Guides · Heads
Looking Over the Shoulder: Head Reference Photos
Reference photos of a head turned just past profile, as when glancing back: about one hundred and fifteen degrees from the camera. Four landmarks change here, and each has a common mistake that makes the head read as turned the wrong amount.
Kateryna Hliznitsova, Unsplash License 
NASA JSC, U.S. Government Work (NASA) 
Johnragai-Moment Catcher, CC BY 
Babewyn, CC BY-SA Hennie Stander, Unsplash License 
The White House, Public Domain Mark wael altawil, Unsplash License 
danielsteuri, CC BY 
NASA KSC, U.S. Government Work (NASA) Archish Darji, Unsplash License 
billy1125 from Taiwan, CC BY Kenula Abeywickrama, Unsplash License
What changes at this angle
- The tip of the nose still pokes out past the outline of the cheek.
- The far ear is hidden behind the skull.
- The jaw line runs forward and down from under the ear and disappears behind the cheek.
- The back of the skull bulges out behind the ear.
What goes wrong
- Hiding the nose completely as soon as the head turns past profile, so the head reads as turned further than the ear and the jaw say.
- Showing both ears on a head barely past profile, so the head reads as a back view while the nose and jaw say otherwise.
- Drawing the chin where the jaw should vanish behind the cheek, so the head reads as a profile with a missing eye rather than a head turned away.
- Drawing the back of the head as a flat edge that drops straight into the neck, so the skull reads cut off behind the ear.
Try it
Open the same angle in the head search and turn the skull to see the full set of results.