Kevin Chen , a renowned instructor at the Concept Design Academy (CDA)
, is famous for teaching an analytical, structure-first approach to drawing heads. This method is highly regarded by character designers and illustrators for creating solid, 3D forms from any angle, ensuring both structure and likeness. Here is a comprehensive guide to the Kevin Chen Head Drawing Method 1. Core Philosophy: Construction Over Details Structure First:
Do not start with facial features (eyes, nose, mouth). Start with the "mannequin" or "skull structure" to establish volume, angle, and perspective. "X-Ray Vision":
Think of the face in 3D, like a sphere and a boxy jaw, before placing the features. Planes of the Face:
Understand the head as a series of planes to help with rendering and shadow. 3 Common Mistakes Drawing Heads (and How to Fix Them!)
Kevin Chen is a highly respected concept artist and educator, best known as the founder of the Concept Design Academy in Pasadena. His "hot" head drawing method is prized in the industry for its analytical approach, which breaks down complex human anatomy into manageable, structural forms ideal for both live drawing and imaginative character design. The Core Principles of the Kevin Chen Method
Unlike 2D "line-by-line" tutorials that rely on copying marks, Chen’s method focuses on 3D construction and "inside-out" understanding. The goal is to build a solid framework that can support any character style or lighting condition.
Primary Masses: Every head starts as two simple masses—a ball for the cranium and a boxy shape for the jaw.
Perspective-First Thinking: Before adding features, you must establish the orientation and tilt of these masses using horizontal and vertical center ovals. kevin chen head drawing method hot
Planar Block-In: Chen advocates for a "planar block-in" stage where the head is broken into angular planes. This helps artists understand how light and shadow will wrap around the form. Analytical Figure Drawing with Kevin Chen (Online Course)
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Date: October 26, 2023 Subject: Technical Overview and Popularity Analysis of Kevin Chen’s Drawing Methodology
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Kevin Chen 's head drawing method is an analytical construction approach that blends the structural clarity of the Loomis Method with the rhythmic "flow lines" of the Reilly Abstraction.
As a prominent instructor at the Concept Design Academy, Chen focuses on breaking the head down into clear, manageable 3D forms that can be rotated in space. Core Steps of the Kevin Chen Method
Step 1: The Initial Sphere: Start with a basic ball to represent the cranium.
Step 2: Side Plane & "Chop": Slice off the sides of the sphere to create a flat side plane. The angle of this "slice" establishes the tilt and orientation of the head. Kevin Chen , a renowned instructor at the
Step 3: Finding the Thirds: Divide the front of the face into three equal sections: the hairline to the brow, the brow to the bottom of the nose, and the nose to the chin.
Step 4: Boxy Jaw Construction: Attach the jaw as a boxy shape that tapers toward the chin, ensuring it aligns with the perspective established by the cranial sphere.
Step 5: The "Asaro" Planes: Define the major and minor planes of the face (cheeks, forehead, eye sockets) to prepare for lighting and value organization.
Step 6: Value Organization: Group shadows into simple, readable shapes—often referred to as "3 Value Organization" (light, mid-tone, shadow)—to build form and likeness. Key Visual Demos
Traditional methods rely on ratios (eyes in the middle, nose halfway down). Chen calls this "arithmetic drawing." His method is "intuitive geography."
He teaches artists to look for pressure zones:
By abandoning symmetrical measurement in the early stages, Chen forces the artist's brain to engage in predictive perspective. This is the secret sauce that makes his method hot right now—it trains your eye, not just your hand.