Ex.1, The structure of the human body
To better understand some of the underlying muscle structure in the core of the body and to help further develop my Life Model Drawing I drew some images from Woods ‘Life Drawing’ book. As I drew I could recognise what muscles were responsible for some of the curves and shapes I have seen as I have drawn models, and how the skin outline varies from one muscle to another.
From several years of Life Drawing classes I have learned about the following guideline proportions for drawing the human body.
As a rough guide the adult human body is about 7-8 heads tall. When the male form is measured in this way it is more often 8 heads tall, and the female 7.5 in reference books.
Of course, if drawing from a live model it is really important to measure each time as there is such variety with each individual.
The belly button is about 3 heads down the body.
The elbow aligns with the belly button.
In a profile view, the buttocks generally protrude further than the shoulder blades. Additionally, in a male, the calves often protrude even further. (Beazley)
When drawing the face there are more helpful ‘suggestions’, such as:
The eyes come approximately half way down the head. The gap between each eye is about an eye width.
The end of the nose, is about halfway from the eyes to the chin, and the lower lip is about half of the space between the end of the nose and the chin.
The width of the mouth is roughly from pupil to pupil in the eye.
The flared part of the nose is roughly the equivalent of the gap between the eyes.
The ears, on a front facing model start around the eyeline and end around the bottom of the nose.
Interestingly, many of these ‘measurements’ are all shown in these beautiful drawings of the body and head proportions by Avard Fairbanks. All these annotated drawings were apparently used in E. F. Fairbanks book about ‘Human Proportions for Artists’.
This is fascinating to look at and the measurements are very precise, but despite this care, they cannot, of course, apply to all humans, and some of the drawings conflict with what you might read elsewhere. For example a different source (Beazley) claims (as stated earlier in my own words):
‘In a profile view, the buttocks generally protrude further than the shoulder blades. Additionally, in a male, the calves often protrude even further. (Beazley)
These drawings of the male in profile do not conform to that. It highlights how observation of the model is the prime reference, and to ‘draw what you see, not what you think you know’.
What these detailed drawings also do is give us a reference for the length of one limb compared to another for example. These drawings measure the height as 8 head heights, which I often find in my drawings, makes the head look a little too small. This change from 7-7.5 heads of course impacts the other reference points made earlier about where the belly button is in relation to the head for example.
Other sources I have read claim that the Ancient Greeks and Romans or even an illustrator nowadays will use an 8-head height figure if they wanted to make the figure look more athletic and give them more of a physical presence and sense of power.
Cartoonists and illustrators often manipulate these body ratios to emphasise different character attributes. (Blair)
However, a measurement that did surprise me is in the outstretched arm, and how the upper arm is noticeably longer than the lower part of the arm. This is also reflected in this skeleton illustration (Simblet)
I am often surprised by the line of the hips too, imagining that they just swell out from the torso in a smooth flowing line. Instead there are more ‘bumps’ than I expect, but when I compare these outlines to this skeleton also featured in the Simblet book it helps me understand why this is, as the top of the femur bone creates the additional bulge I am referring to.
This first set of ink block drawings and brush are quick sketches of my own hand. Of course, being right handed they are all of my left hand. I enjoyed how instant the drawings were. Choosing to use a different colour for each one helps to see each sketch individually.
The second set of drawings are based on photographs from books and found images. It allowed me to draw hands in different angles and perspectives as I felt I had exhausted the limited range of views I could get from my own hand. I tried to use a variety of media. They are all quick sketches. It also allowed me to draw different styles of hands.
I moved onto some quick sketches of feet in a variety of positions, again in a variety of media in my A4 sketchbook.
I found a picture of hands that I liked and thought they would be a challenge to draw in a little more detail to contrast with the prior sketches. I was also keen to experiment with my conte pencils. I used a Sanguine, Sepia and some charcoal conte pencils, as well as a Pierre Noire B. Additionally, the first layers I applied were from the range of Cretacolor ‘Brown Hard Pastels’. The blending sticks were helpful in moderating transitions of colour and tone.
I really enjoyed working with this range of media that is relatively new to me and I was keen to keep exploring their application and capabilities with some more, quicker drawings of other body parts.
I was interested in these aspects of the body for the way they highlighted the musculature of the man’s chest and the skeleton structure, so visible in the very slim female torso image.
This rear view of a female torso also helps further my understanding of the structure of the torso from the back.
The feet drawing gave me a chance to spend a bit more time on drawing them from a perspective I had not yet drawn, whilst exploring the media further.
I wanted to find an images that looked in more details at the muscles of the lower leg and the arm muscles. These drawings allowed me to do that. Finally, I wanted to explore the musculature and bony structures of a knee, both bent and in a standing position.
