D

ING

THE HUMAN BODY

fL
Slcrling Publishing Co., Inc.
N EW YO RK

.,.

'- ..I

Librar), of Con gre"

Ca ll1loging-in~Pu bliClll ion

Data Anilable

10987654321

Publ ished in 2004 by Stefl",!; l'ublishillg C..o., lnC".

381l'ark A''l'flur SOUlh, N~'WYork. NY 101.116
O,,~Uy published in Spain in 200J under ,"" lilk Dibt<JO M l'iJIum H ununa by

l':lrnmon Edicioona, S....., Bored-on.., SiUlI1

Copyri.,nl 0 2003 by 1'2rnIllIon Edic:ioncl, s.".
English In rublioo copyrislu 0 2004 by Stcrlong Publishing Co.. Inc.
Distributed in Canaoh by Scerling Puhli shi ng
clo C>"wian M3nt:b Croup
One "tlantic Avenue, Suite 105
10"'['\ Ont:lrio, Canado M6K JE7
Dimibtlwd in Creal Uritain by C hrylis Book:!
64 BI't'Wff)' Rood, llHldon, Eugl.:md N7 'INT

l>isIribun:d in "U5mIIU by CapnC()I'"n Link

("'~raI.G)

I!O Box 704. Wind!o.-.A"strili. NSW 2156

Pf)ntl-d

li t S~jn

All roghTS I"e>C'f\'Cd

Slc.HIlS ISBN: 1-4027- 1148-4

l'ty ltd.

ING
THE HUMAN BODY

lnlroduction 6

STUDY OF THE NUDE FIGURE 8

The Body and Its Proportions 10
Pmbl"llU in Drawi ng Ih" Huma n Figure 12
B3sic HUIll31l l'roportio'L~ 14
Proportions of th" Fcm~ l" Figu re 1 H

TIl" C hild Moe'd 20

Elderly .1ond Obese r-igu res n

Basic Anatomy and Synthesis 24

Tho, H ead and Face 26
Th" l bno: From and I3ack Views 111
The Uppc:r and Lo\,:er u rnbs 30
The I-b n<b: Structure and O utline 31
The Pelvis: ' n ,c Shape of the Hips ]4
The FeL't: Inner Structure and Form ]6

CONSTRUCTING THE FIGURE 38

A Well-Proportioned Drawing 40
The Un il S}1item: MeOl5u ring the Body 4~
Gcornelry of the: H uman Body 44
The Gc:omelric Sketch; Struct uring th" Whole
from Simple Forms 46
Symho,tic Colltour and {jnc Control. 48
The Virtues of Doing Studie$: A Good Form of Pnctice 50

Lines and Rhythm of the Figure

'n le Inn","

Rhythm of the Figure 54

111e Soft line ~ nd lIS Modu\alion 56

Tu rni ng SpOtS into Forms 58

5~

ATTITUDES Of
HUMAN fiGURE: THE POSE 60
III THE
Analp:ing Poses and Gcsllircs 6z

111,' F.'1 ui libmu ll of th., 1'oM- 14V,II)'iuI: d ...'! \>llli of V, ... \\, (>I,

'"

C:o" nlt'n l~,I<I : I)r:lwm~ Nq~.1U\'t'

Sp...... 1>11
ofSo..iul! th., I' il-"m:: Open amI C los.:d .... ppro:lc hes 70
11,.- ~ ."Htill~ I'l l'" UI" CUIIII':lpc><rn 71
s.J.....t ~n" 1l....1illllllo: Fi)!lIn-s 74
I~l<t .m.! MOlion :'!"h.' I!xpn."lo~i ..... ti n e 7(1
I)r;lWUl): lill' H id,I" 1I I'"n. "f, 11(' Botly 7~
Fo,",... horr.nin)!: 1lr.1\\ ;111-\ lh,' Nmk ill I\ 'rs!":c!!"", Ro
WJ~'"

IV

LIG HT AND SHADOW IN THE

HUMAN f i GURE 82
Tonal Techniques R4
Th.' EtK(1 uf U )!ht 0 11 till" N ud. X6
Sh'[d'IIlt!" '1' }II:lIIlr.l \\'i lll: loiN
Th., I'run-..s of H .ltchm~ C":~ {mt! V"hunc ')0
EIT'X'b of Volum, ').!.
l :hialUsnlru Effn:I~: Workiu)! w llh Absol.u., CoUIT::I$1 94

The Clothed Human Figure 96

St udyiU)! the Inne r St nlCn'n' o f d l<' Body 98
(:IOfhi n~ ami 11.,IJs: Cn:~ti llg T... lI:lll r:d Effccu 100
Th~ Dr.'I"; Rhrthtll~ ~tld Wr;lIkk-t to'!
Th.. I'i~ltn.. :lml 11_, <';<>1110::)(1 104

TEXTURES AND EFFECTS 106

Arti s l'~ Resources 108
It.:ndainJ! 1111' II ltllO!oph....,, Aml1ll<1 the Fij..'Urt: 110
Cnating Vohllll .. wilh Ac .....1tt~ III
C"'r~rnnh Wilhmll Er.lsiUI( 114
UI"'1l('in~ to Di,,'olw COlli ours IU')
Er.lsill~ 0l'milll( Up Spaces li S
[:I;I1I\:,-. i\,<, Li,I<'~: Il..Il)Ihm am' Tcll~ioll 129
Hair T.)(tl1 rt' Ill
":.
Th e Q\la l ilte~ o fdl<' Skin 124
(.

The

,.

STEP BY STEP 126

Til .. Nud... Figl ln' ill Charco.11:T hc O ll ll;n<, I~II
Uu;lding:l fip;un' fmlll Gl-"()III<"ITIC r"nm~. 130
Dr.'Iwillg ~ SL1 l1din,:: Figure: T h e ( Al41Ir.1posttl Ip
TIlt" Figu re Fo.-..... hnT\CIIl--d: Dr~w",};
tit" 1;"l1Ial" N ude 114
Uu ikling Olt Suins 13ti
Fil,'l.If'" wi th 01l~~lI ro Effl'CU I )~
n", M11e Fib'Ure frol1l thc\V,!ist Up 140
Th" profile:Th" Impor L1ncc ofConlol1r 14:t
A C lo thl.. ) FiKllrr: f-01<l,' .mdT..lm,r.-,; 14-1
Moddins the Figu.... in I~~ds and C halk 14ti
lillI' Dr-twing o f a I' igure 148
Modding FI~h Tones 150
Fib'lIre of a Young Woman .ll1d :I Gi rl o n lit" Lkach Ip
Imnior with At1111"l'hc ri c l:i ~Lm.. 1!i4
Port r~i t 0(:1 Fi!!lln' in Silv."rl'nilll ISf)

Index 159

YIW FIGURE
AS ARTISTS OBJECTIVE
he popularity that drawi ng the human figu re has
achieved over t he course of histo~ is rcl\.~OIl enough to
~ttract the arti.~t to its practice. Drawing with the perfection
th"' t we observe in the great masters is a seemingly difficult
task, for there arc technical challenges in drawing the
human figu re that are absen t with other subjt:cts. This
compels us to put into practice I.--vt:rything we k now about
drawing in order to <ldcquatcly solve: such problems as th e
proportion o f the limbs in rel<ltion to the whole body and
the representation of volume. joints, and muscle tonc.
Dnwing the human body pn.'Sents a greater challenge than
any other subject. bcc;luSC bOth artist and vit"Wt.'T arc
intim3t"ly ramiliar with the body's proportions and the
physiology or the hu man figure. Here, evcn a small mi~take
in drawing become; evident. For th is reason, an artist w ho
GI n masterfully draw landscapt"S, still l i~"S, or interiors may
make mistakt'S when drawing the human figurc.We o h:en
find the artist exaggerating depth and ro rms- w hich
cannOt always be read as a product orhis particui:lr
interpretation, but o r the need to disguise shortcomings and
inexperience in drawings or this n!lturt'.
....

Drawing the huma n

figure requires a
curious gaze and a
w ill to kee p practicing
even

if o ur first

drawings fail.
Observ ing a nd
d rawing the human
fig ure regu larly allows
us to adjust o ur vuu al
memory 10 physkal

forms, body language,

and facial expression s
in diffc rcm siruations.

Wc wi ll show in this book IhM drawing th c human body

m:w nOI be so d ifficult. S l~ rti ll g fro ln a simp le base and
~pplyi ng a ~rks of t..icks and tt-clmiques, Ihe reader will
find himself :l.ble to adequatdy rcnd~r a nud e fib'\ue. The
IltIde is 10 be considered an ideal model fo r :I. full sludy o f
for1l1~ and light. For th ~ l'l'ason , w hen drawi ng ~ n ude
bod~', il is impoTullt to stu dy the model's ll natonlY, and also
the lighting, bccllusr ligllting plays a ro le 111 l1lakil1~ th e
~ll'>C of deptll and rcl ilf 1Il0rc--or Icss-promine nr.
Pnicticing dlis kind of dnwin g sharpens vim:!1 perce ptio n
al tlw same ti me that it CXlrci.~C'$ o ur abil ity to <kp ict
fomL'o.Thc human figure is a high ly suggesti\'C aud
C\'OC1Iti\'c subj ect, which l-a n b e appro:1chcd from m any
different perspe ctives and individulll styles wid lout dilu ting
It~ l"S~ncc . From an acadcmic poim of view, dn wi ng the
lll1d(' i~ Ihe bcst form of disci plillc beca use it forces the
mist to pay attention to propo rtion and tcadll'S th e skillfu l
a k ulation of orgotnicall y coordinatcd forms and sizes; from
In iuterpreti\,(, point o f view. it allows liS 10 give free rein
to form and comour.

,
i

"

,
i

STUDY OF THE

"

.
,

~
~

N~

~-

.
~1
.u. .
~1

"

PROPORTIONS
I n onk-r

to propt'rl y introduce the study or the human figure.

let us SCI forth a few gcncnl guidclinC'S that will allow us to

draw any figure. using 3 system of proportions that can be

adjusted 10 the view \ Ile have :1[ any given moment. Pro portion
is the equilibriulll of mc~surclllc ntl; that l'Stablish h~rlllony
among o bjects-in this C3SC. among the p.IrtS of the human
body. Although today artistic licensc <l lIow$ the dr.lwillg of
figu~ with specific stylistic quirla. it will be easier for the
novice to begin by following a sct of rules that will help him to
draw a wcU- pmportiom:d figure.

"

",
j
~

PROBLEMS t/l/ DRAWING

II/{,

H UMA N FIGURE

given era, learning to draw the human figure.

Igoolnw any
lK'tller nude or clothed. is perha ps the foremost
of any painter. The nude is the most beautiful
and complex of subjects. and is oltcn considered the
arti~('s greatest challenge. Although drawing the nude
figure is widely coll$idcrcd to be very difficult, it is in
fact generally easier than than a portrait, b<x:al1.~C it
docs not requ ire that tile artist focus on (aLia! details.

Figural Problcnu
Drdwing tllt~ human body tjuircs the artist to g.1thcr
all of her skills in working with real form :lI1d
volume. As a subject. the hUIIl;m figure rc..-quires that
we put into practice an entire set of representational
skills as we arrange the limbs in a proportional
relationship [0 the body; it also lUjuircs dlC
representation of VOllllllc:5. articulatiolL~, planes, and
simple forms and their combination into more
complex ones. Once we can accura tel y render the
hum:m figure, it i~ SlIfe to say that we can also take on
any other subject, no maner how complicated it may
appear.

Syulhesis, M redudugj01It1S 10
1111:;. "Ss",,;,,1(ffl,lenl, is " kry

.forM.;II Jmll~"1$! (M'frt/y.

,I

In ""orr 10 ,,,,d'TSI<I/,d Ilu:jig.,.", iI ;s first

lIessary 10 ,,,,dm lll,,d ii, i" "", slmll" /"/'.
Ht mllSI oosr'rW IIIId ilifCr ",hal is biMrn
Imdrmcallr <Vt7)' ptJ5t.

"

!.

i
"

\.

The Secret of Simple Forms

He re's a strategy for approaching
till: challcnges of representing the
h u man fib'llrc: first. figu~ o ut a
surting point for the fib'1.l I"C based
o n siInplc fo rms that adjust to the
comoul"S of the body (we will sec
this in the: following d laptcrs);
d1t.'fl, work with these forms until
you arrive at a convincing and
recognizable structure. From there,
lhc proportions Illilst b e carefully
cst:lblishcd . making sure that the
fi guTt has a proper equilibrium;
this is especially imporum w hen
d rawing sr:lIldillg figures. Don't be
d iscouraged by your first
drawings, w hich will most likely
look like c rudely made dolls-a
jumble o f skCldl),. ill- fittin g fo rms.
The best way to sun is to reduce
co mplex fonm into simpler OIlI"S.

By {"''''';'';''.~ .ynllttsis ",jIll 'l"""a"cit}~

IWO tld,i<vc' " Hlt>rr f').l'rt1.J.;W fi1!"If',

Slnrtil'!/lj.om" S;""'" aurUnt', 'l"

r..., ..w.V' " ~,.it sktrll if lilt'

/""-

body.

A t""awing or the
hUlllan figure
, ho uld ~larl
with "n 0>",1
represcllling the
head, amI then"
"ertic~1 liue ror
the bo dy. We
the ll add the
111Of'll< " nd the
line or the h ips.
which C(lnnl.'(.'f5
the upper and
lower el<lremic;cl.

"

BASIC HUMAN
PROPORTIONS
dr:'l\vUlg IS collsidcn'd
figure's
appl':\rs

i1l ~ proporti oncd

wilen the
Ilor mal.or

hCJd
I;u"gcr than
when
A
thl' arms seelll too long o r too sho rt--in other
words, when the fib'lln' dcviatl':S from what We'
consider norm.'lI. To avoid d~~proporti0I1.1Iit)', we look
to the Jaws of proportio n :\s rcprcscntlx\ in :10
idl':\]izcd, cQIl\'cntionnl drawing o ftlle hl1 ll1;\u form,
ill other \\'ord~, Olle which possesses :l perfect
relationship b ctween the body's me;!SIlrc5. The way
we rcpn'SCU! [he hum,," figurt' roW)' is ba~cd on a
Greco-R oman model , thl' cbsskal Grcc k law of
proportion , which w:~~ ;tdopted by thl' Romans :lnd
h tcr rcSllrf:u:cd d uring the Rcnais.u ncc after
ccnnl ric$ o f disusc.

Body Height
Tho.: law of proportion for the hu ma n figur\' is based
on a unit of mcao;urClllcnt Ih,\I corresponds precisely
to the measurements of till' head. According to th e
d assicallaws o f propol'tion. the to tal height of dw
h UlIl ;m body should be.- t'CJual to seven and a ha lf
hcad~. or sc"en ;md a half uni ts. l'r.lxitclt:s's law
csrabl .~hcd a .ww idealization of the h o.nan body:
aceonling (0 this model, the 10ClI heigh t o f th e
,human body must equal eight he3ds. ln th e e~rly
twentieth centu ry, sciel]tif.c analysis set r1w prope r
h,,"ight of the h um,1n body at eight and a h ...Jf h,,"ads.
All o f tht'$(' models arc V31id, bur for our purposes. we
win usc the measurement of l'igh t h e-Ads to simplifY
our ~tudy of the acadt'1l1ic fi gu re.
n,e law 41,mll(J't ja" oo,M all c;J:/" Iw"ds ),jdds"
/"'IIIm ' bot/yoTI,e
/ljllisj"" of III(" bi>tly ;1110 lInilS st1"1'1':1 /IJ 0 rifNt"1(f' for
P'O/~'r1jollil'e "7''''St'/lliItj"II ,jt/w

("'rrflly dil ll jblll;'1j! mc/,

c-k, ....,,' if I/~ body.

()fir". ""ists ,dJ/ IIsr iI lilW ifl!nJI)""i~" /l"sed "',

'N' "n!<Is1N" ,I,r 1m",,,,, ,,,,,Jr. >u:J.~slj"J: " mon'
SI)1jzcd. (w"1!'lfed fi1!"" ,pith /I 1111)" rxprmior,jslit
( 1ItJf""n.

'i'1f~

- I

Mat('hin~ Units
A 1.\\\1 of pwpurtinn il.1SCci 011 un;'" I.~ u!ldid primarily
bc.'(;all~c it allows you 10 (:Ol1l p;lr<' th{' rod311omilip
between the l'xtrc nllul~ by rdi:rrlll g to the di \' ,~ions
betwee n th t' IIn it~.
In a prururuo nallllo<ld. thl' figuro: will be ci~ht

unit,

ttw:

(;111

,\11.1 two

UIl1 t);

w ide . EJdl UIlU is l" jllli to

Il'II~>1 h 01 th" h ...:Id.Th,' m ppk.. (oute,de- Wit h

numbe r twu. The armpi ts .lIsa cO lllcld(' W ith tinbord"riin,' bctwf','!l th,' ~c:colld :Ind third umn; and
1m.' na\'C1 IS iu.:;u.-d in Ulli l nUIllbc. r fo ur. Ulllt
IllllnDcT fnur .I1~t) 1II,lrk .. th l: i'lOlOltiun uf thl' dbows.
and is a f.,l rI ) I'rcn'IC lIla rk lor tht, hl.gllt of the
Ulil t

\\,;II~I . Tlw h;lJ llll~ .IS lOll!.: as the facl'. :lIId

Ill" I

IOC.lll,d ~' i~htly :lhCWl' Ih~ r.ixth unit. The l..nces . .

loc.lled III t1w clivI,ling line bc.'hVl,,'1l thl' Sixth and
s('vcmh tJ1Jil~.
The IIml ')'~I{' m alo;o kts U~ refe rt'nc~ oth~r
~1~ l1lic,l1I( PO IIII.~ thai .m: o f ~rc ;lt hdp in
unucrst:mding anatolll), ami 6(i lit;lli n ~ tlw
Tl'pn~nlallon tlf tlw lipln'; thc)' aft' al!\O :.

'rscilII

Width n:fen:nce w ilen WI: Iln...l to cheo.:k tile

D1tt'

IIll portol lll <k l lllrcJ IIOn~,

/o(".'f'rt. f"l" l ., ,IN b.Jy ..... ...

""d lI'idlll .f II.r b.Jdy (whd, 41 ,..-r

lltt' SW' p/IJK J,..",/ 1"''/ ,I.r ~I '" 11K diJMff'f

'l/f"oIJ"mI ;'~IJ. ~ ,...1101 'IJ,"" 11'1" ;""1"1' Imu~/N IJ,.'S "..",.,,.,.... <1 """,,,,,.,,.,..
nprril1l/y II,, " ...ns",r", ...m ~., ,I... Jrri,C/"
f('(dll, 11"'11/'/ r" ,~.II"., Ilr,,,It),

1
711f' ~"1I'
i~i"a'Y

li,l'I' I/MI

T he Q utliuc of t he Bo d y
The o utline that marks the limits of the body is
dcscribt-d by the llI uscul1r n:lie& of th .... body. Muscles
an.' fles hy Illasses tlut mold t he body. made up o f a
special tis.\ue tha t ha!i the pmpt'rly o f conrraeting and
changmg shape w hen the fi~'lI n' performs ~ 11 action.
T he forms we appreciate 0 11 tile surface o f the body
result from the volume of all dle muscle 111 :L~$t'!l,
inclucling Iht, deepcst o nl'S, bu t t h~' ones clO$(.-st to lilt'
surfal'e are o f grcater im el"t$! to the artist ,

di,';Ja III,. fmmal

''''''',11111'/111<".

i"", ,,"'. /1I1/If'S w"

als<> 1"')1'('11 ill II,r

n'Qr

virw '!i II...

1>,,,1),'111(' liur is
"h'li' "jsiblr ill I},r
n'lor '~(11' 11"",'oU '"
II,r ,jt!~" f ll'I'

spillr.

11,r Ii,,.. 1/101 m/!rl:s ,,,," spi....

,/""lft! fir J.m~' <IS lite lUis if
/)1",.. rl,); ,M. u'"Y. i, ,viU
srm- as " ,rf"mr for plati,,!!
1/1(' '''7r'~ ,11/1(' h.mJ' ,." ,';I/,r,
/!II!! of I"l' h"Jy.

The Bac k
W hen a figu re is pictu red from the back, rlw first
feature that \\"l ' no t ice is the d ,:ar dcfinitiOIl of the
fi gure's wrtical ~xis. The line marking the verti cal axis
i ~ aCCL'I1Hlatec! by tile backbone, by thl' ri dh'C that the
spine fo r ms, by the se pararioll o f t hl.' bUllocks. ~ n d by
till' line describi ng th e insidl' o f the legs.

"11... fIIr W
tlnnilJ6

Ih~

Ihal

Spill".

mid IIII' r;>;ll'I"",,,

f{ 'lu"s Ii", dot'.?"(1

IIlt'jt-rl. iJ il !luidto

r.

'f)\

'J

ft. WI',,,ri,,!! II",

flgllrr's ,f!C$,,,rr "S
/1;(11'(11 fw", r/,l'

(\

"Dr.

/1
(

r\ 0
I

\
,

(
)

--..
~

,r

< ,

"

n.e l l JllI)(' if IIII' body U

dtjiltl:d by ,I~' bc>tre strut,...r
mulillt' la)n if nmstk
(mmng il. 1Jxo mruck u
11'/,.,>1 givu lilt' IK:>dy ju
(otIIO" O'.<. UkI' IIIl'

When d rawing a

r - --', standing figure.

,.~.

~~I:~.c
properly

j ,.

di:slributcd. To
disr-ributc the
...e igh t correctl),
keep the line of
the neck , the
h ips. and the ft
aligned, no matler
how much thc
body twists.

to J

0,/1" parIS

if IIII' bed),. lilt' !llllpl' vf I/~

m",Its ((m Ills/'! hfo bl'l'ill'Il
do"", and sI.:rlrlird
t''OHWlrital/y.

\1

I)
L-'!
{ -=---,J

All ,miSfits orr poim/ muI

S)'Hltlletrirnl,

mll,,_:S

""ljLfcs "'" 1m protW.mud,

d,i(/, lrfrnlS tilt ftmtoun

110" l,.,.!y.

Muscle P airs
When drawing the volume of [he body, it is imporrnfl[ to
TCmember th ~ r ,"-'Very muscle belongs ( 0 a pair. If you draw a
fib'1.ll'l" from the front, the musc les should be symmetrical. Another
imporullI thing to I"Cme mber is that the mU5C1cs ill the
extrcmitks arc long and overlapping, while m uscle. in the roTSO
;uc fu[ :and expansive. Even though a woman's Ill\1sculamrc is
essentially the sallle as a man's, the female body has
a laye r of subcutaneous fat that ~ofi:cns the
external (orlll. For th is rcas.on, the male
body will always d isplay 11 morc
pronounced, voluminous
musculature.

if

r)

"
J --------j

ROPORTIONS

~j';!TI EMAL E
,i.l;.;r.llq,roponio", of the Illale
body are not

l'r~;:'~,~:;;~'~~~'~']~"';,,~;main
lies in the

p"",'he,nale',. the fcmalc' w~ ist

on
dividi ng li ne
between the third and fou rth
u nits, although a woman's waist is
narrower and d oser to the chest
than a mans.ViL'Wcd from the
side, the arch of the back is more
pronou nced than a ma n's, and as a
result, the buttocks appear more
pTO.nincm. O ne of the IllOSt
im portant facton in making a a
good drawing of the fema le figure
is placing the waist at the r ight
height. somewhat lower than a
man's;"this is one of the
anatom.ical featllrt:S that gives the
female body its characte ristic
for m .

1llll' lna/e

II

is

botlr j ()/IDw 1M
II "altl,m<gh 1M
afla/",,,ical rnie(
differNI,ftom 'he m,,'c~

/1'(/1-('

FIGURE

"

The Outliue, Back and From

The female o utline is softer th;;111
the male in its transitions bcmten
one are:ll and another. The
buttocks protrude beyond the
\'t.Tticai line marked by the
shoulders, and the outline of the
legs describes a diagonal Ihal is
Ie$!, pronounced than th e male's.
Viewed fro m behind, the most
Qutstanding characteristic o f the
/i:male form is the dear conlour
ofthc back ;100 hips, w hich is
clearly defined by the w:aisl.The
rdief of the felmle torso is far Ies.~
d ictated by the shape of the
muscles.

The Female H ead

There an: several features that
cle:arly d istinguish the female h e:lld
from th e male. A man's h ead is
usu;lUy mon:: anb'1.ll;lr than a
woman's, w h ich is generally
roulld er: nle bone structure,
espe cially the [m m al bone, is more
prono unced in a mail's face; :II
\\IOman's profile has softer featu res,
;Ill oval fa ce, and a mo re bulbous
fon:head. l=Urthe rmon:, ;I man's
neck is robust, w hile a wo man's is
more delicate.

(
Drawing I~ ftmtlle
fonn

oo~d Otl

grometrir srhr,m:s
makts il nuir, 10
dtl8mi,,1' Iht sin
/It,d posirioo if Nth
pan if IhI' boJ)t

\
I
I

A MY<" if
SubnlIQIJro" Sfl t
givts tht J IM/"
body w/" JlI_S,
1'0",,41'4 fo nns
Je,ItluJII/td by
'''' lIN iltld a

n,,,",?, oulli,~.

--

,,--

Drawing rrom
m-al $h3 PC~ is
u~rul in
est:tbllihing the
main reatu res or
the remale body,

is 311
imJX>rtant
practice.

and

~km

to

he law of proportion is important for dr:3wing

children, but it is k"SS reliable: than it is for ldult
fib'1.lres. During childhood the body is constantly
evolving. and ana tomical proportions changt" a great
deal in a shon period of time.

[TA&

CHILD
MODEL
A (hiIJ~ hrad IJrKil1s
willi hl'P 0''''/1, eme.for
Ilv "1111('1 skllll, .lfId
ttlwfhf'Tfor lilt: jaw
mId (hCfks.

,
7

I
"

-\

I I

A bdry ~ body fiat llm

"'-"Y routukdfomos l/r",
1/'",11 fltr folds if n'<TJ'

.iei.lI.

Basic Proportions
Glle o f the basic differences
between a child'~ body and [hat of
an adu lt is the head: a child's head
is mudl more vol umiIlOU~
compared to the rest or llis body.
This fenure is attenua ted as the
body grows. In general, a
m:wborns height is only three
times the siu of h is head. Whell
the child is approxima tely one
year oM, the tot:rol length orhis
body is three and a halftimes the
length or his head. Compared to
the head and the tOIK\ his legs are
rdatively short. At four years, the
head is still \'Cry large in
proportio n to the rest of the body,
but because the child is taller, his
body now comprise:! "\'C u niu.At
tv.'CIve, the child's total heigh t is
seven times [he length of his head,
and the middle o f his body
descends toward the h ips.

Tht /"'" if proporlic!IJ is imporltlUl .mtll

d"''''''!e thlld figllm, btll il is 1m miabk
IIu1II ;/ ufo, lilt' fiKJ'" if all "d,JI. dut' Jo
Iht

grr,,' d!fJ"rHtn in proporliorrs 1M/

du' ;' oggn:>u.1h.

0rU,

"

As air (/lild~ body d.."..I(lpJ.

"'I'

middlr '!I IIII' body domuk -He

miMI.. of" JI<I/)y~ body is loca/cd a/

she "",vol. "~JCI'1'''S till' ",iddl" of Q
11 ...... "'f')'l'a'-cIJ~ body is sligMy

ahovt 'he p'./,Iie /IN'''.

,.

_J

-v
-

Children's Forms
When attempting to draw a child figu re, be aware of
ill rounded fo rms, and avoid sharp, angular lines. It's
better to magnify the wavelike motions o flh e {;hild's
conto urs than 0 worry too mu ch about getting the:

Pl'; rfl';ct proportions. Children are in a process of

anatomiul deve lo pme nt. so iT is useless (0 try to
represent the shape oftheiT bodies with the same
precisio n that you would with an adult figure, male
o r female.

The Middle of the Dody

If you draw a horizolltal linf down the middle o f a
body from ch ildhood thro ugh adulthood, you 'U see
clearly how the middle o f th e: body moves downward
from the stomach. At eight years, the middle lies
somewhere above the hips. The head ch~nges very
slightly, while the arms and legs grow lo nger. The
drift of the middle of the body is basjcally the Tl..'sult
of the g rowth o f the leg; during adolescence.
The Trouble with Live Models
C hild models present several special problems fo r the
artist, flo t the least of w h ich is the fact th~t
children- especially snull children-can never stay
put for lo ng. So it is necessary to take frequ ent
breaks, keep them entertained with toys o r other
items, and make sure that they assume the pose that is
most comfortable for them.

i"

"

1
>

;g
;t

ELDERLY (flit! OBESE

FIGURES
he shape o f the h uman body dcpcnJs a grcat deal
on i t.~ ~t ru cturc, so when you t ry t.o d raw a figure
corn: ccly, it is es.~en rial to u nd erstand your modd 's
anato mical fea tures and physical complexion, which
arc: specific to their age and body type. in orde r to
pcrsollalizc the figure.

The E lderly Model

The body of an elderly person is d istinctly d ifferent
from the proportions of an ad ult figllIe. The foreh l': ad
is more ample as a resull of hai r loss, bag; appear
under the eyes, the skin is Jess ta ut than before, the
che>t appears to sag, the limbs arc flat:cid,a nd the
bone stru{;turc is morc visible. Very littl e m uscle mass
remains, so the shape of the body is determined
en tirely by the skeleton. As a penon grows old, his
skin loses its elasticity and begins to sin k, g iving the
impressio n that the bOIl I."S 3rc closer to the surface.
The skin 's wTinkled , naccid texlU rc crates shadows
ill the model, w hich you can draw by millig gr.ly
h.1tch ing.

\,

,\

III old 'W, Ihe 1IIJ1StiCS Ilffamf jlmcid o"d lilt< IKI~ Sin"'''''' man;
cvid/"lli. l1le body hmll/res OVf", mId shoW$ i,llipi,..,1 diformilie.s.

nepe is /I~'1Tt' old ogt" is ,,"'Sl "",dily visiblr. so il i, importo",

la par spa;o/ o/letlli",! 10 ilSfoolures. H f bulky dOlhrs /I,..,,, by
{he r/dl'dy disguisr Ihr Imlisfo" lI<Ilic>II of Iltrir "I/olOmy.

..
1l1r m<>pr of tht body is 'lIJ,itmbiy "lD<Iiflnl
whmjl/ 1lClN",..IlI'(3 illtl,r fIoWHl . stllm<llh,
b.m",kJ, tJild rh'll'u. ~t1t"" dmu."g tlll ,"~
jig""' lilt !.Nt 11""11 to do is Itl jrarr wilit tl
si'tlr/, bl1$rd 011 owl SlrllpN.

W he n you draw

the race uf an
elderly pen on . do
no t hc, il ~tc 10
make the nO~e
and un big:
Ihese are the onl y
I....'U part!; of the
hod)' Ihal do l10t

r~"'c----',

Obese Figures
There is a layer offal between the musck s and
the skin thaI fi Us in th e &IPS and sofiens the
shape of the bones. T he fat is barely visible 11\
the body of an arh1cu c pct'5()n, b<lu.~ it add:;
only slightly to the person 's girth; but in an
obese penon. it can amount to as much as fi ve
or six inches, so it plays an es.~n tial role in
shaping the volulue and girth of the body.
This layer offal is not evenly distri buted
throughom the body. In mell , it is gcncrally
concentrate(! in the chest, accentuating the
profile of the clcfl just below the pectoral area;
in the area below the chin; in the stomach; and
in Ihe buttocks. In women, fal lends to affect
the shape of the bream (which grow
disproportionately and look more fla ccid) , the
chin, the stomach, the thighs, and especially
the area around the pelvis and up to the end o f
the gluteus muscles. For this reason, the part
of the body Ihal stands out mOSI in an obese
woman is the exaggerated width of the hi ps
and the large behind.T he other parts ofthc
body tend to look morc cylindrical, and the
folds aro und thejoi ntli are more pronounced
br..-"C:IUSC the Ilcsh there is fattier. The same
thing happens with the person's facial fea tures,
which tend to swell generally; body fat is
particularl y visible in the cheeks and chi n.

I:

~J

stop growing
w hen we reac h
atht llhood.

~,

Jl
FW'itl/fiu (tlll groo v 10 Ihe
p<'im oflOlllpklrly

obwIri,W lilt' tJlI1lliill

JMpt'f

oJ tl,t I,u",,,u bod)<

'n". .....0 1.nlNth lilt' (h,,,

...U/ 1M II4lk 0J,11(' ntl'k
Il'IIJ III Jl.o", rl" gmtltsl

nm."wl<lliOll oJjoI.

n it' obNc' bod)'fllII tlbD k

10 (,ret., nud 0111/1,

.,.,furrd
IWIIISt'

I"""""I>INII
filII II(' ,urird

'r/(lti'~lsltip

"''',/ )"'" If'''''/' lilt' t/rgm' of

ob.'Ji' I' JIIO"''' I/('f'f'.

"

AND SYNTHESIS
he shape of the human body de pends a great deal 011 i ~
structure, so an artist's knowledge of ana tomy i.~ usefulthough nOt necessary-when he attempts to draw a h uman
figure correctly. If you have no knowledge of anatomy,
obse rvation and synthesis is 31so a good \vay. Learni ng to
observe your model is fundame ntal for undersranding how
th e figure is articulated , and synth esis is essen tial for
summarizing or breakillg down a subject to its essential parts,
into the cicmC': nts of the figure that havc a plastic and
pictorial value and into the thillgs that convey the pn.'SCIlCC
and attitude of the figure. The power of syn thesis is an
e normously usefu l tool for drawing, beGiusc it allows the
arti~t to qu ickly represent a figure in a spontaneolls attitude
at allY place or time.

.)

<

-I

HEAD
alld FACE

mz(~,

II

"

rawing the head and face is all intimidating

prospect, because faci al expressions change so
quickl y that capturing them precisely is a b'Oal that
only the most capable artist can attain. Hence. this
section will dt"vote no time ro ~tudyi llg the action
offacial features but will concentrate insu~a d on the
relationship of the head. considered as a voJUIllC, to
the rest of the body,

,)

H--

~I '-':

~
LJ "

-;;~l
,-,'

'(

U~'r tMt of fl~ J'II",r, I//f'

law if pfOpOttior' for lilt'
hlll"a" I"'ad is ",mk lip
oj a sd ifmea.lllrc",""u
{If

1",itJ II,M dfft',,,,i,1i' lIS

ptopcrri<>ns.

The Proportions of t he H ead

According to the law of proportion. the human
head equals three and a half times the lellgth of the
foreh ead. so we will divide the height of the head
into three and a half ul1i~. From this division we
derive the following refe rences. which will hdp you
to dnw a wdl- proportioned hc:ad: the tOp of the
head. the natural hairline. the position of the
eyebrows. the height of the ears, the base of the nose,
and the profil e of the chin.
Viewed from the front. the human head is like a
I't..-cbngle three units wide and three and a half units
uIJ. By searching for tv.'O lines that divide the
rectangle vertically and horizontall}, you will find the
location of the e)'es on the horizonGllline, and the
central axis of the nose 011 the vertic"lline. It is
important to notice that the distance berwcell the
l:}'l.'S is d ose to the width of one eye, and tha t the
lower edge o f the lip coincides wi th a line that
divid the 1'.00 cquaI halves in he 100vcr UIlit

/ ' r-.....-

'111t s/6rti,eg poillt for

drawi,eg afact iJ Iht ti/I
1i,1t'Jw lilt vtrtital 4Xis.
Slorti,tgjlOnl d,u /i,Ii',
whide divi.ks 1Mfoa ;'1
few, YO" tatl btgill /()
distribute 1M rtsf oj ,llt

jaci81 jtafwm

/+-

ti "'t '\4

if Iht htad.
draw a Jtmtir' lillt goi.tgfro", 1/",frmkad
10 1M /osmo <hi.., [)jvitk 1M (WI 1m" Ihln'
Q,,<t}'lll' ~ dnm~1 the""'"

19

\ ./1--

and a IuJj parts. '111t ''PJ'ft' lillt will JtrW kI

deltrm;,,,, whtrr the hairli,,,, btgiw; lilt
$e(aluJ dividing fiue .lIarkJ the localio" if

tl,e ryt:f; Ihe fhim dtsWtlll fl'S Ihe 'lOSt; aeuJ

tht Iml showJ "'~ lilt' ,hill should go. "lllt
if /ooiltJ ire 1M vny cmltr if Ihe
laSl StgI!W>",

,,.,.,tn

Drawing fro m the General to the Particular

When drawing the hCld, one should wOrk from the
genenito the p;a.rocular. You must lirsl sKL'tCh the
basic structure of the held: search for ih; generic
fonn, its mQlit pronounced or prominent angles. h's
enough to draw l set of liTles marking the location of
l'ach of the dements that will nuke up the face.

: It'l a good tonal

exc. cilC to dnw a

I (~':l! In,mi':.~'
--:. 'It:' ,
'"

The Face
If you draw freehand, the dupe of the face from the
fTom should fit INithin an o\'al.
If you trace a vertical line to divide the face in two.
}'Ou can l'Stablish an axis of symmetry that will allow
you [ 0 place the facial features in a proportionate
manner; of course, this is only possible if you draw
the face from the frollI.
The base of the nose is located on a line dividing
the face down the middle, :md the mouth is
somewhat above the chin line. To these lines, you call
then add a line for the eyebrows. which will then
give you an adcquate outline for drnwing the head
and facial features.
The H ead in Profile
. The c..'stablished proportions for the head in frontal
view can ..Iso be used for df1l\ving the head in profile.
All ),ou have to do is extend the horilontal lines .. nd
draw each c1cmenc of the face, only this time, from
the side. Th~ same horizontal divisions used for the
frontal view also nutch the placement of the parts of
the face in profile.

of omen,;ng the

model attentivei)'
and atlempting to
divide the
differen t tonal
areas into
imaginary
geometric $hape'
an d tlM: 11 coloring
them in.

