How to Draw Teeth

Reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson

Last Updated: April 9, 2023

Human teeth are a crucial part of any portrait that displays a smile, and they can very easily be botched. Many beginning and intermediate artists find it very difficult to draw realistic teeth in their portraits. This tutorial will show you that although drawing teeth may seem like a daunting task at first, it is really quite easy with the right instructions.

Steps

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1
Understand the anatomy of the teeth and gums. As teeth come in many shapes and sizes, it is important to note that they will all be drawn a little bit differently. However, understanding the general shape of teeth and gums will tremendously help you in drawing realistic teeth. For sake of simplicity, this article will focus on drawing teeth from a face-to-face perspective.
- It is important to note that every smile varies in the number of upper and lower teeth that show.
- Take note of any abnormalities in the teeth structure, such as missing or crooked teeth.
- Although it seems intuitive, it is important to draw what you see, not what you imagine teeth to normally look like.
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3
Connect the two upper corners of the larger rectangle with one continuous curve.
- Draw another line just below the halfway point of the rectangle. This will serve as the "tooth line" later in the drawing.
4
Sketch the basic outline of the mouth. Erase the lines you made for the rectangle, as they are no longer needed to proceed. In this step, do not apply too much pressure with the pencil.
- Do not erase the midline separating the mouth into two halves. This line will help to align the teeth and gums.
5
Sketch downward triangles(gums) lightly along the upper lip. Always begin with the middle downward triangle, lining it up with the initial midline. Once the middle triangle is placed, add the rest evenly below the upper lip, making sure to lessen the distance between each triangle.
- This step is crucial because if all of the triangles are equidistant from one another, the teeth will look flat and unrealistic.
At each gum point, draw a very light line that meets the "tooth line" you drew earlier. These lines will be erased later, so it is very important to draw them lightly.
8
Draw the bottom of the teeth. To do this, draw triangles where the downward lines meet the "tooth line"
- In almost every tooth structure, you will find that the third tooth(on both sides) from the center of the midline has a pointier end than the other teeth. Remember, it is little nuances like this that will make your drawing appear more realistic.
Remember, the bottom teeth are smaller in width than the upper teeth and, therefore, need not match the upper teeth.
11
Add light shading and highlights to the teeth, lips, and surrounding skin. It is best to slowly develop tones rather than beginning with the darkest tones.
- Remember, the cleanest teeth will not appear white on a realistic drawing.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I draw the human teeth and label them?

Community Answer

All you need to do is follow these instructions! Once done, you can label the molars, incisors, etc.

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How do I draw the mouth with the tongue sticking out?

Kathryn Lemon

Community Answer

Instead of allowing the teeth to touch, part them slightly, and draw a roundish shape for the tongue.

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Tips

Since this article focuses primarily on teeth as they are displayed in a smile, it is important to note that teeth look very different with every expression. Looks of anger, for example, tend to display more teeth and upper gums.

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For beginning artists, it might help to draw a grid on your reference photo and on the paper you will be drawing on. This will make it easier to proportionally transpose the photo onto your drawing paper.

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Do not blend anything until the very end of the drawing process. It is difficult to add graphite (or charcoal) onto a blended area, and it is even more difficult to erase a blended area.

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Warnings

Do not make initial lines too dark, as they will be nearly impossible to fully erase.

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Teeth are not white! However clean teeth may be, they will not look realistic if you leave them white on paper.

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