Have you seen those beautifully carved tiki heads that look a bit scary? Well, tiki were god-like statues that were worshiped in ancient Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island. They were carved out of wood  or stone and stood, big and tall. You can recognize the Hawaiin tikis with their distinguishing piercing eyes and their striking grin.

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Tiki statues were carved to represent the image of a certain god. Every cut in a piece of carving had a meaning. They were worshiped by the people to protect them against danger and war. They also prayed so that they are blessed with successful crops. The stern expression of tiki heads showed authority and respect and stature.

Now, in recent times, these fearsome god-like tiki carvings have taken a decorative style. They are seen as statues and masks. The tiki designs are seen on  bags and T-shirts. People also have them as tattoos.

Draw a Tiki Head

Draw a tiki head and use it as a mask.

Take an A4 sheet and draw a line of symmetry. This is a vertical line drawn to guide us draw symmetrical. We have to draw every part of the face symmetrical, including the designs on the face.

We start with the nose. Draw a broad nose with big nostrils. Here we have 6 different types.

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Next, we draw the eyebrows. Draw them symmetrical starting from the ridge of the nose. They need to match with the expression on the eyes which we will draw later.

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The eyes are fearsome and piercing. They were carved out the wood, so darken those eyes to show hollows.

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The mouth of a tiki head is usually square and wide-open. It shows a smile. The smile was meant to bring happiness and peace. If the tongue was sticking out it was a sign of a warrior.

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Since the tiki head is carved out of a log of wood, the face is straight. Draw lines to show forehead and chin line.

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Now adorn the heads with lines and feathers. Some definition lines are drawn near the eyes, nose, chin and forehead. Highlight some areas by darkening it.

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If you choose to paint them, use pencil colors, oil pastels, watercolor or acrylic paints.