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SeriesEditor:EllaFern

eISBN:978-1-78212-930-1AD001175EN

CONTENTSINTRODUCTION

PROPORTIONSOFTHEHUMANFIGURE

THESKELETON

MUSCULATURE

DRAWINGFROMLIFE

FIGURESINPERSPECTIVE

THETORSO

LEGS

ARMS

HANDS

FEET

THEHEAD

DIFFERINGPROPORTIONS

AGEING

DIFFERENTAPPROACHES

COMPOSITIONANDPOSING

DRAWINGFRIENDS

FIGURESININTERIORSANDEXTERIORS

DIFFERENTMEDIA

INTRODUCTIONFrom themid-1500s onwards, compositionwas considered to be themostprestigious

areaofart,whichmadeitofprimaryinteresttothegreatestartistsofthetime.

Ofcourse theywereskilled inallareasofdrawingandpainting,butwhen thegreat

artworkshops(bottegas)oftheRenaissanceperiodwereinfullswingitwasthemaster

painterwhowouldoftenbetheonlyartisantoputinthefigures,leavingtherest

of thecomposition tobecompletedbyhispupils.Sobepreparedfor themostinteresting

andmostdifficultsubjectyouwilltackleasadraughtsman–butdon’tfeeltoodaunted.

Ihavefoundinmanyyearsofteachingthatanyonecanlearntodrawanythingcompetently,

withthecombinationofacertainamountofhardworkandthedesiretoachievesuccess.

Theaimofthisbookistoexploreallthepracticesnecessarytoachieveagoodlevel

of drawing of the human figure. I shall first look at how the human body isformed,

from its skeleton– the scaffolding that all figures arebasedon–down to thedetails

of the limbs, the torso, thehands and feet and thehead. It is alwaysuseful tohave

some idea as to the body formation beneath the skin, and someknowledge ofhowthe

muscleswraparoundthebonestructureandeachotherisofgreatusewhenyoulook

at the shapes on the surface of the body. Without any knowledge of theunderlying

structure it is much harder to make sense of the bumps and furrows that arevisible.

I shallalso lookat thebalanceof the limbswhen thebody is inmotion,andhow

the artist can produce the effect of movements that appear natural andconvincing

totheviewerofthepicture.

Thetechniquesofdrawingwillalsobeexamined,andthedifferentwaysinwhichdifferent

artists havemade efforts to show us how the human figure can be portrayed,fromthe

mostdetailedtothemostexpressive.Ofcoursethisbookdoesnotpretendtobeexhaustive,

as figure drawing has been developed and explored over centuries as artistssought

newwaysofportrayingthehumanform.Nevertheless,enjoythisforayintothechallenging

butfulfillingtaskofportrayingthehumanfigure,andrevelinthedevelopmentof

yourownabilityasanartist.

MaterialsAnymedium isvalid fordrawing figures.That said, somemediaaremorevalidthan

others inparticular circumstances, and in themain their suitabilitydependsonwhat

youaretryingtoachieve.Youdon’tneedtobuyalltheitemslistedbelow,andit

is probablywise to experiment: startwith the range of pencils suggested, andwhen

you feel youwould like to try something different, then do so.Be aware thateach

mediumhasitsownidentity,andyouneedtoexperimentbeforeyoucangetthebest

outof itor, indeed,discoverwhether it is therightmediumforyourpurposes.Take

alookathereformoreondifferentmedia.

PROPORTIONS OF THE HUMANFIGUREGenerally,thefemalebodyisslightlysmallerandfinerinstructurethanthatof

amale,butofcoursesizesdiffersomuchthatyouwillhavetouseyourpowersof

observation when drawing any individual. In the examples below, the man’sshoulders

arewider than thewoman’s and thewoman’s hips arewider than theman’s.Thisis,

however, a classic proportion, and in real life people are often less perfectlyformed.

Nonetheless,thisisagoodbasicguidetotheshapeandproportionofthehumanbody.

These drawings assume the male and female are both exactly the sameheight,withboth

sexes having a height of eight times the length of their head.Notewhere theother

unitsofheadlengthareplaced:thesecondunitisatthearmpits,thethirdisat

thenavel,thefourthatthegroinorpubis,thefifthmid-thigh,thesixthbelow

thekneejointandtheseventhjustbelowthecalf.Thisisaveryusefulscaleto

helpyougetstarted.

Theman’s neck is thicker in relation to his headwhile the female neck ismoreslender.

Thefemalewaistisnarrowerthantheman’sandthegeneraleffectofthefemalefigure

issmootherandsofterthantheman’smorehard-lookingframe.Inthemainthedifferences

areconnectedwithchildbirthandchildrearing;women’shipsarebroaderthanmen’s

forthisreasontoo.

