Paint Here

Paint Here

Plane Heads

How you can simplify the human face into flat surfaces

James Gurney's avatar
James Gurney
Jan 03, 2026
∙ Paid

Art teachers have proposed various schemes for simplifying the head into an arrangement of flat planes. Here are two plane breakdowns by Andrew Loomis, author of Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth and Drawing the Head and Hands.

The pair of drawings at the top represent a simple breakdown, with front, side, and bottom planes. The two below subdivide the p…

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of James Gurney.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 James Gurney · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture