Guides · Animal heads
Dog Head in Profile: Side View Reference Photos
Reference photos of dog heads in profile: the head turned ninety degrees, seen from the side. The landmarks that show at this angle are listed below, and the button opens the same angle in the app.
Ahmed Aldaie, Unsplash License 
Untitled, CC BY-SA 
Pedemo, CC BY-SA 
Jennifer C., CC BY 
pato_garza, CC BY 
South African Tourism from South Africa, CC BY 
James K. Douch, CC BY-SA Samithu Siriwardana, Unsplash License Chris Ensminger, Unsplash License 
Christoph Schmid topf52, CC0 1.0 
smerikal, CC BY-SA 
amandarichard421 from Nashvile, TN, CC BY
What changes at this angle
- Only one eye shows, and no part of the second eye appears past the forehead or the muzzle.
- The far ear sits behind the near ear and is partly hidden by it.
- The full length of the muzzle shows, from the stop below the eye to the tip of the nose.
- The forehead and the muzzle meet at a step or a slope, the stop. Follow the top outline from the brow to the bridge of the nose and see where it changes direction.
- The base of the ear sits behind and above the eye, at the back of the top of the skull.
What goes wrong
- Letting the far eye peek round the muzzle on a true side view, so the head reads as turning toward the viewer and the profile is lost.
- Drawing two full ears side by side on a profile, so the ears read as one wide ear or the head seems twisted toward the viewer.
- Shortening the muzzle out of habit from drawing front views, so the dog reads flat-faced or like a puppy.
- Planting the ear directly above the eye, so the back of the skull reads empty and the ear seems to grow from the brow.
Try it
Open the same angle in the animal head search, filtered to dogs.