ProportionsofchildrenTheproportionsofchildren’sbodieschangevery rapidlyandbecause theygrowat

verydifferentspeedswhatistrueofonechildatacertainagemaynotbetrueof

another. Consequently, the drawings here can only give an average guide tochildren’s

changesinproportionastheygetolder.Thechild’sheadismuchsmallerthanan

adult’s andonlyachieves adult size at around16yearsold.Themostobviousdifference

betweenachild,anadolescentandanadult is that thelimbsandbodybecomemore

slender as part of the growing process. In some types, the tendency towardspuppy

fatmakesthemlooksofterandrounder.Boysandgirlsoftenlooksimilaruntilthey

reachpuberty.

Atthebeginningof life theheadismuch larger inproportionto therestofthe

body than itwillbe lateron.Thechildon the left isabout18monthsoldandshows

theproportionyoumight find inachildofaveragegrowth.Theheight isonlythree

andahalftimesthelengthofthehead,whichmeansthattheproportionsofthearms

andlegsaremuchsmallerincomparisontothoseofanadult.

Attheageofaboutsixorseven,asshowninthedrawinginthemiddle,achild’s

height is a little over five times the length of the head, though again this isvariable.

Atabout12years(right),theproportionisaboutsixtimestheheadsize.Notice

howintheyoungerchildrenthehalfwaypointintheheightofthebodyismuchcloser

tothenavel,butthisgraduallylowersuntilitreachestheadultproportion.The

relativewidthofthebodyandlimbsinrelationtotheheightgraduallybecomesslimmer

sothataverysmallchild looksverychubbyandround,whereasa12-year-oldcan

lookextremelyslimfortheirheight.

THESKELETONLearning thenamesof thebones thatmakeup thehumanskeletonandhowtheyconnect

to each other throughout the body may seem rather a dry exercise, but theyconstitute

thebasicscaffoldingthatthebodyisbuiltonandtohavesomefamiliaritywith

thiselementof thehumanframewill reallyhelpyou tounderstand the figuresyou

draw.

Just making the attempt to copy a skeleton, especially if you get a reallyclose-up

viewofit,willteachyoualotaboutthewaythebodyworks.Itisessentialthat

youcan recognize thoseplaceswhere thebone structure isvisiblebeneath theskin

and by inference get some idea about the angle and form of the bones evenwhereyou

can’t see them. Most school science laboratories have carefully made plasticskeletons

todrawfrom,orifyouknowanartistorartschoolwherethereisarealone,that

isevenbetter.Itwillbetimewellspent.

HANDYHINTLearningtorelatetheskeletonandmuscularstructureofthebodytotheouterappearance

becomes more important as you progress with figure drawing. You willneedtostudy

thestructureofthebodyindetailifyoureallywantyourdrawingstolookconvincing.

MUSCULATUREAfter studying the skeleton, thenext logical step is to examine themuscularsystem.

This is more complicated, but there are many good books showing thearrangement of all the muscles and how they lie across each other and bindaroundthebonestructure,givingusamuchclearerideaofhowthehumanbodygetsitsshape.

HANDYHINTIt’sagoodideatogothroughadiagramlikethisandtrytofindasmanymuscles as you can showing on the surface of your own body. Thisconnectionbetween your ownbodilymuscles and the general designofthehumanfigurereallydoeshelptoinformyoursubsequentdrawing.

As artists, our primary interest is in the structure of the muscles on thesurface.

There are two types ofmuscles that establish themain shape of the body andtheyareeitherstriated,ormorelikesmoothcladding.Thelargemusclesarethemostnecessaryones foryou toknowandonceyouhave familiarizedyourselfwiththeseitisonlyreallynecessarytoinvestigatethedeepermusclestructuresfor your own interest. If you can remember themost obviousmuscles, that is

goodenoughforthepurposesofdrawingfigures.

DRAWINGFROMLIFEDrawing from life is the foundation of all drawing and of course this isparticularly so in the case of figure drawing. The human body is the mostsubtleanddifficultthingtodrawandyouwilllearnmorefromafewlessonsinfront of a model than you ever could drawing from photographs. Evenprofessional artistswill attend lifedrawing classeswheneverpossible,unlesstheycanaffordtheirownmodels.One of the great advantages of life classes is that there is usually a highly

qualifiedartistteachingthecourse.Thededicationandhelpfulnessofmostoftheseteachersofdrawingwillenableyoutogradually improveyourdrawingstep by step, andworking alongside other students, frombeginners to quiteskilfulpractitioners,willencourageyourworkbyemulationandcompetition.