I was conscious to try and make the transitions of light and shade as smooth and accurate as possible, recognising that lighter areas aren’t necessarily ‘light’ or ‘white’ but that it is relative and might actually be quite toned dependent upon the tone they are next to. I was aiming, in this to really create a sense of 3D form.
I really enjoyed this exercise, learning a lot about specific areas of the body and the muscle and skeletal structures beneath the skin. I also found that I really enjoyed using the hard brown pastels and conte pencils together and I think they really lend themselves to the ‘Human Body’ context.
References
BEAZLEY Mitchell, (2007), ‘Body Parts’, Octopus Publishing Group Limited, London
BLAIR, Preston, (1949), ‘Animation, Learn how to draw Animated Cartoons’, Published by Walter T Foster
FAIRBANKS A. T, (2011), ‘Wikipedia Body Proportions’ [online]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Drawing_of_proportions_of_the_male_and_female_figure,_1936.jpg#/media/File:Drawing_of_proportions_of_the_male_and_female_figure,_1936.jpg
FARAUT, Philippe and Charisse, (2013), ‘Figure Sculpting, Vol.1, Planes and Construction Techniques in Clay’, PCF Studios Ltd, New York
FARAUT, Philippe and Charisse, (2011), ‘Modelage de Portraits en Argile, Techniques avancée’, PCF Studios Ltd, Paris
FARAUT, Philippe and Charisse, (2011), ‘Modelage de Portraits en Argile Vol.2, Anatomie et Expressions du Visage’, PCF Studios Ltd, Paris
FARAUT, Philippe and Charisse, (2013), ‘Figure Sculpting, Vol.1, Planes and Construction Techniques in Clay’, PCF Studios Ltd, New York
SIMBLET, Sarah, (2001), ‘Anatomy for the Artist’, Dorling Kindersley Limited, London
WOODS, Bridget (2010), ‘Life Drawings, A Journey to Self Expression’, The Crowood Press, Marlborough
Ex.2 – Three Figure Drawings
Using different tools, materials and supports, create three drawings:
1.Standing
2. Seated
3. Lounging
I wanted to draw up a male model for this first pose and found a powerful, muscly looking model on Croquis Café. I thought this would allow me to show my understanding of the supports of the body more effectively as required by the exercise.
Initially I had lots of trouble working out angles and relationships and this first photo shows three separate attempts in conte, chalk and then charcoal pencil. The figure is quite stocky and his head to body ration was much less than the often quoted 7-7.5 heads.
I have previously found drawing standing figures more challenging than seated or compact figures as there are less negative spaces and angles to cross reference against each other as you draw.
I constantly visually checked angles and head-height ratios and positioning using a pencil held at arms-length. I found the constant checking and trying to ensure everything was correct with each mark was exhausting and took away the fluidity of the drawing, resulting in a fairly lifeless, stilted drawing. It became a tight drawing rather than allowing any expression of my own developing style and this impacted the enjoyment of the task. I felt I just wanted it done as quickly as possible. However, it took possibly about three hours to draw rather than the 30-60 minute suggestion.
I found a piece of board backing a large drawing pad and thought that would make a different and interesting base for me to work on. It had some texture, and the grey mid-tone would allow me to use highlight and shade colours rather than relying on the paper colour for highlights.
Once I was happy with the charcoal outlines I erased them to leave a rough outline, as I intended to complete the drawing with conte pencils. I thought these would lend themselves to this drawing in particular as the models skin colour comprised a range of warm golden tones. He appeared to be of Asian ethnicity.
I was relieved to bring the figure to a point where I felt it was as finished as I would take it. I was annoyed I had spent so much time on it and had so many false starts. The pressure I put on myself to use all the skills I have been developing in this unit was detrimental to this drawing. I felt constrained and resolved that the next two drawings would be much more instant, instinctive and fluid. I could not even bring myself to add any suggestion of a background in this drawing at this time, as I had enough of this image and resolved to have a break from it and do that at the end of this whole exercise.
Wanting to be a bit more experimental in my next drawing I decided to try and use a canvas board. I was keen to try out the Derwent Inktense blocks I had received for Christmas.
I laid a background of vertical colours that linked with the colourings of the model. These went on well and I liked the coloured background rather than the stark white of the board. I used a Derwent Inktense pencil to draw the model up and was excited to be able to experiment with the blocks. However, I very quickly realised that they were not working well or easy to manipulate on this heavy textured board. They skated over the surface and the effect was not at all the dynamic one I was hoping to achieve. I decided that this was not the right medium for this type of base.
I wanted to continue trying out the Ink blocks and so chose some white card as a base. Again I laid a similar set of base tones on the page and used a Derwent Inktense pencil to quickly re-draw up the figure. This more closed, compact composition gave more points of cross-reference to check the composition and alignments as the drawing grew. The crossed legs created challenging foreshortening.
