Loomism

Loomis & Reilly head construction lines from a photo

Loomism is a free tool that overlays Andrew Loomis and Frank Reilly head construction lines directly onto a face photo. Upload a portrait and it detects the facial landmarks, estimates head pose, and draws the construction guides automatically — no manual grid alignment, no signup. Use it as a drawing reference to study proportions, check your own portraits, and learn to draw heads from any angle.

Loomis method from a photo

The Loomis method builds the head from a ball-and-plane construction: a cranium sphere with a flat side plane, divided by the brow line, hairline, nose line, jaw line and a vertical center line. Loomism fits this Loomis head construction to your reference photo so the brow, hairline and nose lines curve correctly with the head's pitch — front, three-quarter, tilted up or tilted down.

Reilly method rhythm overlay

The Reilly method abstracts the head into rhythmic curves — the facial ovals, eye, brow and nose construction, cranial arcs and undercheek rhythm — that capture flow and likeness. Where Loomis nails the structure, the Reilly abstraction brings the portrait to life. Loomism draws the Reilly rhythms on the same photo so you can study both.

Loomis vs Reilly — what's the difference?

The Loomis method is about structure and proportion: a simple ball-and-plane head a beginner can place in seconds. The Reilly method is about rhythm and likeness: flowing lines layered over that structure. They complement each other, and Loomism lets you overlay Loomis, Reilly, or both together on a single reference image.

Facial proportions checker

The proportions overlay measures the classic drawing rules — the rule of thirds, five-eye-width spacing, alignment lines and ratio measurements (height/width, eye/face, nose/eye, mouth/nose) — so you can check whether a portrait's facial proportions are accurate against the reference photo.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Loomis method?

A head-drawing technique by Andrew Loomis that constructs the head from a ball (the cranium sphere) and a flat side plane, divided with brow, hairline, nose and jaw lines, to draw a face from any angle.

Can I use the Loomis method directly on a photo?

Yes — Loomism detects facial landmarks and head pose automatically, so the Loomis and Reilly construction lines align to your photo without placing a grid by hand.

Is Loomism free?

Yes. It runs in your browser with no signup. Upload a face photo and download or print the Loomis, Reilly and proportion overlays.