lips barely part.
  • Grin until your gums show Watch the lower lids as the grin widens. See how far out the corners of the mouth reach.
  • Look bored: heavy lids and a slack mouth Check how far the upper lids have come down. Nothing else is working, so keep the lines soft.
  • Poke out your tongue at the mirror The tongue hides the lower lip. See what your eyes and brows do to join in.
  • Puff out both cheeks and hold your breath in them The face changes from an egg to a ball. See what the lips do in the middle.
  • Pull your mouth hard to one side, as if weighing up a choice The whole lower face slides over. See what the nose and the far cheek do.
  • Scowl with your brows pulled together Look for upright creases between the brows. See which end of each brow moves.
  • Scrunch up your nose as if at a bad smell Creases fan out from the bridge and the upper lip lifts. See what the nostrils do.
  • Squint as if reading tiny print far away Only slits are left of the eyes. See where the nose wrinkles and what the cheeks do.
  • Start a yawn and hold it halfway The jaw drops and the face gets longer. Check what happens to the eyes as the mouth opens.
  • Wink with one eye and keep the other wide open The cheek on the winking side rises. Compare the height of the two brows.

One lamp 16

  • A phone screen for a lamp, held at reading distance in a dark room A weak light, close up. See how quickly it fades between the tip of the nose and the ears.
  • Lamp aimed at the wall beside you, not at your face The light reaches you off the wall. See whether any shadow on your face still has a clear edge.
  • Lamp close, then lamp far: two small drawings See what changes between the two: the edges of the shadows, and how dark the far side gets.
  • Lamp dead ahead, right beside the mirror Flat light with few shadows. The features have to be drawn by their edges alone.
  • Lamp high and halfway around to one side Find the shadow the nose throws across the far cheek. See whether it reaches the shadow of the lip.
  • Lamp in front, with a flat hand shading your eyes The hand throws a band of shadow across the brow. See where its lower edge crosses the nose and cheeks.
  • Lamp shining through the gap of a door left ajar Only a strip of your face is lit. See which features fall inside the strip and draw nothing outside it.
  • Lamp to one side and a little behind you Light skims the near cheek and the edge of the nose. See how much of the face stays dark.
  • Only the patch of shade thrown by your nose Move the lamp and watch the shadow swing. Stop where it is clearest and draw its exact shape.
  • Side lamp with the room lights left on as well The room light fills the shadows. Compare how strong the shadow shapes are with the lamp alone.
  • Side lamp, with a sheet of white paper held up on your dark side The paper sends light back. See whether the shadow side lightens and where the darkest band now sits.
  • Side lamp: draw the lit half of your face and stop at the shadow End the drawing at the shadow edge and leave the rest of the paper blank.
  • Side lamp: one cheek only, from under the eye to the jaw A cheek has no outline inside the face. Find where light turns to shade and whether that change is soft or sharp.
  • Side lamp: only the darkest patch of your face and the lightest Two small patches on blank paper. See how far apart they sit and what lies between them.
  • Side lamp: the eye on the far side of your nose The nose may shade it. See whether a spot of light still reaches the eyeball.
  • Side lamp: trace the border between light and shade as one wandering line Start at the forehead and follow it down over brow, nose, lips and chin without lifting the pencil.

From memory 16

  • A face you pulled, set down after you have relaxed it You have how it felt as well as how it looked. Pull it again to check the brows.
  • A half-minute stare, then five minutes working blind to the mirror Mark the spot where the memory ran out and the guessing began.
  • A three-quarter angle, memorized and then put on paper facing forward The turn is the hard part to keep. Check how much of the far cheek you gave it.
  • The collar or neckline you are wearing, drawn without looking down No mirror until the end. Then check how high it sits on the neck.
  • The freckles, moles or marks on one cheek, mapped from memory Dots only, no outline. Check the map against the mirror and count what you missed.
  • Look, sketch, look again for half as long, correct Use a second color for the corrections, so the paper shows what the second look added.
  • One eye, studied for a slow count of ten and then hidden Before you look back, decide what you are least sure of. Check that one thing.
  • One nostril, glanced at once and then worked on unseen Compare the shape you drew with the mirror: round, slanted or long.
  • The shadows under one lamp, carried away in your head Check the outline of each shadow shape against the mirror afterward.
  • The spacing of your features, marked on a blank oval, back to the mirror Five marks, no features. Then measure in the mirror and move any mark that is off.
  • The two eyebrows side by side, with no repeat look Check their thickness at each end and whether the two match.
  • Your chin and jaw after one look lasting a count of ten Afterward hold the drawing up beside the mirror. Check the width of the chin first.
  • Your face by touch: eyes shut, free hand exploring, pencil following Touch tells you depth: how far the brow overhangs, how deep the eye sits. Then open your eyes and compare.
  • Your left half and your right half as two half faces, every reflection covered Draw each half on its own. Uncover the mirror and check which brow and which mouth corner sits higher.
  • Your lower lip alone, from a lone glance See whether you kept its fullest point and the shadow beneath it.
  • Your nose, held in mind while you walk across the room See which you kept and which you lost: the nostrils, the tip, the sides.

How this list was compiled: Own work: 96 timed studies of your own face written for this page, to be drawn from a mirror or from a phone camera propped up and held still, each with a look-for line. The look-for lines are things to check against your own face, not measurements: the page states no rule of proportion, because none could be checked against a source today (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_proportions and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_head, read 2026-10-01, give body and head measures and no statement of where the features sit). The one fact in the page copy, that a face drawn from a mirror is the mirror image of the face other people see, was checked on 2026-10-01 and again on 2026-10-03 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-portrait (Mirrors and poses). No photograph is shown or linked, and no drawing method or author is named. Licence: own work

How it works

Face practice drawing needs a model, and a mirror supplies one. Each study names one thing to draw from your own face and what to look for. A link above it starts a 2-minute timer.

Read the full guide

Start a study

Press Pick another study, read the line under it and start the 2-minute timer; start it again for a longer look. Sit where the mirror shows your whole face without leaning.

Six kinds of study

The menu under the button chooses the kind: one feature, where things sit, turns and tilts, expressions, one lamp, or from memory. More filters under that menu opens Level; level 3 is mostly tilted or turned heads. For most memory studies, look for about ten seconds, turn away, then draw.

Measuring with a pencil

For the where things sit studies, hold a pencil at arm's length, shut one eye and mark a length with your thumb. Step it along another part of the face to compare.

  • A mirror flips left and right, so your drawing shows the face you see, not the one other people see.
  • Keep the paper close beside the mirror, so your eyes travel a short way between them.
  • For the lamp studies, switch the other lights off first.

Questions and answers

How do I practice drawing faces without a model?

Use your own face. A mirror gives a model who sits still and repeats any tilt, lamp or expression for as long as you need. Every study on this page is written for that set-up.

Can I do facial drawing practice without reference photos?

Yes. This page is text only and shows no faces. Each study says what to set up in the mirror and what to check, so the reference is always the real face in front of you.

How long should a face study take?

The timer here runs 2 minutes, which suits one expression, one tilt or one measurement. Start it again for a lamp study or a whole feature, where there is more to compare. A held grin tires quickly, so keep expressions to one run.

Why does my self-portrait look different from photos of me?

A mirror shows your face reversed left to right. A drawing made from it is the mirror image of the face that other people see, so it can look unfamiliar beside a photo.

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