TIrsr fou r Jmwitrgs of 1M lINd ill

diffnrm poJilw,u show I/Il' rl.tlllgr$ in
tJ",fou~ IIIf'n,srtn'flltr.,s U~Jf'O' il ,lOOIn

Um/ffllm.d,,tg Iht-/all' of PI'OpOI1Wn for lire Iltad in ImJilr ((III br

.. 4..". d""","S pol1mits SUi" as Ihis 0I1f'. 1/ is Iho. a
mann of.imply adtzpting ' M- jetrlUra (Iud p<t'P""iOlu if III("
pmtIfl Ill" (J~ d""",,,S ,,, 1M jlliri(l/ _IUU"'MIIIS if II", ""', if
propol1iorr.
l't"r), r~fi'/

tonCi. Thil
practice COIms!s

/,

"

0
0

(
/?he

TORSO:

f you anaiye a frontal view of t he torso you will

find that
part of the body comprises the
Ipectoral
tnusd t.-s, a set of thick. wide.
Ihi~

pClltagonai

muscle'S set ill pailS. which expand o r contract when

the an us arc raised or 100ven:d. Notice the
distribution of VOiUl lJCS, the profile alld expansio n of
the thorax, from rhe from and the back, and how the
shoulders insert themselves into the tho rax in
difTcrem positions depending on the view. The neck
gi\lt."S the torso :1 great expressive quality, lind irs
mu\Culature implies the Oexibility of the head, so it
nllJ:O;t always be shown breaking from the sym metry
m:ukcd by the spine.

,I

\
,

The skr,rlra 1>1'/0'" fllO"'/"""

/0

IlQ!ill a r/rm",,,g if tllr

1Il,,1e /ono. Bq;iu hi' rJlnWs/tillJ! <I !la/iclll (IX;$.

Fnmr

,//('rr, ~ J rlll/~lic.fof1lu 10 fit lilt rrclntr,:II/1JTforn' tf

,/1<' I<mO ,,.;/1,;,, riliJ Sf/WI""; 11K' rom' of l/no 101:>
drpC1lds 011 II,~ !'OJ;I;O" 111111 1/'1' fiJ!"" mmlllrs. For tl
froural "i,,"; j/..'(Ic/' It.r 1/101","''''';11...11 Ilillil"lnr
I~XI"rn, SII, tIS lhe ptrtoml lII'UCin, 1/'( 1Ibt/"III;II<l1
,,,mcln, <Iud 11K' J'''b;c /itH'. I II II,.......". ,.;.." , brlooll IIII'

spi"" m(lrk!

lilt"

'xnfy\ axis.

I,
"

II
1

\I
j

The Body's Axis

If you analyze: the: rt:ar view of the

rear, the Sl1TfaCl' of the bac k is a

continuo us w hole: from [he:
shoulder blades to the: lowt:r part
of the lumbar area, where you ("I n
apprecia te: the flesh o f tht,
bUlrocks.

torso, you will notice that the

spin~ is dc:$Cribes the body's axis; it
is a line o f symmetry from which
the fundame ntal ITIeasurt:menu o f
the body an: established.
Starting fro m this straight
pc:rpc:ndicular, we have:
comtructc:d a ""aT vicw of the:
IOrso, taking into account the
following factors: the: distance
bt:tv:een the: shoulders and the
spine should he equal. t.'Ve1l if
there is a sligh t incline:; the:
shoulder blades are the part of the
back that stands out most, and its
rdief is most evidc nt when the:
model has his arms open. The
shoulder bbde is rria ngular and
should he acccntm red with a light
hatching. it's important lO notice
that the waist is mon: dc:arl y
marked in the frontal view than in
the rc~r view, because: from the:

A good exercise
is to find ima~s
of figuro.'S , seated
Or standing, nude
Or <h~~, pm a
~heet

1/
r
',~/A .

O"~r the
image5, and find
the location o f
the spine and the
line of the h ips.

\ \l
i'I'

} ~~/ ~~~;~

oftracing

paptt

-,

tl :;

,-

T h e Fem a le Torso
From both rhe front and the rea r,
the relief of rile fenule torso is less
conditioned by rhe muscular
structure than the: nuk tor.;(); in
it, rhe transi tio ns between volumt.'S
are smoorhe:r.Two of the:
d i5tinguish il1g features of the:
female toUO are the lower
shoulders and Illore promi llt:n t
hips. This contour can be easily
represented h)' two rriangles
joined by thei r vertices. These
tri:lII1g.les should then round Oll l
their profile [ 0 ac hieve the curved
lines characteristic o f the fClm le
anatomy.

-.~

',.ri'

',"

ij'

\ , <~

'.

",.
..
')

..,.,'' ,

-r

-;.

'

Iw symhr:shed
4S I"", ''',-,",ed '"arrgkt Her JWO/ik
u.ll/w mOO' muptuouJ </tid I~ Ihlt!
of 1m j,ips willlw ""'''' "",Ik Ilul1I rI
",...,'s. U110J you mall'lIlf!jtmah
Jorw, Iwt p J'Il mi"d ,Ilal
cdgoo.J
should be Ir pnmoullced, rllld mtlrt
simwy 1110" " JJJ""~.
'1M ft-zlr

.d

~~
~4
\

10I3i0 (m,

,Is

I
I

,.

The UPPER alzd LOWER

LIMBS
d1t~

rawing
arms and legs me ri ts a few remarks
bee.lUSt! it may
D
problems with
proportion. The best way to draw the: limbs is to
pre~tlt

analyze them based 011 circular or oval shapes. By

ma ki ng a prdimil1<lry sketch. m: C3il distinguish
bc:twct:1l three wl;: ll- ddim:d a r C3S of any limb.
The u ppe r limb compristS the shoulder, which is
characterized by the deltoid musek; the: arm, which
dt:rives its volume from the pr=ncc of the biceps;
and the forearm, which is shaped by a more
elongated circk For the leg, we: can divide it into the
thigh , the: knee, and the cal vt:'!..

'fht upper alld lower /;,,,b$ call be redUft'd /0 a flu Id! of

'''''>' '",ju/ '" drawillg the muscular
a"a/om), if tlicsr "''''"~ it! their (])Trer/ proporrions.

owls Ihal will pron'

The Problem of the Lower Limbs

Tht: musclt:li in tht: lower limbs prelit:nt a mort:
complex form, but :lfter a detailed analysis you will
be able to recognize e:lch of them.
The lower limbs are made up of t\\'O essential
pllrts: the thigh, where the q uadriceps :lnd the
sartorius muscle lit'S, and the leg itself, w hich consists
o f the bulk of the tibiae and the calves. The kn ee lit:li
between these twO parK The knee is the joint that
articulates both o f tht'Se parts, and it should look
rounded and prominent w hen it is drawIl. Notice
that if you measu re the length o f the leg from the
hamstring to the ankJe, the knee is not locatt-d in the
middle of the leg, but a bit further down, so when
you d raw the thigh you should make it longer than
the calf. The calf muscles art: prominent in the lower
part of the leg. Tht)' bt-gin just behind the knee :llld
t:lld at the Achilles heel.

....

o~
/'

$Imighlline Ilrot
mm thmllJlhout Ihe liml, it! orner 10
situate the ]0'"/$ itJ Iheir prof'f'r m~Qsun'
Yo ..

(1111

uSf' "" (lXi,

Or"

w,d 10 iN:lter lOttlroi Ih" dfotl of

symmetry t1ttJ 11,1' OUllittc if lite mH..,df!.

#'

"

n.c

vo lumenic
treatm ent .. r the

I ~l'I';",1u
I

Women's Lim bsThe:: fe::male arm is ''Cry differem from th31 of Ihe
male: il is clmracle:: rized by 3n absence of
prominent mUKulatu n:, by the regularity of its
propo rtiol15, and the delicacy of the line rh~ t
defines its conto urs. T he areas of Ihe: d bow and
wriS! joints ~n: na rrower 111 the fe nmle ar m. And
the: shape of the muscles in a woman's legs is
barely visible: the thigh tapers delicately ;as it
approaches the Knee::, and Ihe lind of the leg
muscles an: unde::rsta ted, sofler tlun a man's, so the
circle t ha t for ms the knee should stand OUi only
barely. In the: lower leg, the: graceful calvcs also
ta per 35 they appro:ach the: hc:cl. Ge:nerally,
,",,'Omen's cal\l\."'S are not \'Cry promine nt, but they
do become rounder and gain in volume:: when J
woman wears high bed s.
l{iHllI'J' ~ limbs tlW

mOft

I" order 10 d""" /1" It!! /lfld m'''''' (orrtttlJ\

irs import"'ll ,/url J'O" hi' tlbk 10 disli.rguish
lire body~ (iIdo.m fJlld diffrrtr'litllr Ik
positions tlia! Iht Ii",m tlSS"'~. dtpl'.I1;ng
OIl Ihe p!.

ddWllt, tl"d IIIrf diJpll1)'

suMp IfIIIMU/m wlit! tlnfl tl glf'illn

,wrnII""R lilliif' wriw m/J m,kh

tI ntOR

;",,;,,the
;f
)UU consider
shape o r the arms
and legs as an
assemblage or
thrcl.' cylind rical
parb o r d iffl.'r'l"flt
sizes.

"j

HANDS:
STRUCTURE
(he

\'ery

OUTLINE

("ud of th e arms an: rhe ha nds... The

A hu man hand has nearly as nuny import'.lnlis

t

I I 1111

expressive possibilities as the: facc. The hand

I
\

the part

of rhe body that offers the greatest numbe r of d jlTcrem

positions. It's impor~nt to master its structure and
shape, beca use w hen dl"Jwing the hum an fib'Urt' . th e

hands and feet often end up in very poor shape. The

Il!.!ophyte w ill oftcn fOfC:b'O the fo rmer, or m crely
suggest th eir shape:, putting th em inside: 1 pocket or

hiding them behind the: mooel's

~\

b~ c k .

- "-

The Hand's Dimensions

If you tlke the total dimensions o f :lII opcn Nnd,
viewed from the: b.:ack, w ith the: palm and fi ngers

extended, yo u w ill find that rhe: d istance: between the:

wrist and knuckles is similar ro rhe: distance: bet\';een

the knuckles and the rip of the middle finger.T his
isn't the only fact that you c:m a.~ertain by simply
opening up the p3hn of the hand. For inst3nce, you
will fi nd that, wi th the fingers outstretched, the length
of the index finger is equal to tllar oCthe ri ng fi nger,
and that the tip ofthe pinky coincides lines up with
the final joint of th e: index finger.

".", ",nul,

PWfI/d N
dim,'" In " propmtiOfltJl
",/"Iicru" ip II> 1M m t if
IIU' body. I I en" N ojgrml

"rip tofol'o", 11K' gmnal

mit- Ihal $pijia l/r", Ihr
1(tI~", oj

11,1' /,m,d u.Of/1d

"" "i"al fil lhal oj Ihl'

JI'.

\
,

Hi- kg;" will, 0 SIJ'UIff' lIud adtI" trapaoi<I

plIJ'I Pj tl,l' If,ombut...., dmu,,, lI<1Vt' 10 IIrt>

sh,,~

( I). III tIlt upper

riJ!lJI. mId slmlilfRj,.,." II

Jtr"~j" di'Wl"ra/ U'K'. " "' d""" tl,1' r/rumb (2). Pll)f" IIII' lip of 11,1'

1I'IImb "'I' prop l mrl>ll".. rll .... IIIdlrn';"1! ,lrl' 1>111111 ",1,,-" ' IIM'ji"gns
immIXI ,,~II, II,~ 1""m oj tl,e III11Id.lii- d;,~dl' II,is r"IlI(' j"'1> fom (mJ
pmjrtllhr re",a;"I"l!ji,,~ (J). Hi- /11l'fI mul' Ih,' .,mrlllmlli,1l:J
ami dmlll '/If /umd am", 1/(/r/;"g1"'111 III (""melniSl mll/illl' (4).

Th(' gt'OIIIf1ric skl'lilt if I/~ IUlfJd jJ rompktd

with II u..'ff.rh if tIw fi'tgm. u4rilh art
rqlUm llrd by OI-...u "h;( h tIlfTNpollll 10 (,,11"1,
~""' " or phalaux.

"

Configuration of the Hand

T he hand is contle:cn:d lO th e: :lrm
by the: c:lrp:ll bones, which form
the: wrist joim. The hand has (wo
f3cc:S lO cOllside:r: (he: back, whe:re
the: le:ndOlll; :ltld the: Illusde:s from
the top of the fOrt::lrm end, :lnd
the p:!lm, which has many SITI3IJ,
Ilc:shy muscles. The fingl'rs 3re:
made up of three small bones
each, except for the (h u mb, wh ich
has only I\vo.This forces th e
amateu r artist to take pause and
study the particu lar fo rm of these
bones; in doing so, yo u w ill
discover, for instance, th at the
bonl'S arc thinne r in the middle:
than at the: t:nds.

Synthe!>is of the Hand

Wh~ l1t~vc r you draw a hand, try to
reduce rhe nlt:r:!carp:!1 area to a
square unit from which the fingers
extend in 3 radial pattt::r n,or
Otherwise, start from the ov31based sketch discussed above. You
can then continue your sketch of
the hand by representing each of
the fingers by three ovals, olle for
each Or iLS scgmcnts. lf you do so,
it will bc easier for you to dr.lw a
foresho rtened hand. The position
of the fingers is based on a ske tch
m3dc lip o f a seri ~ o f concentric
arc hes that make it ea~ ier to
resolve the form in any pmition. If
you can make a weU propo rtioned
gt:omcrric sketch it w ill be very
casy to adj ust the details little by
linle until yo u finish the drawing.

Soonetime~ an
unfinished hand
makes sense in a
nude d rawing.
Think oflhe
fingers as minor
details compared
to the other parIS

~~
(H~~~'

of the body.

: ~

Afk, slurlrillg II'f Iwtufi; 5InKlI"l', il is imf>ouallllO

I'rlUliu dmJvillj! lite ),,,,,,/ ill dlffneul p1SiriolU.AII
imelC$lillg f'Xf1ri5~ is '" 11/ala- a !!fCo",rlrir ~kerrl,
brfow hegillt,jllg II,r dtjiniliw draw;,,&. w lI",r)'VI<

'''I'

(all wlflmMlld ils SInIEIIIW ",itlwIII dUlt'lIing on

de/ails. 'His I,,,,ula ,,1,0 "lIo,,~ ."" 10 obse,...,. iI,al
tile joinrs ill II,r fingers "",laid mil i" lIte fo,m n
rum'.

<1

\
I

) I'

he hip is anotha main dement in d rawing the

h uma n figu re. It ti lts on th e axis o f the spine. and
coincidt:$ with the point w h ere the: legs flex in th is arl"a .

.9'hb PELVIS:
THE SHAPE ,0/''t,1(' H IPS
The Protrusio n of the Hipbo n e
Because thc: pelvis is connected to rhe he.n l by th e:
bac kbone, it is constitutes th e b ody's axis. Sever:al
muscles o f the: torso. th e thighs, and th e legs I1lcd at
the pelvis, wh ich Sc!"VeS a.~ thc main suppo rt po int fo r
th is area of the bod y. O ne o f the: Illost impo Tllnl
p<l rt.'l o f the pdvis, and the one: w h ich most
no ticeably affects the OUl e r appearance o f rhe figure.
is the iliac crest, w h ic h li nc.-'S up with the hipbone.
D o n't forget to dr:nv this bone, partic ularly ill female

\~
\ 'ji

fib'Ul'eS and slillUlltt mo dels. Because a woma n's pelvis

is wider than a man's. hcr hi pbone is m uch more
visible. m arking a roft curvat ure: fro m the: pubic area
to th e top or the bUtlOCKs.

I
I

~{

1\

III( pubil lw"" I(. As "'"

<kurkp dll' Jmu';,rg.

j"",

of lit(' posf.

~I
,

Hi> Ilu>I<l</" 'I jol),'f'1 10

prclimiuary skmll,
11'1" ,..iII 10: lrow i'''pUlul
d,r "' I(S lI",rkiuS /11(
'''''''"a/;''', if lilt' "ips tmd
[" "W I

maW a IMli,","",)' sJ..'tItI,p a

i"'portal" 10 UlJ..'f
d{(out"
/111' li.~fomrnJ "r IIII' s/I(lO.ldm <!lId Iht
hips. 71!t lill ~lbolh 4 1/1I~sr U"I"I ",arks IIII'
il ~

I'quilibrilm,

~, \i

I~ IW

dmll,;.rg,

I
./

.\

:t'

II~

. ,rw(tuoal UMJ J~. in

1_ala ,1IM' ~plj ....,
."" ,ro/lrd li.~.

/lUl,k 1111" hip lill( 11M.

dmwi,lS a batk '1/"11\
rid,,,, HtIr, IIII' li,~ 11""
marks fht uri/Smidt if tilt'
bullotks bMtmn imporfOt.,
as ..<clI. foJt>l'u 1M
ill/emli,lS Iti'lIIgu/m
irrdetllafWr' Ilral forms j l/Sf
IIbove tht bul/Clf/u.

"

The Line o f the Hips

T hc position of the h ips marks an
imaginary line in the body tha t
we must ta ke into account whe n
....'C draw. T he line of the: hips is
seldom hori7.ontaL It tilts o n the
:is o f the backbone, coinciding
with the poin t at w hich the legs
bend in this aI'ClII, and w hen th e
hi pbone til ts, thc b ackbone
doesn 't rema in stra igh t. but instead
acqui rt."S a soft c urv.atu n: 3t its
base. It almost always ad opts a
slight til t, especially w hen the
body is in a resting position,
which makes part of t he weight o f
the body come to rest o n o ne leg,
whilt: th e mh t:r Il"g re mai ns flexed
and rda xcd . T his pose: is called
contmposto.

If )'OU altend a live

model d rawing
session in an art
school. it's im portant
to pnc:tice d rawing
the hips in isolation.
U nd entand ing the
\. tilt of the hi pbone b

es",ntial to correctly
dn w;"s "~ body ;"
any pou..

,/

The pc/Pis is (Ot1l1rttn/ IOthr

br I/lr ,',lrI,m / mlu",,,
or back/x",f', wllirll is ol,1'lfYJ
,;siblr 11!f()u.~ fhr rider flio l
ruus dOll/l1llir lIIiddlr ifllir
Mrk. Thr back of til<' pc/IV is
OOllm'tI by a lIIuMI.. IHtW o"d
by Ihrpi iflll<' huIIOll.'S, wllil/I
s~'C/et~"

IIWf't pill"",), mill

,mmdrtl I" a "',,,,,m, ~ body.

mr lIIud,

f
"

'"

,,,

Thr ~/'U a' to U sllll~d IIiit' a t"mcoled PJ"f'mitl,

base anti a narrow vmo ... A wo"w,, ~
~Ms U sho'ff'r Olltl wi.kr 111m. a mil" \ ,,~icli
a110"'1 us to s IIIr s"rdler "",,,n j" 1M hip tllro~1
a Ioyn if S"bcll'(/"~OIlS fot.
witll a /alJlf'

\
.9h(~

FEET:

INNER STRUCTURE

he feet :are not as d ifficult 10 d raw .as

th~

am!

FO

ha nds.

This is ix-c:ausc the feet have much ft.'V."Cr

possib ilities o f movement. This limil:ltion tnm;latcs

into a more ho mogeneous and continuous form with
fewer problems and inconsistCllcit:S.

Config u ra tio n of the Foot

As a ge ncr.li reference for drAwing the foot, \ve th ink
o fil as consisting o f thn:c "..dl-dirrerentiatcd ;lTCU:
the ta rsal or hc:el, the mCUCl rsal. and th e area o f the
toes. The silho ued t: o f the fOOl is conditioned in large
pari by its skeletal stru cru re. The top o f the fOOl: is
c~red wi th tendons and tensor muscles. but the
joints, al though Ihey an: C\lCY b it as com plex .as those
o f the hand, don't display a stru ClU rr .as readily visible
as they do in the hands.
Synthesizing the Foot
The geometric sketch of the (001 is similar 10 the o nt:
we use for the hand: it begins with ~ circle o r oval
that corn.'Spo nds to the hed, anothc.:[, mo re elo ngated
oval fo r the nlt:tatanal, l ud various lint.'$ or s.mallish
cylinders to represent the tocs. O nce the sketch is
donc, you com ....,ork o n the: form, profile, protrusions,
and roundncssc:s o f the: foot. If you want to give the
foot In ath letic appearance, dr.J.w a prominent hed
and svdte toes, with very prono unced joints and

TIw J!roInrlrit s/.."C"ldlfor lilt' fOOl i, sion!"/m 10 tl,~ ()/~ ,,;edflll IIII'
I"md. r, sllOu/d lit' definrd by (irrie IholrorlQl'tlf,d$ 10 lilt 111
Ml'Q, o"olllff tlfJtlifor 1I1f melalArsm boo,t, and JI'I",ml $mallisJJ OI%1ls

fo r IIv loa.

if)'Ol4 Jet, ~ ....'"

10 make mislokt
i" tllrfoolt
propoTIicms, ~II (0 "
di,.;Jc it ;11/(1 IIII'(t'
ports of l'qual
I"'WIl, jl/u,f,ill" Ilt
finl JItlrl U,WS lip
willi lilt 11 1, IIIl'

SffOIuI romSfIO'IdJ
10 III#" miJdk 1idt1

of 11"'/001, oud lilt'

/as, marX.! tilt'
1nlj!II, if tlK' lotS..

phalan.~.

I
,

Fim, we ,""SI dmw a rettalw.lcjor lilt" Irg,

WIt;'II, rombi"rd ,,~III a Iriouglf, will
ro'Y;&"'t lilt geometric s/{tkll of lilt form r/
IIv fOOl ( /). Hi: 111m add 111'0 (IIrlltd /i,,1'1
10 Iilis ikelCh, lilt" Jt"(ooJ if 1I ~,illl ron,lU
fa Iitt fOUr,lkd lillf" r/ tilt" Irttl.A ri~'f o"gll
is sufficinll fer sj" ."tiIJg tilt I<>fJ (2). U.
din, rmsr 1M strurfuruJ/ilrl'1 otuI '\'J)'
slowly tImw 11.. flUlli,lt" if /lit fool, IIIiJ Ii_
dtltli/inii! lilt protnuiorl ifillt ...ddt o"J tilt'
Is (J).

"

The Foot in Profile and Back Views

Drawing th~ foot in profile is V~Ty simple. A tria ngle
cO\.'Crs it almost entirely. The shapt: of the foot is
marked by the angle of the heel, th~ part of the foot
which supporrs most of th t: body's weigllt. T he toe
area tlkes up slightly less than one quarter of the
It!l1gth of the foot from the heel to the tip of the hig
toe. A frontll \fi ~w, o n t h~ o ther hand, pres~nt:l. some
probl~lll s due to the fo reshortening of the tocs. But
here, too, you can sketch a simple triangula r shape,
although it will be much n3 rroweT compa red to that
of the profile. The back view is the simplest, and it
should haVt': as its main re ltrt:nce point thc protrllsion
of the h ~el and slight indica tion of the roes at the
other end.

The Bottom of the Foot

The bottom of the foot is also covered with muscles;
however, these muscles arc not as visi ble because the
skin on this part o f the body is very thick, and [h~y
aU bknd into a common mas.~ that spans the arc h o n
the bottom of the foor. This part of the foot has a
very rounded appearance due to the greater visibility
of the hed and the fit--shy, cushioned parts of the
bonom of the fOOl. When d rawing the bonom of the
foo t, remcmbe r that the skin ht:TC has a rou gh~r
textllTe than on any o ther part of the body.

Aldumgh;1 Joes ,,0/ prNn,1 a dfgrct if (o,np/exily asgH'al Qj II,.. h""ds, lire fOOl rJl<lug<'S its
"f'P/'<'TG"' Jepa"I;"g 0" IIIe"m1ll of'rieu' or 0" Ih~ I}"IX' if ad;,rily il rior",s. Our pmri"'<$
gmlllet,it skrllhrs "'illltrip Iff 10 adapl 10 /J,P$C "l'U' am..",lat!trS (A a"d 13). I-/m>, as ,,1""')'5, the
p"pntditular di,ridi,'R li"e is ifgreOI/lell' i" coIJSlmdi"g Ih~ jorm ""demuri,w r/'al. a, wilh the
II", loes Jcscriht,,, CUIV<' a"d ""I a str"ighl li,,~ (C, D, ""d E).

fi"~1$,

---

./

\
J

-~

\
/

\.........\

"

~.

/, \

~t

~""~

f):

.~

/'
C

\ A-'

4C

= ~ : ""!900

)!.....

CONSTRUCTING THE

"l:\1e mllst measure tile body: standing and aliI/(',

w I/ere/ely, in !lint! parts ",illl respect to its length. r"Or
able tlafllre has shaped mati in SI/(h tl wa), that the jit
i~ foutld ill the highest place, ~o film it be admired alld
offer the othe-r JXlrts of tile body the prillciple of ils
meaSllre.

I'omponi

C~ urico:

S<wlpture, 1504.

\.'

A WELLPROPORTIONED

"

),
d
{.,

- I,

iff

( '

very drawing must be organized within an mIion:;i and

E compre
hensible order, in order to establish a
comforrablc and appealing path for the eyes to follow. In
order to draw a well- proportioned figure, the arlin searchL"S
fo r an ideal ofbc3Ury, and finds his tools in the objective
methods found ed upon geometry and measuremCilt. But
oppositc the pllt"tly theoretical systelll$ of proportion, there
is w hat we might call an "intuitive " proponion based on
visual comparison and comroJled distortion , and we can
transl:ltc and accom modate the natural stru ctures of the
body in a looser, morc ex pressive. and less mechanical way
than tilt' model descri bed by the classical bws of
proportion.

f7J" UN IT SYSTEM:

BODY

MEASURING
he law of proport ions fo r the hu null body '''I(lltld
be o flittle U~ if this know ledge could no t be:
llS(>d wi th real-life lllodds.Thcory is an inestimable
help. bot it is the application of tocory to a real
mod el that determine'S the fi nal result of :l11y d rawing.

Applying the Law of Proportio ns

Thanks to its m e~Stlrcmcl1ts, the law o f proportions is
tnl ly a useful tool fo r becoming fam iliar with (and
mcmori:ling) the di~triburion of the rdative size o f
the pans o f a figure in re lation (Q the w ho k Eve n if
the proportiol1l!i of a real figure do not match those of
a classical mood, there is still an 3<ljustcd
correspond ence bct\vecll the d ivision o f the figure
into ullits and the location of different anatomical

components sllch as the height of the sho ulders, the

dlt'SI, the dbows, tI~ hips, etc., whidl we have to
consider. For this ~ of gcom~tric sk~tch it's
important to first proj ect th~ body's Iin~ of
symmetry; on it, W~ will mark th~ d ifferent
m CaSllr~1llCms o f th~ law of proportion. If the figutt
is sl,owl, from tilt' back, we ha\'~ the 3dd~d adv.lIlt.1~
that (h ~ line ofsymm~try is aJready ma rk~d by th~
b:l ckbon~.

J'",u/illg pou, imogi.uuy m1itnlli.1f!S

tmr.r1Ctol)' reJd to gi... ~, to I/~
backboM m.d Ilw /0"'" lX'mllilia, in on:Irr
to pl= "lKJ>' ,/rrm 1m. (onf'Jpmufing

I"

<I

DR

J~"f'IIIS

or IHrru'Ilt'm<'trlJ fo r r11 ,mil.

l
\

\J

"

Cross Sectio ns
We are not ahvays able to find standing figures, which
lend thelllsdves to the application of the law of
proportio n, so we must develop a set of rules Ihal
allows us to apply the tmit system to fi gures that are
se;1tl'd or lyi ng down. A practical method is to draw
CI'OlIi sections 011 the Ixxly-th~ t is, to draw
"ho rizontal comours" onto th~ nude bod y to show
the imagmary "diCe!!" tim corrc.-spond to the different
measuremems descrilx.-d by the law of proportion, In
other words, we follow the sallie me thod as v,-e
would if we were to build a cylinder- based form.
In a seated figu re, these cua arc vi.~ibl e in the folds
of the sleeve, the shirt collar, the belt around the
w2ist, etc.

Measurement Problelns
Som(."[illle!! we \vill find tha t the figure.' does not
prc.-cisd y match the classical male, eighl- and- a- half_
head modcl. This is normal. It is o nl y logical thaI
reaJ..life flgu~ should bt- solllewhat beneath claS5ical
mea5Uretllcnts bc:catlS{-, after all, classical laws deal in
kX.':I1 proportions, nOI ~xact ones. What is IliOSl
impoltlm is not whethe r the figure 1ll(.':Isures seven
Of eight h(.-ads, but tha t the disuibution of Ihe units
be truly proportional.

Thl' dlWit"41 pTCfHl",'()flJ of

a 5Imuli"gfiguTf' de "a,
d",,,~ m,,,II, "0 mal/(1
11OII!
lilt I.>vrl)'
J'tI'ul/4 <II assrmlt'S
ro"'l'iit""Itt/ JKlllllfr1. 71lu

"""It

fyslem

if mranm:" " !'Jti (a"

be 4 gr.>oJ rifl"f('tla'.

AppJyil~ lilt 11Io"4S"mo1l'l11S

oflhr dlWit"41 1411' if

pmp<>rtion is (01tI1'1it"nud
a/Wllft is silllug, 1),,".1:
dOl"", or fo,rsl"mrned. lu

"0/,,,,,

11,1'$1' (451'S, 11'1' ,mut dml!' Ihr

jigufl''s SI'IIIHlrliug i,,"l"
s/metol1/' in a U'4lrd pcsitwn
mod tTY /0 ndjmt Iht
~poudi~ 1IIo"d.{"mN(JIIS

lol,.

.L
,\

IJ
\

Am>IIIfT $)'$/flll for aJlJlII~IIg ,"r

(/aSliml Imil IJIl'tUW"'IIl't>IS II Ihl'
(!I'l'rl4ylng '" l'a"WCQal slim, or ouuSIicru. Ontt> II", 5krldl if lilt figllft
II't d",.., till' li'l(3 if dint wtioru,
wl,illl 11Wtnpmuli0 In,. MEmn,U (j lilt'

(Lwiro/ ,,,odd, iu ani... 10 Shldy till'

profI('ftioow re/aliotlShips if" figutl ill
o Jm~t/IIIg or 1)"18 JHlSil iou.

.,,

GEOMETRY /f(~{'

HUMAN BODY
he 11\l1nan {ib,ru rc ca n be broken down in to
simple geometric figure!; that easily adjust to ilS
descr iption. Eve ry pose Sllggest~ <I gencl:a1 sketch that
SllOlild encompass dlt~ ;matomy in JUSt a few strokes.
It SllOUld be a simple form (all oval, a polyhedron. a
pyr:.mid shape, etc.) that is sufficiently rich to suggest
the position of different body parts.

The Geometric Sketch:

Structuring the Whole [roln Sinlple FOrlTlS
To sketch a geometrical model we begin by selecling
a composite omlinf;'-in other words, a $imple
geometric shape Oil which we can inscribe wllatever
po:sc th e figure assumes. In this way, tbe work will
pn;scll t from tile sta rt a more satisfactory visual
layouL The use of compositional outlines in sketching
is an efficient method for arranging the subjeCt and
:ldeqll3tely br~3kill g lip rhe pictorial space. tlms
hdpillg to organize the demcnts of the drawing so
that tile vi ~wer '~ attention, 31ld the focal point of the
drawing, is w hcre
v.'C \1I31lt it to be

'nw IJ(lSis if r.''''''y rtlm'(1

I'I'lIflcri'lJ: of Ilw f't" J't' is ,br
"rti5t ~ ""dcrs,.,,,,liug if ils
SlmrlJlrr.

Thr

It"",,,,, 1mIj' in i,s

w/",,,rttU: wpresrnrmi,," ;s

madr "p if 51""'1';111,

rrliudriwl, aud ",rhog''''''/
suti,rf'S. Thest' 51"'1"'5 aJl' ,br
Joul1dm;(JII Jor drmvi"g t/ir
eXIJ'e,,,ilip.s,/w,,d, "lid IOTStt if
tllc /xJdy r" angl'S posi,;"", ,,/I
1'-" /"'tIf' 10 da is adjHSI r1w
poillf af ,';nlt ofilic rcamtg!cs,
m lJeS, Qr q limlm .

"

T he Essen ce of Sy nthesis
Once the compositional outlinc is complctc, v.'C add
new gt:omctric Sh 3 JlCS [0 dcscribc each part of the
body: an oval for lht, head. a rectangle for the thor:l x,
cylindtrs for the arms. a trapezoid for the pelvis.
Gt'Oml'tric shapes contain the essence ofsYll1htsis.
The goal is to combi ne simpk forms which ~tabl ish
thc form as \vdl as thc pmponiollS of thl' fi gu~. All
ofthl'Sf: geometric fit;ures are articulated amollb'St
th<'lll5Ch~ by observing the straight lines which
ddine the height ofthe ~hou lde..,. and the tilt of thc
hips. and the curve that dC5Cribcs the backbone.
which, as we know, is no t rigid, but rather produces a
tipping of the ischion and the hips. and a rotation or
spin that allccts thc orientation of the head.
Geometric .~yTlth csis consist~ of ~eing thc d rawi ng
a:;; an articulate wholc that can be developed
simulcml'Ollsly in all of ill; parts, an d in whiel, no
single pan is more important than any o ther.

As an au:tl"iliary
systl'm. you can
uSC a ...."Q()(f(.'tl

mO(\cI tha t you

can PO:1SC hO\n.....'C r
)":Iu lih. ' Illese
models are b>Ood

for practicing

I"

grtJ/1U'lri((l1 "prt'Sl'''Mlio.!

Iht j"'JJlQI!

of

body, "hslmlliG"

fl"",/d "'""",... ,"'Iii "'I'tlOli,,,,

QJ " flgr," ,"<Ilk "" rllfirrir <f
si...,,uTpHIS. VIII, by /ill"', 11,1'
boJio ",ill ' .11' iot(gn" rtSNtJJr
oWs 01 JPht'rn <lim ",ill brr_

.Mrt flo;"".
JI,..ct",n.,

r:cpm.Ji'"

."

or thl' :u n:1l CUf artist, th e b'Comctric: skt' lch of a figu re is seldom an c~sy
Illsk; 110 111'th ckss. it can bt' simplifie d by fo llowi ng a few tips. To begin,
th l' bl"st Ihi ll~ to do is try m SCt' th e fi gure lIS ~ w hole and not gCl lo~t in
dct:\i l ~ such :IS dl t' positio n of the feCI o r the shape of the hair. Only after

drawing the gl'llcral outline of ti l(: model, when the

ba.~ic

problems of form

have been OVt 'rcO ll1 C and the proportio ns are approxima tely corn:cl . sho l11d
WI;:' address th l' deuik To llIakl a geometr ic sketch IS to understand th c
drJwi ug a.~ an articubtcd w hole, .. 11 parts o f w hich can d ll:n b(' dc \'elo pcd
sIIll u1tancously and of which no pan is more important than any o the r.

~'

.7J,. GEOMETRIC SKETCH:

STRUCTURING Ih, WHOLE

JJtoforr ",aki,,~ a"y

SIMPLE FORMS
Proportions and Background
A fi !,FUI'I."S proportions ~hou l d be harm o nized w ith
th~ dim~llsions o f Iht" background . to make SUT~ that
Wl' adjust the fi ~tl." to the b ack!;ruulld in a natllnl
marmer, and avoid having lhe m ar~ins of the pap~r
c ut ofT a pan of the fi~'ll1"e becausc we didn '{ clwc k
t h l ' Illt'lIsurt: lllcnlll b~forehan d. l fncc cssa ry, Wt' can
stain the blank pa ~e using a p3per stu l1lp--also called
a IOrtiIlOll--() r wit h om fill~'Crtips, tu limit the space
th at th e figu re wi ll occupy, Thes!! ini tial marks are
guidclint'S that suggest the positio n and dllll(' nsi()lls of
each part o f the bod y, as wdl 3$ t ile IOlallrnb<th of
thr modd. The ~omtu lC sketch includ('s a
clicuial io n ofthl' figure's pmporrious. which sho uld
be reflected in Ill(' outline.
A t"rtillon. or
a charcoa lstain e.I dOlI!. b
an excelle nt 1<101
for Ilralticin g
geometric
sket ches. 11
pro.luCC!s soil
line. that an: ea)y
L'"."n

"

\
s.,"'",etn'{ sk(ul" it is
1",1'''''''''' 10 11,,,,hl'$l.u tilt
tilt
l lu ..",lhj(Or1ll II';II,i,ja
JimJHt /lfY"IIrui( jO",I .

fis"", la IT)' 10 ill(l14dt

Cromtlrir.fo,nu <1f'!' '/MtI

jOf tlJIIlroIU"g rml1C,'imU.

