If you are trying to improve your ability to draw faces, what better face to draw than that of a celebrity?

It is helpful to try drawing celebrities from time to time. Drawing well-known faces will help you to fine-tune your observational skills and catch those subtle characteristics that collectively build the likeness of a face everyone will recognize.

In this tutorial, we will enlist the help of well-known movie actress and <em>Scandal</em> star Kerry Washington. We will learn how to draw a face by using her very recognizable face as a reference.

[caption id="attachment_1704" align="aligncenter" width="533"]<a href="http://www.letsdrawpeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/kerry-washington-reference-photo.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1704 size-full" src="http://www.letsdrawpeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/kerry-washington-reference-photo.jpg" alt="kerry washington reference photo" width="533" height="800" /></a> <b> © <a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/sbukley_info">Sbukley</a> | <a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/">Dreamstime.com</a></b>[/caption]

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<h3>Sketch the Basic Guidelines</h3>
The first step is to make a lightly-drawn outline of the head. Keep it almost oval-shaped, more like an upside-down egg. As we look carefully at the reference photo, we notice that Kerry doesn't have a very wide head, so the oval should look more long than wide.

Draw a vertical guideline almost down the center, since there is a barely noticeable tilt to Kerry's right side. Next draw a horizontal line midway between the top and bottom of the oval, as seen below. This will serve as placement for Kerry's eyes.
<p style="text-align: center;">[table id=kwhead1-2 /]</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">You will need to draw three more horizontal guidelines. The one near the top will be the hairline. The second should be roughly halfway between the eye guideline and the chin. This will be for the nose. The last should be about a third of the way down from the nose line for, you guessed it, the mouth.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Carefully place four vertical dashes that will mark the inside and outside corners of the eyes. The width between the two eyes needs to be one eye length. Roughly from the midpoint of each eye, draw a vertical line to note where the corners of Kerry's mouth will be.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">[table id=kwhead3-4 /]</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">neck shoulders and hair outline</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">[table id=kwhead5-6 /]</p>
Draw the eyes.

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nose

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mouth

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face outline

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below the head

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hair

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finish

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closing