If you want a portrait to feel more lifelike, dimples can add subtle personality and expression.
This guide shows how to draw dimples accurately by understanding facial structure, placement, and shading.
What dimples are and why they matter in portrait drawing
Dimples are small indentations or surface variations that appear on the cheeks, chin, or sometimes near the mouth.
In drawing, they are less about drawing a line and more about suggesting a slight change in plane on the face.
Because dimples are subtle, they can easily look unnatural if they are too dark, too symmetrical, or placed without considering the face’s underlying anatomy.
A good drawing makes the viewer sense the dimple without noticing a heavy outline.
Understand the facial anatomy before you draw dimples
Before learning how to draw dimples, study the muscles and forms beneath the skin.
The cheeks are shaped by the zygomatic muscles, the fat pads, and the movement of the mouth.
Dimples often become more visible when a person smiles because the skin compresses over these structures.
For chin dimples, the surface change usually comes from the contour of the chin rather than a literal hole.
In both cases, the effect is created by light and shadow interacting with the form.
- Cheek dimples usually appear near the corners of the mouth or slightly below them.
- Chin dimples are commonly centered on the chin and can appear as a vertical groove or small indentation.
- Dimples should follow the curve of the face, not sit flat on top of it.
Choose the right reference photo
A strong reference image makes the process much easier.
Look for photos where the lighting is clear and the face is turned slightly toward the light so you can see both highlights and shadows.
If you are drawing a smile, choose a reference where the dimples are visible but not exaggerated by harsh shadows.
Side lighting can help reveal the form, but it can also create confusing dark areas if you are just starting out.
What to look for in a reference?
- Natural lighting with visible facial planes
- A clear smile or relaxed expression
- Enough resolution to observe subtle skin details
- A head angle that shows the cheeks and chin clearly
Map the face before adding dimples
Start with a simple face construction.
Lightly sketch the head shape, the center line, eye line, nose line, and mouth placement.
This helps you place dimples in relation to the mouth and jaw rather than guessing their location.
For cheek dimples, a common approach is to locate them slightly outside the corners of the mouth and often at the line of a smile.
For chin dimples, place the indentation along the center of the chin, aligned with the nose and lips.
Keep the marks very light at first.
Dimples are easier to refine when they are built gradually instead of drawn as bold shapes from the beginning.
How to draw dimples step by step
- Sketch the face lightly. Establish the basic head shape and facial proportions first.
- Place the mouth and smile line. Dimples often relate to facial expression, so the mouth should be in place before the dimples are finalized.
- Mark the dimple locations. Use small, soft guide marks where the dimples should appear.
- Shape the indentation. Suggest the dimple with a slight curve or shallow shadow rather than a hard outline.
- Add nearby shading. Blend the surrounding cheek or chin area so the indentation looks embedded in the skin.
- Refine the highlights. Leave tiny highlights where skin catches the light, especially on rounded cheeks.
This method works for both graphite and digital drawing.
The main difference is the tools you use to soften the edges and adjust contrast.
How to draw cheek dimples realistically
Cheek dimples usually appear when a person smiles, so they should feel connected to the expression.
Instead of drawing a deep pit, focus on the small shadow that forms where the skin folds inward.
Use a soft shadow around the indentation and keep the center slightly lighter if the light source touches it.
This creates the illusion of a shallow dip without making the feature look carved into the face.
It also helps to observe how the cheek changes shape during a smile.
The skin lifts upward, the cheeks compress, and the dimple often sits along the fold created by the motion.
Common mistakes with cheek dimples
- Placing them too low on the face
- Making both sides perfectly identical
- Outlining the dimple with a dark circle
- Ignoring the surrounding cheek volume
How to draw chin dimples with structure
Chin dimples are usually easier to simplify than cheek dimples because they often sit on the center line of the face.
The key is to show the indentation with shading rather than a visible hole.
Start by drawing the chin’s rounded form.
Then add a narrow shadow or a subtle vertical groove where the dimple breaks the surface.
If the chin is lit from above, the top edge of the dimple may catch light while the lower portion stays slightly darker.
For a stronger chin dimple, increase contrast gradually.
Even then, avoid turning it into a sharp line unless the reference clearly shows that structure.
Use shading to make dimples believable
Shading is what turns a simple mark into a realistic facial feature.
Dimples should generally have softer edges than scars, wrinkles, or creases because they are usually rounded and naturally blended into the skin.
Apply shading in layers.
Begin with a light tone, then deepen the shadow only where the form turns away from the light.
Preserve the surrounding skin tone so the dimple feels like part of a living face.
- Use soft pencils, blending tools, or low-opacity digital brushes for smooth transitions.
- Keep the darkest value small and controlled.
- Match the shading direction to your light source.
- Blend the dimple into nearby facial planes instead of isolating it.
Adjust dimples for different face shapes
Not every face shows dimples the same way.
On round faces, dimples may blend into fuller cheeks.
On angular faces, the indentation can appear more pronounced because the planes of the face change more sharply.
Age, expression, and lighting also affect how visible dimples are.
A child’s cheeks may compress differently than an adult’s, and a relaxed expression may show less definition than a broad smile.
When drawing stylized portraits, you can simplify the anatomy while keeping the dimple placement believable.
Even in cartoon art, dimples work best when they follow the expression and face shape.
Practice exercises to improve your dimple drawing
If you want to get better at how to draw dimples, practice small studies instead of full portraits every time.
Repetition helps you see how subtle changes in shadow affect the result.
- Draw the same face with and without dimples to compare the effect.
- Study three smiling references and identify where the dimples form.
- Practice shading shallow indentations on a sphere before moving to faces.
- Experiment with different light sources to see how dimple visibility changes.
These exercises train your eye to recognize the balance between form, expression, and contrast.
Once that balance becomes familiar, dimples will look more natural in both realistic and stylized portraits.
Tools that help when drawing dimples
Traditional and digital tools can both produce convincing results.
In graphite, a range of pencil hardness levels helps create soft transitions.
In digital art, low-opacity brushes and blending tools make it easier to control subtle shadows.
Useful tools include:
- HB or 2B pencils for light construction
- 4B to 6B pencils for deeper shadow
- Blending stump or tissue for smoothing graphite
- Digital brush with pressure sensitivity
- Kneaded eraser for lifting highlights
Choose tools that let you build values gradually.
The more control you have over softness and contrast, the easier it is to make dimples look natural.