AnexerciseinstepsForabeginnerfirstembarkingondrawingthewholefigure,thetendencyistobecomerathertenseabouttheenormityofthetaskandthepresenceofareallivemodel.

Tobeginwith,justtakeitstepbystep.Youcanstopyourdrawingatanystage–thereisnoneedtofeelthatyouhavetopressontoaconclusionthatyouarenotready for. Start very simply, for examplewith a seatedmale figure, as shownhere.

Step1Thefirststageis tosee theverybasicshapethat thedispositionofthebodyandlimbsmakeinthesimplestgeometricway.

Step2Thenextstageistomaketheshapemoreliketheactualvolumeofthe figurebydrawingcurvedoutlinesaroundeach limband theheadandtorso.

Step3Thenextstepistoblockinthechangesintheplanesofthesurfaceasshownbythelightandshadeonthebody.

Step4 Lastly comes theadditionof shading so that the three-dimensionalaspectofthefigurebeginstomakeitselfevident.

FIGURESINPERSPECTIVEOnceyoufeelconfidentwiththeearlystagesofgettingfiguresdownonpaper,youarereadytotacklethebiggerchallengeofseeingthefigureinperspectivewhere the limbs and torso are foreshortened and do not look at all like thehumanbodyinconventionalpose.

To examine foreshortening at its most exaggerated, the model should belyingdownonthegroundoralowplatformorbed.Positionyourselfsothatyouarelookingfromoneendofthebodyalongitslengthandyouwillhaveaviewofthehumanfigureinwhichtheusualproportionsareallchanged.Becauseof the lawsofperspective, thepartsnearest toyouwill lookmuchlargerthanthepartsfartheraway.

Lookingatthefigurefromthefeetend,thefeetandlegslookenormousand

thechestandheadalmostdisappearinrelationtothem.Sometimes the shoulderscan’tbe seenand thehead is justa jutting jaw

with themerest suggestionofamouth,anupwardlypointingnoseand theeyes,browsandhairreducedtoalmostnothing.

Standingattheheadend,youwillfindthateverythinghastobereassessedagain.Thistimetheheadisverylargebutyoucanmostlyseejustthetopofitandtheshouldersandchestorshoulderblades,whichbulklarge.Astheeyetravelsdowntowardsthelegs,themostnoticeablethingishow

shortandstubbytheylookfromthisangle.Thefeetmaystickupifthemodelisonhisorherback,but the legs themselvesare justaseriesofbumpsofthighs,kneesandcalves.Trymeasuring thedifferencebetweenthe legsandthe torsoandyouwill

findthatalthoughyouknowthe legsarereallyhalf the lengthof thewholefigure,fromthisangletheyaremorelikeaquarterofthefulllength.Notonly

that,thewidthofshouldersandhipsarevastlyexaggeratedsothatthebodylooksveryshortinrelationtoitswidth.Moststudentsnewtothisviewofthefiguredraw it far too long for itswidth.Make sure youobserve the figurecarefullytoavoidthis.

HANDYHINTNotethedepthofthehead,whichisthesameastheopenhand,andtheforeshortened forearmand foreshortened leg.The torso isonly just lessthantwicethesizeofthehead.Thedistancefromelbowtoelbowislongerthanthedistancefromheadtoheel.

THETORSOMaleand female torsospresentverydifferent surfaces for theartist todraw.Because

mostmen aremoremuscular thanwomen, lightwill fall differently upon theangles

andplanesofthebody.Inthecaseofthefemaletorso,theshadowedareasarelonger

and smoother, as the planes of the body are not disrupted by such obviousmusculature.

Themasculinetorsoshownherefromthefrontandsidehasaverydistinctiveset

ofmuscles,which are easily visible on a reasonably fitman. I have chosen avery

well developed athletic body to draw, which makes it very clear what liesbeneath

theskin.Someoftheedgesofthelargemusclesaresharplymarked,whileotheredges

arequitesoftandsubtle.

Thisfemalefigureisalsoveryyoungandathleticandmanywomenwillnothavequite

this balanceofmuscle and flesh.Generally speaking, the female figure showsless

ofthemusclestructurebecauseofalayerofsubcutaneousfatthatsoftensallthe

harshedgesofthemuscles.Thisiswhywomenalwayshaveatendencytolookrounder

andsofterthanmendo.