(>

I) k ~ \----_\:5~(j\

1tf1 -r ~

"
A gcwlll'lrif d.ylt:/, lOll/ira a Ji,npl.. f,...,t",ml ,,';11, d(fuill'
JIK>ka. ' K> ""'II (Cllr"'''lllr "" II" J10K ami Iht IlrCpIictu
c"d fowt ell fir, ;"''" Mt4ib if II,.. fifOllr (A). 'n/(' pi;/etlm,,,,uS J/,c<./d br a fotJffl p.rlim;",,'1 orJ!ff'"II/<JI",II
" if 'ht model ",Ioiflr 11Ii1l1tf!/p UJ 10 cd"lII(t IOfI'IJ, d
--...

~IIIC" dnci/cd, d.-jillil i, ,, CII//;,II' (8).

"
1 '.

.,.

,-

.,,,'

TheVertic a l Lines of the B ody

The fir.;t thing we must do before
sketchmg is lIlake ~ series of llJarks
indica ting the lI1 e3 s u rc mellL~ to
which we cail refer throughout
the enti(C sketchi ng phase. Qne
su(Cfire way to begin your
drawing is to find the line of tile
shoulde r.; and the head. It is
usually t'wer to draw from the
top down. From there we will
work downward th rough the
bod)" drawing syntht'tic shatx-s 0 11
a standing surface, paying special
anemion to the vertical lines. W t'
should look for directions and
rhythms and sec them as abstract
forms.

r
J

-I .. ....

... ,..jrt: .... ,..

'

...
,

Verifyin g Dimensions
Drawing free hand allows us to
\'\Tify thl' precision o h he
,
drawing's proportions during tht'

early sketching phases. Whe n

drawing freehand, the pencil
should be Ildd vt'rtic:.rolly with the
arm extended before the figure,
with the fin gertip at o ne e nd and
the tlnll nb measllring at the other.
TIlis will help you confirm the
proportional relationshi ps of the
.I .
real model From these I
)~ ..
ml'aSlI re1l1e nts we can draw by
~,J,~
transfe rring those proportions
onto the paper. Once the sketch IS
done, we once again place t1u,
peocil over it to m:.roke sure that ~
the proportio nal re lationships
!
. -'
between the different parlS'of the
' ....
modd art: correct.
)~
)', .' N. rI ~ ''J"

. (:.~

-..<:

.~

;l

~ ,~.

Awcilial)' li''''1 ta" ",. ' lJl'd

,PI..... dmwi,'S " gromnril:
s""pr, JUlh /IS Ih~ _ Iital

ami hori~ou lalli, ~ ~Ir af

Nflitl. KrVn /IS au u:iJ a"d
rail ",. " Jed tJS a

rifffttttt

poim /a rot""",r disl"'lfes.

...

,"j~

II.

I. .
I'
i

'.

...-,
' .

..,
"

.~

,""

"

r'

r'r
.J ( I
I

'l'J :

'.

"t

l'

~-:

..

fl .....: '
"\.~....

"'I'

j'

."

1,

SYNTHETIC CONTOUR
(m(1 LINE CONTROL
co [](ou~

rawi ng
is one of the most intel1..'Sting
cxen::ises for an artis t
practice, because it
D
Cl.'1lters ollr attention on the foml's limits and
to

providl'S a focus that we can concentrate on

regardless of details, lo nal values, o r pos.~iblc modeling
effects.

Met hod
T ile best way to pr:Jctice drawing the contour is to
lake a fin e point pencil and start drawing the profile
of a figure from a detl'rminate point of vie-v, without
taking the pencil off tllt~ pagl'. The line should be
unbroken and continuous, without ernSl1 res,
ove rlapping lines, o r tremors.Your eyesight should
follow the contour of the fi guTC while the pencil
works on the page, responding to e:ich of your
thollghts. When starting on the conto ur o r inner
silllOuettc of a new part of the body such as the
Ilands or breasts, yOll can refer to the drnwing in
o rder to find the point at which the new comOllr
sho uld begin. Continue in this way until completi ng
the contour of the figure.

----.........

FOlllty I'lUp<Jrtiom are 'rp;(O/;II IIIB '1'1Jl" of

d'<!Ivillg, bllt ,vilh prafl;cr, tl' f at/iSI will
<lI"'ltl;re., Ioo$tr, morr rolltrollcd /iue.

The rollIO," $iw,,/d be ou <!IJ/omorir,

f\'I'$lmal drowiug, (OIun,cd 1,rillloril), wilh
II", f,">",,,,1 dilmlCl(T oflllC ,node/ mid ils
('xpt1'$5;Oll mlher Ihau ",;Ih IIU orarouu-,
ptrj'tdiootiSI mulrriltg.

..
A Great Disa ppointment
I, is very likely , hat your fi m attempts at this type of
drawi ng will prove a great dil;.a ppo intlllem . Don', be
discour.tged: kee p ill mi nd that this me thod requires a
great de~ 1 of pract ice. O nce you have gained more
experience. you w iU be able to vary you r speed
according to you r reactions, and you r line w ill be
more finn and de<;isive. T he imporum thi ng is the
expe rience that )"Ou acquire w hile pr.lcticing this
eXttCise. Once you 1lU$[er the ability to symhesize
using this tec hn ique. you will be able to m ake swdies
and sketches in the studio from memo ry. and WOn't
miss having a lIlodd to d raw from.
Line Control
To achie\lt'" an interesting line in a stu dy, the artist
mu\t use eithe r a ver y fi ne instru m ent or a ver y thick
one. In eith er case, you have to work quick ly, and
foI.low the subject's forms with a continuous line.You
can usc the til t of the pencil or gn.phi te to modulate
the lint'" by altering the 'width of the stroke. A 1l1arp
pencil produces a sensual, frag ile drawing, w hereas
gnphite. w hic h has a thicke .. line, will yield a more
intense, energetic drawing. The result should be a
sati!;factory, uniform line that provides all th e
inron nation )"Ou need for obtain ing th t model's post
and ana to my.

A ~ eKercise
ro r nla~tl,. i ng li"e
d .... w ing i~ 10 Iry
to rend er ~ figure
with ~ , ingl e line,
witho ut lim nt: the
le3d rn >lll th e
p3pcr. as ir we
.... ere d rawing the

figure's " ro me
with 3 ullgle
!'ieee of yarn. TIus
hd ps U$ dl...-.: lop
our
im pl"O\isational
skills ~ nd m~stcr
synthesis.

1M gmpl1ilr pmril is (If~ if1M ffl(OSf

lOll''''''"1y " JI'd "'fdia for ..,nking Ii,,,,
drawing1, "'" liltlt br lilllt, 1M bdl-pcilll
pI'Il htu f ormd a Ilifl lt IIIno l!fS
1rotll'rofissiolUJ ""im ,Imllks Iv Ih, fillt,
ill/row, mId It.lfmiw lillrs 11u" il prru.~da.

Sr"lllel'" (OI/lO llri.!,g is ,,..rr 'lSiful fo r

lIlakilJS quick J/,uJits, wm:" 1/",
ionmcJi(J()l ~Id ~iWt,ts.J if tht
moJrI ..... (ll" p"'",i"",.

Gmphilt P"'"'s IMI1'

fXptcssilll' 111/10, (l pmril
mooe f TP11l /Ile S(lm{'
Ill(llm(lllH"rmuf il

provides lillcs pf /I
if wid/hs

grr'akr mllgt

muJ ilttl115i,i,s.

.g'h& VIRTUES

P/'

NG STUDIES:

( GOOD FORM /y' PRACTlCE

he best way to approach a figure and the probleJll.\ of
representation t h:l f it entails, is through the practice
of making studies of 3 model. Smdying t he figu re based
on a rough sketch is a for m of constan t learning and
perfecting for the artist.

A Minimum of Lines
In a ~tudy of a model , you should situate the prinCIpal
lines with a minimum of snokes, with no concerns over
w hethe r the resulting drawing looks unfinishtd. Doing
studies is a valid practice in itself and needn't be' justified
by a late r work. The grace and spontalleity of studies
hav(' been apprecIated by profess ionals and ama teurs alike
th ro ughou t the ages.

TIle T itne Fac to r

Quick studies are notes taken ill the shono[ time
possible. Wi th practice. the lund becomes more
assured, so du! it learrl!i how 0 find
solutions to any ana tomical
requirement.'fhe leisurely,
inconsequential tone of a quick
study ma kes It Clipccially
appealing. Often it
becomes a series of
small shows of dex terity
and visual sh:upnes,<;, On
thc odlcr h~nd , the easiest
$lUdies t o make are those
for w hich the're is no time'
limit at all.

Yo", lkr'ullbfloks II/mild ".. foil ifU/r<n, JI~Ii~

QI,d (mmt'i~ doodl(!f Il-;/h " " "PP"tn" oroer, ".".
any gool Grhn IlulII 10 Ci1f"liIt {o>rccpts olld (';I:rrrist
)'til" s/,r>,",-

>.

T he Use of H a tc hin g in a Study

In a >;rudy, til l' SkClcll ~hou ld b o;: light, never o\'I.'rdollc.
It i. 1lt."Ct....s;'ry to find ~ blend oflig hl and shadow
Ihat compOOl'l' the fi~ure wi th its csS('n tia l d el11c nts.
An l'xcC"\~i\'C illSistC1J(T 011 ha tching is 1I problem that
afflicts IIIcxpcrienccd artists, l11:1king Ihdr (lnlwings
mnfu>;mg. If you work III graphi lt\ it is sufficient 10
nu k,' a Silllpll', hUIllC>gent."Ous g ray hatching; if using
charcO;tI, Iry d arkemllK tht." ~h3ded areas wi th a
6ngt:rtip smint.-d with charcoal.

"'''r f"rpt11f' <f" muir is

' 1(>/

Tlw Imlclting .111 SIUdy

l'lmll!d III' lIIilli",,,I. " i$

slIfflfinllln dij/;',r""-,,,r

llit l'l'a(lr,/ ilfr<1S fir IIsiug

sill'plr,gmy IWlrhill,(!
Iltr III/lilr ifll,r
,~!A,ill, R'pmmls I/Ir
II

i {I

""",illl'I

li.!i"M,,,,,rs..

II' I'

Iv r the bcgimro;:r
iT i. ~ good ;de~
(O "llIke st urJie~
of fc m~ 1c fil:ure~
~ l1d ' IJn'fcrJbl)', 10
["hoose ~ model
who

;'\11', 100

Ihin. A ~ki"" y
model i. h~rdcr
to d ..~", ~nd
dcmaud_ s rea ler
anatom'["31
c)(pc.ricnCt' o n the
pari of thc "";$1.

te, look Ii~~' II fiuis lu-d

dr;nlli"x, bill '" sl.."" 1M (,..1",11>1' 'f '/,r fil:""" /1 . lr",tI/f

{mlSfl/l"" "lfil"I",(/"""'.for III"'" d"/><lm" d'llIl1i",'(.<. or
J'TII swdr ,Y lllr d'fillirir~' I"'jt.
HtII{/!i"S wilb rmll'tfP/p, /t'rs 1'''' '1"ickiy lIn 1I/i1r;r.~
if II,,' IIrG,/d ",iII"'lIIl,tII,j,~~ IG ,,,,,uI' IIIHtI ill

parliN I

HUml{rJ ~r

tlrmi/J,

7111' i'lSlnmomlS

,,,,,,,,bh-, 1111
jn

for I/wki'/j! !wdin W(IIt/d III' 1iJ.:/,t .,,111

II ~

l'll'" pJ.",

Idea 10 olll"')," mrl")'" Jbh"'~'k

..
,,
\

\ \
\
,

\,

\,

\,

\,

,
\

"

OF THE FIGURE
n figure drawing the mastery arline is very important because.
Ineating
besides defining [he c;om;rcte {;on(ours o f volumes
scn.<;e o f direuion or vital impulse in the drawing. it
~nd

creates tensions and rca(tiol1.~he particular cadt..'flces of the

figure. A knowledge ofthese dynamic [cn siol1.~ gives [he figure a
sensc o f COIlt.1incd motion and a rhythmic se~tion that C:lll be
of great compositional and interpretive interest. Thus, figures
appear to be described by a str.mgc equilibrium dominated by
action, in a constant emwined 1ll00ion and violent inflections
time alC propelled by a force that, al tho ugh sometimes
overwhelming, gives meaning to the post' and unitt's all of the
linear elements of the figure.

"
----------

hydun is an important concept in d rawing, taken from the

world of music. As in music, it is created by alternating
between accents, silencts, and neuml pasugcs.A pose has rhythm
when it is ha rmonically dynamic, full dyrumic alternations. The
distribution of these alternations determines the attraction and
intt'mt of the draw ing's rhythln Accents in a drawing are thea\ttt;ltions of its continuity; for example. a diagonal inlerrupts a
vertic.alline. and vice versa. A static, symmetrically positioned
figured is the ant.ilhe~is of rhythm.

[7lu~

INNER RHYTH
FIGURE

The Line of Actio n o r Strength

For a figutt to attain an impression of equilibrium and rhythm. it is
Ilt:Ces.sary for it to have an ifl[ernallinc, an imaginary linc that extends
across the Icngth of the figure. in oruer to articulate ill; rhyth mic
effect. This structunlline. known as the line of action, sho uld be the
bam for any dnwing of a pose or movemcnt. Working with lines of
force allows us to approach the internal rhYlhm without the ftgure
becoming unbala nced. When constructing a pose. it is preferable to
first exaggerate the line of force and then take it to a more realistic
position; thus, we endow the figure widl an energy and Illotion that
would probably not be perceptible in a rigid. conventional pose.
111 " bock I'ieu\ ,Iv
Jrg"re~ illlfl'nal rlryrJllfI

is rlmrl" /fu,jll.R"'s/rcd
by t/ir /jilt: desaibi"g
rl,e badlbotrt

'-

J
\'

/,

1M rl'ythltl is 111<I.wd by 1111 immw//ille IlulI s1''''/!.

11K bc>dr fmtn II~ I,tad 1(lliwftc' muJ (01/1'1'1'1 rl,l'
,,/IllUde if tile 1"'Si' or (I(/i"" rarricd "Ill by rl,( fii!."re.
n,js imag slwws /I slTirs if /l/IS/lbJe wa<>6f11 ..wdlls
/lkmgsidr tlwir ("'rtSp".uJillR myl/""ir lilln

"

The Expression of Gesture

In order to capture the rhyt hm o f
a figure, it is essential to learn to
dr:1w its gesturc.Yoli r drawing
rJlOuld be nuid, like a doodle,
capturing the internal form of th e
figure and reflecting its intentions.
Mter drawing th e line o f
strength, attune th e gestures of the
drawing to each otller and capture
the essellce o f the body: don 't
allow considerations such as the
figure's contours o r m easures to
confuse YOll . The drawing should
be quick and interestin g,
preferably with no consideration
given to the contours or fo rms
outside the figure, attun ed to its
rhythms thro ugh the gestures
COIl\'C}ed by yo ur hand.

If we furce the
rhytlunic line of
the body, it

assumes a nlOre
forced tomon,

which mlnslates
into a more

expressionistic
rendering.

W71fr1 HUlling" gtvIIU'lm

TIw lim; of actio" is the imagi.",ry rl'yllrmi

IIUlI fpatlS lire 1",'8'/' of the fw",t 10
,-lUll' tlU!
"""iot. /.. tl" Jel of
modrh NIOII; lhi. /iJle is mooified l'llCo,diJl8
10 rlw acriD" ~ifOfmfd by the body.
UHf

tjftrt"

skrcl" it is NSfJltiallo"
into atUJUnl tM ,Iryt/lm of
the figure. 1k my/hm will
N lkstribfd by CIiTIIt$ ami
qlluk strokes marking the
inlf>Htion if Il,.. body.

II

)
\

SOFT LINE
AND ITS MODULATION

he' rhythm of a line and its modulation is an

importam value in figulT dr.iwing. An inlctt'S1 in
the fon ru of a nude should be C'xpm.~d by the
chOlTm of the dr.lwing~ linC' strokes. This expression
demands som e C'xagger;ario n, ~i mpl i fica tio n , or even
chang~, all of which are completely leb<1tilll3tc if they
iruclIsity the visual quality of the \vork. T he'
d lllr:tCteristics o f a line used 10 d efine a contour can
transmit the l1:tturc of the [oTm, its materiality, surface
texture, and visual charge.

D escriptive Contours
Descriptive lines art" those w hose ollly g~1 and
function i~ to drscribe the profile o f forms and their
\'[)lulIle$. These lines arc responsible for the styli7..:ltion
of the forms that v.-e have- prt:viously discO\,'('lTd , and
they rdlect dIe u ri5ts perron.1ll visio n and stylistic
essence'. Dcsc ripci~ contour develops an authentic
creation and o rga niza t ion o f ana tomical form.
l\lnr" IImt";,!~ lItoot.Jarcl1li",~, It(l/ 1"I'SI ally SIIm..'I' ",ill 11",
"nl(./it'l' /i,/tj bt'lcoW Irft rtpn'$Ctll tl)(' mMI rommOll stroJ,.('J
1~,II,y 'WI*" artists-lilt')' art" brot'ftl <l/tlllll'S'-'aHl. l1tr
fou, 00' ,III' ~tlarr IIII' ki..ds ifli,tC'1 alllalrll, amSIS maIM
uri,,,.jar:fi,."., bill mritd III tllri, ImmSlfy autl Iititlmtll.

)
,I
I

I (

,,. _-------->
Drstnl";'''' ...,.""',, is r.\-ptmnI &y a """ IIIIICUS lilll" SI.w.'t'
Qtulltas a pmt'/y rornpomlw,,01 jiluJill'. /1 fimtlWtIS itf n
p,tt'ric sI.... ,tlt tkst:,ibiui! III( pn!fi1r ifI,"J'Rmr II1i,I,....,
"1!,<ffff jiw ils uvI""'l" (md 1I,oo,/i"g.

Modula/cd Jtrokts I!{frYI /lrr df1,tlt if tllr lillI'S. "I1,c;/

Ihi(lmcss ""irs rlrpl'lldluJ: ,}II "",WIlier llie mra /)('IIIJ: ,lm"~1
1$ ill liJ:/rt
sltarl/!'U'.

a,

"

Contour Intensity
If a line is th t' same consistency throughou t, it
encloses the nude too coanely, ;md f~ils to express lhe
nuances oflight :tnd Sh3dow. A drawi ng rendered in
soft linL'S should ~ I terna te thick lines with finer ones.
Fine lines suggest a lighttd art'a, while thick lines arc
perceived as describing shadexl pans. You can
emphasizc a line by rt'tracing if to give an illusion of
depth o r create shwows. If the thi ckn~ of the linc is
I~~ u la ted and fhe tracing is agile. the line will have
'Suffitient \'isu~1 appeal that it will o nly require a fe-. ...
sllml ~ary additions in ill> h:uching .

/'
0.101'

)'011

Iw,'t

rm"t~1 pmnitt with

d!tforrll' ki",/J.f

williif' oUr /0 ,"Mlliall' ,II,. li,U' til$i'y <!J )'A'

d""" MMII/oli,,!! 1/11' .mir 11...... 11 <ury";",!! flu> ,,,em,,,' fIt,d
thirl...,1nS iflll(
tmWt/j,'E /0 r/lt',rfft!s if thl' d,m",,,!!. iI,

JIniTs, )'1111

,j"l'

lIftltr t.. dtwilot' rlU' wlm".. if,/,r jig"" ""d ilJ

'!WI

Line and Synthesis

Drawing in ~ofi- lines is in large part a synthetic
exercise in selecting contours. Linear symhl'Sis play:;
3n important prKtic:11 role whell dr.\wing fhe human
figu re be C',1u~c it allows us to quickly n:nder a figure
in a spomancous attitude at 3ny time or place. A
s}'Iuhcfic figure or sce ne contains aU the necessary
information fo r the viewer to rccq,'TlilC the figure's
different actions and b'CStUIl.'S, captu rin g tht gnee of
its motion.

liS"ifK"''' l(>tllll rlllllt(!n..

Ajillf' I~ js IIl'MrS Os.wr;old will, r/," I,.rml ti1i!llll

"" "'1' flJZ'If"; i, to /III'S nJ 110 mrp.;se, Ihm,li'iI' "filiI' /'"(,

""S "led /0 muir. 1/,(, I~fi-I"md 1"4i1r if ,IJr Ji.~"Tf' brl~m

A Ihid.: lill" 1t'/'ri'll'rr/s" grmlcr I'n~ ..,,(r

rllIlS, II!I',kf

gt>,rro,u

{I

if I IIlU/"II' mill,

For If bmf' .",dmlm.d"!I: ef"/(' lm.Ycdl"f,; (l!WJ, roll$ldrr

'his drf/d, '!r ,/rr smnr fif.ll.rr, III whi(J/ liglo,rr/ ""d s""ded
11,...11$ art' d ..mly IJif[rrt'II,ill,rr/ Iw" If""""J smy ""u/""s.

""ul, ",0,.. .tlji";/;,,,, /rrKf', Ilmll~r w;,I, <1

SIrc!'(.

, - .., - '1

~
.

7,/

An <! m~t:t i\'<! "'1l)'

of mastering the
soli line is to dnow

the sin lOl.lcttc of.

figure without
tak ing into a count
iu solidity or an)'
otht... internal
I'rojeaion. Follow

the

OU l er

edge,

ignOfing what b'OCS

on ill$ide. Th e
objt~cti\'e

or the

o.;on!Our d r.winG is

to :lCh ie,c .. n e"lICt

eorll.'Spondenc:e
bctW\.'CIl the what
the e)" 5t'('$ :0$ ;t
rOll(lw$ the ~-dcn
of a fi:.'n' and the
]illc the hand draWl
to repfeSenl il.

oIumr

on
wha t

SPOTS

Shading
If a fi gure is lighted powerfully, it can be sketched
with spots of colo r, with hardly any lines at alLThe
d~wing

should be a synthesis oflight and shadow. of

ligln rd areas which we Ieav'e blank 011 the page and

the sh~ do\','s that we stain using cll;lI1::oal or a piece o f
chalk laid full . T his process o mits the details
altogether, but incl udes the spc.:ctrum of middle grays.
The limits of the shadows a also as good a refere nce
a'i rhe linl'S of a box-skcrch, pan icubrly in models
thaI hl\~ a wdl defincd o utline whose contour
prcsenlli a dear C0l1tr:l51 with the bac kground .

W """, liN'

fiR"" 11M JlUfI'p lOtlll<l$lS

ill fig/I', i, mil br Jknt/It'd ",.,h

A jiw ,/lOIs an' j.!/flliml for JI~lillg Ihr

h"",nll "''''/(lfII)lfj '"" """,/ It> shaM

quu-kl" 'j/f' (an uS<' ,ht t/cwic J?WY Muhi.rg.
",hkh (~lIsij/J if JII'f'uhn if pmnIld ",nth
N~lilt J""" ilK' 1(I[/Jlrd "'MS nrt Itji bI""k,
wilh

oolf1r "'I')' lilla or mtnlu.

Jp<'Ii

r{ /i,1n, III mill if 11N'1l' II1m'

l'lIJI'S ',~ spoti .w.k /0 l/",pt '''l
"IOllltl(t ,md post' if ',~ f!R"""
IIIJ'toQ

Hatching
In a rough sketch, hatching ean be
madc w ith a motion that mimics
your first. tentative lines, lCtlkving
l preliminn y tonal and 1l1odelifl8
intention .T he strokes ean be
dt:cisive o r Shlley. This techni<Jue
relates the construction of
shadows to the expn:ssivt:lll'SS of
the stroke. so il is linked with
calligraph ic muters closer ro the
realm o f wri ting. This a1l0\\l5 for
much gll:ater gestural expression
in a sketch based on h.;uching.

Drawin g with Wate r colo rs

A good way o f setting up th e
drawing il; by practicing tonal
w.ltercolo rs. Before starting the
drawing itself, we place the modd
in fronl o f l single source of light,
lX:C:llIse shadows become
confusing if there an: several
sou rces o fl ight at one hllle.
&.forc: hatching, we can lightly
draw th e outline of th e figure in
order to have a tempbte or
guidd ine for workin g. TIlen, U!iing
a flexiWe b rush. we q uickly and
nimbly apply da rk watercolor on
the areu of the body that are
shaded, preserving th e white o f
the paper for the m ore brigh tly
lighted nea.~. You will hlve to
forsake any intermediate tones:
precision is unimportant in this
drawing, so don't waste time
repairing forms and outlines.

3. rinally, we can add a few

strokes deuiling the structure and
prolile of th e figu re. The line
strokes comb ined with the spots
give the drawing greater
consistency and solidity. T hl'Se
Slrolet.'S were made wi th a pencil
the same colo r as th e Spots.

1
1. In these th ree sequences we
shall see hO\v to practice sketching
with spots. First, using a to rtilloll
or a conon ball lightly stained
with chalk, we draw the shaded
parts of rhe model on th e paper in
a highly synthetic, simplified
manner, leaving the lighted :P.relS
b lallk.

2. The tones th.u serve as the basil;

fo r the sketch are 1l00V complete.
The series o f Sp Ots traces tht'
structure and pri nciple ma.sses of
the figure and providl'S info rmation
about the localiol1 of the light
source.

ATTITUDES OF THE
HUMAN FIGURE:
"As paiuters, we seek to usc I/le motions oj tile bod}' to
sl/ow tile motions oj tllc soul ( ... ) 'DillS, it is mldal
rl/at painters have a perfcct knowledge of the mot/oIlS oj
tile body and learn from nature in orner /0 imitate,
however dijJiwlt it may be, file IImltiple motions if the
soul. "
Leon

Batti~ta

Alberti: '/ lIe 'l1m" Books <f l'h;IJ/;"g, ]435.

,
~1

. f

.,

1/

. . ..
I
.

,. I l ;
'it'

;;$"

'

ANALYZING

POSES

.,

here are no limits to th e possibilities fo r creating im ercSling, striking

Capruring th e energy and dynamics inllcrent in the mood
depends in grea t measure upon the artist's dlOlce of pose and gesture. When
~ speak of gesture we refer not only [Q the model'~ ll1an n erislll~ o r the
features of the face, but to the e ntire body. Every person has a particular \V3.y
of walki ng, sitting. posing, and manifesting h erself physically; these arc the
unequivocal marks of her person, and we call these marks gestures. The
gesrure of a figure transmits lIS way of being alive, its actio n. By defining the
expressive angk':S and directions of th e body, we can capture the essential
gesture of a p ose, implying its inte ntio n and energy in a natural way.

T poses.

,<

gJc EQ!)ILIBRIUM
.o/f;',' POS E
he equilibrium orthe nude is a vcry import:lnt L1Ctor-thc
verisimilitude and slability of thl' compositio n dcpclld on it. Evcry
Ill"V pose p"-'SCllts a d ifferent problem to be Mlh-cd ill its com positional

balance.

The Stability or the Figure

The t-quili briulll or lh(' pose is an im portant f.1 ctor w hen drawing a
figurc. T lwrl arc lim its to 110w mu ch a hU1l1 all bcillg ca n tiit to 011(' side
or another w ithm ll falling ove r. T ilt> tas k. , 111t.'n. is to CQllt roll hc stability

of t ht' figu re so that it dO\;s no t appea r to Ix 'id ling to

all<: of its sides. T he (llll'Stion of equilibrium is
!lot a problem if the fib'U!T i~ scated o r lying
down. TIl(" risk of imbalance OCC Ii Tli w hen
ti l<' nude is standing. part icularly ill poses
that involve any violent 1ll0\'cm cnt in

the Ub'1lrc. ln [his type of llose,it IS

possible to become d isorklltcd and
lose the horizontal axis. creating an
appearance of instability.

A f l"nlllr,ri{/ll m"'fK'S-;"Nr / !1Nrllff

III a 1 1/

"K'''' ojn 'lUdt, lilt li,l<' (tml(d Ily

'11r bnrklJPllr {/III /J( ,,;cd <If " " a..:ir trf
J)'mml'' '}" olln""'1J! IIJ /11 bninll(r 1/",/KIf'.

J:'f'I1'"

slabilily 11"'/ IlIIlmU'l'. III otl;SI;' rlm",j,(~,

symlllrlry ~1r",1M .In! ht-1)('!(rrI. "I111" 1II0S1

',----

mll/lII,lI' miulillll is I" dir,.,J{/(f' Illl' dim:lioll if

Il,r Ilroo Of "'~ of rh ornu 10 tlIl{'ir/ 011 ~(ffrl

if WIlli Jy,~m('rry.

~I

-c..r

"nt.. lillt" ifJ!fI1I.11r

INIj!II. if lilt'

~
\

J/1II11J IIIf'

jl$!mf' jiPIII "'11h>

botIOf,I,jmw lilt I I("(I/ I<>
IIIf' Ionyo of ,I,f'
s"I'IJPrt;'1j! 1f"R, on rllllilk

11,(' "'1*111 '!f Illl' IlOdy

rest!.

'.

.,

Firmness o f the Feet

The figll~,llo matte r w hat pose it aSSUlIles, comcs
into ("ontact w it h a Stlp(lOrti ng surface through one or
bOlh feet, tile b uttock.~. or the hand~. TIll' m anne r ill
which this con n c! is produced expbins the support :tl;
well as Ihl' cohcTl'Il("e of Ihe pose th rough
tquilihn ullI, so the entire lxxIy should appear
coheTCn t w ith ~pCCI to Ihe position of the
txtrcmitics. A frequem erro r w hen drawing sClndil1g
figun.'S h that thl:y do not appear to be touc hillg tht""
!':round, and look as tho ugh they arc float ing or
imbahnced .

A fn.'<Illcnt

').,

mismkc that

Ilr:lkc is It> til t the

figure forw"rd. To
m'oid m~king this

~ f,

~nlll l eu r M tiUJ

~,.

d'
-.;

miuake, you have

to

project tm, lin ..

_ _ _ __ _ _-,J uf gravity omo

L

the sko. tch .

.-f

The C ent er o f Gravity

A ratiollal IIll'thad of ~r ifYi n g the e{111ilibriullJ of a
Ilude's pose i~ to find its cem er o f g t:l vity. Tl1C center
of gr.l.Vity is u~ua lly found ill the abdominal a~a fo r
standing fib'llreS, or :1.1 th e base of the spine for a nude
vil'Wro from till' back. To check thl' stability 01 the
figure, all Olle has ( 0 do IS imagine th at center of
gravity and extend an imaginary venical linc from it;
if tht" line diviclcs the arca supporting olle or both of
the feet. the figure has a good e<]uili briulll; o therwise,
titt f('prt."Sent:llion is imbabncccl and the nude is
un:tble (0 support itself on its fee l.

To ",/"',,,r 1I11'f"II-bIl/a"rl""fwuc, ir ~
;"'JI"'/allT 11111/1/11" l)/lsi/iIl" IIJllw I?!s Ix(a.w;",;.'.': I1mlllll1l Ilwfirl 1".fi""I),
JIIIII'''''l"d..", 1111" fl'~". fj" ... ,akr II,,.,..
ju'on ;mp <11"(.'",,, ;11 //tr skru/" 1111" ,nt
t"t hutr 51It'll1d appro' /",/a'I(NI.

<1

"l7tr /i"1" ~rg,m,'y 11/1<11,,, 'IS Ie> rmllrol,l,.. ("q"i/ib,;"", "f ,/,t"f~"rr.
,(I$(', 11,f' /ill l" ifJ,:1Il1.; I)" tlm"~1 ill ,rtl,folls OI"$i"r ,f tilt
fioN slll'l'llr/ilt;t.: 11,(" l'llSr, If) 1IIIlIIIII".fi~I'rr al'l)/,ilr1 ;"'M/I1I/ll"d rl1).

Symmetry

/" II,r.fim

[11 a flat ~presc nta tioll and in a fiunt:ll view, the

hllrn all body SllOWS a series of visible corrt'sp olldellcc5
:md ~ym lll e tries thllt gi v~ (he fl!,'lITe 1I b'1"cat scnse of
conlpcns.1tl-cl l'quilibrhllll. For th is anlilysis, (he most
important linc is the o ne [hat di vidl""S the hurn.:m
6gure in two when vlewcd fro m lite front.
A

if tIlrfi,~lIIf foils illlmlll pflllt" /i", if):IIl,i'J. (IJ

illlllr tim,,;)!\.' br/llll : it ",ilium a,l/}('a( ;1II""II1I)rrd (1J).l1or
rqlli/iitrilllll oflllr ""dl" ((111/>1" ,rrifil"dlry Jmll';,,!; Iltr 1'f'Ilim/lj"r If
gtm';l), alld tltk;'1j! """"/WI il plls ",jl/,ill Ilrl" /lim 41ltr Jm,
.
SIIl'JlONiug fl.t" flt",r (C}.
On 1/11" Mllrr IImlll,

S/'Ollll

"

VARYIN G

flu'

POINT q/'
VIEW
<

hether the sketch is static or in

it is
to d raw the 6gure from different
W
points of view and walk around the figure it as you
Illotion,

i nt('~till g

~ketch . Every point of view offers the opt ion of a

different pose. Drawing the fig\l re frolll the front ,
from the b~ck . o r in profile implit'S a diffe rent
technic:!1 and psychological tedlll[{lue.

Studying the Pose

Ikforc drawing a nude. the an ist must consider
which 2lipectli he wana lO develop in his work: linc,
hatching. color. c hiaroscuro, movement, etc. Certain
poses allow one to develo p some of these 2Spt'Cts
belte r than others. as we haw aln'ady said. II is
interesting to obseT\'C: the model from different po ints
o f view and walk amu nd the figure as }'Qu sketch.
The best exercise for determining the focus is to look
at the scene as a whok~lo \~ lk around the model.
cho()sing the most {'xprcssivc and effective angle,
Every po im of view constit utes a d ifferent pos.~i bility,
Technicall y, every pose requi res d iff.... re nt solution.~,
with a grc~cr or k-sscr role assigne d to d r:lwing,
co lo r, or chiaroscuro,
"

/
77M' firm rlll vift,' is anlOl Ig fhe mllll a flmcril)t 10 aM"'; trol
Pllly aM,S il l'mtidt' a view if IIlrJOO', bUI a/rolllal vir", if'
IIII' llOdy l'I'W'IIfS"liifs and drlll;lj f/ wl '1'IIl.l.~' l/rl' haftl,illg
nom mMrliug of tire figure mrnr illlrn1rillf,l.

til I'IfIftr UI IJnUT ,u,dmumJ t~ modd, r'" IIIWI' /0 study it

a u41l)~, and onaIy.u Ut( SQtII(' pcoc}ioo' stl f'mI difJM'nl
poinu (If IIiru; tI'<I/.I.';ng o""md tIll' model 01U1 ~'sUilIi.>: ing il
;n ill I'II I;rrly.
fU

The Frontal View o f a Figu re

To draw the nude from the from implies personalizing
it, transforming it into a particular person rather than a
generic model. T hus, this type of pose more clo5ely
resembles the idea of a portrait. Although the purpose
may nO[ be to make a portrait, the fTOntil view of:l
nude forces the artist to pay serious considen.tion to
the face, and this means endo,.... ing it wi th exprt':SSio n .
The Nude in Profile
We could almost $;\y the opposite abou t the nude in
profile. The contour is the dominant aspect of a
dnwing of a p ose in profile: the form of the head,
facial features, shoulders, torso, abdomen, th ighs-in
shon, of the entire figure. rh CU' clements can be
represented wi th a sillgle, continuous line.This does
not mean that th e volume and modeling are
unimportant. but r~ lh er. t h ~ 1 dlt.'}' ~re subo rd ina te to
the lille of the fi~ure. [I is worth remember ing,
however, that a figure is ra rdy entirel y in p rofile.
Some parts of Ihe w hole appear only in a frolllal or
back view, making a three- quarters view advisable.

The Nud e Figure Viewed fro m B ehind

The back view of a nude, especially the female nude,
is a recurring subject in the b'Cllre 0(imil1l3te figure
dmving. T hese drawings cre:ue the effect of a figure
bring observed by the viewer without he r

.,," Jrgtlff! infron/Ill ,,;tIl' mt"im II

,,"!fill', en /II(' ()/Il~ IWHd, rrqHira" IIIC1I'

d"'llikd /U'"',,,rnl if tllr bcdy~ alll/Cllr$.

If we find it hard
tn understand the
figure from
different

posi tions, \\'C can

usc ;\ model like
Ihi~ WUodell

m:ulncquin. A~ an

e"ercis<:, il

,.\

~--.

i~

very

I'r~cl:icl\ 1

""""-

kn(J\,\~et\,'e.

This impressiou of naturalness pTOVei to be of

great psychological interest. Technically speaking. a
rendering of the back--m~le o r female--can
:w:cemu~ te rile analomy to a deg ree that it becomes
interesting in its own right.

I!IIIIl'

11nW.1<lI;:ud / U'lItm rnr '!f rhr}xr /Iud II I l..'f'Ir/lirr

mullIJCI! if 11K' rt'S/ citllf" bcdj.: flit ",vdtl in

1_ ~
\ ),

10 I'l:t(;c
Ihe d ummy in Ihe

SlIm" pose ;t) ~

live model,
luming ;t ~lld
makin g ~ut(;h(;,
of if from

different
view.

poin~

of

\;>
tll..,k ~;I'U' of tlJI},~'U' rr'l,,;m lilll~
IlfrWlInli;rmic" Iml n glrnl dml if
lIloor/i"g w Iwll' drwil" llor ,,,,Iumr!

'!f llof bIIdy.

