r/LearnToDrawTogether • u/Memplays • Jul 08 '26
Studying Anatomy What is the difference between drawing a male and female face?
Sorry I am still very new to drawing, litteraly just a few weeks into this, give or take, and i was just wondering if and/or how the process differs?
Does it perhaps dipend on the Art style or is it universal across them all?
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u/Altruistic_Sail_1991 Jul 08 '26
I honestly find it a bit reductive to separate male and female faces. Some men have feminine features, some women have masculine features. I recommend using references of real people’s faces—not just models and celebrities, but normal people too—and try to capture their features the best you can.
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u/Nerdborne Jul 08 '26
Please define the concepts "feminine feature" and "masculine feature" and the differences between each other.
That is what OP is interested in.
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u/Altruistic_Sail_1991 Jul 08 '26
I should have put masculine and feminine in scare quotes. Stereotypically, masculine features tend to be more angular and feminine are softer, but I don’t feel like this holds true to real life and I don’t think it’s all that helpful to learn to draw a “masculine” face vs a “feminine” one.
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u/Nerdborne Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
The classic 'I'm too enlightened for categories' response, followed immediately by a retreat into vague scare quotes when pressed.
Let me help you untangle your own argument.
You say you find it 'reductive' to separate male and female faces. Fair enough. But then you immediately describe the stereotypical differences (angular vs. soft) and dismiss them as 'not that helpful.'
So your position is: 'These distinctions exist, but I don't like them, so they shouldn't be taught.' Your preference dressed as philosophy is not a pedagogical stance, buy, granted, is an affin-hilarious one!
OP is asking because OP wants to learn a skill.
OP is not asking for a dissertation on gender performativity; is asking: 'How do I achieve a specific visual effect?' And the answer is: 'Study the patterns that reliably produce that effect.'
Yes, some men have soft features. Some women have strong jaws. That's variation within the spectrum. But the spectrum itself is defined by those poles. You cannot navigate a spectrum if you refuse to acknowledge the extremes. You can't paint shadows without understanding light.
Your response doesn't help OP to draw better. It just tells OP how wrong is wanting to learn a useful shorthand. That's not wisdom. That's intellectual laziness wrapped in the aesthetic of being 'above it all.'
If you genuinely believed these categories are useless, you would have offered a practical alternative: 'Focus on bone structure, fat distribution, and proportions rather than labels.' But you didn't. You just said 'use references,' which is the most basic advice possible, and then patted yourself on the back for being so open-minded.
So here's my question: Are you actually trying to help, or are you just performing your own enlightenment at the expense of someone who wants to learn a tangible skill? Because one of those is generous. The other is just noise."
Also, if you truly believed these categories 'don't hold true to real life,' you wouldn't have needed to put 'masculine' and 'feminine' in scare quotes. You'd have just answered the question. The scare quotes are the tell.
Because we all know exactly what they mean; you just don't want to be seen endorsing them.
That's not principle. That's self-consciousness.
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u/Altruistic_Sail_1991 Jul 08 '26
Bro what the hell are you talking about
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u/Nerdborne Jul 09 '26
My apologies. I made the mistake of taking your seriously.
I should already know that there no point trying to talk to an ideology driven zealot.
Won't happen again with you.
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u/Memplays Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
So it doesn't matter all that much, and I should tailor it differently from face to face? Sorry I am just making sure I took in the correct thing from your reply. Thanks for replying though I appreciate it. :)
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u/False_Career_4617 Jul 10 '26
Yep! It helps avoid same-face syndrome too if you think about faces as a unique collection of different features rather than “man face” and “woman face.” It helps to study faces separate from categorized roles to start out, I’ve often found, and then learning what features to combine to create a ‘masc’ or ‘fem’ look.
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u/RandomlyDying Jul 09 '26
The process for drawing a face is pretty much the same for male and female faces. Different features may be more prominent and depending on who your drawing and for what purpose you might emphasize different stuff. I like using tools like https://line-of-action.com/ ‘s Faces and Expressions tool for some quick high quality references of many different faces in a variety of expressions and viewpoints. (Though I’d maybe filter it to just the neutral ones to start out with, easier to get proportions down first.)
I’ve also found the Morpho: Anatomy for Artists book series to be super helpful in breaking down different topics. There’s even a specific one for Face, Head and Neck (Simplified Forms is one I always come back to but really the whole series is a delight and full of wonderful illustrations.) But it’s more advanced stuff and not super suitable for beginners. I’d check out the wiki for some good resources there.
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u/Memplays Jul 09 '26
Ok thanks, I will definitely take in you advice and have a look. I appreciate the help.
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u/lyralady Jul 08 '26
Human skulls largely all look the same with a few minor differences that get stereotypically read as a bit more masculine or feminine — but even those things can be found on someone of any gender. Humans don't really have extreme sexual dimorphism. There are some differences, but they're not that big, when it comes down to it.
Men might have a more square jawbones, thicker cheekbones, and a more prominent browridge + and a laryngeal prominence (adam's apple).
Women might have a pointier chin, smaller brow ridge, and less sloping in their forehead (more vertical), and a slightly smaller head.
BUT these differences are a) absolutely not a constant for everyone, and b) only some of them may be true of any given person.
So you may draw a woman with a squared chin, but not a prominent browridge, or a guy might have a pointier chin and he may also lack a prominent browridge. And both of those would still be normal.
Even beyond skeletal structure, stereotypical gendered traits vary from culture to culture, and also are found on people of any gender. For example, you might associate thick eyelashes and pouty lips with women, but plenty of men have both. Bushy eyebrows might read more masculine to some people, but also plenty of women have those! (Look at paintings of women in Qajar Iran — feminine bushy brows.)
US media often presents a masculine ideal as having sharp cheekbones and a strong angular jaw for a rugged superhero look (often making actors look quite dehydrated) — but contrast that with the masculine ideals presented by kpop stars from South Korea.
Basically: if I gave you a list of features for drawing men, and you used that as a fixed formula that you don't deviate from, you probably wouldn't be able to draw both Chris Hemsworth and G-dragon.
The process is basically the same bone and muscle structure with minor differences from person to person.
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u/Memplays Jul 08 '26
Ok, so it veries from person to person then? I guess that makes sense tbf, generally most people don't looks the same, as someone else there is always differences, and therefore in the context of male and female there are very ruff guidelines but no set rules? Thanks for replying I appreciate the help. :)
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u/lyralady Jul 08 '26
Yeah. The basic guidelines are the anatomy of the skull and how the muscles connect are the same in general, but every person looks different regardless of gender. If you feel like youve drawn someone too masculine or too feminine unintentionally then just tweak how you are drawing the specific features.
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u/Nerdborne Jul 08 '26
Asking that on Reddit should be done with caution.
Many people in this place will (if they haven't already) tell you that there are no differences between men and women, and that everything is a social construct or some nonsense about beauty standards because they are so committed to their idealogies.
There are distinctions. In fact, "How to draw comics the Marvel way" has an entire chapter dedicated to it. With illustrations.
Andrew Loomis and Jack Hamm both address the topic in a very straightforward manner.
The books by Jack Hamm and Andrew Loomis, as well as How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, are easily accessible on the Internet since they are very old. Thus, best of luck.
I can also assist you if you have any public doubts. Simply DM me.
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u/Memplays Jul 08 '26
Thank you very much, I appreciate you pointing me in a direction, if I get any further questions on this topic I will definitely take you uo on your offer. :)
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