I still remember my very first anatomy class — not because it was technical or intimidating, but because it opened my eyes in a way that changed how I saw every face after that.
On the table in front of us were two objects: a human skull, and a planar head sculpture — the one used in classical drawing classes to simplify the face into basic geometric forms. At first, they looked like opposites. One was organic, bony, a symbol of mortality. The other was simplified, almost robotic, made up of planes and angles like a blocky mask.
But then the instructor asked us to do something: “Look for the similarities, not the differences.”
And suddenly, it clicked.
The zygomatic bone — the cheekbone — became the flat triangular plane under the eye socket. The brow ridge formed a hard, sloped plane that transitioned into the forehead. Even the jawline, which I always thought of as round and curved, revealed a set of angular planes that echoed the structure beneath the skin.
I just painted the upper image on a livestream on YouTube, you can watch it here
That class taught me that anatomy isn’t just about memorizing bones or muscle names (but tried anyway). It’s about seeing structure, understanding how form turns in space, and realizing that every great portrait is built on what’s underneath.
To this day, whenever I paint a portrait, I think back to that skull and that blocky sculpture. And I try to find the balance — the harmony between the reality of bone and the abstraction of planes and practice drawing the planar portrait.
That’s where portraiture lives.
I use this website to see a skull in 3d
- Seeing the Skull in Planes – My First Anatomy Class
- Mastering Facial Structure for Oil Painters: Planes, Anatomy, and the Art of Realism
- Understanding the Color Planes of the Face
- Facial Highlights and Bone Structure: A Guide for Artists
- The Warm Glow of Light Through Skin: Understanding Subsurface Scattering in Art