Inthesedrawingsyoucanseehowthespinalcordissuchagoodindicationofwhat

ishappening to thebodywhen itbendsand stretches.Thecurvesof the spinehelp

todefinetheposeveryclearlyanditisbesttostartdrawingafigurebytaking

a note of them. All the other parts of the body’s structure can then be builtaround

that.Evenifyoucan’tseethespine,someideaofitscurveswillalwayshelpto

keepyourdrawingconvincing.

In these two drawings the figure is seenmaking the samemovement fromdifferentangles.

This enables you to ‘see through’ the figure and understand better what ishappening

tothebody.

Drawing the torso from a viewpoint at one end or the other presents newchallenges.

Don’tforgetthatthepartofthetorsofartherawaywilllooksmallerthanthepart

closertoyou,soifyou’relookingfromthefeetendtheheadwillbeminimized,

the shoulders and chest will be quite small and the hips and legs will becorrespondingly

large. Seen from the head end, the head, shoulders and chest will dominate,while

thelegswilltendtodisappear.

MASTERSATWORK

HenriMatisse(1869–1954)

Evenwithouttheaidofbright,richcoloursMatissecouldinvesthisworkwithgreat

sensuality.Hisdrawingsaremarvellouslyunderstatedyetgraphicthankstothefluidity

ofline.Therearenoextraneousmarkstodiffusetheimageandconfusetheeye.

MichelangeloBuonarroti(1475–1564)This very exact drawing, the careful sfumato in black chalk, gives a cleardefinition

of thearrangementof theflexingmusclesunder theskin.Michelangelo’sdeepknowledge

ofanatomyenabledhimtoproduceanalmost tactileeffect inhis lifedrawing.He

shows clearly that there are no real hollows in the human form, merely dipsbetween

themoundsofmuscles.This isworthnotingbyanystudentdrawingfromlifeandwill

givemoreconvictiontoyourdrawing.

Raphael (Raffaelo Sanzio) (1483–1520)TheperfectionofRaphael’sdrawingsandhisexquisitelyflowinglinesshowhismastery

asadraughtsman.

LEGSStudying the anatomy of the limbs is never awasted exercise: themore youunderstand

aboutthemusclesandbonesbeneaththeskin,thebetteryourdrawingswillbe.Like

thearms(seehere), the legsarewrapped in long, layeredmuscles thathelp togiveflexibility.However,

becauseof the increasedstrengthneeded to support thebody’sweight, the legmuscles

tendtobelongerandbigger.

HANDYHINTThejoiningof the legtothefootcanproveproblematical forthenoviceandcan

let down an otherwise competent drawing. Pay particular attention to therelationship

oftheankletotheinstepandpractisedrawingthis.

CompletesideviewsFromtheside,youwillseethatthemusclesinthethighandthecalfoftheleg

showupmostclearly,thethighmostlytowardsthefrontofthelegandthecalftoward

theback.

The large tendons show mostly at the back of the knees and around theankle.Notice

thewaytheknee-capchangesshapeasthekneeisbentorstraightened.

CompletebackviewsThebackviewofthelegsshowstheinterestingreverseofthekneejointandlooks

veryroundandsmooth,especiallyinthefemaleform.

The legs bent show the distinctive effect that this has on the knee joint.Foreshortening

theviewofthelegsproducesallsortsofinterestingviewsofthelargermuscles,

whichareotherwiselesswelldefined.

ARMS

The narrowness of the limbmakes themusculature showmuchmore easilythaninthetorso,andattheshoulder,elbowandwristitisevenpossibletoseetheendoftheskeletalstructure.Thistendencyofboneandmusclestructuretodiminishinsizeasitmovesawayfromthecentreofthebodyissomethingthatshould informyourdrawings.Asalways, it isamatterofobservingcarefullyanddrawingwhatyouactuallyseebeforeyou.

In these examples, noticehowwhen thearm is under tension in theact ofgrasping an object or bearing weight, the muscles stand out and theirtendons show clearly at the inner wrist.When the arm is bent the largermuscles in the upper arm show themselves more clearly and the shouldermusclesandshoulderbladesareseenmoredefined.

HANDSManypeoplefindhandsdifficulttodraw.Youwillneverlackamodelhereasyoucansimplydrawyourownfreehand,sokeeppractisingandstudyitfromas many different angles as possible. The arrangement of the fingers andthumb into a fist or a hand with the fingers relaxed and open create verydifferentshapesanditisusefultodrawtheseconstantlytogetthefeelofhowthey look.There is inevitablya lotof foreshortening in thepalmand fingerswhenthehandisangledtowardsorawayfromyou.

HANDYHINTThe hand is an extremely effective means of conveying emotional andinstinctivegestures.

As well as providing a focal point, the outstretched arm or hand oftenprovidesanimportantkeytoapicture.

