Andlitsgerð

andlitsgerð, from andlit “face” and -gerð “form” or “creation,” refers to the design and shaping of the human face in visual representation. In Icelandic usage, the term encompasses both the artistic rendering of facial features in portraiture and sculpture, and practical work that alters or enhances appearance for performance, media, or design contexts.

The field covers anatomy, proportions, features, and expression, with the aim of achieving likeness or conveying character and mood. It also considers lighting, aging, gender, ethnicity, and stylistic choices. Andlitsgerð may be applied in traditional drawing and sculpture as well as modern digital and synthetic media.

Techniques include studying underlying skull and soft-tissue relationships, using proportional guidelines, and building forms through sketches, clay models, or digital sculpting. The workflow often starts with observation and measurements, proceeds through iterative studies, and results in a three-dimensional model, a portrait, or a finished representation in painting or media.

In contemporary Icelandic art and design, andlitsgerð is taught in art schools as part of courses on drawing, sculpture, portraiture, and character design. In professional practice, it is used by portrait artists, sculptors, storyboard artists, animators, and makeup designers to plan and realize specific facial appearances and expressions.