well i'm not that much into organic modeling, but i do know some stuff about it.
first thing you need to watch out is your topology, no loos ends, no ngons and triangles, only quads, that's becouse (never learned how to spell that word...) when you apply a mesh smooth modifier your shading will be all messed up on that triangle, same think with quads, but that's just basic stuff.
There's no "best method" every one of them is good, only thing is witch one works for you best.
You can go and try a spline approach, basicly how i would do it is, open my reference images in photoshop and paint some basic topology lines, like the eyebrows, nose lines, mouth lines and shapes, then step by step paint your topology grid all over the one side of the head, only on front side, that way when you load up your reference in max you already have basic topology lines setup and just draw your splines over them.
Another method is box modeling..
There's enough of good tutorials on organic modeling and topology so try to google them, i'm sure you'll find something usefull.
And do post your results Hope i was of some help

---

The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
-Albert Einstein

will post my results sure i'm just modelling a head for fun wanted to make a head-in-the-jar like those heads in Futurama or some creepy horror flick...
those contour lines across the face (the method you described)...that's what i tried when i first started learning 3dsmax....can't get the hang of how to modify the contour as it progress from the central nose-line towards the cheeks outward.... for me it's always been an approximation at best....if i wanted to model a head accurately (according to a pic) i'd flop miserably

---

Cogito, Ergo Sum

Topology or contours around the mouth and the eyes are generally circles, and the rest of them go around the whole head, and yeah i almost forgot, your vertex should ideally be connected only to four edges.Here's an topology example from google images:
[Link to images.google.hr]

---

The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
-Albert Einstein

I think this method gives the best topology:
[Link to au.youtube.com]

Basically just start with a plane and drag out edges. It's probably a bit more time consuming than some other methods but you'll get good edgeflow.

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

that is how i have always done it

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

how do you make out what the video's doing? it's in fast-forward! but ok i got the gist... will give it a go!

---

Cogito, Ergo Sum

don't bother to look how he models, look at his topology lines so you can get a general understanding of how they should flow along the face

---

The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
-Albert Einstein

yeah it's a very good mesh... i had that joan of arc tutorial, but must've deleted it a while back... i think he's used the same method... will do it that way seems very clean, and doesn't start out with ye-olde box....

---

Cogito, Ergo Sum

yeh, it can be tempting to start with a box, but I think you get better results starting with the plane.

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

There are several really good tutorials on youtube, if you would like me to recommend some (assuming you're still having problems) i can link some for you, it really helped me and im a beginner aswell ... a Basic asvice though start with a box and start rounding it, dont bother with the ears, mouth or nose at first but get the basic shape, then start adding more and more poly's to it and start shaping the eyes and nose, after that you can form the mouth ( i recommend using a tutorial to get the basic idea of how to do this) and then all that remains are the ears which i am still having a lil trouble with

---