FEET

The feet are not such a familiar part of the body as the arms and hands, aspeople

tendtokeeptheirshoesonwhenwalkingaboutinpublic.Thebonestructureofthe

footisquiteelegant,producingaslenderarchoverwhichmusclesandtendonsare

stretched.

Theinnerankleboneishigherthantheouter,whichhelpstolendelegancetothis

slenderjoint.Ifthedifferenceinthepositionoftheanklebonesisnotnotedthe

anklebecomesaclumsyshape.

The lower part of the foot is padded with soft subcutaneous matter andthickerskin.

Notice how the toes, unlike the fingers, tend to be more or less alignedalthough

thesmallertoesgettuckedupintosmallroundedlumps.

THEHEADTheheadisdefinedmostlybytheshapeoftheskullunderneathitsthinlayerofmuscle,andtoalesserextentbytheeyeballs.Theflatgroupsofmusclesonthe skullproduce all our facial expressions, so it is veryuseful tohave someidea of their arrangement and function, especially if you want to drawportraits.

TheheadfromdifferentanglesHere Ihavedrawn thehead fromavarietyofdifferentangles. In themaintherearenoparticulardetailsoftheface–justthebasicstructureoftheheadwhenseenfromabove,belowandtheside.Noticehowthelineofeyesandmouthcurvearoundtheshapeofthehead.Whenseenfromalowangle,thecurveoftheeyebrowsbecomesimportant,asdoesthatofthecheekbones.Sometimesthenoseappearstobejustasmallpointstickingoutfromthe

shapeofthehead,especiallywhenseenfrombelow.Conversely,whenseenfromabove,thechinandmouthalmostdisappearbutthenosebecomesverydominant. From above, the hair becomes very much the main part of thehead,whereaswhen seen from below the hairmay be visible only at thesides.

These formsare stillahighly simplified formofdrawing,but theydescribethefeaturesverywellandlookquiterealistic.Thedifferentviewpointsgivenof the head are useful to get a fuller idea of how it is formed. Make apracticeofdrawingthepartsofthefigurefrommanyanglesinordertofixinyour mind what it really looks like, then draw exactly what you see asaccuratelyasyoucan.Youwillsoonstarttoseeyoureffortspayoff.

DIFFERINGPROPORTIONSPeoplearenotalikeinform,andfewconformtotheclassicalideal.Oncetheyhavegrowntofullsizethebasicproportionsdifferbetweenthemverylittleinthe height, however in the shape and width of the body there can bemanyvaryingproportions.Theycomedowntotwomaintypes,thethickandthethin.Therearesome

peoplethatputonsignificantweightastheygrowolderandothersthatseemtoloseitjustasradically.Theexamplesshownhereareofthesameheightandverticalproportionbutvastlydifferentinwidth.

Mostextrafatgathersaroundthecentralareaofthebodyatthewaist,andtheupperpartsofthelegsandarmsareoftenthicker.Attheotherextreme,when someone is below normal weight, the human frame is reduced to averymeagrestringy-lookingtype.

Thewidthofthetorsoandlimbsisdictatedonlybythebonestructure.

Seen from the rear thedifference inwidth is evenmore extreme,withonebeing widest at the centre while the more skeletal figure is widest at theshoulders.Itisinterestingtonotethesesortofdifferencesinfigures,althoughprobablynotmanyareasextremeasthese.

This copy of a painting by Euan Uglow relies on the extremely slimproportions of themodel to emphasize the dramatic, diagonal, downwardthrust of the composition, broken only by her upturned foot in the bottomrighthandcorner.

Thisdrawing,basedonapaintingbyLucianFreud,isofaverylargewomanwithwell-developedbreastsandbelly,andbigfleshythighsandarms.Sheissitting,sothefullproportionislesseasytosee.

HANDYHINTBeginnerstendtodrawwhattheythinkpeopleshouldlooklike,andwilleven leave out oddities to fit their preconceptions.Often theywill slimdownafatmodelorfattenupathinone.Thisdoesn’tresultinaccuratedraughtsmanshipandhastobeeliminatedifprogressistobemade.

AGEINGThe key to drawing the ageing process of the figure is to describe how itimpacts

on overall posture and the reduced volume and tone of muscle and skin asgravityand

lack of elasticity take over. This often makes older models more complex todrawthan

youngerones;thelinesyouuseneedtohaveamorecraggy,lesssmoothfeeltothem.

Here are some examples of older peoplewith varyingdegrees of fragility andweight.

Inratheroverweightpeoplethewidthofthetorsomakesthemlookcircular.

