how to draw people free mi um
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How to
Draw Peopleby robert barrett
A Free Excerpt From Life Drawing:
How to Portray the Figure with
Accuracy and Expression
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Seated Male Figure
Nupastel on paper
30" 22" (76cm 56cm)
Collection o the artist
Mppn h F
Tis model had great anatomical denition, which made mapping his
gure easier. He also had lots o energy and ound it dicult to sit still.
Consequently, I gave him requent breaks.
5
Mapping
,Measuring,G
riddin
g
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C n envop aon h F
A rst step in gridding the subject is placing an envelope around the
outside edges o the gure. Its helpul to use only straight lines during this
process because landmarks will occur at intersections where the angle o
each line changes direction.
Po h ins lnmks
Ater you establish the envelope and create the outside angles and
proportions, look or inner landmarks. Tese are oten located at points
where two angles intersect or at hard places where the skeleton is close
to the surace.
Ug GUsing a grid to measure and map the gure is not a new process; in act, there aremany historical examples o gridding. Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci and
Albrecht Drer used the device extensively. Tough some examples o gridding may
seem complicated or complex, this measuring process is, nonetheless, a useul tool
or adding objectivity to a drawing. Other tools used to eliminate unwanted subjec-
tivity include mirrors, compasses and raming devices such as a viewnder. I suggest
using a simple orm o gridding to plot points and angles when completing a tradi-tional drawing because it will help you establish the correct position and dimension
o proportional relationships.
Trough my years o teaching, I have concluded that the practice o measuring
establishes accuracy in a drawing and instills both condence and conviction in the
artist. I you know that a certain point in your drawing is accurate and that other
points are correct in their relationship to that point, youre well on your way to add-
ing conviction to the drawing process.
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1Start with the Angles and Big ShapesAs you begin drawing, place large areas o value lightly onyour paper. Look or the big shapes and the overall silhouette o
the gure. Pay particular attention to the angles o the shapes.
2 Defne the Angles and ShapesAter youve ghosted in the gure in Step 1, begin to denethe specic angles and shapes. At this point, look mainly at the
outside contours and assess the relative distances between your
points.
Using a grid and
landmarks for
accuracy
After setting up an initial gesture drawing, use a grid to help establish relationships
and proportions. Tis process includes using landmarks and either lines or angles.
As you begin, look for the strongest angles or lines on the outside of the model.
Ten try to duplicate those general angles as closely as possible with lines. Simulta-
neously, note the points where lines change direction. Its helpful to hold your
charcoal or pastel up to the model to assess the exact angle of an outside surface,
then transfer it directly to your drawing surface. Assess the length of the line as
much as possible. Lines dont actually exist in space but are a contrivance to help
separate spaces and boundaries between objects and values.
Mini-deMonstration
M a t e r i a l S l i S t
Kneaded eraser
Nupastel stick
Paper towels
Sanding block
Sketch paper
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3Focus on the Inner LandmarksAs you move rom the outsideangles and shapes to the inner ones, care-
ully locate and place these landmarks
relative to the outside ones. Te orm
shadows on the inside o the gure are
important to consider as you connect
your inner landmarks to each other.
4Strengthen and Adjust5Continue to strengthen and clariyyour drawing as you dene each shape
and contour line. Look closely at the
negative shapes or windows between
the arms and the torso, or example, and
make sure these are correct. As you work
rom larger units to smaller ones, add
more detail.
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usn Wh Yo Know
All the angles and landmarks you identiy in the process o drawing may
not be apparent in your nished work. Tey will, however, be sensed by
the viewer. Good drawing is a combination o what you know and what
you see.
Conncn h Pons
As you identiy and connect your landmarks
through the use o a grid, youll accurately place
the component parts o the gure. Measuring
and gridding are devices or creating accuracy
in your drawingsnot necessarily tools or
creating art.
PcCu
Te care you give to the measuring process is critical as it will inuence each decision
that ollows. Moving rom one correct area (landmark or angle) to another helps
ensure that all parts are related in their accuracy or correctness. Te envelope youve
created implicitly contains the ratios and proportions o your model. Te specic
subdivisions o the model can, in turn, be determined as they relate to the envelope
and to your initial lay in.
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Mp hsucu
Uh
Now that youve located the outside landmarks and angles and checked that theyre
correct, its time to work on those inside. In the case o the human gure, the land-
marks are oten designated as points on the skeleton. Simply put, these are points
where the skeleton is close to the surace. Some knowledge o simple anatomy and
an understanding o the skeletal structure underneath is helpul in knowing which
landmarks to look or and in assessing whether or not they are in the right locations.
Tese landmarks or hard placeswhere the bone is close to the suraceare excel-lent points rom which to make measurements. Again, youll determine the precise
angles, and check the vertical and horizontal plumb lines to articulate these locations.
Tese points can then work as the hub o a wheel rom which other landmarks can
be determined.
Sk lnmks
Consider the skeleton underneath as you
identiy important landmarks o the gure.
Its helpul to think o your own anatomy and
take note o the hard places, where your bones
are close to the surace.
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dp F
Whether you draw an undraped gure or
a draped one, using landmarks and angles
establishes relationships and proportional
accuracy. Its a useul way to translate a three-
dimensional object onto a two-dimensional
surace.
T Pmb lns Onc
In this diagram o the draped gure three
types o plumb lines are used simultaneously
(notice this is another example o triangula-
tion). As you become amiliar with the toolsor measuring, youll nd you can easily
alternate using vertical, horizontal and
diagonal lines. Also notice that some
shadow edges have been mapped
out as well.
Mu Mp shweg
Another obvious place inside the gure rom which to make measurements is the
edge o the core shadows that run between the light and shadow side o the model.
Sometimes this edge is called aorm shadow. Te edge o the cast shadow is likewise
a helpul place to continue mapping. Notice that the edges o the core shadows are
much soter than those o the cast shadows.
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Pcc ls o unsnn
Te most important element o learning to
grid is practicing the process in everything
you draw. Its much easier to understand the
concept than it is to develop the habit o imple-
menting it consistently.
Cu L Ater you accurately locate and place the landmarks, draw the contour lines. Becausethe landmarks are accurate, you can draw the contour lines with great conviction and
lock in additional shapes with relatively little efort. Draw the lines careully on either
the outside or the inside o the gure to add a sense o authority and an element o
detail to your drawing.
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ty V thm
As you continue to use the tools associated with gridding and measuring, you can try
diferent variations, such as working rom the inside out or both inside and outside at
the same time. Eventually, you should be able to use these tools in various orders o
succession. Te process becomes not mere drudgery but both entertaining and excit-
ing as you develop your skill in establishing and rening important relationships.
Pn i a toh
As you practice and internalize the
processes o measuring, try varying the
order. Work rom inside out as well as
rom outside in. Look or big angles and
small angles at the same time, and be
specic with your shapes and contours.
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Life Drawing: How to Portray the Figure
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