yeah, I do the same with polys. I have a folder with a "nose starter" "mouth starter" etc.

I'm still confused as to setting up the original two splines of the front and profile views. Look at the attached image and you'll see what I mean. I think the problem is how I drew the front view curve.

Am I supposed to have the center curve (the one straight up the y-axis in the front view) that goes from top to bottom as well as the mouth or do I need to just outline the round portion of the head's side, snapping the first and last CVs to the first and last of spline in the side view?

My explanation might've been a tad confusing, but basically this screenshot shows the alternative that I was wondering about. Are either of the images i posted correct for the initial spline setup?

You're on the right track, but I think you've got too much detail in your curves. You might want to check out the Radial Head video we've got.

Essentially, you just want a basic shape with your curves and then add detail as you model.

Yeah, i watched that last night actually. I've been reseraching other patch modeling tutorials over the past few days that go more into defining the shape a bit more, then adding the curves defining all the facial patches, more like irontick's example. With the NURBS Radial method, it seems like it would be quicker to just create a half sphere, rotate it so the poles are along the z-axis, then translate the pull the CVs in to form the mouth.

I guess my perception of patch modeling is that it you're defining the patches for more realistic muscle movement as well as getting a head start on the specific shape of the head, rather than just building a very basic shape and sculpting.

Well, with the curves you have displayed, I don't think the mouth would animate very well, as you'd want a radial "muscle" structure around it. Same with eyes.

Oh, okay. I see what you're saying. Originally when I first tried this, I drew my front curve based on the attached image but what's throwing me off is how to draw the side curve.