<

( COUNTERMOLD:
DRAW ING NEGAT IVE SPAC E
ftt'11, thc succC!;S of:l pose lil-'1 in its nega ti ve
in noticing and rende ri ng the for m of the
background, the empty spaCt:s surrounding the figu re.
If we <in\\' Ih t! forms o flhc.:st, various spaces, we
also en d u p draw ing th e fib'l1rt':, bUI wilh g rcottc r case.
We sulve the problem of composition (hus: Ihe spaces
and the fo rm.~ arc ullite d w hell we give equal
impo n ance to all the pieces o f the puzzle wi thi n t he
m argi ll~ that limit the format.

~pacc,

AIl31)':.r.:ing the C ounte rln o ld

T hl' Im porta nt th illg isn 't d r:awing an an n o r t he
position of the.' legs, b ut rather ta king up the form of
lhc.'SC body parts by relating t hl'lll abstractly to the
space- that surrounds thelll, looking for the Ilcg<ltive
fornls, o r (OUlllermo ]d , o f t he figure . Therefore, in
order 10 unJnsund the fo rms o f the modd we must
know how to identify the fib" JTe'S cou mc rm old.
We SUID,'Cst n very sim ple e xerc ise thnt consists of
reprcscllti ng th t, h u m:1II Ub'1.1re in the choscn POSt.' by
d mwi ng t he d ifferent chi aroscu ro val ue~ o f the shapes
t hat sur round t he model, wi th o ut usin g lines (Q g ive
t he111 their countcrs----simply using hatch ing bnsed o n
tr.lcillgs that reduce the co nto urs o fthe bo dy. We
reali:le it isn't easy to scp.u :Jte t he fi gu re from sp:Jce,
but wi th a bit of concentratio n and practice it can be
done,

II ,!!('<!(f uilly If' nlln/y.u lis,. I~'S" js Ie' fi'IJ:f"I 111~'II1 tI... ;lIIrwnl jllf!"I

rf ,hr " ",ar l 111111 (()/Ilfmmlr ('" ill l>njilc, d",,,,j,,gjl'O'"

II,r IlIllf/tillg

of llw <'I" llIy Ip<I(n ,liar mwlrp II"' j Wlllc.

'n,(" (J1'I,/i((lIj'l/1 .1

/I (f'll/ l lmltoid

i" II,.. hl1lr" i",f $11Ifl<';S " """,,,()/I

<ifnIfill rm illS, II,,' 00frt';1If' 1" III/,iel, is 10 ""tkrJ,,.. M IIOIIrl ami

Imfi/f'J h), IlSj"R INI(JI (O"'nul.

"\

-t\
"

Solvi ng Foresho rtenin g

Problems
We propose the following me th od
a!i the most effeclive means fo r
solvi ng SOIll!:: particularly di fficu lt
problems, such :Jli fon:shortcncd
figufC'!i. l 11e only realistic solution
to lile problem of fOre!ihOTtcning
is to draw the fib'llfe just as ic is,
not as o ne imaginC5 it to be; to sec
it as a geoUlt."tric figure, observing
the nega tive space sur rounding it.
O nly dexteri ty and exper ience
c~n hel p one to really sec and
w rrt.'Cd y rende r a foreshorten!::d

11mb.

~
J,.
..:

"171(' ""piirilli!'ft if ..
ct>.",tm oold if C'1pfrinlly
uJifl'/ 1i41C" ,It..fif(llrt'
prnrllls romplrx prun SUi/'
QJ ,lIPS(' Ii'l' Ilbsn~'C' ill"
""'lmpasICL I" 1/1tJt (""1'3,
u'"' will/,y /0 ",wlllizr lit ..
""'ply SI'Il((~S i" IhcJi,Rllrt ~

COT1't'Ct ly.

(xlcl iO!' hI ,mlrr Ie' ro,raf')'

sfIllllI fir,. I)(ISC.

A s~1th shoo/d not Iw a "'pn!1tnMIWn of

Udnfrdjil!""' b"l nil inlnnttiOl1 OJ IM
f lJlu", wilh I/J,. " m ounding spntt, Da,1I
/inN in tht b<l{k,RRIlmd spa" also kIp M
<kji,~ Ihf profile of/Ill' hetUI and s/Jem/den.
<In

Abo\'e I II else,
kee p in rnind d ie
sp aces cOlllaill"d
i n~id e the figu re.
Iflhey do 110 1
malc h the lam e
fo rm II. those ill
Ihe n:al model,
the fi gure hili nOl
been i ketdled

"',,

<

WAYS (q/ SEEING I!t, FIGURE:

OPEN ({lit! CLOSED APPROACH ES
ow an arlist
m e body will
he o r she
take in expressing
H which
"se(,.~"

determ ine
will
the figure. Among o ther L"1C(On., tht;: artist wi ll have
~ pproach

[0

dccidl' if the drawi ng will haw an obj l..'(:tive,

descr iptive then II':. or a mon: subjective alld O p CIl
interpretation .

TI,e rlosed fig"'!' is

1)1'ifird II)'

T he Closed or Descriptive Drawing

Irrlll",elll

The finish ed o r dl..'Scr iptivc drawing pn:sc nlS the

fig/lrr ~

visible rea lity o f thl' figure in a way that shows off tbe
Illastery and ability o f the artist. T he radicalizatio n of
the analytical fim ction magnifies the finished effect of
t ill: drawing. The profile o f <I descriptive figure tends

Ihat prm'cs ve ry
atl mcti\'C w hcn
making ~uggcsti\'e,
rough skcu::hc. o f
open figures.

Q"tlillc and ~

r/cwiml 01" rtadFm;(

/I"('{/I" ,eul.

re-creation of visual experience. Descrip tive drawi ngs

disp lay a constant effort to forsake co nvent iOIl alld
give gn::ater importance to )lleticulo us allalysis, SO
that the dldwings translate in to an exact rendering of
the human figu re.

Ink prod uces a

uniform, lastin g.
worn-aWlly line

/inf:llr

rirJ. illierim ",,>drill/g.

It is II,l' (/"5(,S/ I,> a

to be iinl..-ar ami clost-d, iC'Jvi ng no space fo r

improvisa tion and subj ectivity; it is ii:r niH:d to the

A $!.romclri< s/..oelrll
madr wilh dosrd
figurrs fi'OI'idt'S
Jolidfi$!.l'rcs willi
Ihi{k lim's 111111
fI{(rntHatr IliriT
owtlinN aud
I'OI..nuolfit

II

o;f II,P

ralllOWr of IlIl' fiJ<."'" is

,,,,,,,lIy dcpirttd fillly in II
dosed dmr,';n$!..AII if ll!l"

nil'

f1J?l''''~ """1"",),, " S u",11 '"

tht' 1iJ<.1Ir /llDlj"lIs DIIIIIl"

bad)", /If(" r/c,,/lr JcJi"Cti,
leovi,,!.: /il/le 10 lilt'
;"'''/<.;11111;011 "f /ile ";l"W<'r.

"

The Open Drawing

11" oprnji&"re is" lJidfor roct l};
ingl'll"ity. 11m! ,""tivity instr<U1 ~f
adem;ri!m.fo, lIIJ!g(!slion. mt/u!r tl"ln
nltional (ltd..,.

In suggcsti ng th c for m instcad of

explaining it com plcrcl y, [he open
d raw ing requi res a ma rc poctic
treatme nt. allowing tilt. spcctato r to
romplctc it in her own im aginatio n.
The o pcn drawing, th rough its
brevity and un mt..<Jiacy, can al~o be a
medi um fo r crystallizing idc-$. It is
accom plished by suggt."Sting ccrtai n
art.-as rather than completing the m,
subtracting a fragme nt o f the
drawing for the purpose of
interesting the viewer or drawing
hcr au cntio n toward that po int and
allow:ing he r imaginatio n to deduce
o r co mpletc it. Suggcsting the form
means rcspo nding quickly and
spontaneously to the artist 's v:ision
o f the Illodel and traci n g thc precise
mo ment o fthar visio n onto the
paper. Natu rally, th is Illt.'ans tha t the
artist's compOSitional problem is
IIl On: o r koss solved. and thc
geo met ric sketch of the model is
i ln.-ady more or less correct.

Oprn ji$!l</f"S tire cill1miflT;;ud by " "("'"

IIW,IU' .flines ill Ilw lightf'd I!atl, if 1m,

A .

body. $(> Ihl1l Ihe sllf'<:Mlor must I$t"b/ish wI,el"<'

II.r jiglJre rnds and III.. bfllkgroomd begi"s.

Agtomet,;, skeICh if'ln oprtl /IJ!IU'f is .u"'''l's

suggt'lli.... and SO>Itru-h", ;"dlji"ilr, l1"d should
lock "'ifi,,;slw. ,,01 quile solid.

,.

;Y"

. ~

.c .<ii.
. ,.". "

'.',

i,.
,

,.

he standlllg figure b'CneraJly ~nts (cwe'e r problems, ~ca llSC

each part of the body can be d early visualized. In C3Sl'S Whr:R
there is a problem with the body's proportions, we can always tum
to the classical law o f p roportio n.

STANDING
POSE CONTRAPOSTO

[?he'

Of'

Synunetricftl or Asymmetrical Figures

Representations of the huma n body an: rarely symmctriclil. Artilits '''''l' 1'/
try to draw the model when it is Ollt of babnce, m.... king 1 motion
its arms, or ill a d<.'.1:CTlIlin:u c position. T he frontal, symilletrical vil.:w is
used only in ha ndbooks for study ing thc body's p roportions and
practicing d rawing in general, and is rarely represen ted Oll[:;ide
this contt'xt.
A Jron/Ill "1" t$ffllilli/m if filL
Jlnndin1!.f",," t sl,.,,,ld lll'oir/ txlrn;,'I'
f )"!,..,l lry; J}."lttfl,i<nI pmn

ilK

Min J"j,~d 10 t1n1ll""')' 11'Xtb.xJu

than nmJl jc dmuri~.

During the carly

o r Icamillg.
it i$ a good

~tagcs

eXl!ttUe to copy

classical
s<:ulpturcs in
pluter, w hich
diminalcs d ,e
problem of co lo r
in the dr..wing . . . ..,~
TIle plaster
model is ideal fo r
p racticing form
and the
r l.'J'f"CK'Ilf3 l'OIl of
light and shadow.

V
I\1

J\

Any WIlY ifIlIOI.mrall

pmmlnl by rile J/(rnd;"I!
fiJ!Utr t body is dett-r",;rwd by
I/,r COfI1mlw/o. 1(1 tqJmfII l
"'Off! forcfd l"lMS ;1 "'ffu:rs 10
","m ll llll'" Illf

!I"pe if I!,r Iinl':J

oJ 111t' shouldell <!lId llips.

"

The C ontrapos[O
Contraposto is one of till: most
commo nly drawn P Ost'S. T he
contraposto or ischiatic position is
determi ned by and inclinatio n of
the torso in th e: Oppositl' ru re('li o ll
from the pelvis. It is so na med
because the ishion, a bone located
in the l lpper pelvis, tilts to one
side o r the o ther depending on
the position of the: figuw. T hus,
the weight of the body rt'Sts on
one leg while the o ther leg
appear!; reia x(.'d, in an atti tude
similar to a sold ier at ease. T his
tilting motio n of the hips is
U5ually accompanied by the tiltms
of the thorax in o pposjrio n to the
pelvis. Yoli can put this to the tcst
at home if you like. Stand in fron t
of a large lIIirror. Keep yo ur ft.'et
apart so that all of your weight is
evenly distributed, and tht:n rest
all of your weight o n your left leg.
You will fi nd that yo ur hipbone
tilts upward at the same time as
the shoulder line tilts down , and
vice versa.

l1Iul/yzr 11i( bo,Iy's skelaoll, u \' fi"d 11101 if IIIl: , ....ij:/II of

liI( body rem on one Ir~ nw~ Ilion Ihe 01/1l'T, Ihc /111'/'0111' line
lil15 10 0111' sidr (1). IVhcu ,I,au';'Ij; II~ 101$0, Itllill" lillJ ill I"~
o1'1'osll( dlf'C(ri,m, mlll;,'X IIII' rolll'''IwSlo P<'silioll (2). n.r UI'I1tT
lorx> U d carly difiurd by IIIC lillc '!i I/Ie s/wuldcrs, ,v/,il, '''e /1lWr'T
pari is dgilll'd by IIII' li"r of III "ip/xme; ",ii/, I"is III milld,
ifll'l'

IIOlitr /"""

diff"",'1

",illl III( lill

IlIj~11/5

if IIII' !.ips. lilt kllers 1Ip/>Cllr 10 IJf III

(3).

..

,\

..

,\

'nlC c(JI11rapo5lo Is ""I' .fllrr mOSI comm,,,, posesfor

!landi"RflJ!Urt'; it U lilt po5f' Ihlll b",ilks lhe dJect
of symmeny lI"d gl= n crrltli" rl,}'II,m ilJid
mOlIfllICIII 10
body.

I""

\.

.1

I
'Ini, brit{Sl'qumte show tile pnx~ IlIlIl
nrtisl should follow wilen d""";'lJ! n
figurr in ronlmp<lsln Fi~t, il U "l'rmnry 10
5il,,(11( rl~ /i"es if I/~ ,/rou/dm and
/llpbol! (1). After milking I/lt J!fi""I'lri(
SJwtd" U~ IJrom'd 10 Ihe ()lhn pam iflht
bod); /uqJ;'lJ! in mi"d rllal t/le kn" ofl/lt
~r

IfR Ilull "'We,,', rlit

btldy t wri~hl is hl~lln

lilim rhl' .'liIer (2). u.stly, ,"'" emst' Iht
SlTutlUmJ IiI!J lI"d "",dn IIII' muswlm

rdlif synilitlimlly (J).

I~
.J

'\

S EATE 0

rrl/{!

FIGURES

RECLINING
J

eated o r resting figures ayoy special favor among

amateur artistS. among other reasons bci:ausc: tht-y
present few composi tional difficulties, and the body
scKlolll prl'Scms excessive tel1sious bcousc the
muscular anatomy is relaxed. The bTfCatl"St problem that
" 'C might encounter when drawing th is kind o f pose
is foreshortening, but we will discus.~ ~h is bter 0 11.

The Scaled Figure

The Sl'a t Cc:\ fib'tll"e involvcs several di(fcrclll
complications beyond those of the standing fi b'll rc; in
iI, the joints and mt:mbcrs arc flOl shown as extensions
of the body. but as dillCrent surfaces lilat must be
conncCled 10 each other through \in c and shadow. It is
necessary to pay attention to the dorm ohhe joints
and the cxisu:ncc of hidden areas, buausc these w ill
rc." wal to use where each limb begins.
-I
In th t male figure:, the musdt'S lose their rigid
appearance beGl usc tlus im pliL'S h ardl y any muscular ,
tension; hen.;, the hatchi ng softens th e inte nsity of till'
anato m ical relief. In th e female figun.', the brt'aSts
appear smoother, k"li/; tense. Drawing the cha ir 011
which the modd is seated is no t absolutely necessary,
but if you decide to do so. do flot diminish t he
ccntr.ality of the figu re itself and Tftnder the chair o nly
~t'tchil )', leaving out the details.
..,

A quklllMy if slln(j,i,'i<! 0 willed/'R"" U 10 tsfo!JIisj, a IilJr (If

trltlra/ lUis II,al dMdf'S lilt body ;11111\1 m,d snllrs II> IlIllnnlt Illt
(If'S('. '1 1"" djffcrelff linN 5"Tmlmdi'W liM' body sm~ 10 lO'ify I/lr
tl/i,I,Yllllml nml ~)f'rt'5p;mdrIJ{f IIeIWW, d!ffin'"' po j"ts 'ltl II~ ooq"

Sntld ~..., tilt' tdSiol 10 dRIll' /:!rrMU(' 1/1(' mtJdtl)

""'Sib "1lptM IIII' ItIOSI ".WmI; JO(ItICIIrtku, 11K')' rtlJ"i"
grmltr ""IIIM oj >1Iffl'U;'~ s..rfocn, mill fcrct IIII' o,tisl
II> dm!!' II'Ililt ilna;cilJ~ IIffl2< hiJd.." by d~ bndy.

7 il

As WI' know, Slmed fiJ!UrfS prSn11 d(ff~ullif'S U41D1

il/'I'I);,,/! II~ Ill"" if proporlion, Jl) diffrrn.1 IfItlllCds mm,
lit USffl jn ordrr II> skuh il prlriSlfy in/O ",1S;tion. Otrt'
such mrllJOd;s to hq;" willI a poelilllillDfr dm"li~
dq*,i"" " ~ lill 'f till' body Qrld II ... lillI'S if tilt' lripb.>nr
m,4 sho,,14m ( I). TIlI'rI, lilt' Intj;IIr if tilt' txlmfr;l~ U
mttfmrM Qrld lIlt)'
skruhd inlD pia (2). 1llt' J/udy
;s a,mpklftl b), Jmwillg oftw slrnn"mllinf'S a,,4 ,m/yillj!
IllI' mtltOfm" flf lllt' fiJ!U1l' (3).

il l'

"

The Reclining Figure

T he: reclini ng o r r ..'Sting fi gure
COn\"e)'5 :a semc o f calm , w h ich
:a\1ows fo r a mon: n:lalttd focus
than when tht' model i~ in an
lllKomfortabk' position. In this
typ e of pose it is han:lcr to find
vlsual alterations such as
contortioru. n r foreshorten ing,
b'ausc L...erythinf! lies relatively
insidc a p.1.ralld plane. In tl us case,
the objects related to th e fi gu re
d r:lwn can be o f gteat help. If die
figu re is lying o n a sofa, the
rectangular plane of the sofa helps
1$ to find the TIgh t degn:e o f
ilKlination in th e f("s(i ng body.
In al most evcry draw ing of
SCltt'<l or resti ng figures, we find
angles or pL1l1 t'S that recede into
space, so mt'limt'S very abruptly, so
the point of view imp lied by th e
fib'1.l rc is very important.

Q hjCC!s related

/ -~

rai;u;'IJ!/IJ:UI"i'" SNI,/rom rJ,r back,

"it bacltbont

~~
tJ rl"

mlllkllll'
pwP;>,'iontlllalion if di/frrrnl P"TU if Ihr bod~ in
rrlllli,>n 10 lliu Ih,t.

prr>1"J 'III iU'l'm/juJl rorulnlll;,,, fIX;S. \lit

to

r-~~--', a scaled o r
rt.'cli u ing figure
can be of greal
he lp, If the f lgliTe
is reclilling On a
bcd, the
rectangular plane
L_~-..J of tile bc:d ClII
help ach ic....'C the
cor ....'Ct degree of
receSliioll fo r th e
figure lying 011 il.
A few .u.rokes a n'
,,'lIoogl1 to
insinuate Ihe
",pporting
.!' ... rf..ce.

(till

1M m:/inin$!/IJ!.II1f' ,.' ru.nJ/mm l/or

b/t u dlt' 'OOfI ;tI'p"rAAI<I1 JXIM' for <I
1fI(JI/t/, m H"II m 1/"' ,_ ,11<11 rl'qHim
II" 1!,rI't1trJ.1 mm"" tj I,ur and lIw4d'u1!,.

-.~

\~........

~\

;('
.,:

",I I'' ,

'

.."

~~

'f~\

J'

'ij,1

':.-r

!~

,OTION:

,{ P(0 SE ---({lu/,
\.~;.\,"'\
\;
~
~".

"s..:o.; -it'"
"-"'\ -

' .. ,

F~

J~
"

x":..

.'1;,
\
~
.. .$!..'~

'l'

'\\..~ ~\\~~. ~ ,-hr> ' EXPRESS IVE

...... .

"-

',-

'~

\.'f~

~
~
..,~
--."--._
~~,-?

.""

.1

U~

---...,

~ 01"""

' .

~-

','

'l.

!' . ,"-.

"

.. 1

y,JP

.:

to rt:prescn t this 3l"[ iOIl or that cxpn~~ion . To R'present

m()VCment is to undl'l"'SCl nd t lit- group ofbcnds ;lnd
extensions that take place within a lI)OtiOIl-rlH.~
bends alld CXICIl$lOIl$ corR'Spomling to ewry pose.

'f"

~;;

t,

\, ..

tI )

l:

/;

.. T ....--...

..

"1,:, t oJ

U NE

'~..L .... ~ _~
"i~
~
,....
~,... .......... .......*.t:"
~ D rawing thc figure in motion mcan~ dr:twing a
....
~-!- -? ....~ ..I""'-'" '
living fib'lJrt:: E\'l:T}' 1lI00'(.'1 ncm CXpl'nSt"'i
~t ":
ii-,...... 'IOmething.T hl' mi~oll of ewry artl\ ! is 10 k ,lfIi how

t..

"!to

i,it~>
t ....:

.... ;

~'

~!>

~~1~~
"\ 'a" D rawin g t he Muscles
,

' jJle muscles an: the dr iving force of th t, bo dy, putting

11\ action. in motion . Kilowinp; how th ey
..'1."
.;...
,; t J,
move is a grr:lt help. because drawinl;': tigurc~ in
tJ."" .... .#-.~.,""-:', motion means putting visual Illl' UlOry imo pr:lctic~,
J:t; ~
~
even wil<.'u the period of tillll' is very brief,The
.'t t
~
intcrnting part of drawing thing'! in 1I100ioll is
:'""-.l) .4
discovering. and k'3 rning how to dl1)io , thl' e~nce
~/..,!l,
of that luo\'Cmcnt: the tenst' musdr:s of ,111 athlct(" the
.i' equilibrium of a ballerina. tht, SJX'l'Ci of a n llll ll'r.Thc
~,\.".
-::-:.<::':J.;' dilTcR:n t muscula r tensions arc lIUdC I'SCOI'I.!d by thc
!f '1
:'1"
intensity of the hatching.Tht: grea ter the contraction
~ '" 01 ~_'
of the muscles, the greater the energy th:lt m ust be
, ' " 1.i
rcpn.'M.'nted by the CO ntrast between light and ~hadow.

t"'

...

.,.~ the figure

:i

't{'-J. l

~"f'ffIUJ~"'" ill

.".J).iJ>,j,,,/jm-

dtJ(ribn Ihf- k'" ~

i,ml'f diylhlll.

&

h/

//
l4I1'clI dmwi'l~ II
fiR"'" ill mot,"lI!,
WI' I/IUsl P'" ",ide
propo,tillusjo. lIlt

JlIJ..'C' ifjrolm"-s'

spm/llm;,y. and
rllyllm', """, if
,willI: so /limns

tlrj"" II;"J! SOl""

pam

if IIII' mcdrl .

nit t}ft.{ a It'q<<tlKt in " WI;"', j,mijiN mawJ"1! II snllly.f n

fiR""" in III/' fOOrJI' ifprrfi'nn;uc Ill' n";",o. III litiS (tlJt,
1HUl<1g<'
'!Ili,1ft r!luI lilt 11('''''' riff "'plf'U"lJlrd <I.f II SIIffNJ;rlll .{,,,,m l/"'l
de"J(!fISlllvr. /iit tlifft'rr'" Slfps Inkm br IIKfi~~'''' 'u",.'" 1""iffllllJillg II
tim.....

I""

",
. ".

"

Quick. t:nergt'rie
--,----', 1im.~ gi\'C lin:
r
scm~lion of
1I100'e1l10:1l l 10 11

"===",J
If 11'1' d"""1Ii."tI'" in ,,""ion,
;1 is imJX"flll<f UI ,,..00. ('1M

skclf/1t'J s,d tU 11/eSt'. ,<ilI;,-11

if lilt' posilifJlIJ
Illr body <UJ~ "U'$ III t/,r OOUM
if prrfom""~ IlIr ~lifJn .
mm/I'n t~"

Deform a tio n
When drawing a figu re in motion,
the artist sho uld gt: t Gl rried away
by die vision o f the moment and
forgt-"l academic co nsiderations.
"lbc ariisl GI ll b'O so far as to altef
the bodY'1i pro po rtions as a
function of 1ll00'C menl; increase
the \vidth o f an arm or leg,
CXill;b'Ctatc the curvature of d ie

figu re. Notice

how a tj uick ly

drnw n ~[ch.
r.lthcr Ihan a
dctll i1t:d.
mcriculous
drnwiug. is better
301 cxprcu.ing
JnO\'cmcnt in a
figure,

[II dmwil1gJ

dC'Kribilig 111"''''",
"1(' linl'f if slKngd,
slHlU/d be PITy
DJWmll'f'; I/If')' (til'

bto tx'W"'ud
,,, gi, 'f' lilt fiJ:Uff' II
d~ if dr!Oflllll y.

nn!

oock, or suppn."'SS unn l"Ct-s.<i3ry

details. SOIllclime. the trajectory
of a ~ i ngle line explains Illudl
more tha n an accumulat io n of
traces. lf tbe line is lively, it
cOl\veys du~ figure itself, giving it a
more vital gl'UUrc.

Successive Images
Thill technique represents
ITtO\~ml'Ol throut,;h successive
Ullab~, with each figure in a
difft:rcl1l position placed on the
same piane in o rder to rep resent
1ll0VC IllCI11 sequentially.
Vanish in g
Vanishing, o r fad i n~ the contours
of the fib'U rc. is a commo n
technique for sUg(,'<.'Uing action.
TIle source o (lhis effcct is die
blurry o r unfocused iUlag<-'S seen
in pho lobrraphy.Thc dispersion of
Ihc fib'll~S con lOUT imbues il wilh
an cfrCCI o f vibr3l101l, movcmClll,
and d isplacclllcl1l.

'nrc

"r

b/II'If'O
u ..Jm.std IIII~>(, is
II lItry ""HIIIOI1

Ihniqur for
I"ggtsliliR mofiotl.
Thu IlIniqut is
lilt' c,,"nffrptll" in
dmu.;I'RP tiN'
ll'llltl" if rlN'
blr'"l'i~i"

pllologravll)l

-~------.-

DRAWINGthA;
:~b.4!dEN

PARTS ,o/tAf' BODY

o metimes. when dr.twing a figure, it is necessary [()
draw li nes where th ere are none, 01", to be more .........

precise. w here we do not ~e them. In some sated or

reclining poses some parts of the body disappear fro"!)
view and remain hidden behind the body. T h us, in
order to understand the structure o f the figure, we
m ust construct an imagi nary contour that cros.'ie~ the

body in order to male the visible limb to the olle

that n:mains hidden &om view.
Advanced artists perform this process me n tally, but
the beginner can make use of a dnwing depicting die
line and structure of the figure to understand hOW'
the hi&:k n parts of the body arc articulated. To too
end. it is often useful to dr..tw the model as oit were
transparent, drawing the vit."WS of the body that
)

felll2in hidden [0 the spectator.

Drawing flit J.gurt Q$ if it wtfI' ImlUp<1l't'" should ~ dont

I<si'W II si!/i. elMn /i .... Ihal (<It! bt tTastd t,ui/y. Onct lht
Slrnduml drawing isJirl'lhed, Iht lintS of /he Mdt/tn Wy
pilrts Clln be ~J.

_""",

lhis ItdlniqW is

JIlIlIyinlllJld

utIdtrsll2miing I~
innto' JlnKf.itI'

Ihtfigure.

of

/'

~J

/---:~

...rJ--')' %
)?~
~
_

Tht most d!lflCM{' pnr1 if IhiJ dFl2Witrg mdlwd ls

ji"ding Ikjlvc points ...4 lht plas Ql which 1M
.J!MPl/s COII' rro ",Iht body in onItr kJ produa <I

Whm"",
practi~ drawing
ttansp;ll"CTlt

bodit'S, you
ihould uart by
reducing the
figure 10 simple.

.
"'",;;M

geomettic

shapes--primu.
spheres., and
parallelepiped$.

~tdn>WitW.

Studying the Joints

If a figure is nOl in an upQght position, it presents j
several problems of some compleXity, in particular with
regard to the composition of the legs, and especiallY, in
those places that hide o ther pat;ts of the body (an
unseen knee, a foreshortened arm, a leg hidds; lx:hind
ili. body).
f
W he n drawing, it is impoJUnt to pay attention.to
the shape ofthejoinu and the existence of hidde n r p;iru of the body, bec:luse they reveal where elleh pa1j
of the body begins. A good ~y of rendering the ......
structure o f a figure w hen some afiu parts are h idden
from view is to d",w the figure as if it \\o'ere transparent.
Doing so makes it casier to place the hidden parts
within the context of the drawing: we a n thcn draw
\he details o f the dr.lwing within the limits defined by

these lines. This method of drawing requires a g~ t

deal of observ.ltion in order ro d etermine where each
of the lines in the dr:lwing originates. to locate the
joints o r flex points. and to no te where they come to
rest withi n the structure o f the body.

1M wmiqur if lranspattnl dIGwiOW iJ

'"~

Ina.. .... o:rrciM jor stwdying the strwa,,~ if tM

m(ldcl. ~ arlists also .. ~ il III IIt1 irunprtfM
pari if .. ptf$OMl ~ sfylt .

li'Chmque or III

FORESHORTENING:
DRAWING

IlIr'

NUDE

ne or the gn.-atest probkms in drawing sealL'<i o r

redining figures is foreshortening-I"('prest'nting the hunun figutt" o r one of its p::l115 ill
perspective. The art of foreshortening consistS of
representing the human body from points of viC'\\I at
which its dimcmiolls are diminished by per.;pectivc.
Bm fomhonl'ning i.~ not the same as ordinary
per.;pcnive--there is 110 need for vanishing points or
any of the IIlclhoill cmplo}'t:d in linear perspective.

A1te red P roportions

To approach a drawing of a foreshoncned figure.
we must make a greater effort to adapt the
different proportions of tile' figure on the page.',
because the diffl'rcnt parts ohhe body arc
altlTed considerably by pcrspeCtivC-:1IO arm
or a leg th::u seems to adv.mcc towan:l us, a
hind o r a foot in which th c nngen or lOCOS
are perpcndicubr to our linc of sight.
Knowing this, 1111.' artist has a new factor to
consider w hen choosing the pose best
suited to her intentions.

If "... hm.... ptrJIJ,,"SdmwillR tl fom'IOfIOlcd

l'rl/in;uKi'S""" lilt kslll,;nK 10 tkI is n,do~ IIII'
figw"';11 tl hex drau" ;11 IlfflIJli,'t. 'f1U! /xrx tu15 ru

nguidt for ",duc"l<1 Iht size "Jlht j,'.ni>s Ih""W/'

rJJixt if pmpttlivc (A).

d"

Oru the pmimilll!rr skettl, is dOtot, lUI! rail ........

Ilot slmil",.,1 u,,~ and shade i" IMfil[l<>e (B).

""II'

Tht p"'flt1io u oJlhr hex in ~nJ>f(Ii'-'t Itlls 1<$

mml adjuj( lilt proportiom 10 the dispo:!Itiatr

lUI!

if

1M figurt'. 1.. I/,is "",>" till' p<1r1 if lilt drml'ing {~I

10 1M JorriFOlmd always tmis lip folJdy mltlFR"" i..
mnl ion In IIII' ""'" ,rufJl.. 1 pnrlJ oJ lM body (CJ.

tom""'''

A
lalmiqutfol drau';"K Iht jo,n !.orlmrd
JogUrt is 10 ~Ii't grto/tr defini/Ion 10 IN fottgtoolld
olld krM 1111' middIt- or h1<![rm,nd ,kelthi.., ""d
Ilna>1omf. Comjl<lrt 1M ''''ntn=/ of 1M jw ill Ihis

dmwmg lo

/11f' Of/Il'I!

(D).

IiI

PERSPECTlVE

Keeping Proportions in Mind

To render a foreshorieTled figure, it is necessary to
know the figure's proportions. as we h~ seen. Having
the proportions at hand nu kes it l-asier to imcrprct the
diminished proportions produced by foreshont:lli ng
without making mistakes or distorting the figure . But
it is as imponant to pay attl'11tion to w h ~[ we see
whe n we study a posl:-;md loyally rende r all of its
pcculiaritu.- s-for the n.-sui( 10 appear niJisric.

-.
L.\I

..

The Foreshortening Box

Perhaps tilt" theory o(foresho n c:n ing
is most easil y understood if the
figufC is enclosed in a box divided
into e<lU;\1 uni ts along d1l' baek.
W hcll the box is stret(: hcd out wi th
tht fl'l'! ill the fon..~rou nd, tIle units
grow sm aller as thl"y n..'Ccdc from t he
viewer. Therd"on':. the gel"1el':.l.l rule is
10 make the viewer see the parts of
the figu re closest to him as larger. or
oversized---<11most cxaSl,'Cralcdly so.
Tile most (:OHllllon (:omp1ctc1 y
fon.'shortem:d ~ is th e lying figure
observed from abml:. From th is
position. the d osc..'St (limensions
appear mu(: h larger than the moll.'
distant o n!':!;; it is nt.'Ct.'SSa1)' 10 always
n..osp<:(:t th e figurt.""'s appeara nce
without trying to corrett its
app<lrc nt defo rma tions t h::.t ma ke th n.
kind of pose inte rt.'sting and give it
mc::. ning.

./
~.

The Dynamics of
Fo reshortening
Foreshorte ning is an exceptio nal
mediu m for rcp rest'nt illg
movcment, the ('nl'rb'), and d r.un::.
derived rrom Ille h um an body.
T his is how tile great masters Ii3W
it w ilen they in dud('d in their
paintings figllres seen from the
most varied poin ts of vit'w and
in the II10U dynam ic po5C.OS.

1..(/ ~ lokI' a k>tW at " pmtt~aJ i'X""rplt if

forn/ltlfu?li.rg. '/1". jig"rrs '" righl ..... slanding 01'

"II ornloll'f. TIrl'fourf"J ,,' IIIr' lop if dlt' l'$talal~

an! los /crnllGTll'tll'd 1111111 IlliJiit dlJUSI 10 II,~

iH,/Ilml, ,,~,;(h RiJJt1 us III' 1I11t1(JJ1 atTial vitl~ oJ

II,em. 'nlls se/ba(k rIll' ~ OIItIrO /ll,' by tIIt/osi.W

lilt jigmrs in 00""$ "",llom/i'lV Ihr li,1(: if 11,1'

Iwrizao,

<II

llu' fOP cfl~ fjCal<llM.

u\<

, " -oJf ::

In recl ining figures

11 IS 00111111011

rot

, some parIS o r the

body to be

rorcsho n ened. In
thU caJe, the
r~5honened

arm

loob oversized
and aPJ>Cars 10 be
ccaching loward
the roreground or
the duwing.


IN THE HUMAN FIGURE

TONAL

>.

A s you g:1i n confill cnCl' III your abilit y to l"CpR'l;Cm th e human figure in
flan exact Ilmnncr, you will ineviTably W<l lll to give you r work a g reater
sense of thrce-dimcilsionality. This can be adm:vClI by means o fli ght and
tone. and, concretely. w ith (h e rcpn..'Sclltalion of hatching. wh icl1 c~ n provid e
volum e, drmna, atlllosp hcrt:, solidity, and grea ter depth to the corporali!)' of
th e object. Tile <1 ppcaram:c of shadow in the figure br=ks tl1 c boundlri(:s of
the d rawi ng, cstablishes ne:lr- pictorial Cltq,'ori cs, and reinforces the
o bjective, tangible cOllcept of the re presentation.

he lighl source is a fUIlda.ncnlai pari that must be

considered carefully whl'n rende ring the shadows
on the 1xx.Iy. These shadows define the form of the
surface on w hich they appear, or g ive nuance to fOfm
admirably, indicate the ti llle of day, create dramatic
effects o r express a determined emo tional atmosp here
in the drawing. T he direction of the light in the
drawing should be studied well in o rder for :tll thc
shadow'S to appear on the side opposite of the 1ll00in
light source. In a Iatcn] position. the light leaves the
opposite side of the modd ill shadow, and the volume
and relief cn.'ated by the shadow~ projected.

.97ie EFFECTff'

LIGHT Oil tAc , NUD

The Effect of ligh t
Form o nly becomes visible as a function oflight.
Light creates \'olume and other effects; it is ;m
essential part of any artistic represellt:ltion of the
nude. With enough light it is pomble to identify
C\'cry re lief of the figure 's body. That is why we Illust
study th ~ path of the light. Fin t, locate both the
d3Tkc..'S t areas in the figure and thOM: that arc m(Y.;t
~xpoS(:d to light. Then, establish an ort.kr for the
different intermediate values visible in the figure. This
comparison is always based upo n the idea of contrast:
"one shade darker than .another," or "one shade
liglm-r tha n another."
Shadows a" allAl}'S projftd omo flw silk appot.ift IIw
ojlixlr f. !f ,1'1' wry tIlt i"muity olul dirtnior/ if
1M I~hl. IW wi/ijillll tlull fbI' fw'f't~ DpJ>tIImrtU also
(hmwrs, txf,ibit;,rg sifrnfral"reS.}ix iml<l,,(I'. or moot
dml1ralu- rjJrtts. dtpnllliug 01', lilt (lilt.
lOI" lI'

II is lDIfItlimt$ irllnnfilrg

for Mgi,,,,;ni ../ists '0

"IDkto siH,plijird sknthu

s,O(h /U litis 0I'1l' itt of'Iln 10
Itn .., Ioow 10 plOl't lIlt
sluldool <H solid bIorks. as
if lloey II'trt 1001l101.'('I/0/IJ
" S/(/iI11 "Ihis r).'t'I'filt is
wry .. 4 ..1 ill
""ifns","di.rg ,lor
rl'u,tiOl'llbip ~twtm llot
dirl'ttiotl if ,lor lixlr' alld
II ... ptr?jrioll if shodlJU'S
<It/ thtfIJll1" .

fit

ralt Itm~'t' //r~II,jllgl ,,/II

<;f 5/111111'1115

a/""e, "mil/i/~~ ~1/ Ibt" JrrUC5 III /incs

I/,m mmk Ibcfi.~III'I' ~ mllllllm. HCII".
/ISing ~ dcttny l y"lbni( ~lrN"l .......
/w,r /"wl((1 nllli /illlil~illl,,'
shod,'" nteo$ 1<> Mili,..... ~
",;,,;mlt/ '""1m'ssi"n ~r'b~
fig"" .

