Portraits & Caricatures Facial Anatomy & Proportions 3

Question 1

What is the 'three-quarter view' in portrait drawing?

Accepted Answer

The face angled at approximately 45 degrees so both eyes are visible but one side recedes

Answer

The three-quarter view positions the face at roughly 45 degrees, revealing both eyes (with one partially foreshortened) and creating depth that makes it one of the most common and flattering portrait angles.

Question 2

When a head tilts backward, which facial distance undergoes the most visible foreshortening?

Accepted Answer

The distance from the base of the nose to the upper lip

Answer

When the head tilts back, the lower face compresses dramatically in the viewer's perspective; the space between the nose base and upper lip (philtrum/upper lip area) appears to collapse most noticeably.

Question 3

What is the ideal mouth width in classical portrait proportion?

Accepted Answer

Equal to the distance between the inner pupils of both eyes when looking straight ahead

Answer

The corners of the mouth align with the center of the pupils in a frontal view, making the mouth width approximately equal to the interpupillary distance.

Question 4

Which proportional change is most characteristic of aging facial anatomy?

Accepted Answer

The lower face elongates and soft tissue volume redistributes downward due to gravity and fat pad descent

Answer

Aging causes the lower face to lengthen, jowls to form, and fat pads to descend, while bone resorption around the orbits and jaw subtly alters the supporting structure beneath the skin.

Question 5

The cranial index describes which relationship in skull anatomy?

Accepted Answer

The ratio of skull width to skull length (breadth-to-length ratio)

Answer

The cranial index (or cephalic index) is the ratio of maximum skull width to maximum skull length expressed as a percentage, used to classify skull shapes as dolichocephalic (long), mesocephalic (average), or brachycephalic (wide).

Portraits & Caricatures Practice Test

Portraits & Caricatures Practice Test

Portraits & Caricatures Facial Anatomy & Proportions 3