Grid Maker Pro for portrait painters — the head-construction and observational toolkit
Portrait painters reach Grid Maker Pro for four interlocking jobs: head construction (Loomis sphere-plus-side-plane, Reilly rhythmic curves, Asaro plane structure), proportional measurement (fixed-measurement sighting, cross-diagonal precision, the Bargue-tradition square grid), composition (golden ratio for the canvas, rule of thirds for the focal eye, the Bouleau armature for multi-figure groupings), and painted-light analysis (Asaro plane head when you can't photograph the lighting setup).
Why portrait painters use Grid Maker Pro
Portrait work has three measurement problems that compound: getting the proportions right against the reference, getting the head to sit convincingly on the body, and predicting how the paint will respond to the studio lighting before the brush touches the canvas. No single technique solves all three; serious painters layer multiple systems on top of each other. The advantage of an in-browser overlay tool is that you can switch between the systems instantly without redrawing the underlying construction.
The portrait painter's overlay set
- Loomis Head — daily-driver construction for any head angle. Open the tool, rotate the construction to match your reference's angle, transfer the brow / ear / eye / nose lines.
- The Reilly method — guide to the rhythmic curves for portrait painting in oil. Critical for commissioned work where head and shoulders need integrated composition.
- The Asaro head — guide to the planar head for predicting shadow patterns under invented lighting (illustration, concept work, commissions where you control the studio setup).
- Portrait Face Guide — anatomical-landmark grid for face proportion verification.
- Cross-Diagonal Grid — sub-cell precision when transferring eye/mouth positions from photo reference.
- Fixed Measurement — the atelier sighting method for from-life work.
- Golden Ratio — phi proportions for canvas-level composition decisions.
- Armature 14-line — Bouleau's system for multi-figure portrait groupings.
Workflow examples
Three-quarter portrait from photo reference. Open Loomis Head, rotate the construction to match the reference's three-quarter angle. Identify the brow line, the eye line, the nose base, the mouth line. Transfer the construction to your canvas using the cross-diagonal grid overlaid on both the photograph and the canvas. Refine using Reilly rhythmic curves to integrate the head into the implied shoulders. Verify the golden-ratio placement of the focal eye against the canvas's overall composition.
From-life portrait in oil. Set up the easel at sight-size distance. Open the Fixed Measurement overlay at head-height units. Block in the proportional landmarks (chin at 1 head, nipple line at 2, etc.). Switch to Loomis construction for the head itself. Switch to Asaro plane analysis when the lighting setup makes shadow prediction the painting's hardest problem.
Bargue plate study (training). Open the Square Grid at 16×16 or higher. Overlay it on a Bargue plate. Copy cell by cell — observational measurement, no shortcuts. Pair with the Cross-Diagonal grid for sub-cell precision on facial features that fall near cell centres.
Frequently asked questions
Which head method should a portrait painter learn first?
For commissioned portrait work where head and body must integrate as one composition, Reilly is the long-term answer — but Loomis is easier to learn from books and gives you working competence in 6 months. Most professionals end up using all three (Loomis for construction, Reilly for rhythm, Asaro for paint-time lighting analysis) selectively per project. See our head-methods compared guide for the decision framework.
Do I still need Bargue plates if I have Loomis?
Different skills. Loomis is constructive — build a head from imagination at any angle. Bargue is observational — train the measuring eye by copying master plates with no shortcuts. Atelier programmes teach both because they reinforce each other: Loomis gives you the geometric scaffolding, Bargue gives you the precision to fill it with actual likeness rather than generic forms.
Can I use Grid Maker Pro for digital portrait painting?
Yes — every overlay exports as PNG (transparent) or SVG (vector) for use in Procreate, Photoshop, Krita, or Clip Studio. Drop the Loomis construction at low opacity on a reference layer, paint underneath. Or use Grid Maker Pro side-by-side with your canvas tool for measurement reference. The deep-link URLs (`/?overlay=loomisHeadGrid`) let you bookmark specific overlay-and-angle setups.
Related
References
- Loomis, Andrew. Drawing the Head and Hands. Viking Press (1956). The source of the Loomis head method.
- Hale, Robert Beverly. Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters. Watson-Guptill (1964). ISBN 0-8230-1401-5. On constructive anatomy and the figure.
- Bridgman, George B. Constructive Anatomy. Dover (1973). ISBN 0-486-21104-5. The classic anatomical-construction reference.