Theprofile viewof this elderlywoman revealsabowed figurewith clotheshanging

looselyonherframe.

Saggingexcessfleshinolderpeopletellsusabouttheirageratherthantheirweight

andisanaturalfeatureoftheageingprocess.

Thismanisobviouslyfairlyfat,buthasdisguiseditinaloosedressinggown.However,

theneckandthewidthofthetiearoundthewaistgivethegameaway.

The two figuresabovearebasedonRodin’ssculpturesofBalzac inmiddleage(right)

andofanelderlyman(left).Theoldermanisfairlythin,withmusclesstanding

outinaratherstringywayonhisarmsandlegs.Theribcagecanbeeasilyseen.

With the weightier figure, the large shoulder and belly are held up by bigpowerful

thighs.

DIFFERENTAPPROACHESOnce you are comfortable with drawing the human figure, all sorts ofapproachesare

availabletoyou.Herearejustafew.

ExpressingvolumeShowingthevolumeofthefigurewillmakeyourdrawingsconvincinglysolid.Youcan

make a small figure appearweighty by blocking in areas of tone, a techniqueused

byartistswhenthedrawingistobepaintedasitclarifieshowtheareasoftone

andcolourshouldbepainted.

Contour lines which meander around the curves of the limbs and torso,changingdirection

dependingontheprojectionsorcrevassesinthebody,areanotherwayofgivingan

effectofroundnessandbulk.Thisisapracticewellworthtryingatleastoncein

ordertounderstandhowtheshapesyouaredrawingcanbeexpressed.

Afterdrawinginaverysimpleoutlineshapeofthefigure,theformisshownbya

series of blocked-out areas of tone with the hatching going in differentdirections.

Youcanseehowthisproducesaneffectasifthefigurehasbeenhewnoutofachunk

ofstone.

Another approach is to delineate the different surfaces by drawing marksthatare

similar to the facets you get on a wooden sculpture. This gives a very realimpression

ofasolidbodyoccupyingspace.

WorkingatspeedAnotherpracticealwaysusefulforlifedrawingistodrawextremelyquicklywith

justafewfluidlines.Thisisencouragedbymanylife-classtutorsasitteaches

students to look for the essential lines of the pose. Practice a dozen or sodrawings

like theseof themodel, takingvariousone-or two-minuteposesandputting inthe

absolute minimum. You should be working so quickly you have no time tocorrecterrors.

COMPOSITIONANDPOSINGWhenyou firstbegin tostudy figuredrawingyouraim is todrawthemodelfrom a range of viewpoints as you build up your understanding of how thehumanbodylooks.Theinformationandexperienceyougainbydoingthisisof enormous help to the development of the artistic skills necessary to copewithdrawingthefigure.

This seatedmanwith his hands behind his back, based on a drawing byNatoireintheLouvre,fitsintoanelongatedtriangle.Thebulkofhisbodyisbetweenthesidesofthetriangle,andbecausetheemphasisisonthestretchof his legs to the bottom left-hand corner of the picture there is a strongdynamicthatsuggestsheisundersomeduress–perhapsaprisoner.

Heretheedgesoftheframeareplacedsothatthefigureappearstostretchfromtheupperright-handcornertothelowerleft-handcorner.Thecentreofthe picture is taken up by the torso and hips and the figure is just aboutbalancedbetween theupperand lowerpartsof thediagonal line.Youwillfindthatitisquiteoftenthespacesleftbythefiguresthathelptodefinethedynamicsofyourpictureandcreatedramaandinterest.

HANDYHINTLooking for simple geometric shapes such as triangles and squareswillhelp you to see the overall form of the figure and achieve a cohesivecompositionwithinyourformat.

Foranexampleofathree-figurecompositionIhavedrawnTheThreeGracesby Peter Paul Rubens, the great master painter of Flanders. He posed hismodels in the traditional dance of the Graces, hands intertwined. Theirstances create a definite depth of space, with a rhythm across the picturehelpedbytheflimsypieceofdraperyusedasaconnectingdevice.Theflowof the arms as they embrace each other also acts as a lateral movementacrossthepicture,soalthoughthesearethreeuprightfigures,themovementacrossthepictureisveryevident.Thespacesbetweenthewomenseemwellarticulated,partlyduetotheirsturdylimbs.

I based this drawing on Botticelli’s pictureVenus andMars,which can beseen in London’sNationalGallery, inwhich the reclining figureofMars istotally surrendered to sleep. As a reclining figure it is one of the mostrelaxed-lookingexamplesofahumanfigure.

