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Model Drawing
eBook
Bina Abling

Fairchild Books Library

CHILDREN’S POSING DYNAMICS: SKETCHING GUIDELINES FOR ANALYZING POSES

DOI: 10.5040/9781501303937.ch-011
Pages: 179–194

Chapter Eleven covers posing dynamics for children of different ages. The focus is on creating a standard of how to represent age and attitude in your sketch. Height is one of the few ways to
communicate how old or how young the child is in your sketch. The taller the figure, the older it seems; conversely, the shorter the figure, the younger it appears to be. Attitude is conveyed by how
more or less mature the child is acting in the pose, as interpreted in your drawing.
Center Front and Balance Line

Center front is a line that runs through the middle of the torso from the top of the pit of the neck to the bottom of the end of the torso at the crotch of the body.

The balance line runs from the pit of the neck to the imaginary floor at the tip of the toes. This line, perpendicular to the imaginary floor on your page, lets you know that your figure is standing up, not
tipping over (unbalanced) in your sketch.

Locate and draw in the center front of the figure on page 181. Next, draw a balance line from the pit of the neck, where center front also began, down to the tip of the toes. To sketch this pose try to
integrate these two new lines into the drawing methods you used in Chapter Ten. In this chapter you will be refining those earlier methods to adapt to these new support systems in your sketching
process.
Low Shoulder, High Hip
The lines of action running through a pose move in angles. The angles slide across the body from left to right, parallel or diagonal to each other, but run perpendicular to center front and the balance
line. The two major angles are the ones through the shoulder line and the hipline. A third angle of focus is through the waistline. The dynamics of these angles often present a low shoulder and a high
hip on one side of the torso.

Analyze the angles of the pose on page 183. The dynamics of both the low shoulder and the high hip on the same side of the body create a motion prevalent in many fashion model poses. Together,
the low shoulder and high hip bend the torso on one side and stretch it on the other. The third angle, the waistline, mimics the angle of the hipline.

Supporting Leg
In a still pose both legs support the weight of the body equally. In your sketch of the still pose the legs were drawn in matching lengths. In an active pose there is a shift of weight to just one of the
legs, called the supporting leg. In a fashion sketch this leg is drawn shorter than the extended leg, the one not grounded by the weight of the pose. The extended leg is drawn longer to indicate that it
is free to move rather than being grounded to balance the pose.

If you are not sure, as you analyze a pose, which leg is the supporting leg, then use the balance line to help you locate it. The balance line (see ) runs parallel to or intersects the supporting leg in a
pose. The supporting leg in your sketch is the foundation for a pose. Without a supporting leg, your sketch will tilt or float on the page.
The Torso
When studying the torso it helps to use anatomical references to the structure of the body. The upper portion of the torso, the chest, contains the rib cage. The lower portion of the torso, the hips,
includes the pelvic bone, and is called the pelvis. The rib cage and the pelvis are connected by the spine in the back and by the invisible center front in the front.

This method of dividing the whole torso into two units makes it easier to draw, and simpler to study its form and structure. The modified skeletal form helps you to evaluate proportions. Length and
width of the whole torso become less confusing to sketch. Draw the rib cage first, then fill in the pelvis, leaving a separate space open between them for the waistline area.

Drawing Guidelines Review

The tween figure can be tall and willowy. The long and lanky body of a tween does not have mature adult curves yet.

To combine this sketching process of using guidelines, draw the head first. Next, fill in the rib cage and pelvis. Drop a balance line down from the center of the top of the rib cage and also in center
front to connect the upper and lower torso sections. Finally, set in the supporting leg following the placement of the foot by observing where it falls—under the shoulder, the ear, or the chin—back at
the top of the pose.
Tween Figure
The tween figure is most closely related to the junior adult figure. The differences are subtle but easy to define. The adult has a more mature torso in an hourglass shape, a broader chest with a fuller
bustline, and rounder hips. The tween’s torso is less pronounced—narrower with a less obvious waistline. The tween’s chest is modest and her face is drawn with a youthful emphasis. The tween,
projecting a more playful attitude, can appear more awkward or a bit off balance, and can be drawn in a cuter manner than for the adult.

Assignment
This is another test of your skills. Here the pose has not been illustrated for you. It is your turn to translate the pose into a sketch. You can rely on any of the drawing methods from this chapter, or use
this opportunity to develop your own style in a sketch of a fashion model.

This is a chance to study the drawing guidelines as separate and combined forces that help you to both analyze a pose and to draw that pose for yourself. For an in-depth visual demonstration of the
guidelines for these poses go to the CD-ROM portion of this book.
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