Direct and Re flected Light

Oil1."(;( light ~heds light o n the body, so in thos~ areas
where it falls we must use the lightt."St Y.1 111es--o&en.
the blan k surface of th ~ paper. wi th no h ~tchi ng at
all). Sh:lclows COllll" lat~ r, through a progressivc
gradation of darker ~h ades or a decisive contrast wi th
the liglm:r arras. Apa rt tmlll tht.'SC fu nd1mental lightl,t
shadt.-s. re f1 ~Cli on s almost alW<l),!, appcar in the shad~d
AA."a~ of the figure-areas lightly j]]uminated by the
rdkctions ofli)dlt on th ~ surfac~s surroun ding the
figure. R eflections arc nl'Wt as d~Tk as dltp shadows:
thl..'ir ton~ is in between that of t h~ da rkest slladows
and tile most well- lightl'd 3rc:lS of th ~ figu re.
Shadows on the IlIlde create a true drawi ng. a
Sl.'lics of no n- anatomical CO lli ours that give t he figu re
a M.'me of dr:l lll:l.

Halthi"x is II,,' "("1'1/ll>rur ill {he "mlil/illg ""d pn:filr "f nfixmt".
HalrhillX "'(hlliqll~l nl'l' mil/file.," (tI1I1 Ulric/I. (",d IbrrrfOll' dese"",
spial allrlJllOllfmm II,r tttliS!.

Reflections
Bright rdkctio m and proj ~ct~ d shadows arc as
important as th~ eff~ct of direc t light o n the figul"t.".
T hese effece; arc a constant ill re:llity: ('VCTY object is
affected by reflectio ns and shadows tll~t 3 1t~ r ie; color.
The 5ame is true of t he figure .To render il with a
single source ofligllt is all artificial techlliq ue.
The colors surrounding ~ nude
proj ect their sll ~ dows and
rellections onto It; light creales
surpr ising harm onics and
effects. and reflects on tll ~
surface of objects. giving
d arity to the fi gu re from
Illany d iffeI"Cn t po ints.
:md creating ~Iladowj\
that a lt~ r the
contin Ui ty of the
ligh ted for ms.

,I!{fcrel/{ t1r:crres if J!rcssmr Oil

Ille (/mlk. ,... [(II! obltt;" t1;ffrmll J(~I>I
ime,,;iliN in itttlt/u""g.
8)' pI/HillS

! . ........
"
.

.~

,!

SKETCH
Cl

A "'"0/''' of ShilllOtv1 is II
",oootI IfIn/,oJ/or sludying

"If' nif /ribuli ,,,. 0",1

When dl1lwing with

the Oat length of a
stick of cJmlk or
chllrcoal. the

important thillg is
to ~u~taill a
continuous line,
''3r)ing the pm:ition
of the stick in

rela non to the page..

;"'rllsil),

oJ IIIark,'" on

.hillfr. 77,(, l lU'I'M' ;1 '0

olSS;"'" roth ""/lle 'dhl',Kn/
;11 flrf' Ul"iI1t'J" at lift /0 ,I...
(O,tf'slH'"tfi"g p<lrtI of fl...
bod)" _,,",iflR /0 '/11,. ~
t>jlig/rtj'Jg.

h:trcoal m akes the task o fh :llching muc h easier: the

thic k, tlat t race of the c harcoal stick makes it pos.~ibl e
to render shadl:d surfacoo ve ry simply, reducing the terms of
light.

The M ap of Shadows
The easic:;t proccdurt, for modeling o r "sclilpting" a figure
is to or!9llizc a set o f to nal swa th~ ofli ght and shadow. This
means breaking down the image into defi ned areas, using
ligh t. imcrmcdiall" tOIl(."S, ;!'Ild shadows--both those 011 the
figure and those it projects. The result of this analysis is a
" map" that can serV!.' as a sta rting point fo r latl"r correctio ns
or improvt' lllellts. Making thi\ sketch rcqllircs you to
reduce the man y different t O I1(.'S present in the IiV!.' model
to just a few toncs. As a gcneral rull', it i~ n 't necessuy to
havl" many gradations in contrast in o rdl"r to create t he
illusion of depth i n a d n.wing.

Working with the Flat of the C halk

Olll' of thl' IlIOs[ ,1[U':Ictive ways ofbcgin ni ng a figul~
dr:twinS is ,h" fhll St:. il l pl\)dU(:~d b)' (11')' ml'di:. Sitch ~s
charco.11 or p~st~ls. Widl ch::trco::tl betWl'l'n }'<>Ilr finger.;,
il is possibk to ou tl i l l ~ ,h ~ rmin forms ora figun' ill a
highly s)' nlh('~i 7ed W:l)" :lltern:.tin g u~e o f the thi ckn es~
ofi LS fbI SUn.1CC' with dw line of ics point 10 rende r the
fOrm only 1'0 Ihl' point of ime lligi biliry. Thl' (r:tin of I h~
fl.1t sidt, of the d 13rco.11 helps render Ihe (larklle<.M'S o f
the: body. '111(" f~w(' r lin~s o r stains art' 1I!.l'd. tht, fewt'l
t~re wil11x:: (0 co rrect. OncC' the figurt' h:L( 1>11
sketche(l, the ~t o f tht, drawing Ill'ed 1101 be T(' ndercd
with this d cgn.'C' o f intt:llsity. Som~ arca~ ~holi i d be
rt:l1dl.'1'C'd as 3 h~nl, charcoal i nci~ion o n 11K, page.
allowing you to rl'i nforce the mailllim's o f lh,' fi gurt:.
Rendering Uroad Tonal Groups
To bl'gin hmchilll:\ a fi gure we must ~voi d tl1l'
asslgn nlt'nt o f wIlles according to 3 sequemi~ 1 rtgimcn.
which imphe~ maki ng the (Irawmg section by sc:ction
and CTeateS the risk of q U:lrtC'r ing the fi gure and
obscuring the reading of the lxxIys vol ume.The best
mel/loo is 10 l'Stablish brood (Onal groups before
manip ulating their smaller. constitutive tom'S. To (10 so,
Wl' l'Sublish each lo n31 incremC'nt by addi n).: a Iaycr of
hatching and rcpt':ltin!,: t hi~ opc:ration until we arr ive at
the (l{'Sired (L1l'kness.

The lx:.~1 WlI)'

10 rcn<kr a
I'rdil1lill3l), naill

i. 10 apply
COill ill11011S

hatching with
c h:lrco.11
comhined wi th
;m.,nsc lilleal
stroke.

,
If "" n''I''r II,/, rirlllrl""/ .. ,,10 ,1,1' ~ml' ""'",,,.. ,Irn"w,/'iI" , ,...
,rri,il1 f" 'I'I}' '''1'1111. /r:>.//IIftll"."h, (OJ ~Ilnnr (A) . if r... J!III ,II"'"
I''''SSIl((' .'/1 ,,/II' .1ill l'tI.I.'('5, II .. <>bini" n j,,,,lIn,}!mnrn IlroJ..'t' if
dtn1'OlllI.~ illll'us;/)' (Il) .

E1o;II"',* cfl,,~~ II> /,,>In II lliforr cf

(harroo/III d,m" wll" ill Jik.

Elite PROCESS

HATCHING:

0/
'c REATING VOLUME

A draw ing made' o nly w ith li m.'S d()t"; oat

fi.su ffick lllly dcfint tht' volumt' of til l' object
r~pn'l>c:llIcd. I-latching is till' lI10st common tool for
modd il l~ fornu. lll1d ~bo ont.' of th l' skills that take~
the 100lg<'S[ to pl':lcricc dllrin g th e It-aming stages. It is
nccl'S....l ry 10 shack alo11g (11(,' elll ire fi g ure wi tholll
slOppi llg to work on Illl' {i{'ta ils, lookin g for spots of
slwdow that e:m give t hl' r. ~Irt' its total volullle ill
sllch a lVay til:!!, a nn ' till' co nlOw"!> have bl'l'll pllt
i.no pbee. il will hardl y be I1CCt.'Ssary to consult the
mudd in orner to 3d,! dll' l'Sscntial Sh;ldO\vs.

D ragging the Wid th of the Da r

T he most commo n \\'3y o fhatciling w ith charcoal,
chal k, or pam' l~ is to d rag the \\;dth o f the bar across
the p.1b'C, lIsi ng it to create a dlid:, broad ~trok(" that
r{'\'t'als th l' t(,,>;ture of th l' paper. Depe ndin g on the
forn with whic h the bar is clr.lssed, it is pOM.ible 10
vary th e inll' nsi ty of the trace, and C\l'n fill Out an
an'a cllu n'!Y until the groin of th c paper is closed.

n~ Jim

IInfflli,!}! J/",,,/J
qrlitklr 1I.,Ir lJ.r
JIM if lilt sritk. liIlU'll
dm",j'lR ,." pt!J1f'f ,,,;/1,,,
luibk J,'ffli... IIIl' lul/t/ling
".11{'X/ribi, 11" 'II/trnnng
/)r "(>tJf'

sptTkkd //,:\'"",',

r-.'oIia tI,r d~

IKfll'R't' rnm/,~t(lIing,
",f,itl, ",.,tI'1L6 "
dl"ltl''';'-, "",flllSf;'!.I?
tjJt (A ); ""tI "s;"g

IM;,u ,liar al/e"'ia.

, n"ooth;"R {If Nr"tli"J:
"ml " stulpltd rffict 0"
IIrr b.Jd~ (B).

"

Onn- t/J/~--fin.1 plUUN ~j

sr";ning OR compkll1f, /h!'
dm",illJ< lI'q,,;m /l'ftlIU
pmision in nfliwl/Wn. nt
mn tI,t'f, ' /.W' II,r rdgr ",
l!(Jim tf r/,r lJ1Il11.! 1(1 m ilt'!'
""".. difj"i/i, ... ",an.ir!('S in

H"tc hing Versus Ton,,1 Drawings

We can hntch using n Illotion that milllics the curvatuI'C
of the object, and t hus, achievc a strong, moddcd te):rure.
T he hatc hing c:lTecr allows fo r better gcsrural e):llression
th:m (Irawing wi th :>culpt"cd to nl-:l. W hen using Cr0s5hatcl nng, o r hatching across the o riginal shading in a
reiler:ni ve way, we cover the entire surface of the paper
:l1ld giVI' gl'l':lter imcnsity to tile h:ltching. We musl be
coher"llI wi th till' directio n of the t r:lces in order 10
unilt' th t: c1ifft' rellt tO nal :lI1:a5 and gi\'e coherence: to the
dr:awi ng. The: lo n:ll or Stlin- b:lSt'd draWing, created
mainl y with smoot hed and blended spotS of cllarcool,
ch.1lk.or p.1SteIs, servcs a~ prcp;II';ltion for a paiming o r fot
a d r:lwing of greater brc:\dth. When considering the
application of dlarcO:lI. pastel. o r chalk srains on the
1)'1 pcr, bcb>in by ap plyi ng liglll pressure o n the' piece: :lIld
gl-adll:lJl y increase tht, pressure :IS the drawing progre~s.
This llK'thod of hatchillg :lchie\'t'S an atlllospheric
trealmen t Witll a grain)' textu n.' and no lines o r abrupt
ton.11 changes, with no rr.lce of Ihe individual roke

f ill}, On'll.

.,

Studying Values
In:l tradi rional drawing, the stu(ly ofva1ut'S is IlL1 mly
approached o nce the prcl i m i ll ~ ry sketch is finished and
the till' como urs of the fi gure Ilave bet'll c.:stablishcd w ith
a strllctu ral liue. Evaluation is 3 way of creating VOltU)It'S
b)' ma king grad:lIions wi thin a single tOile. W ilen
l
speaking of naluario n. we Illust think o nly abo m bl1d
and white and fo rget about colors. SL1rting from tltis
mo nochro matic gradatio n. It can be said that \':llues:lff'
tOIlt'S, o r, to be more pn.'Cise, till' different intensities of
tones. T hese ,,';lIm's enable the representa tion onighl :.ad
slla{low by incn':lsillg or diminishing their intensity.

1b creale a fIgure
wilh

,
.'

TIU' dirrrt;oo r!tllt Iltlflhini dqwmb on 111l't'X1mtaI

rrlirf if lIlt fig..,r. F", iruUi"u, if 11'1" drmv tI sp

jorm . Illr Illlfrll;n1,! slu,.dd IN (jm"~)I ;" ti ()'lindrkal
suifare, Ihr hQlrl!!fI!: s/IOH/d Ills~ d<'$l"fi/!(' a lHrvr (8); if
IIII' Jr<,fou'

/inr (C).

rich gradation

of \ '31110.$, we muSt
forgel abo ul lines and
conceptualize the
model in hl3ck and
white. TIle graphite
pencil's great varielY

is jlal, I/lf iJallhing s/Itl,,/d drsrrilx-" slmiJ<h/

of harnesses and

formaUi makes il a
preferred lrutl'ument
for hatching, with a
wide ' pectrum of
possible 101les.

n rr:=7:;O

'"

EFFECTS

,o/ VO LUME

dH~

dl

ften , when we
tIll' h Ulll an figllTt',
fi lial
rt'sul t :' PPC;II; nat :md umcalistic. This is a
serious problem for man y ;lI"tisrs: thl' h \l nl~l l fi gu rl'
should have a rou ndcJ ~ thfcc:- d imcilsional forlll_

Modeling
~
T lw Icch mquc of moddillg is used very frcqUl' nd y
by artists w ho aspire to a sculRlUral corporality in the
n ude. to an almost 13ctile sens.al io n that the (ofms :I T{'
curved mid OCctlpy deep space j l~ t he re prese ntatio n .
"anal grad<llioll k a~ to modefllg the I lUdl~il l
other words, to creating the die" o f voluml'.
Modeli'lg is a diRT! co nscqucnc"e-.ef the ~ad a tio n of
light :md shado\\" on the body of ttie fi gu~. l f Wt'
'
walll our port raits to appc:lr mo re dll'cc- dinW llsional
1'
......
o
r morc solid, Wl' can " model" them with , k l.re Q:! ] or
\
l't'llcil and thell fu se t he h ;nchi n g 'wlth a tortillon. or

'to ..

~>i eve n wirh o ur fin ge rs.

;I
r~~

.~\:

'~-,- ,

;;;." . ~
... " :;

'I'

...

H~l!'u u.. w"der /I.e <\1/..",('

.if 1/1<' u~i,,~'I,'s ill i1.fi~uTl'~

"t.........
'.:'"

(lol/,iuS, I~'ii",'. gmt/illS U"

iull'mily ~(II", .l.'liIys, i l is
"Iso'uli,,/I,' (<>I" .. '/liIe
tlilotli,'u '!( llu- ;1",tlilfj!1. "/7,(
mi$j,tl.'

;...~

.,

. ~~\l
~'

-n.t1!~mt'r ,/'f romm>r III 11,(,

",O'driluS, 1/1(' f!.rI'aler Ille rJft
'
:P~ ,"1'"
of I/leltg"rr~
I/m'f'-

/.IP

diJUl1IsiO/llIlity will /J('.

4'~"" III(s will! a

.~rop/'il" I,,',,(il

is drlim't: <llId
m'"" .s.rCW~~Pt 1f'l1lI/ shift.

For be l le r
m odeling, il is
p..., re rable 10

"

i'"

.IT./

work with
c harcoa l sti cks
ralher Ihan a
c harcoal pe ndl.
C harcoa l Slick s

sm ooth and " lend

e asily, wh ile the
p re sse d c hHc.oa l

or a pencil
prod uces ve r y
intense lines that

arc hard to b lend.

Forcing Contrasts
A ric hn~ o f n'flectio us al1<1sha<Io\\'l Gm bt.produced 11), thc art ist 11)' surrou nd mg the liguTt' wilh
d ement<; Ihal eK':lIe Imanet'S on th .. sk in. T llc
rt'flcction of lighl on a whirl,' dOlh makt."S shadows
lightcr: if rhe cloth i~ red , tilt" sh:l(Iow.. arr tinted wi th
th is color and ~hadc the body \\ ilh its tonc. Simib...ly,
if an object imer rupts th c trJj~'C tor)' of til(' light, its
shadow will be cast u n the nude, crl'ati ng :ln d lect
with pou' ntb l piclorb l mt.:'rt."SI.
Tr.msitions Between Shadows
Tr.lIlsitiolls !x'twl'c n sha(lowl ---fiulll l i~ht to dark and
clark to light--arc pro(Iuccd th ro ugh difl~ n.'111 means
dq )cnding 0 11 the ll1l'dia l'l1Iplo)'l'd. ln pe ncil, tl1l'SC
grad.1tiollS a ....: ac hicwd by ti ghto.: lli ng Ihl' [I':Ice amI
3CCUlll ub ti llg cl\)SShald ll's to darken the slwdow;
wit h ch:lrcoal, till' (b rkcnillg is madl' by illlcnsi ryi ng
Ihe imprcssion of the nic k, and tIll' Ira llSitions arc
prod uccd by Gd illg Ihe staill o f till' charcoal; tht'
procl.~~ wilh chalk or pa~It'J s is vt.' ry simila r. Till'
6dillg e:l.Il also be do nc wilh a lo rtillo n.

Controlling the Direc tion of the Stroke

To produn' the effect of\'oll1lllc o n a figure, we mu~
conu-ol thc di rcction o f Ihe sno ke. It is no t sufficit,nt
10 appl)' hatching; Wt' must impress upon il til<'
propt.'!" direction. For insClncc, thc h.1lr hi ng of an arm
sllOold be .:locular, In a cun't.-d surface slIc h as Ihe
aixlom l.'n or bUllOCks, il should also d.,.-scribe a curvc.
O n thc otht'r hand, if the surfan' is f\a ([er, sud} as a
back or a torso, thc hatchi ng sho uld be stra ight. As. 3
result, the rorm of these su\)kes should be consistl'l1I
with the w:w('s and re licf'; o r the body.
Modr/illR is bawd "" Il,l' ,.m-I dnniJ!fin" if I/lf rrli,.il if
II ... III",wII figl/'f, " "d it />fRi1lS 1.,;,1. ,I/IfloC'lh Im". ;I;t>1/S M
Kmdmi~II' Ildwr."CI' /ollr.s..

.\ lmkl;"x 1I.,"'I1S
S(1oil',i"g ",,/1, S4!fi
lon""i';''''1 ",'I'J(I"
",,,I ,IUIlh'l
,oroJ'lfi'Ig" "'''ilf
"1't't'IU,lIlfr;1I II...
.r.1l,,~lI r $0'

thin

II>

trxl",n ""d ,hr

} rlds if Illr sk", ",..

,(wnlrtf Ily ,hr
I~"" ,,>, i,.~IIJ ,",
11",111 .

Thr tffi"n ~r Imooll,i"Ji is

rum/."I itt d",/CI~pillJ!" (,'mYI
IIIddrlillg. HI/,r" 11ll' 1" "WlIft' if
lJ.r Ii".. is JI'PI'~' II... INlIlI

<JJrrtf J!,i"" ,_inma',

proattti,'f!" IIIOf<' ,.;m.linl
q[t ill IIw:h"".

h iamscum is till' gr.l(i.1tion

. 1
from white- usua ll y g ivell :IS the blank
to the most intense bl:tck [h;1t we obtain by

CHIAROSCURO EFFECTS:
WORKING

((}(/,1

ABSOLUTE CONTRAST
A Dramatic Effect
C h iaroscuro is the most dr.lmatil- oflightillg dTt'crs. It
consists of subjecting the IlU{k' to :1Il illll'OSC light
source that divides the :In:ltomy into wry brigh tly lit
an:as ami and a total (b rknL'!>.~ that blends into du:
b:lckgrolllld. Tilis effect was used freque ntly by the
p.1intcrs ohhl' Baroqul' period to illtcmi/y the dr~ l1la
and expr<-'SSivc nl~ of their works. Tll(~ mon~ intCllSt.' ti ll'
chlaroscuro--h:lt i~, the g rca tl'T th .. COIl(r:t~t b l'(\.\'('(- n
light :l l ld dark ,,-:.Iues- the greater the reml ting ~nsc of
VolWllC, and the more ('Videm the effect ofligh t 0 11 the
figuT(; will be. Similarly, a gn-atcr co ntrast bdwecil light
;md shadow product'S a great.:r number of i lll enmxliatl~
va lu l'$ tlla t IllUSt be inciudt"l:i fi)r thl' forms to maimaill
a co ntinuous ~urf.'1cl;'. Tl l i s also holds for th e VOllllllL-S of
tlw nude, w hich are fOumk-d and in w hich thl'
tra nsi tioll from lightio'St to most shaded i~ prcxhlCed in a
smootn, progres.~iV(' manner: when this tmnsition is
im crruptl.'d abruptly, th e shadow appears sh arp{~r and
the effect is a con tour.

'r" ",,,,k willi

(ilim'l!SClIrO 1110,,

emilj.,J,u a
Ji,,~/r, inlc""'/ig/"
SOlUTe "'"

hurc ~

IIII'

siM.

By (lpNlillg "I' u,f,i'f DIem Willi a iif/ rmslT

Oil

a I1mll'IIR mol1r 11.,/1 imrl!5r fliarfOliI

Im'c/,;"s, .... [011 p.ool<fC a t/,iOmKUm <:Ifni

ill ,hc jrgmr, "/,,,imi/,S illlnmrr/inir 10111'1.

'111n1' IWI' d",...,il1,R' if" (I sl" lrrr (II/Oil' u, ro bcllrr

IIl1dcrs/(ll1d ,'', difli'rn-r N 'IUft1' (I ''O/ilmt n'lld~n:d
1/;11, modr/il1g <K $LIllI'''''''' rffms (A ) lind ,,;111
(lJiflOSl"ro tifrrn (B), 'n", jmHtr o:lribils smoolh
1(N1II/1","siticm, wllt"n'af in til(' /aftrr, IIIl' (m,/mj /
bt"l'ft'I1111(' lighted /lIuI Jil(llkd ""'<IS is IIIOff'

"

It Slim,}! ronlllUl

/J('n ......... light tlltd sJt(I(/l'd

(1,,11(> n.~ of f1k'IlkfinJ: prM n '"
dm.ltlIrir, m rprisi ng qfrrI in lilt fiR /Uf'.

<JmU

Sh;lfp a nd Smooth Con t roisU

The group of chiaroscuro values
employed in :I drawing cOIlniwtes
a spect ru m , within w hich v.<e can
choose a lighte r or darker to ne, o r
accentuarr the contrast bc:t"'~CIl
the vailies closest to white or
black. The spectrum of tOiles that
appear in the draw lllg affects the
intensity. harmony. and
aunosphere of the compcWuon.A
wide sJ>CctnllTl with a large
number o f intermediate tones is
m OTC fertile 3nd visually lI ttncri\'t',
but if it is too rich, tho"t: is a
danger o fbreak illg up the IInlty
and harmo ny o f the whole.

Light and Dark Areas

In :I chiaroscuro, the light areas
must always be fIl':c of pigment,
but if we make a mistake, \I.-'t: can
partly recover d lest': areas with a
soft L'F.ISe r. The da rkest areas
ShOllld also be: given spl'cial
rreatrn~nt . OIlC~ W~ hav~ achieved
an im~l1se to ne, we leave the area
definitively and do not touch it
aga m, to avo id Jl.'"ducing the
absorballcy of the paper, which
would m.1 ke it impos.sible to
achi ~ a (Luker tO i le, 00 mailer
how hard \O.l! try,

111 II r t.iQ1l)J(U/Il, tl~

lighll'J (IT(/IJ sl_1d
bt lift ""t(lj~ltd,
N o,itr h"", lilt
mOilS liglitillJ! 1'1,,",1
dil.fOl, "I'J
fiJ!lIrr~
ollt/illl' 0" its ,iglltIUlnd sidr,

"'f

''''''''''''I(td,

THE CLOTHED

ht' sn ldy of till' figure SllOUJd 1101 be re1 c!,':Jlcd to dr.lwing nudes. We

shouldn 't forget dothnl figun:s lkpictt'd in ewryday situatio ns. For the
arn:m.'II Tartist , (his Sll bjl'ct presents /Tom th (~ ou tse t a simpkr n'ndcring
solution t],an the nude. bl'callS\.' clothing obscuTl:'s thl' Illodel's 31lalOlIlical
rd id s 3m\IllUscuia r protlle. TIlt' goalls not only to dr:.w a wdlproportioned body and lilt' posture it :ll;SUmCS, but also IllC draping oric:
{lrt~s.~ ,:lIl d tilt: U CaSL'lI ,md fold~ that it produces. f'urtlll'rmoR", till.' clothing
that drcssL'S a fi gure Silould bl' represented cOllvincingly: irthe model miSL'S
h is ann , t h l~ wr il lkk-s il l hi s jacket sho uld matc h tlll' lim b's m otio ll.

,
i

<

STUDYING

(fit'

INN ER STRUCTURE

~:::t
J'-:iL ~

BODY
assUln es in (c rt;! in situatiollS.

Understanding t he Structure of the Figure

As with the Ilude hU ITl.1n fi~\Jre . it is neCl'SS:uy to
UlldCrst:'llld the model as an o rb'a nic w ho le, but with a
dod u,'d figure we ha~~ an advalltage in that, if a part
oftht, bOody remains hidden or seems coufilsing, we
call try (0 imagi ne its inner stnlCtu re. the position
the limbs adopt in :l nude pose. To do so, it hdps
to draw simple geometric SII<l I>t"S th<lt cOIl5[itu tc the
dnwi llg's in/Tastructurc. From the re, the gool is to
<ld:l pt till: clothing to the IllOdd .Very few ga rmellts
reVl':ll lhe dl'uils of tile ,m:l I Om~', SO th c for m o f th e
body <ll ld the w ri llkl ts :Ire detl'TIllincd by thc rypc of
garmclll \NOm by the fib'lltc and the weigllt and
rigidiry o f its fabric
tlL1 !

'v

L.~~,
-

1--

erhaps the hardest task for the am.1 t t'lir ;m ist

dn.wing the clothed figuIT is rl1m~sc ntlllg the
form Iliddcn undernea th tht., d othillg. ln 3 clo thed
fig ure. Ihe problems [11:11 ar ise h:lVe to do wit h the
quality of the textiks of the cloth ing, with their
w rinkles ,uld curved SUn.1Ces, w hich make it difficul t
to undcrstm ld till" pose o r altitude tha t the body

~!

l\

~ '.

)
.
/1 j. s/wuld nWIIl<lf/'

tllr rlol/led figuR'

'~,

"sr11'1n IImlr, 1~"(!fIIIR Ih, foMs 111 II,r

rll'/lulI}! m,d 1<'10/(;"11 luslrl//1 " I till" pesr
In ils nllirr/)'

fjll l(' ilJ!l'rrs In ,I,.. d""""8 mr '''f'Ifrillllioosr (/l'l/rirl,e il ""'Y""

dfOiml1 10 ''IS,,,Ji-tt Ilmr 1",1l'f strut/II" (A), ".,J.fw II,is mTJClfI i,

,041/ N- l{KIf"I //rlp '0 IN' "'J:i,,"i,~ afliIl '0 i'''''Ii'1f' "it ..lObi
lIudt', M d ' T)' 10 dim" ,"from wrll (KIM' rtltl, f{ ,/1f' ptullw,u if,/..
J;",bs (n). fj "u"dl'l'JjiuJ<," 'hr fiP" is '<10 {(!IfIl'limrrd "lid u.- "fI'
"II,,/>Ir MJ!'1f'U m "U' Ii",b ~ ICI'm;rw/s Ofl ,II" "'ISis if IlIr 10h& /Iwy
(f<!" lr ill Il,r tlorlu',,);, I.... COli '''01 10 " gOJlI'ffri( J~'I'rr/l, /llId Iry '0
,mdrntalld tI'r body em tlK' Nulr ,!j's;IIIp/r ",I"mr,ri.. i /mJJt'J (C) .

I
\

11

I 'I,

I
A

"

The Folds of the JOloU

Depending on tilt: type o f gar ment or fabr it:
th;lt covers the body, the motion of the figure
will be more or k'!\.~ evident: it is easier to
discover a shape underneath a silk d ress than a

woolen 0I1C. ElastIC ~}1 nlll:nts such <'IS those

worn by gymnasts or cyclists. mold the body
\ but also confine it. T he fold\ in the cloth ing and
\ the (omours of tight garments arc a good index
'for finding the body's volume. as well as the
~1J1( of several factors, such as the rigidity of
the f.,bric and the pby of the body's
artjc ulalions and joints. Kee p in mind that the
brea~ts, dbows, :lIld km:e$ arc suggested by
cn..":lSt';S ill the doth; the wr inkles and tensions in

thc.fab,ric actually explain the bends and

l1'05"i[iol1, of the limbs.

Clpthing Reveals About Personality

A rticubr d o thing style call tell us a great
dea lout the person we"ring it; likcwisc. w h"t
~ w~ ,,\Jb. influenct:S thc way we fcd and
Illovt:. A:"~ong;~oosc dn:s,~ gives <I woman a
ccrtain g~ee, and llris is rcflce tt'd in the way silc
sits. Wca rini!i.tca~nd informal d othing, the
same person ,WJ'"fed complctdy diffcrcut, and
this will bc rdlehed in " mon: rdaxt:d pose.
Likewisc, a m"n in a suit and tic tends to sit in a
more r igid m.anner than o nt' wearing informal
dorh Cli.
t

n,r I..ry ".",i ill dm"~IIg dotl' fd

Ji.gum ;s ''J ;ml'l!fiCtlt;oJl. " Himllsm't ,,,ake Ihe m;51aJ.... if
d""";"8 details "lid 1,";}(h" N. It ;s
ffSt:mial thaI "'''fint draw tI
sh' /(I, if Ihr poY (lJulJrom il
df, ..lop a 5J.... /(h II"" ;,ulllda a
IJn'/i.. ,itlaTY SIIIdy if tllf
g.<UialiollS if ligl" "lid shadow.

Today, ",Melv rlolhill8 Imds 10

III: rlas/ic, ""d it "di,ms rlrnly
/0 'III" IIOlIy, so i/ dOf'SII ~ oI'5LII'"
1111"fig"l1' ~ O.JaIO'''''al J'lofile.

,
J

CLOTHING

FOLDS:

CREAT I NG TEXTURAL EFFECTS

I\'" ti in II,is If'riN

if

"""'';''XJ ,I... tI!ffi'n''''

IIlIUt.i11Jl, ",,"iMi/if'1

fot

t h e g:l rmt'1ll and (hl' type'S o f Cfl>;ISl.'1

"lJR..tll(;"g (lNhi'~ "Y

dq,it,jJlg i/1 nt'<!J('J
IOIIIrt'J. n

o r w rin kles that it fornK A IOwl: l.

j :1ckel . shroud, o r silk dn'S~ look ~ vcry

~Ull

... jim

dirrcn,m from bare flesh.

l.ta/lPlrul '!( tl... /iXllll';/

rl,e skrlth, (IIul/hrl'(' Is

I/oli,illg Ill'ltt. ,11m,
lI.i,~ lil t

(Iw/~' /0

D raw ing C reases

1) r.l wil1~ of c101hing, f.1b r ia. :1nd
o rn:lI llt'rl LS of ally kind prese nt a
St.- riOllS challenb'l! thM mer its
discussion. TIle creases Iha l eTJvelo p a
fib'tm: ca n appear thi ck and r ib<id or

jim s;," ,.if ,,,,

ohMi" l Y'rlh('lit

11lI/(/.jll1! cffi'rll. A '""

J/rokn nrt' t,~,,~Jr

he IllOSt illl portant :tSpt.'Cts of the

c1othl'd fib,\l rc are the dr..pillg of

It}

IIIarl.: r/,.. dim:ti"" ,!111f'

~ubdt: and v.l pomus, ~"\1.'al i n~ tl'llforms or the body undcrnc:llh.

Lighter fu brics such 3S ~ lk o r cotton
cn!;u e many slIlall wrin kles. ,nllt I h~y
usuall y pn!SCI11 \'l'ry fine ton~ t \":llues;
vd w r :lI1d wool. 011 till' OIht'r h:md ,
produce m ore rigid, SCp~ I':1 t ('
wr inkles,Tht, CrtllSes and fo td~ o f
thin , tr.mstll e~ nt r.,brics :H~ softer and
ilIOn! n umerous; heavier labrics ha\'e
ft'we r and larger fo lds, A i-,'OOO
cxe ~ is to mak~ studies of
wri nkled ).:'Irmcnl5 that ),011 find in
your dr:aw(' r; h), doing so, you will sec
fo r yound f that c\'Cry fabric h;'!~ I~
own , di~tincrjw propl,rtil"S dq>Cllding
o n the quality o f th eir fold~. how they
fall. and the dcgr('(' to wh ich the)'
~bsorb or refl ect lighLThe illlp<.Jrt~nt
tlllllg is th;'! t you r penni Tl~po nd to
the SCns.1lio ll o f th e IIlmt'rial o n the
clothed fib'Ure,

'"=

.;1

1'Of''' ,...".. dt;flIilrd d",,,,j";R lI'illl rlf(tI~',IW (111/

'<' r,tl"md ","I ~1I1",~ ,111'

, 1St' II... $m~III{lHiIiOIi

SfIIJ'J. ";, tim'" ,uri.lklr$ n.mrlr. 'w 1/1"'1111 lor

m ' tTlI' d,,,, I/I('Y ,mv/,Off' JI.,w.'11'S. "",/,/'''' III,.y
<lise s/"..,' "ON'S." <11m.< iIII ntlkll II,r IW" jilts
tfilf'{rly,

0"'

Clothing and Anatomy

The rendent:y to usc:: s),nd1t:ti( materials in the
manuf.1chlrC or all kinds or g;trmcnts crcat ..-s many
varied shines :lIld reflections to rendcr in d rawing.
EVl'n Ille \\Irinkle~ or cre:lSeS created by loos..-fi tting
athletic clothes an: rypicd of me ;\rtifi cial mMerials
they arc made of. T ight dothinJ; Cllnno t hide
;marol1ucal delects. A too- high hipbonc.
disproportionate ar ms, o r poorly d nr.wn ft'C l will
be immediately noticeable. Tight clothing tcuds
not to show wTinkies and describes the
an.1tomy pcrflctly. by revealing rhe profik, and
because the muscle Ol;\SS can be seen through
the garmen t. toose-fittinJ; clothing,
however, hides the allatom ical re lief of the
body and shO\\15 more folds. Wrin kles
produce ~ had O\vs. ;md in their crests. areas
o n which light f.1 11s directly. This creates the
need to analyze the tonal '/llues and
c::arefull y nuance "'very surface more
meticulously than tight clothing.