RelaxedposesHere the basis of the pose is relaxed, without the active dynamism of theposeswewillseeontheoppositepage.Thisisofcoursetheeasiestwaytoposeamodel,becausemostpeoplecankeepstillinacomfortablerecliningorsittingposition.Whenyouwanttodolonger,moredetaileddrawingsyouwillalwayshavetorelyonmorestaticposes.

Sittinguprightonthefloor,thegirlhasherlegsbent,onetuckedunderneaththe other. Her fashionable appearance and thewine glass on the floor infrontofherhelps togiveastaticeasy-goingcomposition.Thearrangementof the legscrossingeachotherand thearmsbentaround the torsohelp togiveafairlycompactappearancetothearrangement.

In a classic fashionpose, thismodel is thrusting out one hipandboth herelbowsandbentkneearealsopushedouttocreatestronganglesallalongthelengthofthebody.Althoughweareawarethatthisisastaticpose,ithasthemovementimplicitintheangled,archedtorso,theunevenbendingofthearms, one to the head, one to the hip, and the attitude of head, feet andshoulders.Ithasthelookofadancemovement,whichhelpstomaintainthedynamic;thecloseframingofthefigurehelps.

Socialsettingsoutsidetendtobemoredynamicintermsofbodymovementsand poses. Here, a group of young people are seen at a garden partyagainstabackgroundoffoliageandroofs.

MovingfiguresPhotographsareagreatboontotheartistwantingtodiscoverjusthowthepartsofthebodyrelatetoeachotherasthemodelmoves,buttheyshouldbeusedwithcautionascopyingfromaphotographcanproducesterileresults.Anartistshouldbelookingnotjusttomakeanaccuratedrawingoflinesandshapesbutalsotoexpress thefeelingof theoccasioninawaythatcanbeunderstoodbytheviewer: lookparticularlyat thestylesofdepictionchosenhere. Study photographs, but stamp your own mark as an artist on yourdrawings.

Thefiguresshownherearequitepreciselybasedonphotographsofpeoplewalkingandrunning.Aphotographgivesyouoneparticularmomentintheactionandbecauseyoucandrawitwithapreciseline,giventhebenefitofastill image from which to copy, the final result tends to look slightlyformalized. Thisproducesa certain stiffness in thedrawingwhich you canovercomebymoredirectexperience.

This drawingof a leapingman showshow the left leg is bent asmuchaspossiblewhile the right leg isextended.The torso is leaning forward,as isthehead,and thearmsare liftedabove the shoulders to help increasehiselevation.

Thegirlinaballetleapshowshowshehasextendedherlegsasfarasshecan in both directions, pointing the toes, arching the back with the armsextendedandtheheadbackcreatingatypicaldanceposeinmid-air.

HANDYHINTNoticehowthepencilmarkscanbemadetoreflecttheenergyandsenseofurgencyinthesubjectmatter.

DRAWINGFRIENDSThe greatest difficultywhendrawing your friends is to persuade them to sitstillforlongenough.Aprofessionalmodelisaccustomedtoholdingaposeforquiteawhile,butyoumayneedtoofferyourfriendssomeinducementstogetthemtodothesame.Don’ttrytomakethemremainstillfortoolong,though–evenprofessionalmodelsgetrestsinbetweenposingandsomeonenotusedtoitmayfinditdifficulttositstillforlongerthan20minutes.Nevertheless,inthattimeyoushouldbeabletotakeinthewholefigure,evenif it isnotverydetailed,andyouwillgainexcellentdrawingpractice.

Indoors,makesurethatyousitnearalargewindowbutagainwithoutdirectsunlight fallinginto theroom.Placeyourselfsideonto thewindowandget

yourfriendtositinaninterestingbutcomfortablepose–nottoocomplicatedortheywillfinditdifficulttomaintaintheposition.

HANDYHINTDrawoutdoorsaswellwhenyouareabletobecausethelightisdifferentandyoucanoftenseemuchmoreclearlywhenthelightisallaroundthefigure.Trytodoitonadayonwhichthesunisnotstrong:acloudywarmdayisbest,becausethelightisevenandtheformsofthefigureshowmoreclearly.

CreatingasettingGivenwhatyouhavelearnedonthepreviouspages,trymakingsomemoredetaileddrawingsandcomposingthemtogetherinasetting.Belowyou’llseehow I have taken three separate figure drawings and arranged them in aparksetting.

Onthefollowingpagesareexamplesofhowartistshaveplacedfiguresinavarietyofsettings.

FIGURES IN INTERIORS ANDEXTERIORSWhen you are drawing figure compositions the scene has to be set in somelocation,eitherinsideoroutside,oryourfigureswillbeappeartobefloatinginlimbo.

