Sketch a pattern for the face onto a piece of paper. Use photos of female faces as a reference to make your work easier. Make the pattern to scale if possible, so that you can easily compare your carving to the pattern.
Carve a general face shape. Men and women have the same proportions (see Reference 1).
Shape the chin and jawline. Women have more rounded jawlines, so the jaw will taper gently upward towards the ears. The chin tends to be pointed (see References 2 and 3).
Shape the forehead. A female forehead tends to be flat, rounded, taper towards the top and has a lower hairline than a male forehead. A major distinguishing characteristic is the brow ridge. Males have a prominent brow ridge, whereas this area is smooth and fairly flat in females. If you are carving eyebrows, they should be fairly thin, arched and high on the brow ridge. Do not make the eyebrows too high, however, or you will create a surprised expression (see References 2-4).
Shape the cheeks. The cheeks on women tend to be round and higher. Strong angles and shadows are more masculine and may indicate age or poor health on a female face (see Reference 4).
Carve the nose. Male and female noses are similar, though female noses are often slightly shorter, more upturned at the tip and have a more subtle ridge at the bridge of the nose (see Reference 4).
Carve the eyes. Female eyes appear to be larger than male eyes due to the higher eyebrows and lack of brow ridge. Larger eyes indicate youth and femininity (see Reference 4).
Carve the lips. Male and female lips are similar, but the distance between the bottom of the nose and the top of the top lip is often shorter in females than males. Women are associated with full or prominent lips, so exaggerating the lips slightly can help make your carving look female (see Reference 4).