-'

"

(k \
'/' ~:.::? J,
{

... ~
p
I ./ L~

I ' /"

G m,>llilr I'nlril;s II,e "'tlJl "/~!Il'/"it!lr mrdim" fo r

drlkmr 'Klfk. Ht WII ",,,, j, ,1,, lilllili '/ ~/,mlrr/ "'1'<U
allJ fill rwh '!flhNn in ",;111 gray ha/rlli,I.\:. 1/ is
'IC'I'r.SJary /0 grndr Gild ,."",.,... " ....y J"!hr, S<~/lNi,1K'I
ItT)' rnnimwru/y, bmmir II,.. gmdalil'lu if "~,,IIi'r
IlfNil <Ill' I"'y.l;,.,.;n mtlJl <_3.

n,t

ball-poi'" fIOl ;S Ilnll"". IIII'

00, .XII*, if all d""'ffl,e
immmrnlls, IJlII i , is "',.... 'Iu1ru
fmJ' fftll/y "srd by 1~1i'1
a",'JfS. liS slrit,ly /i,WtJ, Mlnlirs
ftwrr Iht "UistiO ".,,1..... IMUhin/{
011 (/",/Ii"J! bturd AI JlfrlllirJ if
OI'frl"T'pi,'S lilld

~j
'

To anal)'7.e the
folds of an item
ofdothina;. il is a
good excrci$C 10
fin t make a linear
treatmem of the
figure, drawing all

On" w ';nkk. .,
C0l110111'$. in tltis
.,...ay. we will

~~~:::~:~:
ma terial with

which the
1.";lI"m(''711 wu

made.

o RAP

NKLES': :'"

RHYTl-r

ht.. trad itional co nlplclIlt'nt to

nud t.' figure is the drape and

Ih.11 it producClI. lrs nlllctio n i~

:mccdoral: It IS ~ (annal
to har moni ze and
:tdding 1I (Ouch

ere""
simply ~
thM allows on~~_

.
forms of the
th e

ncccs.<;.;1I)'.
Drawing the Drape
Dr.lwiug the dr:lpt: is :mother
of f.1shion today. which, ~l~:~;;:I~~
Irad ilional1y expected .t ~
oon'!olSD
III pellCt! or charcoal the folds and the general (onn
of a cloth hanging o r (;ll\ing OVCf a <:hair or 5(001. T he
purpose ofthi!; exercise is to C)(t!rcl.'ie the student'S
skill III renderi ng light alld srndow, and in creating a
comphClled and ddailed volume. Drapt:s an: also
mlcl'CS!il.!,; /Tom a compositional paim of view,
b Cc;l Il S{' if necessary, they allow for a balancing
picto ri ;'!! spac!!' by compensating Ihe excessive
of the forms of the figu re through the cr;'"cro,';n
thei r folch.
'I~

rr('lnn" "

!.r{i.//), <'"

.~m.M"I>fIS " "'/ "I""ing "1' slrml a

,hr /"&/IIIgl,,..,/ f/tM!.

rh),t hm of
Lh" trace a~ ;t

n Ul

r'--- --,

COIII"~ ~'HI b'OCS

Ca n he used to

render a drnpc
whi le also
c re ating an
au rael;,"" l:ib'"Ug
efli:cl. Z igzalli:ing
IhM.... call ~UGf::CS1
cn: ~!iC. a"d folds
rhythmicall y aud
fairl), n an,rnll).

Lf''''----'

""/sf ,,'IPrl!
f '

.~

I .,

'"

Abstract Drawing

Dr"P"f nl'!' " '"or'

Drawing the drape c:m be considen:d an ~utheJlti c

abstract d rawi ng, given tht: geomdric complexity
inherent in the folds and thc iT imlcpendcncc from
tile figurative for ms. In th is sense, it is intell."Sting
when drawing tht' drape to find that th t: problt:ms of
line. chia roscu ro. and modeling an: nakedly t:vident
ht:Tt'. 'Illt' exact construction of folds and their
shadows is inesse ntial; it is more interesting to
interpret drapes in an abbrcviatt:d. skt.'l.chy ma nner, in
agn:t:ment with the char.l(:teristK lightness o f these
secondary clements of a figure dra\vtng.
Altho ugh you may sC"(' this ;!$ a complex pro lJlem,
do not be d isco uragt:d. Look at tile' objt:ct as all
abstraction and redu ce it to sim ple forms and
sur6 ces. The key is to obst:rve the way th:,t clothing
falls :md adjusts to the for ms of the body. It is a
nllltter of tra ining )'Our Lj't: to appreciate the str ucture
and form of wrinkks with clarity, as a w ho le lnd
individu:illy. T h is cohcn:nt vision allow'S us 10 sec it all
dearl y: a tucked-in pan here. a protrusion there,o\'('r
here a broad conc:avily, etc.

twnKti,., romp"'IU'IIIIO
0011, C/O/hid fiJ!.mf'$ Imd
tllllft.. "11"" add d ''try
ma",,("f"{'d dffOl'llli,y
iffm 111111 millis lilt
4igz~ C!J'ml IIl'Ilbtsq"t.

if )'O" ohscJ"lor Ihe dmpe:s

nlld (I'!'tUN

of(101/';"8 ill

iso/II';o", )"'" rml look

at

as /ltl abwwl
w'"I"'S"',,,,,,TIll' ,,,rul
litrlll

illl".,rlm" Ihi,~ is 10
rofllidn 111m- sl",wln' o"d
, !(If forgrl II~ Jirtfull of
(Iollri",,: mrwd. I!.MI}'

"it

,"";"klts (A ), ,mil l lmighl.

(ltAA'S (H).

,"'1h(m

if )'LII/ IIII' dm,villg afiKUre

l>'1'tl, "UI"y rwurI, )"'''
11111>, r/1OOSt 10 Slma,,1'!' till'
;'iformotiou. l ht Jint 5tq!
is 10 mdlu til, OIdlilN' oj
",
d~ modtI ""d ww* U;l/'
simplt forms ;nd,mf j'tg tilt'

form olld posilicol iftnth

"'' tII,

~.
palintllr,
r.>:tmd ti" IWI(lnllg Ihll/
PUnlWaln mId gi'>t$
voI,m'l til lilt <!mi .

FIGURE
(f/l(!

ITS CO NTEXT

OM spo ntaneous fi!-:lIrc drawings aTe t:l kt'n from

ewryd1Y life, All yOIl have to do is observt: the
M
fib>1.m: home, on the SIn'l't, or at work, and find
~t

i~

pictor;:.1 asPt'cts, In f.1ct, one of thl' most interesting

su bjl'Cl~ for drawing smdit.:s is tile intnion; of public
buildings---b;u'S, restall rant, cafe(eria,~, dance halls, etc.
In Ihl'Se sllfrounding;, fib'lll-eli appear in mOT{' na tural
PO:;o', rcVt':11ing tlleir char~Cl t'r and sociabilit y, Drawing
the backgro und in which you find the figure is of great
help in drawing the figure lateT,
Drawing Arc hi tec h lre
Drawin~ fib'l,rcs in an interior ofil'n in\'o[ws dealing
with the pcr.;pl'ct.i\"e of the setting. But pcrspecriw
need not lx- a prolJleUl, for iI, too, can Ix: used to
~blish a d ear background, and t hus the COllllXlrison
of the size of th(' figu re wi th (he objects in the
oockground can Ix: cxtTemdy practical in achieving a
JTa!istk n.-pn.'SCntltlon of the figure itself ;md its
surroundings.
" lls variation is of particular inten:st:: the
participation of architl'cture In (h(" cOIllpt.ition of (he
n:btionship bcrv.ecn thl' figure and the dccor can be
so signific.ant th.at to ib,"on: it IS to dmy the dr.I\ving
what could potentially be one of its IllOs( nOlable traits,

if i'll/end cf ''''''~hl.l! ill slmI."t"1I /1tJ1 d,,~rl)' tk/U l("(ttt' rllf fi..r.:rl.rs'
,,,moors, )"" tim", IlwlJf wi,1I a blUrT"(, alrl~JfI"ir I'm/i"", 1"'"
a jlrrtJlrr i/ll'"1!fI(Ili(nI if '/It".fi.l~"' alltl il s ""'kgmlllld,

(JI;1Ii",,.

Pm/Iffli.'t' is n l")' focI", ill rqlft'XfJlil1Sfigllrrs jll mil/lXI,

II/ Slnlf3 f ' l(l, m: flois omt', mllkt' tJe/e of ItOUll/l f fw"rrs J!ro...
Jmallrr a"d g,,,,~ Jl"'Rr=ivrj), d;Sloloml I/U'filfllo.., /111')' j!t'f

from

II'f jOffg""md,
~~

.(

,.,

Com;retion a nd Indeterillin3cy

To draw qu ick
slUdics. a graphite
pellcil is among
the most
recommcnded

TI1t~ figu re: is genemll y rmdered concn:tdy

whik' itl; surroundin gs ~rc left sketchy and

indett'TllIinate. Its co ncretion dOt'Sn't

necessaril y IIlcan we- II- defined conto urs,
but ruther a 1l10rc illlense line (:I. very
common error ~Illong beginners is 10 draw
:I. defimle COntour around the fib'1.lrc, :l.nd
thus dcuch ing it completel y from the
backgmund). light conditions un ll1:1.kt i~;;:==:!It:
so that parts of the figurc appe;!r to meld
into till' backgrou nd, and part ohhe
wcct!SS o f a drawi ng dcpends on softClling
it5 lIl:lrgins and omitting dCtllils, leaving
~olll e thin gs to the vicwt'T's imagination.
The backgrou nd that contt' xrwIJi zt.'S the
fi b'l.1re may includ~' just a few lint:.'; or
ma rks, but Ihl'f\! is ~ 1111 OSI :llw:l.)'S some
indication Ihal something more lics behind
thelll,

A Stlldy ifh'rrs i" nil lime" fmrtfJCtrpt' iJ

II<! MSy lllSk.f.... ,IH' fiJ!u rrs nrt' nnorT stilf.
This j<,f(n II~ nw 'sI ," ",. JCkt,i ..... tim,,, ill
Jyr,fl'Nis, nUll "ay aflrllli(III, I""ially, 10 ' hr

nl/;lI/or cf "If 1II,.arf IIUO 1<1 II" olljrr:/J

nrmmtf Mm .
'Ow I'n{rlr if Ihr (W)OI fw,lIIrs sll,>'1JJ
mOlt ill/rom', IIIOI,,,,,'1(rt/ 1i,'f'S, IlllIirl, I,rlps
10 oiffi'mlfin("lhrrn fit"" II,r hk)1r<xmo,

t 1,1

~
A
~
'

"

~I"

'

Il

c~

""d;",,,,. A
g~aphi tc pc"~1
b'l\'CS U $ a vancty
of strokes: drawing

with a , hilTpened
point (A). a dull
point (IJ). ~ wi th
the point
completdy tilted
onto its side (q.

AND

" Wi,I. rjJrcrs, bil'lItfi"j? tllltl slI/CJ(IlflinX. (lt1)II";'~(! SII,I,.\ 'fSlilig jllm/()/JiIiIY. 1MbililY,
8m"il)'. densiry, tI"dfimlllr.ss, disappears mId is tli/rlled ill 'he jlllitf (III/I
i/lulI/giMe-a illlllil1(ms lIibmtioll Iltal Imllsfa/rs (Iff Ille nppl'll mllctS tif tilt'

worM. "

,.

THE ARTIST'S

00,

W('xpn:ss :md rcpn:st.1]( the va ri Olls IClo;WI1.:S :llld

h ~n

....

{Ir.lwi llg th e

hllm ~ tl

fi gure, o ne of th e :l1'list's biggL'St challenges is to

wm~ fOlllld o n the h UllIall
body, sl1ch as ~ kin pigme ntation , w r inkk"S. and body and f.1cial hair. To do ~n. d ie
artiH IK"Cd re ly 'iOldy on the b.uic d r.lw ing Icdll li<III L'S o f linc, blcndinl,:. \'olullle,
er.l~illg. aud gr:ldalioll--:\lI of w hich can .. Iso bt, :applit'd ill dr:lwi n,"", to ('R-all'
auno~ h cR."-to achieve his o r her artistic intcrprt'L1fion of till' h uman IlIOtld .

RENDERING Iii" ATMOSPHERE

AROUND /Rc
FIGURE
T

ht" atmosphere of;r. dnwing

dL'JlCl1ds on th ~ h:lTIlIony that
dom inates thc scene and L,,\'oktli a
determinate SCl lUl iol1 Qf light,a
faClOr of :lrtis(ic qU:llity th:!t is
importan t to observe.
Nonetheless, 1I1.mrt fro m the
illtclisi ty ami qua lity o f the
lighting, there li re o th er f.,ctors (hit
conditiOfl tht, lltll10spllCric climate:
dlt." intonation of color.;., the
chiaroscuro dfccl , contrasts, a
greater o r lesser usc o f modeling,

'''.

itllo ("11(/1 /'IIIrr,

diOlljullIillX nllf
illUIIsr I/(I{"t"S, Ihe

f1JZm"

lOll'S

dtjillilillil bill J!'I'i",

IlIllKlS,>llrrr.

,woJi'"

r.."i"/If ddi".d, diffitlt'

IIt<l/II' ,";/h s41linN
;,,/log,a/I' 1111'/"."1' /0 IIII' u~,i" if/lwo papn,J!iviR,fl;' '''
IlIllKl$phnit rffivl.

Drawing the Air

Around the Figure
The <Itlllosphcn: should Ix: prt.'SCnt
in the work ;IS ;111 ;liT surround ing
the figure. The effect o f ;ulllosphcrc
is an opti(;l.\ illusion prodIlCL'i.\ by
\v:ltcr v.lpor and the dust panick s
in the ai r. w hich discolors and
partly blurs the forms and profile;
of the figl.ln.l1lis IS tht' opposite o f
the 1t.1rd contours lmd precisio n of
the d nwi ng. ' nI l,' atmosphere
shoukllx: fluid. cOlltiIlUOUS,
unified, and uninterrupted . The
absence of clari ty i~ the kL')'. W ith a
(on"eet tOnal Lv.l luatiOIl of each of
the dr~\Villg's pIaIlL"S. we can
recrea ttO in the m a li!:\h tcr or (kl1."t!T
atmosp here, decidi ng o n the basis
of the intclISiry ofi l~ to nes w hat
SP"trulll of gr:tyS should occupy
each pbnc.
"0 ",hifllf' an afllWl'hrrit ("fol, tI~ gm)'S
aud lomll J!f"Mallo.lS sho,,1d ".. IJemled (IIId
~",oo//lrd ow, 11'1111 II" ",siiJl! SlroJ..lf'J, a"d

wft

!( " If' blrlld .cmys

ImllsitiC'1ls M/I I'I'tII 11>11/'1..

""

,
l

---.
~

..- ,/

..'

/:"'~

.-:;r-

~.

,,"
-#
f

-,

'"

Atmospheric Hatching
An 3t1ll osphe ric effect ckpe nds
above :111 elSt' " 11 our skill dll r ing
the hatching process, a~ we
il1( I'C a..e th e prt'l;.~lIfe on Ihe
charcoal, pa~l el, or t'h ;llk ;md
impress it!. sirokc UpOI1 th t, paper,
The goal is to s h~(ll' or to color,
pas.~in g g rndu 311 y fro m a lighte r
lone to the nn;t darker Olle, 311d
so 0 11. Ead l phase shuu ld lx,
Kcompan icd by a hght fi llgertip
blendin g t" a",,,id abru pt shi fts in
tOll C,
Blcnding
The difference betw een
smooth ing and ble nd ing lil'S in th e
purpO!ie of each, [loth ope r:llions
requ ire tkll we run an objecr--a
cottOIl r:lg. a fingl'rt ip, d C-QVe r a
spot of pigmellt on Ihe page. [lut
smoot hing is illlended 10
withdmw ,md c"tl'nd color.
wherea~ t he purpose of bk nding is
to mix th e lliffen:m tOlll'S by
repeatedly rubbmg the co lor, W ith
blcn(ling. til t: llatdling or colo rmg
also grows softer, but nOt as ll lUCh
as it does wi th ~moot hin g.
T he Hazy Drawing
C harc"al is th e idt'allllcdi ullI for
producing a hazy drawing, This
term refe rs to Ill:lki ng \'ery subtle
tonal grada ti on~. dl'Kribin g forms
without d rawlllg conto urs o r
ou tlin es, T his techniq ue. w hich
produC(;s w ry foggy. o bsClire
figu ll.-'S, consists of imistclltiy
ru bbing th e su rf::lCe of the paper
wi th OI1C 'S fingertips n ntil the
figure's appearance bt'Collll's
v'-porous and atmosp he ri c. The
absence of visible pellci l strokes
im bues th e draw ing w it h pi(tOri~J
finish,
'f1,( ba;;d"t'SS

if lilis " m",j",~ ,~i,~'S il"

l!icM,i,,/ q,mlily, "I,f rffra iSM/,;rw<l by

;m;"m,/y u. ..tI;",~ Ibe gmys.

Ch~ rco~ 1 is used

a ~I'\'at dea l in
at" ""'pl,eric

drawings bc";'lI 'IC

;( miJ(cs mul bill'"
ca~i l y and
po'''''SSCS rich

lonal qualities.

AI",o$jJI"~irfi,~"rrs {ml <llso

/,.. ,,(IIit1~,tl ll"'''',~11 lillN.

I~II II,e

Ii"", I/I"SI M,r ,ilia

0/''iI'''''

III<' I',,~j/r

if Ibr

.fi.~II""I",'tl"';u,~ ,10u~1

,,/"(IIt;,t1! ;/5 I' /;UI ;I',,1

sllllpn

0111/

CREATING VOLU
U

~illg

w hi ll' chalk Oil ulluTt'd paper is 011 (;' way to

Cfl'ate ;len'Il l'S , bll t lHi:-:ing w h ite ch:tlk w ith other
co lors or wi th (.:h,m.:oal allows fo r ilion: intl' rlll cd iatt"
tonl~. 11I cn:.uing 'Kl'cn LS. we GlI! play wi th the
int c r;lCliOll of d U'l.T ditfl'CC]J[ f.1 C1ors: th e la nt" of the
p.l per, l'h l' 11 ~.' o f chan' o'li or . '010 1"cd chalk, ;m d t he use
of w hi te ch"lk. We (";111 th ncfon- j Un e,ISl" rh e rnngc of
to nal v'lilles, w h ich an: llsed tu <:fl':lCC volullll" in th e

figure.
Accents in White C halk
An acccm i~ the "dllilio n of a [OI l l ' lIIuch brighte r thm
the papt'T a nd the o rh.']" mcdi:l Iised . W hen we dr.lw o n
a colored bKkg rol1lld, the t O lll 'S Wt' (":Ill ma ke with the
charcoal o r ch:tlk ;Ill: lill lill'c\ by lh t." lllt"diu llI :mel by
till' color o f th., pa pl:r itsdf None theless, th is pro blcl ll
can b~ o\'crconll' by nddi n g tOllches of w h ite; till"
COIllTllS[ is th ~1l so sh arp thnt th e drnwi n g bc:comes
newly intt'fl.'S[ill g_

11'1,;,,> IIm'lIIS.~;,~>

II")(~""'" II/'''''
,,,,IIIII/drir
"I'II<',rntll', I,,'r,"'sr
II,,')' ",",,'mil,"" '''~
mm"'.-I Iw"'o ',." it,'
l~lI",,'d mltl ,11,"/1'0
1"!rI~_ I" stlU/i,S
lllUl ,J..,'lritrs ,lid,
II.' 1/11',(, ,""'11/$ mil

II<' 1II<1<lr lI,ill,~ ,I,,'

,f/," sid, .~r flw
,IMIt",,1 or r/",'k.

".
111,;,, , /",Ik ~"h"'f'<1 ,,~II, ",/".. r.>I,.1'1 .'1(11
1'<""'';'/'' II,, ,/r,,,..,IX ".,/, , I ",,,,I, hrt~H1"r
/~lIr11. if ".<r'/ ,m ,I (,./,nrrllt.u-i..:I!" nmd.

"''0'/" "'on: I'n"CiloC

. ._ _ _ _.... lI<:<'"", <, i,

L ____ '

111,;11' d",lk (, '" "/.<0' lor Il..",/,iur rl ill "

$;II.~I, ,lnlll';II.'I "~'/, d" ",,~I/.

If II .. """, I"

I"''''~''' ,,,,,.,I.~m.I,,,,,,,,. ""'Iim ...",..",1 IIw

d",m~" " ,1/(/111 1,<1 (III/I 11,m SIlI)('f;IIII~>5"

NI"rl.'1 IIhI" " ".;,/,

"")"mllll,,l.

"I"ll~ " ..,,"

,I,,, ",lwl

Lighter GradatiOlls
Tn Hl.;,U l J.:r:ldl tlOIl b...cwC\ n ,'hl n'o l l <l nd w hi tl'
,'h:lll-.., \\'\' liNt d r:lw with eh;!lk rro m o ,,~ ~iJl' to
.lI1othl......lppl yin J.: It',s p re~lI Tl. wit h e:lc h p:lSS. ~lId
thn l ~h :l(k rim b ye r w ilh cll:'l rCOll , bu t this l i ll l ~ Wt'
:'\pply tl w Inust pn"slll"l' onto Ih l' e h:1n:oal w ltc rl' th e
k ast I'R"'\III"C w:.~ .\ppticd to the clt:.lk . and vice ,~rsa .
I-I n\\,.: w r. it j, not (ht, ""'1111('" tln ng to ap pl y c.: h :u CO:l1 t.o
chalk .IS to :.ppl)' ,halk to c h al"l.:u al: a di ffer('"1It rt'!'" h i ~
produn 'd d L'\>C 1lJi ,, ~ o n th t Orol' l" in w hich t hl'y :.re
~ pp l i nl; u lIl y w ith pl~l <,ri o.:e (Iol's OIK' grow
,IC(l(S(OIIll'd to tll li.. im er .ctioll ,
Acc ent Effects
Accen ts ill dlal k C,ln lx' :lll"tied in swaths o f lillt'~,
wilh (il- IISt' ~ I ~ ills n fl ig h. ill the rO rln o f po ints, o r by
d l':l~i n ~ th e ch"lk owr a give n area. so that il
acquin's a g re<lll' r !,.'l.' lIl'ral b ri ghul<'ss, Acce llls ha\'c 110
effect Whl' lI tht')' :In..' di~pl rs~d gr.l tll iWlIsl)' ove!' th e
emil'(" Sllrf.1l'l' o rth l" drawing; thl'Y only st:l11d o ut
W ll l' lI 1111,:')' an.: l'{IlICl' ntratl"d ill thOSt., parts o f the
dr:lwi ng t haI h l'lp prodllt:t' all illl'rc;li't'd rO lltrJ~1 .md
:Il'l'l'iltllaU' the vo lumc of th l' tigllTe. 0 11 so m e
ol'c;\siollS. it ilia), CVl'U be Il<'cl"s'I;( ry to add a light
hatching " TUuml tI](' acce nt.

"",rk , I",ultl/", t/"ur ill

IvI,;/, wl"ro-'/ ,)(,Iu;ls,

,:harp 1i,H's
"ml ':'/'\''l{<'JI;w 11" ""m~. B)' I'fIryill~ 1/1(' /'''''~''11' ,Ir", ,...'"
al'I")' ,,, III<' IIt'IHi/. )'<III (,1/1 "u 'ill.~lIis" lilt imcmwdi",c
'M rs Jr.'''' ,lie I~,ims .!f " ",,xi ll/IIIN /',i)!'fIIlCSS.
/)eli'<I/"

lu'f"" U' 1I';,1r litr", it is

,~I~;/Jk,,, ",,,Ia' I~,,I,

t_

1'n:I;,ral>l(' 10 nSf'
w h ilc ro lorc,I
1>Clll'il inMel/,1 "I'
Ih" mltli,ilHI;!1
ch~]k or 1'3"<:1.

"

.~
<

RRECTING
'1IJilloft!

ERAS IN G

uring the pn)co.'SS of iLS CTl'ntioll , the

drawillg llnd e rgoe~ COIlMant l'hangcs,
10 the point that the initial outh n~ St'r\1.'S
o nly as a perdl; it is therdo n- illlpo rt:lIlt for
the artist to transfo rm the work com t:mtly,
each tlme o.'Sta blishi ng mo re forcefu lly tht"
line that constitutes the drawillg's pl:lI1l'S
and forms,
As the fiml profile of till' (i r.lwing begins
to take shape, the li nes that co n~ti tlil c it
begin to OVI:rb p with earlier lines, in ~ u ch a
w:ly that the process can Ix- S/,' L' n ;IS a
continuous correction of for lllS, IIl1 tll they
overpower the earlier tines, maki ng it
U1 J1lecnsary to cra.~ till'lIl ,

"

The M.istake as an Expressive Factor

In the work of many profeS!;io nnt nrtists,
cOrrt.ctio ns and repcritions arc dcliber:ltdy
left ill the final drawing as a prnctic.ll
. resourcl' tllM t e n d~ vitality to till' dr:lwi ng.
or cven su ggcst.~ action or 11I 0V,' lI1l' lII in thc
fib'llre; these corrcctioll~ art" known a(
'~ pentimenti. o r regrets.
PelllimcnD express a strnngc f;b('iwltiun
with unflnishednes.<i o r skt"tchinC'SS, :lIId
w ith thc procl.'SS of dr.l\\ ing iudf, mther
t han the carefully fi nished pr()(luct, a
temlenc), that reveals the romantic in all of
us.Tbcrefo~ , whe n we make llli.~rnkL'S it is
prefer:lble to forget about the m and draw
m Orl' precise, vigorous lilles alollj:.tSide them .
Every drawing should be ~n l'xpcrillletltal.
ever~c hallgiJl g process, To tryout a form
te ntatively, and then make adj u5t lll c nt.~ and
correctio ns to ir-thl."'Sc arc fundamental
pans of c\'Cry c reativc proc~.

!r

'''1'

CI,,,I(OO/ IIWkn it lJ(>f.jilHr '" t'rrUr

]i.e"('
If'ptnlttlly ill <'<lin '" ~M IIru' lillI'S 'Il llwd!fl' ,II{'
I'rtI';('IIS OlltS; llOu""",,, ill lids s/.Y'lr/" , III' I'llr/irr
mnrks "If' still " tiblt alall~s;,k
/lfII' (1111'S.

"'I'

.. ,

Phantom Lines
Drawillgs in chan:oal arc l1l:lde by
:ldding one ovcrl apping line after
:lnother, w hich are c rast-.:l or
corfL"Ctoo over the co urse of
nca tillg the drowing. This
ac(.:u muiatiOIl of discarded lincs"phanto m" li nes---crea[(;.'S an
int(.:rt"Sting tOllal cfft.'(:t on the
foundation of the page, and
someti rnt.'S even IelldS a greatc r
expressiveness :lnd adds variety to
the drawi llg.The result is a ft.ow
confidellt, powcrfullincs that
emerge from w hat has, in fact,
heen an imense process of
drawing and redmwing.

All Intuitive Drawing

The contillued practice o f drdwillg
the nude event ually giVt~ the artist
,\11 intui tive knowledgc o f the male
and female :lllatomics, whic h allO\\'$
hc r to render virtua lly allY pose
autom3tiGllly and render all of its
reliefS in tlll..-ir correu place and
proportions. This knowledge is
gaint.";! by noticing and correcting
the mi~takcs one makes, a.lld by
aiw3Ys keepi ng in mind the basic
sket( h o f proportions and the
body's essential anatomi(.:al
configurat ion.

r - - - -'l

The complete
erasure that is
orten practiced in
the earl y phases
of drawing wi th
charcoal is
actually done to
creale phantom
lines lhal se/"\'C as
a basc for Ihe
nexi i tagc of the
drawi ng.

Petll;mrllli allow liS 10 wulrollllld Iile ~llIdy 115"

lir';".!!. (rl"III;rc 1"'l(tss ill tl.'IIS/llll1 r/, ...d''1",,,,,I,
III/,;(h/ol((5 115'0 U'1{"(r lIud 111111..... drrisi,,"s n/Jt'"1
I/,e ({lrlITl ,J/emelll ifl/re Iim/J.! ill /"tIlI' Imt'.

Sol llt" m1i$1> usc pelllilrK'l'li lIS

"""Ihn menliS ,1 exprrssio". 111
uris lllSf", IIIf ,in",lln"':ily of Ihr
legs gi,~ II", jiRu," a.<t"llJt" 0/

mOliali .

Nfw liUN alf" , III'("liltlllOS(d Oil ,h," ;lIilinl

''''I'S, IIl1d modify II,rjiJ.:"tf~ nl'I'rnml/lt" II,,'il

desired Il115t' i$ Ill/nil/cd. WNf/l WOrkillg'lII
a slIIdy, lilies on'srld"", .-msrd,
,,/1011'S
us 10 srr / Il(" , )mjS tlIIlI 11,1'JiJ:l'''' /'115
uuder.gi"'~Jrom II,r SInn (til Iii" ~Iudy III
n"gill, ;1 ;5 sliIIl'0ss;hir 10 SU I/,c IJreiim;IInry
pmil;oll if lh" 1';/;5 "lid Iwk).

Iht'

,,",ie/,

"

...

",

","/

'I~

BLENDING

\.

,I

." ,,

"

"-,,

/0

'.

DISSOLVE CONTOURS

"

:-,

I .,

'\

stum p, o r terrilloll , is:l stick made of soft. :lbsorbl'lJ{

pape r w ith a poilll at eith er c nd, used to ru b :m d
bic lld TOnes, (0 p rodllt:e a gr.J.yillg o r liglut' liinl; of 'Irt~as
drawn ill pencil, charcoal, pa~(ds , or c halk. Cotto n balls
or swab:<; can also be IIsed for blend ing :lnd prod uce
slllootlH.'r. mo re subd c n'sults th:lIl the tc rt ille n.

llklldi"g 11';111 0I1" ~fi".I!rr/;JlS., if ,lour

illsislt'IIllr. mn liRI"ru 1/'(' IIG/d,i,'R
IIIIIde 1I~/1r c/'",ro;,l.

T he Correctio n Effect
Stlllnpin p; is ill itsel f " Imost a form of corret:tioll. W h:lt
we art' in fact doillg w hell we lise a torrillon is reilloving
dust that wo uld o lilelwisc a<lIlcrc to the p;lpcr. Th i~ type
of correct io n changes till,' dTcct o hhe line ~nd ra n even
elim inate it altogdhc r. Stum ping can also b: IIsl'd 10 fill
holes- th ose :lrc:t.~ thaI \wrc previo usly free of d l'lrco:11
o r chalk. This reduce'S the p:lpcr's capacity for more
h:ltc hing o r colo r ing ill I:u er ~ppl i ca tions_

'

!,

71wsr fiJ.!lIfC's IIl('n'

armed rllli,...l" /'V
~II"UJI;".~ Ijllrs ,ufldr
,,';/1, "'"11~'" pnslrl;
ajirm m'l, I,> R j,'( I/ll'

fiJ.!u"'S "",rr mrp"mUI )',

I,m r fld,/r,1 fl f r lV
/ill1'5 t/Jm "",/rrsw,...

1/'"

,1I..ir p"!(ifrs.

...

, ~

'"

Opening Wllite Spaces and

Blending Lines
The ch:l.oco.'\l Slick (.-:l ll be smoothed
with a tortilloll , fillh'Crtips, o r a
p.1illtbrl1sh .W h t'11 (hnt"(""o~ l is
~ lIoothcd . it bC W LIlt'!i ligh ter ; th is is
alrnQ<;( the ollly w;!y of c:n.":l.Iing
grarotio lls, oc-causc the c hanl,'t" ill
intClisity is b.1rcly notict'ablc wiLen
one tr.lC(.'S m ore or k<o:s m loothly 011
the paper. I-llgh- illl t"1lSity soft
graphite {'lUl :Ilso br smoothed WiUl
3 tOltillo ll, w hich "llows lintS to be
Intq!r:tltxl and d imin.. ll l"S thl' whitl'
'i(:W:<."S bcl wt'CII thcIII. By {,'f:1ding
tht' ton l"S, the tOI'lillon creates it
pt' n<'"Ct rcpn.'St'nr:llion of an objeCt;'
\-oI IIIIIC. All y Tllbbi ng tl'clmi{Jut' l-:ln
be uscd to sm ooth dw lin (.'S of this
in'itnllncl1l. bill it is ilI-~cki<;(.-d to
O\erusc this tt'c h n i'lIW becausc It
GIn drJin the fi lial d rJ\\ ing ofi~

"",killl: sm..,..,h '''''lS;/fu"s '" I,,,,r Ih,'1 Ilrll'

li\l~111ICI>'l.

dfffi'fwrjllliu:Il

.v,,""'f,;''Jl iJ i1 / IrN/"U 11,.,1 tJI.",-s ,Ilr 11I1i$!

I" nwklll,r j/ffill' 1"'1fS 'f II~./i.eurr br

,,, t,,r/."" Ilir ">/,,,nn ,,,u/ rrlirJ if lilt'

I"ml.", bod,'.

111m, "",killS"
smtfr, "1'11' Rmrs
,md iI Jwipl' cf'/,r
I,,,I"!.,,, ilrr '''"'1'
Ilstfillfi...
1(~I"td

Twu " la),s or Smoothing

'Jbcrc arc two bask ways 10 p ractICe
smoothing: lo o;ofi:<."tl Ill<' h<.-J\y linl'!;
or p m fiJt" of a mode l, w e sho n]cl
usc the lip of a torlillo n: lo slIl ooth
out large O1I"t.'a\, wt' liS\.' the wide part
o f till' turtill on .T hl m o tio ns o f the
ha ud ~h<ll1 ]d fo llow tilt" \"OIUllIl"S of
tht' bocI}~ W he n \\"Orki np: 0 11
inlpn:ciSl' fOUIl(bliolls o r ~1Il00th
'Illrfaccs.. lh c h<lnd ~h ou ld make a
cirrubr Inolioll.
Smc.n/liuJ! mil ,,"ly

"NI'f"J sll",k ,..,,111

~IS, "III "Iw x;~'". Illr 1,,!fi>tr "" "1f/11uilJl"

lc.w"w. l lJr " I" ",t/(oll' Y'''''fiJ:'''f"J 1/';/1,

drI"!. "",/ btiJ.""Ilf"fJ.

QR'M Jn~"

sluukd""u

It is w","lh noting
thai the
pou ibili liCll of
slumping incrc~w:
w hcn rOil usc
vinc ch~ rcoa l
i n~ l e~d o r
cOl11 p rc~sed

charcoa l in "ick
nr !,<'IId ! forill.

,,'

ERASING:
OPE NIN G UP SPACES
he C .-;lSI'" (3 11 pby :lll importa nt c ons[nu::ti v~ mlc in dl~IWlllg th t,
h u ma n fi gure . It Sl'TveS:lS .. drawiug ln stHllllcllt in itself, lIsefu l for
\Vo rk illg wi th til e: q U:lliry of the li n l' and tone. We on lISC it to ".- k aT an
an:a, \moo th out a linc, o r drJw ill II c~;J t ivc. dmwing the oU[linc ohhe
figure by erasin g 0 11 previously colo red arc<lS. III the ,allK' way that we
CHI prodllCl' diffcrt'J11 1.1ual iti(:!; of bbcks depe nding 011 the p ressure we:
apply to the d l:Ul'U"1. the l'raSlT allows for all illvcr;c o f the sallie
t<..'chni{1t1t'; the Illore pressl!re yo u npply, till' whi tt'" the ('rasure will be on
th e p.. ~.::_ l r[ht." <-"rasu re is sofi , w he ll tilt.' eraser passes sofdy over the
color jug it slllootllt:s it out lightly. Au crasu r,' shows us how we can
<:Ollstrm:t a forlll usi ng bright lights on a d;lTker b:lckgroull<t.

All rrllSl'r (,m II(

IIslr/Ji'r "'",.. 1111111
(ro",(lillS 1" "'Il":

",..(,,," ,m'''

/0

1(111",." ,,,ItI
mor/,", 1/", ".Iief
'!( II"./Wdy.

D,.:.:Ir",,,s

liSe

.if,l,t elll$rr min's I/,r

,""WiltS ,!( Ihr I""'y, lirll'iHJ.: /" creme ""

<If(1 ,1""

o.,(C 11,(" 1"/11'

n",illds m 'if C ll'fo- R",,,,,,,

"'>s-ulip.

i.< $I"(",II! <'111,

11'1' InKt II,,

"/l/Ii/lc of ,hcJigllll IlSill.C, 1/1 crllSer tIIlt!

"" " k ;IS I>rlglll sJX'IS /'1' I1llpiylll.1! '!If,tler
j m c lIS II'!' tms('.

'"

Creating Effects with a n E rase r

We can ac h i~'w v.~r i IlU' ~I i tli:r<, nt enc..:t.~ w ith :11\ l'rascr, Using Olll' ofits
sharp ~'d",,\:s, t(lr eX.1111pk. we nil c reate th ick !illL'lI: if we r ub thl' l' uri!"\'
widt h of tlw ~rasn all thl' p;lpc:r, \W Gill llI.1 ke.1 broad swath: ,Ind wl' Clll
Illa k~ finl' !illl"; by traci nj,:. with iN ed~e o r us i n~ l n'tr.Ktabk l'rlSer,
Rl'trJct:lhlc ef:lSl'1'li an' \'l'ry lI:.o:flll lOr drJwlIlg on a pn'viollsiy colon'd
or ~h3dl'd ~ur[1 ce, l n diffilSl: drawill);, the shine ofthl' skin is rdnforced
by npl' niu); li p w hite ,lTeaS wit h (he eDscr, as \\.cI1 ali by 1I1(Kld i n ~ forms
and n...,;pn.:tin!! (hOM.' an'a~ th,l( ~ utolll;ltic:l ll y ,..-reau' ~ ll.Idows. Finally, ,~
o n ~ivc g n:all' r nuam;l' to ti ll' ~h:lrpcs( of CO lltr.:l.sts by snli!)' applying;r
p,:n..:il n r ..:h;.lk :a nd following the form oftlw ~ n ~toll1ka l nlrf.1ce,
Working with C h a rcoal
The 11II1 ;!ell ;IIlIlCSivelil'SS o f dl;lrcool m akes it very ha rd to t"r.1se. [11 th('S~
GlSL'lI,.1 soft ",'1.1111 el'.1St'r is t'S.<;\.-' n ti;l! . bl'cUl sc not only C,1I1 it bl' IIsed to
corrcc.:t m istakc~ -, b Ui il is also IIsdill for ()pl' U;n~ lip \V ll ite Sp~Cl'S wi th in
.1 h ~tch i ng o r bknd to re~t orc ti,e color of til l' p:lpl'r C\'CIl afte r it ha s
~l-' ll (lr.lwn upon ,

/irll)~T1

"rI'

,111" "IIt"";I(~ ill""""".",, 'I1,1'f

"IT''' IIIt'/i"", ji>r II~"I.-ill~ ".jll, 'lit qU,l/lly

.fII /jllt "II "r,>I"n'rII~/(/..:(n'"",'.

111,..., flIt tRIm is mMrnI s<"'y "" " I",""i".'.! ,Of'

(,>It,,;,,!!, il ~"k""" t' i, ,~II '1.\./'fly, 1J "'" IIIr 11ti~ <:ITff'
flJflj;,l/y. ' ... (nt' l~l'\'Of

flit

miMic 11111/ tfn,/"'/"I

flttU'S.

~mOOlh . An ... rase r

can also be u'lCd
a_~ ~ hloller of
.\(lTU, crcal;ns
1'!.'<lU res and
r~pe~l; n g "
previously
Illodeled ti~urc
(111 <l ens<: dmn:ool
ha ldlin g .

, ~

NES:

EXPRESSI

fU1YT HM

a/l{l

TE N SION

he im crprctlltion of the model with expressive

linC'S cm p llasiz(:s its rOTm~ 1 properties :U1d imbu e!;
the drawi ng wi th Ch:lr.lctc r. A dr.l\\ri ng Il l,."(."<l not only
refer to represcntations :md Strul;lu rcs in tile physical
world..- it can also cxprt.'Ss some of the person al trailS
of the artist: his e mo tiolls, imagination. perceptions,
and personality. The :lbstract q ualities of fo rm ,
rhyth m, and color always have :m emo tive responsc
fo r a perce ptive artist.

Expression in the Figure

Expression is a diffic \J lt concept to de fi ne in a few
wo rds wi thout giving rise to ambigui ty. A figure
drawi ng is expressive w h(:n it pOSS<.."S.5(..'S " life," an inner
vit:lli ty; whe n t he model appears animated and is no t
reduced to pUI'C, cold repreSl"nta tio n. Expressio n COlJl
be achieved in several d iOcrcm ways: by using
salU ratcd colo rs; with intense. out of control lines; o r
through fo rmal distortion.

11..los,m,~ /1"11<" js 0"

!'SSe",;rrI JJ..'i/l "~!('II

J"'dr from
f!fr.rspOO"II-,' !fIH
((Imidn- thot ill JJI/7JJ),
dllJlviJI.fZ 0

f<tIt'J, ;1 is Jlf'a-unry ' tl

worn quickl)' 1J((/ll!Sf'

poJlUfCf tll1'

jlcrt;US:.

rpm

III onkT 10 properly "ooA'(' all O:P"JS'w <lmUl;" }?, i' is

usdi./1o/lfartirr Ihf' j!ml'l,i( q'UlIi,y of' /'t lillt' ;,wl/.
mid st/ldy ilS "' /elmly
<lillYl'llIl.

III'"

,"

Linear Ma rks
To achit:vt: ,II] expressive Ji ne in
OIlT dr:IWiLlgs, Wl' lImq work
qUkkly. ~ lJ(l barel y litl the pencil
fiu m the page, o r sh;ldc. and
follow the m;!in lines of the
SUbjl'ct with a l o~, carefree,
ncrVO\l~ stmh' of till' PlllCil.
ExpTe:<.\i ve ne~s is 1I1;1l1i(l'Stlxl
th.anks to percep t u~ 1 q uickn ess
and u n consc i Oll~ work. which
,III OW5 for the im provis.1 rion o(
li nl'S wi th a livcli nl'ss and streIJh>th
that arc i l1lpns.~i bk to produce
with a slower, moJ1;' ml, thodic~ 1
exeClltio n.
In this type o ( drawing. li nes arc
l'xpn'sst:d quickly, and the (orm is
captured and represented in its
lOtaliry, with no dl't;lils, bm in its
full, d ynamic anio n. Its (eatures
:II~ dt:cisivt: and the press ure
app lied to tht lille vaT ilos
depend ing on the emotional
rc(]ext'S o f the artist: the line is
dt-cisivc and flex ible if we c~n loSt:
ourselves in the impulse of a
fleet ing perception.

It is advi~ahl e 10
alw3Ys can y 3
~k~ tc h book wi rh
YOll. By ob!iCTvin g
people and
d ... w ing [hem
rrequentl y. YOll
w ill huild a visual
memory o r
physica l fur ms
and ex pressions,
and rou w ill g><in
prnctice in using
a quick ,
sp on taneous
stro ke.

"/)'-':.<$;'''' dmll<iIY:.< aft Ilw IIW$I aJ!pmpri<lle j,r Imllsll!illi'~ rllr

/IIn/inli ,if aJiXHrr. 'nr lillrs ill l/ri, kind of 5~"I'/(11 mlf'rla/', rrmlill.~
Inr!fir slmUllml rPllfj'5""'.

.H<lki,,~ 1':<1' ....$5i"'

sfwkN joffi'$ III M

I'f'",/(rll,r liul'

.~

IWy

q"i(kly, di$rc.~){IrtfiIiS
IIIf d,.wils <llId
i,,>trad pl/sillg 0"
IlIr rllyll"" ,!lid
Shllll"'" ~r II,r

'", (

'I " 111111.."1' <III

r''1!1l:ssi''l'dm,,<ing,
il is l>rllrr 10 !l'ork
lIre

_v~

./-

}1}!1I1i'.

1I~'111

pi'llril

poilll lilrM sUg/III

",MeI, gives !I,r liur
XI'f'I1/rr pU'WlU"t' <ll1d
lI/adlll"lioll.

1'-'1<:-

"

-,

"

/;(

".

./

",

,,

air is a mal!cabk coverin g. It variu grc:ltly

depending o n a person's
and comcs in a
H
be a
wide array of fo rms aud textu res tha t
r.u:;~

em

chalkllgc for the amateur artist. H air Gm be

n:prcscnll:c.i ill three ways: first, dr:lw mg in synthesis,
while dctCflllinillg only thc dlccts oflight aud
slladow; solld. n::ndering the effectS of ligh t al1d
shadow, the tonal values, modeling the forms. light,
and shine that determine the quality of thc hair; and
third, renclcring th c hairstyle by controlling the
direction o dlt: line.

HAl R TEXTURE
Haif Tones
No matter how dark the hai r is, ....-e must never draw
it in a tone ~o intc ll$C that it contrasts c)(<:asivcl y
with the IOIl(,."S o f the face. We must sofi en th is dark
colo r, making il as light as the most darkly shaded
tones o f the face o r ncck, to illtcgratc the tonal values
of the hair w ith those o r the r(:5t of rhe figurC , Subtle
variariol1.~ iu lig ht alld shadow Ildp expreu the
texture and vo lume o r tllt' hai r. We can achieve tht!
c{fect o r SOrOlCSS wi th a blurry o r unfocusc.:d p rofile
o r by add iug a satiny shine to give the h~ir a silky
appc:trance.

'l1,n"mr ......'fr!)/

",rlhoos for gi,;,rg

.'01"""

10 III, hmr

ofJi,,;sirf'tlfigmf$.
T he 1110$1 dfrlliw

if 11u:g ;s 10

II,,,I/..., if
if Ilory ..-nt

tOf1ll'i ....

hair <Il

1!Ir,.-kl, alld model

Mth alI'a s"/>I1mtrlr
Will, its
figlll
.wd wadtd ports.

,,,m

III a q"ick sn"/l, I/l(' In.:fUTf

cf l~ lIa;, is lrea/cd 01,1)'
mil,;,MlI),; il (a" br ,.." de1l'd

~ru-'t' IWII IIO

w;11I a $;",,'/r hlflt l';"J! ",ad,

IncIU,..

up of di,Mio"a/I;nN,

wt' musl 1101 fOl$<'1

IIult lilt' 1)(',KiI /jilts

"11trS('1I111~
111(' irair.

of

"''' I I a lllW)'S

flo'"

in III( f<1mr
diml;"'1<Il fhr
hair. Wlt('11 dmu ; ,,,

(Urir Ila;" /<,,

illlllfmr,
",USf ~

If,,, /illtJ
fIIrvt'd.

The Direction of the Stroke

Tht' c\in:etio n of the stroke must follow the logic~ l
directio n of the hairstyle; therefore, we mus t t<lke into
"e(OUI1l th t' sh:lpe of t he style e\'Cry ti1l1e \ \IC dr:lw
tbe Il"ir: wilh slr:light h"ir. the li nes will be very
str.1ight, willie with wavy h ~ir the lines will be
CUT\'t.x I. Curly h"ir C~J1 be rendcnJ wi th sw irls, .,nd
vcry kinky hair c;ln be rendered III very finc doodles.
Th us, we achieve h;lir (hat s(''CIlIS to TCJlly o rig illlllc III
the SCI!P. On the other h;lnd, it can al'iO be intcI'CSting
to ~ ppl y 100S(' lr.lCC$ 10 expre$ the liglltness of lht'
hair, ;I\'oiding:t solid. 0\'t....Jy "hc"vy" form .

Body Hair
When dr:lwing t ht' h"ir on the brow!'. arltlpi~ , or
pubic area. do not uy to draw c"ch h.1ir individu<l ll y.
You sholiid make thesl' t r.lCl~ only ~rticli la ic cll u ugh
so that th t'Y iHlit:lIe the textli TC of the skin cOVl'red in
hair ;md the different tonal iut('nsitil'5 d13( Ih t."Sl' an':\S
exhibit compared to o thers. Tht." hair 011 ;a m ali 's kg)
;a nd chest C'd n be rcndcn:d with shon , light.
directioll:ll li nl~ or by sllIudg ing uf l:ireuiar or
irregular traces :lppliCtI with :l light touch of the
pc::nc il.
Lilla t/c5lribl".I! /Jail ,/",,,id,,', IN"1I!(oml;'1 is mo'" ':("1Ii<.. '" I'llI")' 111(;'
illl(,lIIily n/lll Slll/' ,,, If(Sl.i/w (I silky
Ir"" Hll' IWf'/ Oil III<' ;."it/r//cr ,11':f/mj.1S
I(~I" "II il~ S"!((I(f'.

DrJl !ilt'iff 1II1f!f'tlmfl(t'ill rro/ /i/r, /JOir

wJor ',,' IS' ,mIT 1I/'PI'tlr ...... y '11Imst'.

Ht >lUISI il1lC'1!f'lIt'

ils "'.'" /lfImlNlic<ll1y

'0 11'111 f!I' llIr jntr as tI .~KJk. M " I('

IlUU/J lilly ''''1(''/111"

if II,.. body.

n ll'f" tlrr I..., j,,/jj( 1>\1)'>' to rrprrstnl

bed)' IJllir; 1'fH' IS 'lilian .";IIJ IIllo:siK,
tIrI)' Ilt!ltlJi./;C. 1f1i1~ pmulld Irtrin;ei;
1/". lItlw. il Itt Sid" II)' IINOOI/"'IJ! III"
/IIIlIi'l1: ",il" afi'l~ip ltal//rtl",il"
(/wWIII. '/Jlr t/mu .;,,~ .n ri,f!;IlI shot,..
boIlJ PIIJjiM/ilin.

'"

i
I

[77;{'

/.)

.J

. . ,il
' \

QVALITIES
,oj'f!;,'

<

' I,,

(~

,.:;

SKIN

he skin is Ih" olltl' r d ressin~ lh:lt covers the

human body completely, giving Ih(" body the
appearallce of a singie, colored su rf~c. Although this
is 1101 al (~t."[hCT Ihe Cl~C, [his surface prcsclllS wore
or lt$li pronounCt:d volumes. Eve ry individual has ..
unique skm color. bUl light al1ccb the colo r through
wh i(h it is \X'rcdwd, creating diITt'rcnl 10 n ;l] vaJ UI.'S.

F lesh Sh o uld Look Like Flesh

WI1C:n dnwi ng.! !ludc. the 11(:5h sl10uld look like
flt.'li h . W hc: n (lecd with rcpl'l:scl1lin l;l: the ~ kin, co nsider
the fu ll owing f,lctOrs: the wavy rcliclS o f the muscles,
w rinkle;, the na\'el, ~nd the creases and joinll; in the
limbs,:1$ well <IS the a~e Jnd r:l<;t' of the pcrsc:!11
picturt:(1. The fla ccid . \\lTinkh l ski n o f an elderly
person will not look Iht' same :IS the sm()()(h. but
skin of a child; silTIibrly, a persall of colo r will hold
differe nt IOnal vari~tics than a white person, T he
\u lulIlcS of the body's flc.<;hy arca~ depend, above all
dsc, 0 11 the lIl usck-s, tissues, and the texture ami
firnll1t:ss ofth ~ skin, A lIIore Lvidcllt,l;cner.,1 fac tor to
consider i ~ th~ appearance ofwrinklcs with llb'C, the
fb ccidity of tilt' skin in certain arc:u, a nd the prese nce
ofb.'l(;S, p;:!rticub rl), in the checks and neck.

'J
t

tit

II/}
~

:iJ,'i" rot ..,.,." I~II, lJOdr II/li, sJ", .. /d t..

Ifml"" d :ruliil)l TIU' 11f'SI1l,;"g is lei
al/rml" w nrmr /I~ai,,)' IIZJ'fTcf
rf"llmu f7 ",IMUII ,11<' 1,'r!I' if",1Ir
(/"'"001 ltirl.: 011 tltr I~tlw
rprrMrd litl<' ,'i,III,I/I'", ,III' lllIiry
(I><'('ri"Ji ,!f".r ski" r~.,.l' tjJrclh'f'II"

'Ur '0 1"1,.11 r!1I"';"klN ru,d (n'<IJrS <IS

tlifillitr fomlS I>/td IlWid "1"('1(1111'1$ l/lftH
11$ /ld'il"")' li,~ "', lilt" mifiu' if" 11K'
"dn.

u,

Different Racial TYllCS

T he law!> of proportio n o r

~ n~ l ol1\y

do.:scr ibcd at Ihe beginlling o f dIe book

aren't V3lid for L'\l:ryunc. T hc facia l
fcaUlR."S of a Black person are ilio n'

pronounced than those of ~

CllICa~an;

smub rly, in ;1 C hinese pe rson , the height

ofthe body equals som e scven :md a half
r.lthc r th.l l1 ci",h t and ;, half 1 1 C;ld~.
Somcnmcs, \w tind it difficu lt to dr.lw
fact's or bodks of ('lces o ther 11...1 11 o u r
own for dlC sim ple n:ason that we are so
[., ,111liar with our OWl l
proportio n!> IIiat ou r pe,n :p tioll
wile n dr.lwmg o ther.; becomcs
lillliu::d . T he only solution i~
to face th is iS~lIc and seck
m.:w models. O nce you Ila\,\:
progn-ssed as an arti~1 and
ck:vclopcd you r powt:rs o f

obsc.-rv:mon and

anal~s.

drawing diffcITnt r.ldal f)'lX"li

will become easier.

Shado ws and Light

T ht- fl esh tones o f a nudl'
should always be at th c
st.."J'ViCl..' o f the expressio n
of light and sh.,duws
0 11 ttl/,' ;an.atomy. lt
goes wi thout s;aying
that sh:tdo\vs c;an bc
dCL1' :tnd dense. or
and tr.lIlsp;m:nt,
and th:tt light can
be inu:nsc, d irect,
or imlircct. We
must ;also consid('T
d1,1t tho:: tOnt.'S u f the
body \.;'lry depending
a ll the colo r
surrounding tho:: figu TC.
This effL'Ct on t hen be
atte nuated or into::nsificd by
surrou ndmg tht" fib'll TC wit h Ol hc r colon
thu CO ntrast wi th its profIle-. T hcn..f orc.
ski n color is ;a cn."atio n borne o f me
d1ron' ~ t ic treat mcllt of the wo rk. and o n
be: m od ifi ed ;lIld affi rTlled as the: d .... w ing
p TO{,'TCSSt.'S, :lu Cll ua till1!. co rn:ctillg. o r
intensifyi ng lhat colo r.

son

II iJ IlJif1d 10 IIlTJ(tjao dnnvillJ! IIlClfris <1 difTi"f'IIl

rll",ifilirs. I .. d,,;,'1! W, "'" diJ(<I"v 1/'''1 II.r skill "'''r
IlI1w tli{1't'I'C'!If /(Illn/ ''''/IIC'I, a" d ii/....,!fr sli~I,'
di{1'rmll'G fro'" ,llc (wssk"I I",,'! rfl'lOl~)rlia".

,~' rli(HI"rly nJ f<lll(cm s / ' IC f"u.

BY
"AI 1m indeterminate fIOUf;!rolll a Silllree kl/oll''' to /IS 10001'. the work oj an illeluctably COllies illlo /1,1'
ulrlrld. Cold mfmlalioll, spots tlun (,nlpl into disorder, malllcnlatimlly exact collstnlc/ioll- --{/en( or
rrco"dile-Ioud or silem (/ralVing, smlJmlos IlI()rk/IJamhip,Jmifart's oj c%r or piallissimo oj wille,

tml1qllil, briule sl/riaces."

W. Gn)h","n" 3nd \v.t;.!;ily Kand; ,," ,y: M ibn, II ~jtll"'f', 19SY.

/7,('

NUDE FIGURE /1/

CHARCOAL:

,TII{, OUTLINE
he o utline i~ the fi rst ~I ~p Ih~ anist must t~ kc on the pagl'. II
con~ ist~ o f (t r:lw ing t Ilt" form~ l structure of t he n lo(kl, laking
imo ~(COI1111 its lilllits nlld propurtiom, ~s G"bri d Ma nin has do ne
in this t'xcrcisc. ln order to l1lah~ an adeq uatt u ud illl', it is necessary
ro calculate. (" ,:tI Llatc, synt h ~i ;.;c, sketch, ~ l1d try 10 umk rst:m d how
forms an: an inilatcd . lf tht" otl tli nt' is Ilot rt'nckred co rn:cdy. it w ill
bt: ncarly 1I11possihk to corrcer the d r.Jwin g b tl'T.

1. T Ile o l ltlilK' should fi r.<l be:

madt' w ith til l ' thi ck sid(' o rthl'
dl;l n:oal stic k bcrwccl1 your
fi llg<.T S. T hc basic forms of tIll"

oudi llcd n~ ry
As YOll d r.I \" with th l'
d l.l n:o.l ] stick, yo ur fingerti ps
SllOUJd blur th e iJli ti.tl linc ;Illc\
blend it inlo the pJpl' r. 11l th e
l:oLllposi rioll, we shoilid keep in
milld Ihe illcii lle of the b~ c k ~ n d
th e zigzag cOllllX>Si tioll th.1( till'
I ,,~ ck:<cribl' ill rda tioll TO the
body.
fi guR"

;m~

~yllt hct ka ll y.

2
2 , T he go~1 is 10 mt:aSl1Je, erase, and co rrff t [he
drawing ;,$ yO ll 6'0 alo ng, lint ii, liu k by link, th e
dr.lwing looks li ke the 111()(ld. W lll'n , Jli:o.: r sl'vtTa l
~tI ('l n pts, we fi nd tIle corl1.'CI lilil', this ]illl' ~holl ]d bt'
m nrked as "' k ..u im:isioll w ith til l' point o f th e
cha Jeoal on th e paper, whkh wi ll :dl ow you to
rrinton:e the fi gurc:>'s contOllr,

'.. "'
~
"Oli"./
".
.. ."
~.

.....

11'/

.'~

111...11 uo.rki,!( ",jill rl".mw "ir~'J.I',Mk ,1/1'111 im"

smaller I,irr('l ,,, mal'/' it (mirr ,,, mm"'''' .... )'1m'
slm/.."",

"11

thr /lil/W'.

3.00 11'1 wo rry If you h:wc to m~ kc corTt'c ti OTl~:lo 'Hake a

{"orn 'CI o u thne 011 the fir;r try IJ h -s a g rea t dl'~1 of
p f:lClicc: it i~ "OllIl,th ing yo u will aelli.:\'c o lily :lfll'f m ilch
dr:lwm ~. Do n'r 1I 'iC an c r.tScr w hcll makinA yo ur O\lt l in l~
a r.ll; wi ll sliffin'. Alld n -II H.'m bc:r how imerl'Stll lg
pcntim c utl e m ht:.

4 . T he final Tt'SUII of this {'Xen ' ISt'

i~ an o utline thaI capu m.... till'
1)Ol;lU IY and .lttitud l" o f th l' modd ,
w itho ut ib't1o r ing tl u: co rn 'C!
proportional n -b rio illoh ips of lllt
body. 'Ill<: IIU pOftl lll til ing In:I'I,' is
to achieve an :KClU-:l t l'. synt hetic.
tirm {"omour line, ami a d l~l w ill g
Ill:!! doesn 't get lost in til(:
clt,tails- Holin.- how thl' dr;l \\ illJ.:
ob";ntn ti n: r:1("1~1 fca [U r~s. I Ja 1l(!s.
illl1t: r c1~ (n ; ls of the ligure. ~'VC I1
the fee t.
.

The 1i.,;1 OUlline

should lw mad e
with the th ick
side o rt he
c h.IITo., 1 stick. 10
m~ ke the lim's
fi .."r and more
"(}nl rt>ll ~bl. .

4
.:;..---"

'"
j

BUILDING
FORMS
~~~:~l:~~~~
<hecv,,", 01 ~'~~'''I.~.'wvhich consi~ts of
the forms of the
very simplifil-d

