Planes of the Face & Munsell Value Scale | Portrait Shading Reference

This instructional diagram was created as a visual companion for my YouTube lesson on shading a 3/4 view portrait constructed using the Loomis Method.

My goal with this piece was to improve upon the front-view shading guide I created previously by designing a more cohesive composition and by including value callouts directly on the planes of the head. The diagram combines the Munsell Value Scale with a simplified planes-of-the-face model to help artists better understand how light behaves across the major forms of the head.

The composition, drawing, and digital painting were all created by hand. No AI was used in the making of this piece.

Created for Sketch N' Brew.

Tools:
• Adobe Photoshop
• Huion Kamvas

Topics:
Portrait Drawing • Loomis Method • Planes of the Face • Munsell Value Scale • Light and Shadow • Art Education

I hope this graphic proves useful to artists studying portrait drawing and the fundamentals of light and form.