After my frustration from the previous attempt I was keen to redraw the figure, forgetting my learning from a previous exercise about the importance of drawing the supporting framework of the chair first. Nonetheless, when I did come to adding the chair I was very relieved that it did just seem to ‘fit’ the model fairly accurately. I wanted the chair to take second place to the model and so left it in lighter tones.
I know the overall tones are very limited, but I was driven to complete this exercise within the 60 minute time frame and just accept what was achieved in this time. It has the effect of an under-drawing for a painting. However, ultimately I was disappointed with the neck area being overly long but I do feel the other limb parts are correctly proportioned. On reflection, I can see now that the shoulder tone is too dark, and that other tones nearer to the viewer should be darker. There is a clunkiness to the graduation of tones that is quite primitive. The lines are too uniform in thickness and tone, and that the tones I have used on the legs do not help the limb to appear to recede. I also stayed with mostly using the pencils as I felt the blocks were too chunky. However, perhaps if I had been bolder the completed drawing might have been more exciting.
I have resolved that mistakes are ok as long as I can reflect on what, why, how and the implications for the future. I am aiming to make quicker progress with my studying, and learning to ‘leave’ an attempt alone is something I must just acclimatise to, and accept it as part of the learning and growing process.
Disappointed with both of the first two parts of this exercise I wanted to be even more instinctive in my drawing and take the pressure of myself to create ‘the best’ I can do every time, and the instinct to ‘re-do’ it if it isn’t working.
With this in mind, and feeling determined to ‘just let it happen’ and not feel so tightly constrained by ensuring that I had adhered to this principle or that check and double check I just wanted to draw freely and instinctively. I find all the checking is exhausting and results in really tight drawings that frustrate me. So, with this adrenaline building, I picked up a gel pen and quickly sketched the outline of a reclining figure on some tan card. Mistakes were there in all their glory. The permanence meant they could not be hidden. I didn’t know what other medium I was going to use at this stage. Standing back briefly I could see the right arm needed adjusting.
Looking around at my drawing utensils laid out on the table, wondering what to use next, I saw the Neocolor II pastels that I have tried without success many times. This was it. I was just going to ‘go for it’, and accept whatever happened.
The initial marks were quite brutal. I laid in the shaded area, thinking of my learning in the Classical Atelier drawing books (Aristides) about blocks of tone over the body, I laid these in first. I tested a white crayon to see if it would be white on the pale card. It seems it would.
When I ran the water laden brush over the colours, they seemed to all but disappear. I worked ontop of this first wash to build up the tones more, conscious all the time to be aware of the structure beneath the skin…. the musculature and skeleton.
I worked quickly and think this whole ‘instinctive’ drawing took about 45 minutes. This is the most successful of the three drawings, and the most exciting and rewarding to draw. The medium worked well together and worked well on this support. There is a good range of tonal variation. It has energy and life. The sketchy initial lines with the gel pen have been pushed back, so much that the redrawing of the right arm is barely noticeable. The selection of the brown gel pen was fortuitous. I had thought I would go for a light colour but at the last moment thought a darker skin tone would be less forgiving and make me think more about the initial marks I was making without overdoing any perceived pressure to ‘get it right’. The blending of the colours with a brush and water ensures gradual changes of tones, which in turn help to create the 3D form more successfully. The dark toned background pushes the model forward and creates contrast especially where the highlighted parts of the body form the ‘edge’ of the limb. I think this drawing also shows an awareness of the structures beneath the skin.
Of course, this semi-closed image with lots of cross references for positioning and angles also made the initial drawing stage a little easier. I did not consciously measure the head height. I did occasionally check angles and positioning with a pencil held at arms length, but the drive was to work quickly without feeling the weight of any perceived ‘rules’. I trusted my eye and hand to have absorbed what I needed to know and, in this instance, for this drawing, it worked.
Reflection
My biggest learning from this particular exercise was just to trust my own ability and intuition and not to allow myself to become ‘rule bound’. The exercises, research and readings completed within this unit have undoubtedly helped to grown my understanding of how to draw the human form but I must experiment with letting this learning be absorbed to become part of my unconscious awareness rather than allowing them to inhibit and constrain my ability and enjoyment of the drawing experience. These ‘rules’ are tools I can use to check and recheck, they are not necessarily the scaffolding I have to put in place before I begin to draw. That feeling of being ‘rule-bound’ creates a fear for me and takes me further away from creating the looser style of art that I want to develop. I hope I can maintain this feeling of lightness and excitement that came with the third drawing in this exercise. My art style is what it is, and I must allow it to grow and not feel I have to ‘force’ it into a space or style that it does not want to be.
Cathy's OCA Drawing 1 Blog 