:. '

very few lines. There is no

tha t is t OO complex to be
the fon m of the body
shapes thai can Ixmeans
i ,

HISS we must draw are the

of the shouldcn and the hipbone.
both somewhat tilted. We dr.tw an
oval to represent the head, a
nX1:angic for the torso, and two . - /

i"~~~~~~~~:~r

'l",

shapes. Thethe
Tl"Suh is a
synt hetic outline
in w hich the pose that the figure
assu nlt.'S and its fo r ms an: made

much mon- comprehensible.

Sraning from t his sketch, we
continue to add new (o rms
<It.-tailing the volume of the body
aud till: si lhouette o f tile limbs
w ith gl'COlte r prtti.sion.

0 " ".., the hu ma n body

'"

3
3. All that L\ m:~ded IIOW to com plet..: the
out line is to seeml' the prilleiple lint's o f
the fi gu re, without ddaili llg lIllilll poTunr
(O rl IlS suc h a~ t ilt' fin ge rs. If YO l l wi~ h , you
can :t l.~o st~rr :.ppJ ying haldullg 3t th is
poilll.This pron'lOs Cl i l be done ve ry
quickly [Ising till' edge of ~ stick of
g mph itc. drawillg with the nat Slllf.1C(t
of the stick alld t hen sn lllclging the
rt'sub with yOllr halld. Mah- sure that
the i!leiination of the bodv is correct
by <.:hcckill the lines 0( ;'1(:
shoulders, the breasts, and the

h ipbone.

4. In this final imagt' we sec how, w hen

the plOfile is rendcn-cJ w ith more sinewy
li nes and the body is modd ed with
hatc hing, th e b>'eomctric outli ll e St3 rls to
dis.a ppcar. alld ill its place we find the
body o f a well proportioned figmc.
Emmrrs iu <1 llrt1",ill.~ <1'~
IWI ou/r 'l5~rul JIlT
I(eillfllil{~ Or d;m;um;u,e
lilies. Ur tI,,/JI,;u,e Il,e
sll~e '!f 11l" p"per 1/';11, a
~Sl<!ill""",;II,

r/wrroo/. /I'/' mil

IVIlif1{, SOIllC wry
ill/m-Sl ill,!! 10llal
GIUI "111/(1.>1'/'1'';';

1f('(Is.

_""'_ _"""L _ f

&a~itlg

....r",i;,

a drawing

comp lClcl)' is
recommc nded
wh"n wc inlcnd
10 cor" CCI
impmpc:rl)'
silU31"d Ii"".; Ihis
wa)'. wI' b"coml'
3wa", o flb"
re f"renc" poin .."
sh o uldn 'l US",
and at th" sat""
tim " correct
possihl" lIIi~ !ah'S
in tl>" o udint:.

w"

st~ndillg

n
poses, th e lillt's of tilt' shou lde rs and h ipbone :lrC rardy
Ith ecom
plt'tdy ho riw ntal. Allllost always,
in re b xed POSCli like
show n here. these li nl-'S
slight lIldin:nion so (h:1I p:ln of
especiall~'

o ll e

:lSSU11l C ~

the body's weiglu I"eSts on OIW leg. while tlK" orhl'r kg is l=lxi and
appeal'" more rela xed .'rhis type of pa;Ul rc, ~s \vt: II:!vc seen, is k"oWTl as
th e comraposto or isch iatic position, h ere rendered ill grap hite pellcil by
CarbllL

DRAWING
STANDING FIGURE:
{{

,771" CONTRAPOSTO

1
I. [kforc st.1'lmg (Q dr:lw, we
should llI:!kc :Ill t"ffort to
umkP.il;md th e body's posm re
llsing ~ simple, synthetic skckto ll
to Jdltlc it. The first ~t cp is to
pbce the oval for t il{' head ,1110 th e
an: h de!'(: ri bing th e backbone. In
the contr:lpo:;to position, the lilIes
ofthe shou lders ;md hips alw;l)'s
tilt in opposite dil"CC tioIlS.l11C first
lirlL'S should have a purely
COllS[Hl c tiV(~not descr i ptiV(.~

functio n.

2. Arrer placing the structural li m.."!\

of the bod\,. rt beco mes e;!sie r to
draw tht;: f~rms of the llIodeLWe
begin with the head , on wh ich we
will mark the 10r.;3tion of th e faci:! 1
fe:!tll res. then work down tu th e
sho ulders, kceprng irr mind th;!t
th e di~tance from each of rhern to
dre backbone shOirld be the sam e,
t.."I'C'I1 w ilen tiltt..-d. Then we reach
the hipborlls. w hidl tilt frum tire
b.1ckbone at t he same point :It
which the Iq,'S ben{L

2
1
)

Itl s,'me l>I1m of II" , "'la/OJ")',

IIIC liue rlisal'/Jt'111'S " 1 a rt'm /l if
i IUJUI,iu-,!.

,,4,i(/,

,,1/01115

sm",,//J~r,

upo" (o"/,,,/Icd
~mrll1/jolls ;11 ll,e IUI/d,;,'.'!.

/)
,./ " .-.' f

."..
~" /

;~

t{

3. Using :m er~ser wc diminatc the

stn lCllll-al lillL'S that we used as:l guide.
The light, linear draw ing &om the
prt~vious stage III the drawi ng now gives
W:ly to the modeling of shadows (which
helps li S lllldersbnd the fOrm s through
the dr:twing). 13m before doing so, each
of the body's volumes Ill ust be perfectl y
defillt;'d and proporriOrlL-d in relation to
the rest: the heiglll o f the pectorals, the
armpits, the abdomen. (l,e pubic are a, 3nd
the knees. Use ti le l'Cference po ints of the
classical law of proportio ns to properl y
situate thC'S L' clements.

3
In con(rnposto
poses, Ihe (ill of
the hips is ~ I so
re flected ill the
knees. As a
response 0 (his
lilting. o ne o f (he
knees a l wllY~
appear.; some",h~1
hig her (han the
oth er.

1.1 1

FIG U RE 1';-''''''~-'. ,- ;~:;;{"-h'_j.

-,
,
E17\ ~".;~~:;Nx':'/-::-;,,\~:.
F0 RE SH 0 RT E1N;T
't', L..J. )- ': -;,' .'

:7"///>

t_/ / / <-

-.:~''''

~.:~:'.

~"'!.

DRAWlNG /1t)n;_EMALc-NUDE "?

~ .... '>; "'....;
'.'.
..
/j
ile apphc:lt1on o f the lawS' or proportion to' the iUlinan figure is ahcred when t he model 15 foreshortcl1cd- n1c:tJnng. whe n t he

re lationship between rhe

measurementS 'S'lllodifidby the rules

[f.~j:~::r;~~~I~~:f'~~~:~~.(::~~~~""~~'~~~'~d;iffCn:ll t
.

by obser ving how

is w ith practifc,
ways ofa .'. -

fOl"($horlcllcd ugllTc in charcoal.

exercise;' is [0 fi rst Outli ll l' the fi gu re wi th
to situate il~ conto urs by considering its co"""n"' ~

i.'

" -

\')

1
-

--

. first step is to L'StatJll Sh l ht:' outline of the

1
we begi n Wi'th2 g .hite pencil.To do
. nuke usc o f the bY n
fami liar geometric
~;;;iu;:'- ;:~ draw an app~ ation of the modcl'~
profile we dra w a soft _m OllT 111 grap h ite pe nc il
based 0 11 thcpl'c vi
outline, re membering rhal
becau se.' the fiSt!
ying in bed with he r legs closer
to the "iewer, t ey will appear larger. Th e sho:c o fhcr
head \3W be ~Olllewh;1l reduced because it is furt her
aw~

2 . We contilllic treating the e mpty sIXlC(.'S ,uOl lnd the

figure w ith new tonal fields . At this Sl;l.gc it is

neccss:Jry to emphasize the light w ithi n the darker
areas of the d rawing. Using crude c harcoal as wd l as
stick of pressed cha rcoal, it is possible to combine
Sllins and lines of varyi ng inte nsity.

1.\ \

3
3. Th(' <i:lrk<'St pam of the f.1c t' an.- 111<1d('
wi th a tortillol!, w ith link pn.....,urc, IlSiH~
soft lin t'S th~ t :llIa w I I~ (0 11no [hc
r i~h,

pur

ljus tlll l"l f in tom~. Th e

ofblelldi H~

ill this

d~",g is to colllpll'k' thl' ~alc

oHant'S crc:ltCll by the d'<lTl;oal

-----"
r

If \\11rkilll; w ith
charcoal ~ticb,
wC ~holi id take
the precautio n of
cra~i llg, cve n if
lifthtl y, the
g"'l'hi l(' tra("c~

h~ t('hi ng.

thc 1>n:\~lO.I~

<.

draw ing. 'I1,C

4. Complt'II WIl(;lry COlltraSl~

m<lke it so th<lt whell d\l"y occ ur
adj 3Ccnt to brig ht tOIlt'S , cbrk
tones wilt :lppe ar ilion' de llsc.
The s.ame thillg h:lppcn ~ to lig ht('[
(OIU:S, which appc ~ r IIIllCh b r ig htl'f
whcn th ...,), ~ n:.' :l(lj;l('e tll to da rk

tr.u;~, 11.'(, b)" tI,C

graphite pcllcil
an: o il)" and wiJ\
keel) the c haTCN I

(rom 1;lk illl; 10

Ihe papc r.

' J"

BUILDING
STAI NS

lll' oft hl' Illost au ractive ways ofbegi li llin g a d rawi ng is by llsing
rill' Ibt ~ Iain of any dry 1l 1l'ltiwll in ~tic k fo r m , ~l1 c h as pa~l e l s or
chalk. Irs spectru m o f tOiles is broad, bu t b" c3 usc o f its c010r, it looh
lIllich ~o fier Ihan e h'lI1:o al, and bri!;h re r. LCl\ see for o Uhc1 n:s th e
po~~i bil it i es o f d rawi n g wi th ~t,l i ll 5 by o bserving h ow Eth er Ohvt- dl'
I'llig Klldcr~ a SC31t'd f('1II3h: fi b'llf!." w il h ~h a r p (O lllr:l~ts be r'Wl' U lig ht

M i d ~h; ldow.

'Jr

! 1

'.

2 . J)1'Jgging thl' b;lr length wise w e l'l a th in Ii tie;

by (tfa K~ill p; Ihe (' m in.' w iclth of t h .. b,n rtrross t h ~'
pagl', Wl' ere'l tl'.J Ih ick, alll p le line th at illlilled irttciy
fdl ..e ts t he text l1re o f tile pap .. r. A cor rect I1SC or th e
t1a t ba r allow!, I1S to rt:l1titT COlllpiL-X fo rllls in just;)
few IllOllle llts. A~ we ca n see ill tllis state, it. il l terl~f
i~
. CO llstnl c ti\'e. Th e cleCJ ils ;t fe ull illl po r t311l:
Illa([c rs JfC l hl' stai ns and th t' illl illcdia te

.<i~l~\'' " o f t ill' p ose.

>.

I , Lk fofl' bq;illllillg TO
d l:!"', thl' ~rtisl m akes
51llall sh ,tehes. If wh l' n we
m ake the li ne J I~l wi n g we
kel'p ill lllind Ihe line
do:snibillg ti ll: b:ll'kbone.
ill the ~tlld y b:lst:d Olt
SL'lius th e li lll'S l in t ser ve
as g llid epos[\ fOl' th e
d ra wi ng will be Ihe dark
an'a~, ",hill' th l' light ,Ift:a~
wi ll be Id i un l'Oucilt'd,

olI.

,111
.

2
,

3. We fini~h conslruni ng lhl'

figure wit h 111(' lengt h o f tht' bolr.
\Vto have IlOC unti l this point U'lt.'<I
lines at aiL In a toual (h:lw iug. Ihe
grain of tht' p.1p<: r and tlu' p",-'SSun:
of OI'k'S hand give th(' fib'1.lrt' Ib
lont'S. IAvcnding o n tht' foret' WI.'
apply to the _~tick . we \':Ity Ihl.'
brighlll t':S5 of the dr.lwing, Oy not
using li nt'S, tht' li~htl'd profill" o f
tht' figure is d .... fined by il'i
CQntr.lst. and till' t'!Hpty sl):lCe o r
background surro unding th e
fib'll rc is n..I)r(....em l'(\ with gr.ly
hatchin g.

4, With ewry new nrokc, the

previolls tayCrli of shadow art'
imt'"n~ifit'(1. T ht, SpO l~ arc t'!ip t'C lally
i mt'll.~ ill the Icfi ~ haml silk o f the
body: Ihe dark('St slwdows ap pt':1I'
011 lhe ar lll, lht' abdo men , ti le
head , and th .... neck. Allhis Sla w,:,
Wt' com bme th e m arooll stam
with somc ~t rorlgc r clefi n i n~ lim.'S.
Us ill~ thl" point of th e st ick m akes
il easil"r 10 m ee thc fin a) linl.'S tha t
define the figu res profile. In th ....
prd imin~ry sketch l.'"l<. It IS
nccess.lry to pay as muc h ~ncnn olt
to tht' dark an 'as :Il> to th e p:a rts o f
the body with intensc wh ites.

SaUb'1.linc i.. u....ally

applil.-d to
textured. bon ......
colored p~pcr.

,,'

FIGURE

mr(}

CHIAROSCURO

EFFECTS
llct>tht.'" o lidillC ,tIlel lilt" preli minary sketch all: dOlle, we can now
exam ine how 1O pro pt..Tl y shade the fib'lITC. The first rh illg we must
{<I ke into accou nt w hen d rawi ng a figure w ith chiarQScllfO effects is that
light cloc~ not e lJvelop the entire body cx]uall y. O ne part of the body is
exposed to thl' rays of light, and it is here that ti le lighted arca occu r.;,
w h ile the othe r part o f the body :lppc:II"S in shadow. To give shape to this
idea, Oscar S:lIlchis l iSe'S a burnt Si CIl Il:l pastel , wh ich is sllfficielltly so ft to
g ive its line a good (brkn ess agai nst <:aIm ed p:lpcr.

1 \
1. The sketch o frll e model should be complete
before situating the l igh t~. because the shadows
sho ilid bl: applied 0 11 a perfectly constru cted sketc h.
Shadows are distributw llIlifo nnl y usillg the fbt
side o f tile bar to mark o ff the lighted slllfKe~,
wi th o ut applying excl......~i vc pre~~ure. bllt allowing fo r
scp~ra tio n l)Crwcc n objects ;md l'St.1blish illg the
middle tOIlCS in the drawi ng.

2. A.I tcl"ll ~ t ing berwcell the flat o f the oor and the
lines, we darke n the prcvioll ~ hatching. Fo r a
rOlllp~rison o f the diffeI"Cnt COIltr;lsts that appear on
th c p.1 pcr. we G ill app rcci ~te the d~ rkt:St tOIlC th:lt
flood~ the b.1Ckgroulld; the b riglltest, w hich is
re presellt(.'d by the colo r of thc p~pcr i t.~e1f; Jnd the
in termed iate: lOne, th~t o f the fil"St, soft lines o f the
first b ye r.

T o crc ~t e OCCCllb,

wc can ~harpcn a
piece of while
dm lk wilh a
cUt! er.l-\ivinillhc

chalk

~uilablc

puin t

fOf
drawinl-\ fillcr,
more prcci:;e
lill('s.

3. Using tIle flat of th e pastel again, we finish

extendin g the background to nes so th at they
~urround the figure and creatt: the ;atmosphere and
chiara.cu ro effect. The lig hted an..-as appear al m ost
ulllouch ..:d , th~ s.:allle color ~ the paper.
To accenwate the b[ighte5t burstS of light coming
off the andIe, we color the lighted area w ith wh itc
chalk :lIld !lms cmphasize th e effect o f r.uliant light. If
\\~ apply th is effect indisc[imin:ltdy th roughout the
painting, W(' can lose th e lumin o us CffL'(;t we we rt'
striving for.

4
4. The filUl n..'Sult shows th:lt ch:llk an offer:l b'1'C3 t
tonal r ichnL'SS th:lt stretchl.-s the limitS of picto ri:ll
qual ity. We have g i\l\.'n nU:lllCe to the fi nal leXlun: by
using a [onillon to smooth o ut d JC mnsitions in to ne
and the edgt!s of th e shadow'S.

MALE FIGURE
I

WAIST UP

wi ll wo rk thr~JU~h draw ing ,\ 111:11.( ' fi!?ur~' fr:om t h e

w:m t lip !Ism!,'!: charcoal.md whm' chalk.ll1c (Omblll:ltIon 0 1 thest"
two ma reri"ls \\- ill alll>w II' [0 study the ;neick-un: o fli!2,hl 0 11 rh l: tor.,o
:\JJJ the application o f :l lirst modd ing, albeil a ve ry \ tructmniisl on l", Thl'
;IlILho l" of [Ills omwlIlg.. Esdl<'T R odriguez, shows us hoI\' to render the
:mJ.to lll y and Ill<:' pb y o n i~hl ,md sll:lclow o n a hlllliatl torso in :l ve ry
d fecti vc, synthcric WJY, witho ut lunal mnsitions. wh ich ca n bt o f gfl' at

II t !l i\ cxc n:.isc \\'e

11\ 0: to

hq;i uu iug. a rti~I S_

1 . 1kgin b)'
dr .. wi llg rhe
omlir w \\~Ih a
stick of charn,a!.
keq)in g ill mind
rh" lih " f tlK'
shoulders :Illd

h ips.

~I

2 . The ske tch ~ho u 1d gin: way 10 a first.

