The hairline – Unsymmetrical hairlines can cause the eyes to shift and distort, and create issues with the placement of the jawline.

Strong expressions – It is more challenging to get the proportions right when drawing a really expressive face. It can cause the chin and jawline to lose their symmetry, and even shift the placement of ears and eyes.

Facial symmetry – While faces aren’t perfectly symmetrical, there should only be minor differences between the two sides. If working on paper, try placing a mirror next to the drawing to see the reflection. It’s much easier to check the symmetry when working digitally, which Martin explains next.

Tip 2: Symmetry Feature

If you want to have different details on one side, you can turn the feature off, and then turn on again and continue as necessary. Pretty cool right?

Tip 3: Duplicate Image

Another useful option is to duplicate your drawing, which is incredibly helpful to check the details you are adding are going to work. By working on both of the images, so adding details to one image and then the other, it helps you keep a fresh eye while you are drawing.

In Photoshop, you can flip your drawing by going to the edit menu and choosing flip horizontal from the transform path option. Now when you draw with symmetry on, the results will show on both sides at the same time.

In Procreate, you can extend your canvas, then duplicate the artwork from the layers panel, and move the copy over with the selection tool. You need to flip the image horizontally and turn on the drawing guide option. When you select the symmetry option at the bottom, changes will show on both images. Please watch tutorial for full details.

Tip 4: Flip Canvas

If you don’t want to duplicate the image, you can flip your canvas periodically. Flipping the canvas is another useful tip to help you spot inconsistencies in the proportions. As you work on the same drawing, your eye gets used to seeing the image one way, but as soon as it’s flipped, errors can jump out at you.

The more often you flip the canvas, the better, as it helps you to keep working with a fresh eye and avoid hidden mistakes.

Conclusion

For a quick demo of what we’ve covered here, make sure you watch the video to see Martin in action. Whether you fancy trying out the powerful symmetry feature or merely flipping the canvas, these simple tips will help you get proportions and details right. Keeping a fresh eye allows you to immediately spot errors as you go along to create that perfect professional drawing.