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PLATE Proportions of the schoolboys head

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Children between eight and twelve are more difficult to draw than either very young children or adults. The character of the head is pretty well established by this time, and some children have even taken on quite an adult look. But there is a trick to indicating this age group which is quite dependable. The eyes have moved up to touch the halfway line, and the space from the hairline to the top of the head is three-fourths of a unit instead of one-half unit as it is in the adult. In the adult the halfway line cuts through the middle of the eyes and out through the outer comers, while in the child approaching teen age the whole eye is below this line. The nose is still slightly above the second quarter division in the lower half of the face. The lower lip touches the line of the third quarter division.

In boys there is notable development in the ears. The mouth loses much of the baby look. The second teeth have replaced the baby teeth and the jaw has developed to accommodate them. The nostrils develop and the cartilages of the nose spread. The bone at the bridge of the nose develops a little more slowly, so many boys retain a turncd-up nose until they are well into their teens.

This is the age of freckles. It is also the age of mischief and carefree happiness, as the expressions show. The hair is unruly; the front teeth look large. While the front of the jaw develops, the rear of the jaw at the comer below the ear docs not develop until later. A large square jaw does more than any other feature to give a look of maturity. If you want to keep the face young, keep the corners of the jaw rounded.

PLATE 68. Proportions of the schoolgirl's head

Young girls seen» to mature faster than boys as far as facial characteristics are concerned. Most girls acquire a fairly mature look quite early in their teens. As I mentioned earlier, they usually have higher foreheads, and the hairline is well up. The cheeks are rounder and there is often more spaee in the front view between the corners of the eyes and the edges of the face where the ears attach.

It must be remembered that here we are dealing with averages. There arc always variations and exceptions. Photographs of girls ten to twelve years old often look more mature than the children actually look. Sometimes this is because we arc seeing only the head and shoulders, and not the head in association with the rest of the body. In a girl of thirteen or fourteen the head is almost full grown, while the body is not.

Full lips arc always appealing in the face of a young girl, and roundness rather than bonincss. Girls as well as boys often have freckles at this age, but do not overdo the freckles in drawing girls.

To draw heads of children of this age group well, you will have to practice on a great many.

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