31"cll tc nr:uivc, tonal ana lysis wi th sll:l dow~:
but bl,rOn- this IS done, each o f th l' ck'lI\cnls
0( \11\; fi gllTc Sl10uld Ix perfectly well
defi ned ami proporl iOllal<' in rdatiol] to the
w hol.,.
3 . Wi th dw d r.lwillg S(curc. we c~ n beg in to ~dd the
first dnrk.:lled ~ reas. ThL'SC will ~lI ow us to study tht
a n~to my more <lcl'ply nnd accen tU:l te the areas that
arc cxpoSl:d to ligh t. T he light so urce is o n the r ig htha nd side, so we sho u ld begin drawin g the dark areas
011 the Idi: w it h th e c h an:;o~ 1 stick bid-com pk tdy
flat.

".

4. Wl' IlIU~ t mlOO(h tilt' h~t c hill g and control

tilt ~prt'adillg of til l' dl ~r,o.11 wit h uur
finb'Cr.;. prodUCIII!-: !,:rc at ~w;r; tI'l\ of tonc.
SrnOOl hi np, ICIl(1\ 10 connect diffe re m paTu 10
(";Je h other. and th us lc h ic'TS :I ullity ill till'

fib'lHl.' and soft lI100dlllg

()f1

thc reliefS of du~

body.
St:lrtin!(: from tlw pn:\ io us \kt'lch , ~ new
sHlrly of tlw modeling :l llow~ liS to :mal y7.e
the figure's 11ll1so lbt urc. We draw till' figun"s
lighter [QrK'S Wi t h a \ Iic k of w hite cha lk . 111
th is \vay, the spL't' t nll H oftOlll"i i ~ b roadcncd
to includc both th e ligllleS! .ltl(1 d.1 rkCSI o f
gr.ty!i ;111<1 til\' imc r lll ccli:lfC r3)'$ ~ well.

Whi te eh;!lk \hould Lx used sparingly.

5. US(' the tip of till' , h;,":o.1.] (Q mah sh:lrp
lines that define till' fi gun-'s profile and
contrast the halchlllg of ti ll' fact'. m:ck, :Illd
pectorals. Tht' din:ct ion of th l' light sho uld lx
\tlldiLxi C:1R'fi ,lIy ~o Ihat all shadows arc
silLLJtcd oppooi lc the 111.1in ligh t so urce.

W he n smoo(hing
a charcoa l
hatching. u~c
),our finb'Cn t o
' "IIf)' (he intl'"l15ity
of the lo ne.

."

PROFILE:
,77tr IMPORTANCE ,ry"CONTOUR
n this step-oy-step exercise, we will sec at the lund

COlltc pencil to
I of Malt! Bru how to usc a blackpoint
draw a figure from a strictly
o f view, wi th
i inc;lT

no hatching whatsoever. TllC characteristics of tile

line uscd to define the contour c;ln transmit the
natur.tlncss o f the form, its mate riality, surface texture,
and visual charge. To do so, all one must do is contlol
the widlh and intensity orthe line on t1w paper.

1
2

1. As opposed to other cxcr-ciSC'S, in this case .., . .c do not

begin th e design o f the dJ"oIwing usJng simple geometric
shapes. The right outline is made directly with the line of
tile pellcil, practi6ng a contOUf. T Ill'sC inilial lilll.'S will be
ve ry soft, which allows for casy {"r.!Sure and const<ln[
corrections. We tIlust first dnw thl' contours that arc
essential to underst.1l1ding and rt.l'rcscnting the form. \Ve
win do wha tever pos.~iblc to usc the fl,.~\'!.'St lines pos.~iblc.
In the preliminary snucUJ~, it is important to consider
the rig/..ag form described by the body's poSUJre. as we
call sec in the sketch above.

2. Based o n the pn;vious sketch, we can construct the

whole profile of the figure linearly. The n ,lce of the line
dO<.'Sn't have to be contin uous o r have J uniform intensity.
A line can d isappear behind a curvc or be interruptL-d by
another contour. Al though the true drawing of the
contour provides a single lille value, the repR'SCnt.1tion
gai ns expressivcllcss w hen we va ry the width of the line.

..,

3. We fi nish dI':olwing the lines

and internal ,omo urs Ih:!t
docribc the aJ"aI1Cl' or rctn'at
of (-.Id] pl rl and aIm the
particula r character and tacril c
scnsatio n o rthe clothing.The
inu.:r ior lines accentuate the
expn..sivcnt'Sli o f t h t" VOlll illC and
conUllUni catc till' thn:cdimc:ns.ional qU;Jlity of each
form in relief :.Ind the q ua lity o f
the modeling. lfwc use a
modullw.."<I linc to gi\.'I.' the line
dnwi ng the effect o f volulI\e , we
sllOllidn't filrgct ,hal th e shaded
an.'3S will hav, to be CXp rcssL't]
\\~ th thick, inlt."I1sc lines, whereas
lighter areas will be sug8t.-slcd by
[enUOllS, fine lint.'1I.

3
\
III mille lille
dmwinl\$ the
system used to
reprt'M'1lt fo rms
recalb a
topq:raphic map.
with difTe ""'"1
lilies ind ica ting
diffe rent levels
and IllU~
represellting the
relief o f the la nd .

...

( CLOTHED FIGURE:
FOLD S ((//(/ TEXTURES
step-by- step c\r.lwing, Ml'TCcdcs Gaspar shows tiS how
IthisIIto the following
clothed fig ure. C harco al om: o fdlt' preferred media (o r
the cOlllbin:ttiun o f lim's and tonal gradations th:.!
dr~w :l

i~

~;oc rc i s~'. l.x-ca ll5c

olllr. (<lptU rt:s tht, crc:tses .1Ilt!

it
wnnk1cs in rlothi ng.Thl" d r.lwi ng of
th l' fij.,'lIn:. Illadl' 011 co1orec\ p:1Jl('r, is cOlJlpkmc mcd by :lcccm s ill wll ite
c1 wlk 10 g ive it a llI otC n:tUl n l, th IT~ -dil1w n sion;ll lo{)k .

1
2
j

t . First " T m ake a sll1:tll. prdin u nar y .ketch o f th e

model. \V" hcgin by drawing t he line o f the backbone
and t he o val o flile he:l(l, :l11d aro und th is st ructure
sill' will insert the (tifft'rent parts ohhe body. T IKIl,
using thl' It'ngth o f a piece of wllite chal k. we
im rudu ct ~ht t:h ily t he lights that gIVe b ri ghtness to
tlw lJlodd '~ back.

2. The fi rst lint'~ on the pa pl'r should have a strictly

co nstmctiVt' flln ctio n. We c!" IW thl' lint." o f the
b;lCkbone ,md tll C oval of thc head. In n skd chy
mallller, \ V(; rcso lw 11le p ro lile o( (he body ;'\nd (he
posilion ofthl' arms with little more tha n ;'\ cur ve and
an oval. Wl' us,' the charcoal stick so a~ not [0
overdr:l\V, so we C;tn then make corre Gtions e:t.~i l)".

'"

U II.-C 'hc
COlIIO" " ~""
<lnwII" Ihos<'

Ihal

w ill he
~n""nlll "le<1

w ilh

hal Chill)! . hcml<i

he boonc ove r
~~~i n w ith Ih.,
cha rcoa l. We U<e
3 1......1111011 10

ma ke Ihcse firo;l
h a,chin g. ~ 1I{1
~"......,ad

IIIl"

chuco~ 1

pil!:",,"m
on the I'''per, II is
" " oul.:h ltl ruh a
slip;hd ), dirl y
lo rtillor1 o n the
1<'$' lighle d a......,~s.

3. Till' Im<.':10 of !l1\' outline- mulr:iply

a~ wt'

3ttt"IIIP( to adjust th e SiZl'li of rliffl:n.'nl

and gil'!.' plUlx)r!mn to ...;u:h p:m of

ml' ix:xly. To Ih i~ end, we haw marked IIU'
waiSI line and 1Ill' cn:J~'" ill Ih<' 'I n ns. The
drawmg of Illl' c Olllour ~h o uld rem ain
open, widlOUIColIII<'crmg t h t" iilll'li
cOlll pll'ld y. 'IJ Ih,11 il k'aw'I the option of
round ing (lUI tit .. I,mn by h,Hehi ng,
inslt':,Ii.
w. . u..... dw tl.11 u f ttw .~t i c k. payi ng:
an"l);

31[t' mioll 10 till" Cn::I~l>S o f Ihe

mood's

drt."S.'> . T lw d(XC lII l ill while chalk

compk'I1ICTlI IIll' pn'viou~ halchlllg,
highliWltmg thl' [l'xtun: and till'
VolUllll:tric k)Clk O(,hl' d o th ing.

4. WOrkm~ in ~n'a lCl' dC I:, i) :lllli using th l'

tip ofdK' white ,"halk , we TC ' llb- th l' {Irt:lils

of d'l" dothm!t. R ('C~ II that in order to

XCl' mUJl l ' the [C).: lUll' nf the d orhiut.t. it is
u<;(."fiJ l lQ add 3 l i~ lt ha(dlin~ to tilt' ;rn."nts
and (hu~ 10 l' kJ I I~ lli ~lI llJ..:u ish tlw l i ~h t , In.'';,
of <"3( 11 wrin kk (mill its Sl l'l dt~t I';l rt . The
end T\.."'I ull j, ~ n <')(Cl'I!,"m drJwing Ihal
ah(1'n~I''''' smoo th bl l"ndin ~ ~nd '\01llt:"wha{
t!ath "r, d~' rc",,1 a,H' Ut<i; th ," w ho le is
llu~Jlccd w it h m btk accc rllS in w lli te ch ~ lk "

~MODELING
~ , FIGURE
"

ifI,

1M

PASTELS

and

CHALK

astels arc usually combilll:d wi th o ther d rawing media such

as cha1k o r charcoal, to broaden their to nal spectrum.
Because of its color, a pastel is Illuch smoother, brighter, and
warmer than charcoal. In the present ~crcise. Marta Bermejo
Teixidor shows us how [ 0 build me flesh t O l lL'S o f a modd from
a combination o fpastd with Illaroon and black chalk .Tlll'!;C
three colo rs combined with the white oCthe paper are more
than sufficie nt fo r making sketches, studies, and works that
require a dctaik-d chromatic expr~ioll.

1. Just as we have done u ntil

the outliile is the first step
ill making the dr.l\ving, a few
gcnerai lincs in which we group
together simple ~,'comcuic
fonns that little by little will
take shape until they configure
the profile o f the figure.
fl OW,

,----- 1-

2. W ith small pieces o fbb ck chalk and pastels. W (" ..elnfoTce the
P~::~~~~:dl:~~wing. hatching in the empty spaces that e nvelop the
wc make hatching with pastels o r chalk, we will
with a light touch and increase the pressure
!;
using the lines o f the sketch as a guide.

r.
::;;;d;,;,ii;":;;;

3. These first touchl.>S of chalk

should be added very carefully,
because there is no need to cover
the pape r without first
co nsiderin g the del icate play o f
light and slladow on the figure.
thus avoiding cOvt:rillg its most
lighted 3reas. We then blend e3ch
new 3ddition of chalk into the
o ther colors using our fingertips,
to 3c!Jil:ve an even tone and a
more pictorial efTe[:t overall.

..,

Us;n!,: an e !<lsc r.

we open up the
sh ille in the flesh
o f lhe figu re.
D urin g the
process of
drawin g. " 'e have
~ra dl.lll n y created
slTlOOlh Ia)'CTS of
gray a nd reddish
duiOt (hM have

4
4. "' ~' fon , b;", d;>if'm,,'laycr~ ofhaf ching
mo~~,"~,~,'~:;~':
and pastel, we blend

volumetric effecl. lf we
using a cottOil rag. we achieve ..
.... 'aifli:rent. cff~ct. The general tone of the blended
hli chil}S is darke r Ih:m when we usc a
.." onillon . No ncthck-ss. il is th ese fil'S[ . blenck-d
hatchings dl3.t we w ill usc to represent t ho:'
middle 10 n t'S. The contrasts of the body should
be dnwn progn:ssively, finding the to nal val Ul-S
of eac h piane dependin g o n th e light that (.1115
on each one of them .
Iho::

bI~n d [Oil",

s. Th,

[,,,, 1dh, of

,~Ium" "h;,~,d 5
;,

black chalk, w h ich creaCt:!> t he sharpcst contrasts

bcfWt.'t-"u light :lI1d shadow in the kft-hand

profile of the bod)'. and which we usc to d raw

the projl'Cted shadows 011 the floor an d wall.
The different smooth traces made w ith the t ip
of the chalk sketch the {;adal featu res and
distinguish the profile of the outlint: of the
fi gure from the background. lIlost visibl y ill th e
k gs. The f;'nd mllil is a d raw ing with clear
picto rial intensity.

darke llcd Ihe

lo ne o f the p 3pt!r.
'Il ,C acct'fllS we
make with th e
eraser heighte n
the ilI ,,~ jo" of

, 'Olu",c ;11 the

fig ure.

,,"

Ilt> purposes of ~ lin c d rawing; are m any, and they

vary depending o n the artist: it can be a medium
fO f hatching, m udd ing, and to nal analysis o r haw"
purd y descriptive ro le. In tile following exercise we
w ill sec, at the hand o f Mercet.ks Gaspn, how to use
<I grap hite pencil and develop the possibilities of the
line, with no smomhing whalSot:ver, ro make a quick
sketch of a female nude fi gaR:.

LINE DRAWING
FlGURE
I. The fir~t step is [0 fi x the m05t significant
con touTS, the linL'S that best capture the ge neral
movemen t o f th e figure. In a preliminary study, thL1"C
is 110 need to (face a previous skctch-bccausc the
sketc hy nature of the study makes it un necessary,
31t1lOug11 it is helpful to ma ke" mental calc ulation of
the IIlCa$Un..'S ;md proportions of the figure.

i
~~~- ~~
j~

2. O ften, the d esign o f the cOntour and the first

Illolld ing linl.-'S are simultaneous. T hl:y both occur <I t
every moment, so <I shaded u ea or volume !;:Om be
made solid by simply varying the strokL-S and
suggestion o f the contour linc.

,,( ;I~.

'\ ::

: J'

,.

I, -

<:
,

(.\

~~--"

1
--

"

I,

'.

"LI\
,,

~/

"
..

, '.lI'X'

- ~

~jl

.. 0

3. The gencrnl pe ncll lillt."S ~re ~s much a way of

cxpres)ing \'Oh u nr a.~ they are a boc nrrnl intonation o f
a base which we.' GIll thell aCee ntllate ill sih'11ifi c lnt
pbccs. As we drnw we fed fo r the volun w almost by
intuition , appl ying more or J...-ss pressure to thc pencil.
If we b'TIP till' plnci l fully on th e inside of th e ham\.
we cm control the din:ction of thr lin e ami keep it
froll1 being too intense.

3
-"'"
4. This drnw ing. based o n SOUl e ligbt
pendl hatchi ng, SUgJ:l"Sts the profile of
the fi b...ln: :lIld the force of the 1lIassc5,
witho u t represen ting th em w it h 100ai
p~ci~ ioll . It :lcccntu atcs the voluUlcs and
~Ii efs o f the bo d y while avo idi ng sharp.
e h i:m:lSCuro contrasts and observing thc
un ity of th e forlll.

When ~ n
~bulldance

or

linc~

is Ihe
r~--:-----', dominant reatu.e
....
in OIl r dr.owings,
we ~hould kL"'Cp

the

b'cner~1

profiles rrom
geu ing lost by
muking them
whcrc\'Cr Ihere il
.. (old or a ,-cry
dl.ildcd area.

MODE'LIN.e{ ,

", ,,~LE5HTO~p

r---...-------.,

~.

'~e nude figur,c, we encounter all of the

robleills inherent
. g the: flesh, which appears as a fal ' uniform surface; its
volumes arc 11 evident, but we 1l1ust grade them
.. t ~.tSS . Tlle
colo ri ng o f flesh, \\l h ich:lt first glance :lppears unifOl: mroughout.
contains a series 'f nU:lnce; t hat are hard [0 appreciate by :In eye
un:lccUSlomed (0; 'the properties o f colo r. T he goa! is therefore [Q exerc' r
our eye until we' are abl~ to see dea rly w here the vol.umes of the b
:Ire produced, and to b ri ng dlem out by uSlIlg color,just as Esther, ' ve
de Puig de!).lO llstrates in [his exercise.
I"

repr~

".i

~
\

1. We make a sketch using

maroon pasteJ, profl!ing the
comour wi thla firm, assured
srroke. T he trPtment of thc figure '~,
is q ui te free; e)1ere is a dC:lr and
intentiona! d4:propor tionally
betwccn the tpp and bottom parts
of the body. so. rendered to
achieve a g re:ltCr expressh't':lless.

I, --\

"

/' 2
/

2 . Using the fJat' ofthe pastel we

apply a light pink tonc that will
correspond to the middle tones in
the drawing. Th~ first sb illS are
made quickly)?t wi th confident
motions.

,.

3. T ile greatest d i(fICulty lies ill

grading thckkin 011 rhe basis o f
color.;, bec,1l1Se it mcarui~\'e must
translate ~is monochro~surface
into mo'f pronounced volUq'les
,,
and (orlm, based on differenll,
chromatic values. h isn't essentl
to lise tp c colo r spectnnn
suggested by the colo r o f the
model-rather, we can U5C colors
far removed from the nuances of
the skin to create a dynamic work
th rougll colo r contr.lst.

,
'.

--\

'"
"

Ir ro ur finb'CTS are
dirry w ith colo r
and th. nexi step
is blending a liglll
oolor, be sure to
d ea n them off
with a rag bero re
you do so.

"t

q\

~~. g raduall y CO\'t!I

the figure in color,

we be~n wOTkil,lg on I ~ Jja&ground .
Following the theme~of (rearin g it ch romatic
' vi bralioll:-througho u! the wO rk, we make the
.b ackground ,.tllow. 'Ule backgro un d colo r is ~
5pread delicately in order to nQt disrupt the
~ o f t~ figure. T~~ right. profIle of the
figure. the lower breasts, and the pubis are
underscored with wide ~vaths o f lIlaroo n so
that Some these parts ohhe figure do not
blur iTUO the background. We should gnde
the figure's tones \'O lumetricaUy in the same
11,':1)' tlUlI we \\'Ou ld t he curvatu re of it vase.
W hen coloring where there is shade, the flesh
tone i>e<;omes cb.rker with the p resence o f
blues :lnd maroons; where there is light, it
grow brighter and W;\rmer tklnks to the use
of oranges, pinks. and yellm,,"'S.

5. Alter the lu(chi ng process, \ \Ie swt.'Cte n the

trallsiriolls between tones by smoothing the
flesh lones with rhe pads o f o ur fingers. The n,
using the tip of the p~tel , '\'\'e redraw the lines
orthe f.1ce. Once the drawin g is fi nalized,
there is a visible ch romatic variety in how we
sUgge'>tlhe culor and quality of the fi gures
~in, as well as a ton:d contrasl between the
areas wi th shine and the darkest shadows.

,
)'

".

FIGURE //r{ WOMAN

rYrt lt1c

all{/a

GI RL

BEACH

harcoal is .. qu ick, direct medium . It is also among the most

~pontancous, bcousc by n;I(Ure, it ","311 be lIsc(1 to make wide.
undetailcd lines. T he wide spectrum of possible tOile; is another o ne of
its Jtb':lctions. ln this dcmQllstr:ltion. Mercedes Gaspar makes :l
compositio n of two 6guro with pronoulltt<I tonal effects 111.., gi~ a
great expn:ssiveness to the drnwing. It is nec~ary to pay attention to the
changi ng directions of the lights. shadows, and reflections 011 the f.1ce
:Uld clothing, because these fa ctors describe the volume of the bodies.

t . '10 draw the body of the adult figure. we stlrt with

all ill\lcr!cd (;onc; for the head, a cirde. For tile body
of the little girl , we draw:t circle and cone o n itS side
to conVi')- the projection or her sh:.dow. We refine on
the comour, cClSing and doing it over if necessary.
until we :nljusl [he initial geoll1etTic for ms !O a
prdimin.u y sketch ill which W~ can al ready begUl to
sec th~ OlJllim: oflh e ad ult fi gure.

Charco.,1 is the petf<:et medium for findillg the

form without working on any of the de t:lils. With it,
....-e em stain the p:lpcr :md ~c~ the guiding o utlines
of the two figures while comparing the proportions,
mglC5. and ind in:ltions of the body.

'"

We

~d, jc:\~d

tl..,

~~~_..i, cff.. s of folds

an d wrinklc~ in
the wOluan's dress

by

~dJillg

~j v.agging

.....l....:.~

lines,
with Ihe poim of
a d ,arcnal ~I ick ,
on top of bI~'mlc:<I
ilhading.

2. Thanks to the skctclJiliS

we di d in the pn.vious Sh 'p.
we were aNe 10 estlblt\h th...
profIles o f Ih(' fi b'tUl"S and the
linear harmony o f Ih,:ir two bodirs
as a un ifit:d w ho le. T he fin! hatching
complet(."5 the rou nded Qu ritllC o f till: fOlm.
These fi rst few h atchings. w hich will be vcry
crude, should be made w ilh a fh l cha rco:.l b:l

,.

th ick lines, we cover the b~ckgrotlnd

with a soft layer o f charco.11. which \W t9ClI
511100lh wi th o ur fin~,'c rti ps. We acce ntu afe the
cont:r.lsts o f the ili..1d ows imide rll e figu re; we
can o bt:lin uniforlll to nal W*b tions by
softening or lightening thc hatching with a
torrillon . The background tone is an ~ntial
refcnm ce point for giving gre:.tcr or k'S.~r
intensity to the h:llching of the fIgure<;.
3.

U~i ng

4, 10 fi nish the sketch o f the oce;m, it t~

su flicient to add sOllle mo re inte nse tOile:. ~nd
opcn SOllll' whi te areas in the crest of th e
W:LVCS. We apply th e soft, dl'n$C linl' o f the
crumbling charcoal in the final St:lges o f the
d r:lwing, at the same ti me as we constrUt;t the
fac Lal featu res and th e Cre:\S(.'S in th e dOl hing
with slight to nal contrasts. The fi nished dr:lwing
sllOWS .:II simplified tonal spt.-clnUJl in w hich 1.hc::
dark to nes form solid m.'lSSC$ to u nify the
image.

INTERIOR

mtlR

ATMOSPHERIC FIGURE
he nch spectnltn o f lonal values Ih~t can be achieved when a figure
i.~ imegr:-.tcd into the atmosphere that surrounds it can be enric hed
even fu rthe r using gmphi te pencils o f d iOcrent h:lronesses. Even though
Carla n! dr:lw$ thi ~ figure in g~' Jlhilt:. Wl' might say it has an :luthc ntic
pictorial effect thanks to the atmosphere created by [h~ gr:-.ys. W ith this
outli ning, its forms arc lIot d osed Ull to themselves, but instead relate to
and meld into their surroundi ngs, crearing a sense of wllOlcness and a
uni fi ed imo nation in the drawin g.

t . The initial li nes created

with an 1-113 graphite pencil

have an orient:l.tive characte r:

they first situate the
ardlitectu ral trame around the
figure based o n perspct:tival
lines: the frame ohhe wi ndow,
th e angle o f the wall, :llld the
stone bench . Onto the!>e initial
geometric lines we layer those
of the figure in ir.; correct
proportions--rcnlell1 ber the
tech n ique o f dr.lwing as if the
figure were

'I'P'""".

2. By ho lding the gr.tphite

pencil hori zontaUy, we can
quickly cre:lte :In are:l with :l
un iform tone, with 110 guiding
ma rks; we g r.l.dually fill in lhe
main (brk are:tS, disregarding
the relief of the forms or the
outlines o f the figure. The goal
is to cre:ltc a diffuse Stain that
SllOWS tht grain of the paper
undern e~ th .

3 . A lOrtillon will hel p us 0 elimi nate any

semblance of line> in the h:ltc hin~ and
create smootll lr.msitions between one;.

Many artius grow

ae<:1.nonlt.'<l to
"",i"l; graphite
fX'ncils of a si"gl~'
hardlM'l'li. sud. as
2U

01'

4lJ, and do

exploit the
possibilities o(
lJ ~i ng a ' .. rict )' of
diflcrcm gr~des of
graphile within
.he ~~mc drawing .
TIll' COnlr:ut
i)t,twccn the finc
linc~ o( a 21-1
g"'l'hitc pencil
and thc dcn!iC.
black lines 1>( a (,I)
yields ,'Cr),
auraeth'c resu lts.

11\ >1

4
4. Placing th l: point a ~ofi ~r:tp hltc pendl o n its side,
WI" usc ~ rol:uing mOllon 10 grad ually dukcn the
inlcl'"ior shadows {hal contr:m with til<.' o utli ne o f the
figure. Most 3 rl i~l~ prefer (0 create dl C 3UllOSpht"n' of
the drawmg usi ng the ICXlUrc of the paper, producing
a highl y accOIuplldwd g.1 mut ofl o nC". ln reahty, by
!.imply gr.tzing the paper with the rip or the gn.pbik
we de"elop diffe rent lI uan c~ to ti ll' ha tch ing. U 5ing a
gr.tdual hatchin/-:. ~ l-:ll1 obt:Ull ~ofll )' blclldl'd [ol1ai

effects. II IS also pos.o.lblc to sofien the tOIlCS by

rubbi ng wi th a fi ngertip. Thl' spot~ of ligll! Oil [he
fac(' of lhc figure ~rc ~c h ic\'cd by openi ng u p wh llte
Meas with a :;oil crase r.

5
5. A drnwlIlg ~ lIc h as tim one GIn bl' thou!!ll! of:ls;'\
sum of ovcrbpping gr~ys. c:u:h o f wbich lcaves it.~
mark Oil tllt~ paper and Ill a kc~ t he l1ext layer
smoother :md richer; the fil1:'IIII1 :"1rk!; 3Ccc n(U:"I(e the
nmd.,nll:ntal fCiltmes of the fib'1..rc:: the texture of dle
d othlrlg and hair. thl' lead u ;"\r5 o f the window. and
the configur..tio n of the hands.

PORTRAIT pl'a FIGURE

1/1

o gain m me p r.lcticc with lim.' alld to dt' mo nstratc the \'lillie of

pt:'lltiu ll"uti in drawi uK. we will rt'pnxilice. at the h;mrl of Carlallt
,md using ~il"crpoi lH , a ft nd e figure ho ldi ng a dog. This is :t method
I h~ 1 allows fOT R'w correctIOns, so if any lIli~tl kl"!i arc made, they must be
re ctifi ed by adding new lincs:li> <10 t his excn:ise we need silwrpolOt,
avaibblc at allY jewelry store, or we can inse rt :l copper wire in a
med l.1l1ical pl'ncil. We wi ll sdcct a r il!id , fine- grain pa per :md cover il
with:t [Ol)'t.' T of w h ite zinc pigmen t or gouac he.T he fi~1 h ycr we app ly
shou ld be diluted with water: the ~ccond shmtld 110t. Once the p:lpcr
dric~ . it is l'C:lrly (0 usc.

L
\
)

I . \Vc bq! in t he composi liollai stu<Iy o f the model by

drawing masses b ased on simple geome tric Sh llP L~: an
0\1111 (o r the gIrl's h.::l.d, a circle fo r the head of the
<log, and a few more curves and clJip~c,<; to <1eS(:ribe
th l' locatloll of the other me mi>crs. Afier makin g a
gCOl llltrk oudine, \Y'e begi n o ur first apllro.ach to the
forllls of the model. T his simple compositional and
outlining exercise s.hould done on a separate sheet o f
pnpcr, because silverpoint Jin es cannot be corrected
ollce they ~re on the paper.
2. This prc lirninal)' study wi ll el1.\ure a IllOTe
ebborate drawin g in which w{ can d early distinguish
(he comoul's of t ile figure. If, with o ther media, the
p reliminary pe ncil sketc hes or OU t!i Jll"S are m...ve r
definitive, when using sil verpo lllt every lin e we draw
is permanent.

SILVERPOINT

'"

If you wi, h to
the

aCCCfItWIIC

IC !( (IJr'e and

din.'Ct ion of a
~tr.md or hair.
,ake a blade and
pnoctice adding
(J\crlapping laye ..
or paint. 'nll~
resull.\ w ill
slIrprise you .

3. Once tht pn:limill<lry drawi ng i~ complete. we

gndu:\Uy shade in the: diffcrcllt p:trts of the: drawing.
applying stretches of overlapping lines. T he sharpe ned
silve r lead gives the dl"3wing a vcry fine . detlik, l linc,
pc.--rh.1PS the nlOSt dd icate o f lines possible in :my
drawing medium. Silvl'rpoint lines can be erased to a
(Xlint if they are made on an adJ u:ltc surf.,cc, but
don't rely on this too muc h w he ll drawing.

4
4. The progn'SSion of da rk shades depelld~ exclusively
on the pressure we ;IPl'ly to the instrument , because
s.iJ\'erpoinc doesn't COl1U~ in d iffcrenl hard nesses or
gradation... like pencils do. Befo re finishi.ng, remember
that lines 1It:I(k ' with :l silver c utter gCI darke r over
lime because they rust w he n thLY oxidize--when
they come imo cont:lCI wi th the :tir--just a.~
sil\'erv.'are does,

'W

Ace ....... 11 2-113

A..,dnw.ng. 110
",,~t()I''Y. 24-37
cloth",!; .nd. 101
(ctt,llt- .17

I..nck, .\2- 3.1

he;wllf""c, '21,..27
Ii ........ JO.-- 31

rrMs.34-J!o
28-29

tOOl(>,

A",h" tun:, dn.,,,ng. 1114

Auno<ph"", around ligun:, 110--111, 154- 155
A:c .. ,ofh<><l)', 1fl,29
Ibd:
body oxi<. ~I>d. l b. 29
p rop< M. ion., 16, 19

'0,.,.0 ."d. 211-29

Blend,,,!\. 111. l lli- l l7

Hoo)' I""I;'", 14
Hody.,,,,!,,,... 1""'17, 19
Ill'n>b. of ......... f't!U ..... 2)
of ~-nYity. 6S
Ooall. (JICreis<'. j.W.... 147

em,.,.

a...rroal, HH.II9, 111. 115, 119, 128-129

0"..,*,,,.0 d"",,,,-?4-95. I3R-Il'I
Child {'fill""" 20-21. 152-1!>3

CIoM-d (<k:w.:"p'''''') d r."" ing<. 711- 71

CIotl,ed f'll"to. 96-105
mme:Cl .nd. l n4- 105
dr.l""".nd, I02- 103
fcllh .nd. I (n.- In!. 144-145

pn><>n.liry . nd, 9?
>1.><1)',"101 jm"" bod)' '"'-'CIu", of. 'lH--'I'l

COlO' r <."Ilon. I 05

C""'''un

,looK. opt''''', So6-S7

d;...olving. by hlo:nd.o& l1 h-1I 7
II>(Cf,,1I)' .,.., 57

.___......

..

---~?,..

Ii.... ~ool'rcl.nd. 49
.,.,.,.11.,';",48-19

~"Ir.Jp<""o, 73,132--1:n
C".. rcrUIlI! miol.kcs. Sn- M;,t<kn

COI"nc' ,,~,I"'. 68-(>9

O"(ur",.".,.,, n

r"",ilibrlUm of peon. 64-6S

"1'><;..,118-11 9
Ex",,,,,he l i l ~ 76-n. 120--121

fori.I.,,.,,,,,,}",26-27
1'>.,23
"" ~'1,J6-37, M

l"'m.M figu=:
boork/from, 19.29
1"""",19

lun"'..\1
nlUOCubn,..,, 17

.""ti,1e. 19
proportions., 18-19

,-"

w,isu, III

h gl, ..1 probic",...12

~l.'S h tones. 1 2~ . 150- 151

"".10..99, 100-101 .1 02-10..'. 144 14S

';''''''I'''''<,,,inl:069. Hfl../! I, 134- 1:\5
1'n:>t,..1 virw.66,67
O;oo, .... ric okId"". I), 44--45
hiknl~ 20

clooc:d "'f'pI"<*'h. 10
ko ...., 6!IU"". 19
obcw~~2J
"""' "",,"*,h,71
rI>t~ho" and. S4-S5
" "'ph,,,), >C.'Cm, II

GeuUTU.''''I)-ting. 63. S<T 01", I'u5e!.

H.ir l ~"'u rc. 122- 123
1-I. nd.,32 33
H ehinp. 5 1. 59.I!? 81'1. 90----9 1. 111
H ny dnwing. 1\1

H<
_

0111)0;

26-27

childn:n. ::!O
k ,rW<- f ........n, 19
In profo le, 27
~,-=don, I ".15,

111,20

Joint>. 79, 99
Light .rod slloldow, 7. St<' air<> Clothed flgl""s
chi.:lr<lllCuro eflCcts. \14-95. 1311-139
forcing conI ...... 93
hatchiJ'g .nd, \10-9 1
ligl,t cflCcl>.86-87
flec'ion S7
.ketchil ex=;"'. fI8-ll9
. kin 'Iw.li"...nd, 125
vol"me .nd. 90-91. 92-93
Limn., 30-31

Li.....
of ac';on. 54.55
C<>1Irolling. 49
cxpr=i"..,76-77. 120-121
p1"'"'()1'~ 115

soli. 56-57

."d.

synti>e<is
57
M.1e flgl' ''' u<rci!.<". 140-141
M.p of oJudows. 88
Miru k..
COTr<;(ting without .. mi ng. 114- 115
cr:>sing. II 8-1I9

.u e"~" error, 114

"'limping. 11 6
Modcting t<-c hniqu ... 92. 93
Motion.76-77
M U$(uut"",
bod)' olltli"e . nd, If,
d,..wing.76
cldcrly fi(;u ..... 22
fcllUIe figures, 17
li",bu nd,30-31
muscle pai .... 17
Obc$<: fil(Ure:<, 2J
Open dnr",ing<. 71
OpcniJ'g"",cc>.117. 118-11 9
Ov.1$, 19,20
~d. """",Bo>. 14f>- 147
""1,';<, 34-35
Pm . i",,,"ti. 114, l iS. 156
Plunh,, ," lilles. 115
fbint of '~fW, (-'(~7

"'"'

closed approach. 70-71

conmpooo. 73.132- 133
cOlmt .... mold. fQT.~
t''1uilibrium of. &4~
frontal ~.f>6.67
!plum .nd, 63
moti"" .nd. 7(-,- 77
open approKh.71
profik "icws, 67. 142-143

<lining. 75
$<':l",d.74
$l.>nding. 72- 73. 132-133
uudyi,,&66

'fCIIS&<>nS, S3
'Ii:::<tun;s/dli:cts
""(cn';, 11 2- 113

,,,,;st.....,urcn for. 1(1;1

, 'aryi"" pcint of "icw,66-67

view &om behind,67
P,..:<itt:les, law, 14

. ""''''''he .... arou nd figu re, 11(1-1 11.

154- 155
blendi ng, 111. 116_ 117

Pr</,k "ic"",67, 142-143

Pmporti<>ns.l (1-23
hack ride, 16, 19
h2ri<: hum. n. 14- 18

co,""'lillg. St<' M ....

upr=ive line<, 76-n . 120-121
fold,.99. 100-101. 102-103. 144- 145

budy hoight, 14
body outline. 16-17, 19

children, 20-21
defined, 11
ckktly flg""'"- U. V
f"n,,1e figt,"'. 18-19
fO....horten;ng ."d, 69.80-81. 134-135

ofl ..... <I. 2(,. 27

l ..... d- ba.cd.14.15.18,20
intui live.41
m'l, hing IIlI i, ;, 15
mll",1t: ""i,.., 17
oo.e." figt' rn. 23
synthetic (",,'ouri ng, 48-49
unil _ystem, IS. 42-43
R.acio l types. 125
R""r. view frollt. 67
Reclining figu=. 75
R dlectKms.87
Rhythm. 54-55. 102. 120. 12 1
s...",d figure:<, 74
Seoing flgur.,.. 70-71
Sl .. di n g.58
Shadow..';ff liglu and _h,dow
Silv<rpcin' t'Xcrcist;. 156-157
Simple form, ",,,et, 13
Singlc _lin~ figu,...,.,49
Skin qualitin. 124-125. ISO-l SI
Sm.,.,u,ing. 111. 117
Soft line. 56-57
Spine. So> Ba~k
S.. biliry. "(fi!(UI", 64
Suim. bo.rildiIlK QIl. 136-137
Standing flgu ..... 17. 6$. 72- 73, 132-133
Snok. dit<CIion.93
Stm~t=.offil(U"" 98
Siudies, "i.t""" of. 50-5 1
Srlllllping. 11 6
$0.",,,,,,,;,... ing... n

Synunctry.65
S)'nlhesi<. 12, 45, 57
Synthetic oollt<>uring,4S-49

h";r.I22-123
. ki n, 124- 125. ISO-lS I
Tonalledllli'I'teS. 8S.

s.... at", ligl" .lId

~.oow

Tono,28-29
T",,,,,,.,,,,,, d r.wing. 78-79
Un,uy>tcm.1S.42-43
Val".,. .cudyi ng. 9 1
Va,u.J,ing (fadirljl,) (()nruu"'. n
V<>Ium<
wi, h accentS. 11 2- 113
clk<;o; of. 92-93
wi th lutching. 90-91
w"iu.celllaic figuT<;>. 18
w"tcrrulor d",wi"g. 59
White >C(Cn ... 112, 113
Whi'e "",,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ;ng. 117
Woman/girl 011 bnch .><ore;"'. 152- 153
Wri"klc..U.102- 103.&r 0/", f'<llm