In this compositionbyartist PeterKuhfeld, thenudegirl in his studio facestowards thewindow, castinga reflection ina largemirrorbehindher thatshowsheroppositesideandthewindowlookingoutacrossgardens.Ineffectwe see two figures from different angles. This creates depth and addedinterest in thepictureandwe feelweonlyneed to seea littlemore toonesidetoviewtheartistalsomirroredinthescene.

In this outdoor scene, also by Peter Kuhfeld, a girl is seated reading at atable in thegarden.She is surroundedby flowersand foliageand there isjusttheindicationofawindowinthebackground.Thetablehasbeenusedforrefreshmentsandperhapsonceagainthepresenceoftheartistishintedatintheutensilsonthetable.Aswiththenudegirlinthestudio,thisisaveryintimatescenebuttheenclosedspaceisnowoutsideandweunderstandthe

open-airfeelwiththeexpanseofwhitetablecloth,ironchairsandabundantsurroundingvegetation.

TheartistMichaelAndrewspaintedapictureofhimselfandhisdaughterinarockpool,whereheishelpingher to learn toswim.Herehehasobviouslyusedphotographicimagerytoproducethisratherattractivepaintingandheusestherefractionandripplingeffectwellindepictingthepartsofthebodybelowwater.Hehasreducedthesplashestoaminimum,makingthemshowup sharply against the dark depths of the pool. The balance of the large,almost vertical figure and the small horizontal one helps to create aninterestingcompositionalelement.

This example is from another painting by Michael Andrews of a mancrashingtothegroundonapavement.Theineffectualmovementofthearmsandhandswillobviouslynotsavehimfromthebumpandthemovementofthecoatandtrousersindicatethepassagethroughtheairofhisdescent.Allthis goes to make a remarkable piece of work. In the background of theoriginal is awomanwith her hands to her face, shocked by the accident,whichhelpstoincreasetheeffectofthefallingbody.

DIFFERENTMEDIAThissectionofthebookshowssomeexamplesofhowartistshavedrawnthehumanfigureintheirownstyle,usingarangeofmediaandmethods.Thereisnoreallimittothewaythatyoucanusedifferentmaterialsindrawing.

PencilDavid Hockney is a major draughtsman of the modern art scene. Theexamples of his work illustrated on this page show a relativelystraightforwardwayofdrawingthehumanfigure.

Thisportraitof filmdirectorBillyWilder (above)wasdrawnbyHockney in1976.

He is sitting in a director’s chair, the script in his hands underlining hisprofession.

The drawing ismostly just a pencil line with some carefully chosen areas offine-toned hatching. The whole is a tour de force of almost classical pencildrawing.

PenandinkHockney’s picture of Henry Geldzahler (above), drawn in Italy in 1973,shows his friend relaxing in a big tubular steel chair out in the garden,drawnwithathin,precisepen-line.

The two diagrams show themethod Hockney used, drawingwith a clutchpencilwith2B

leadsandafine-linegraphicpen.

PastelDegas’spasteldrawingofaballetdancerpractisingpointexercisesisoneofmanyheproducedduring the1860s.Hisbrilliantuseofpastelgivesgreatsoftness and roundness to the form and his masterly draughtsmanshipensuresthatnotamarkiswasted.Thisisaveryattractivemediumforfigurestudiesbecauseofitsspeedandtheabilitytoblendthetoneseasily.

Pastel goes onquite quickly and easily but a careful handlingof the tonalareas is necessary to build up the tone rather than try to achieve the finalresultinoneattempt.

BrushandwashThisdrawingmadebytheItalianmasterGuercinoin1616wasasketchfora small devotional picture of theAnnunciation,with thearchangelGabrieldescendingfromheavenbearingalily,symbolofMary’spurity.ThelineininkwhichGuercinousestotraceoutthefigures,althoughsensitive,alsohasaconfidenceabout itwhichshowshisgreatability.Thedrawinghasareasoftonewashedinwithwatered-downinkandthewetbrushhasalsoblurredsomeofthelines.Hishandlingofdarkareascontrastingwithlightisbrilliant,showingwhyhisdrawingsaresomuchsoughtafterbycollectors.

This illustrationshows theuseofpenwithwash,alternating the fine lineofthe penwith the floating on of tonewhich blurs some of the areaswhereroundnessisneeded.

HANDYHINTWitheachartist’sworkIhaveshownthematerialusedandsuggestedhowit might have been handled. There are many other media and toolsavailable,sogiveeverythingagountilyoufeelyouhavediscoveredwhatbestsuitsyourtemperamentanddevelopingstyle.