Proportion and Anatomy

INFORMATION SHEET 1.
2-4: PROPORTION AND ANATOMY

Learning Objective:
After reading this information sheet, you must be able to:
1. Learn about the human figure's proportions and what is meant by
correct proportions and ratios;

Introduction
Human body is full of challenges it could require line and tone, perspective and
composition. Parental guidance is advised as some of these lessons depict
nudity.

HUMAN FIGURE IN THE CORRECT PROPORTIONS
Drawing the human figure doesn’t just come down to talent, it also comes
down to knowing some match and proportional knowledge. This lesson is full of
guidelines that you should save or memorize and use in all of your future
artwork that contains people. The human figure is a mathematically beautiful
piece of art in itself, find out what you can do to draw people in the correct
proportions.

CBLM on Date Developed: Document No.
ANIMATION NC II August 2020 ACTS-ANIM-CBLM01
Date Revised: Issued by:
Apply Traditional ACTS
Drawing Developed by: Page 1 of 22
Techniques For Demetrio C. Pable Jr. Revision #00
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Take any desired height, or place points for the top of head and heels. Divide
into eighths. Two and one third of these units will be the relative width for the
male figure. It is not necessary at this stage to attempt to render the anatomy
correctly. But fix in your mind the divisions. Draw the figure in the three
positions: front, side, and back. Note the comparative widths at shoulders,
hips, and calves. Note that the space between nipples is one head unit. The
waist is a little wider than one head unit. The wrist drops just below the crotch.
The elbows are about on a line with the navel. The knees are just above the

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lower quarter of the figure. The shoulders are one-sixth of the way down. The
proportions are also given in feet so that you may accurately relate your figure
to furniture and interiors.

The female figure is relatively narrower- two heads at the widest point. The
nipples are slightly lower than in the male. The waistline measures one head

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unit across. In front the thighs are slightly wider than the armpits, narrower in
back. It is optional whether or not you draw the legs even a little longer from
the knees down. Wrists are even with crotch. Five feet eight inches (in heels) is
considered an ideal height for a girl. Actually, of course, the average girl has
shorter legs and somewhat heavier thighs. Note carefully that the female navel
is below the waistline; the male, above or even with it. The nipples and navel
are one head apart, but both are dropped below the head divisions. The elbow
is above the navel. It is important that you learn the variations between the
male and female figure.

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You can see at a glance why the actual or normal proportions arc not very
satisfactory. All academic drawings based on normal proportions have
this dumpy, old-fashioned look. Most fashion artists stretch the figure even
beyond eight heads, and in allegorical or heroic figures the “superhuman” type
– nine heads – may be used effectively. Note at what point, or head unit, the
middle of the figure falls in each. It would be well to draw the side and hack in
these various proportions, using the previous page for a general guide but
changing the proportion. You can control the appearance of height or shortness
in any figure by the relative size of the head you use.

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These proportions have been worked out with a great deal of effort and, as far
as I know, have never before been put down for the artist. The scale assumes
that the child will grow to be an ideal adult of eight head units. If, for
instance, you want to draw a man or a woman (about half a head shorter than
you would draw the man) with a five-year-old boy, you have here his relative
height. Children under ten are made a little shorter and chubbier than normal.
since this effect is considered more desirable; those over ten, a little taller than
normal – for the same reason.

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GOOD / CORRECT HUMAN FIGURE PROPORTIONS & WHAT IS MEANT BY
OUT OF PROPORTION
Proportion, and What Is Meant by Out of Proportion. For example: If a
picture of a man were drawn with the head twice as long as the head should
be, as is shown below, that would be called out of proportion, because it would
be unnatural.

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It should be in "good proportion," which means it should be near the natural
size as compared with other parts of the body. The ability to draw the figure in
proper proportion requires considerable practice, close observation and
accurate eye-measurement.
Varying Proportions. —In drawing the head of a child, the same proportions
as adults does not exist; the child's head being larger in proportion to the body
than in the case of adults. There are also further variations. Putting a very
small head on the body of a child would make the drawing appear as much out
of proportion as in the case of the overlarge head referred to. In caricatures,
lapses from true proportion are permitted. Then it is done purposely to produce
a ludicrous effect.

Relative Proportions. —Ability to represent the relative size or proportion of
one object to another is an essential element in correct drawing.
An effective method of teaching this is to choose some object for a unit of
measure or comparison, and place others beside it, one or several at a time.
Any well-known object will do, as, for instance, a piece of fruit, such as an
apple or an orange—or a ball.
Drawing Men, Women, and Children
Proportions of the Human Figure. —The Greek statues have regulated and
determined the standard of beauty in art. These proportions, however, vary in
individual cases and individual tastes. They are, however, valuable as a
foundation from which modifications may be made.

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In the Greek statues, the height of a developed man was usually eight heads;
that is, the head was one-eighth the length of the body.
The height of a woman, Greek standard, about seven heads.
The human figure may be divided into four parts of equal length, namely:
1. From the top of the head to the arm-pit.
2. From the arm-pit to the middle of the body.
3. From the middle of the body to the knees.
4. From the knees to the soles of the feet.
From finger-tip to finger-tip, when the arms are extended at right angles to the
body equals the length of the entire figure from crown to toes.
The face may be divided into three parts:
1. From the top of the forehead to the root of the nose.
2. From the root of the nose to the bottom of the nose.
3. From the bottom of the nose to the bottom of/the chin. The ear is the length
of the nose and its general direction is parallel to it.
From the top of the shoulder to the elbow measures twice the length of the
face.
From the elbow to the wrist, one head.

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The hand measures three-quarters of a head from the tip of the middle finger to
the wrist.
The foot measures one-sixth of the whole length of the body.
These proportions are not exact or to be arbitrarily followed.
Drawing the Human Figure. —When drawing the head, whether in profile or
three-quarter view, avoid making the facial line too upright. There can be no
rigid rule regarding this or any other part of the human figure, on account of
the variance of different persons. The degree of difference is even greater if we
consider racial variances.
Making the features too small is a common error. Sometimes, however, the
error is in the opposite direction, especially in respect to the eyes. They should
not be made too large for the face. In drawing the normal eye, place the pupil
slightly under the upper lid. Do not draw a line directly under the eyeball. If
this is done, it is apt to give an impression of soreness to the eyes. Let the line
indicating the upper line of the lower lid be a trifle distant from the eyeball.
Eyelashes should be sparingly introduced. Eyebrows should not be too strongly
demarked.
The ears should not be longer than the nose, and they should be level with it.
Things to Avoid
Do not make the mouth too small.
Do not make the space from the eyebrows to the top of the head too narrow.

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Do not make finger nails too distinct or prominent.
Do not make goose-necks on your women nor bull-necks on your men and
children.
Do not make the arms too long, unless you are making a caricature and wish
to produce an ape-like effect.
Guide Lines Again.—When intending to draw a draped or clothed figure, first
draw, in faint lines, the figure itself through the clothes. Erase the faint lines,
which are guide lines only. This method will be of special asistance in getting
the feet in the right place and in the right direction. That is, first draw the feet
without the shoes, putting the latter on afterwards.

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DRAW HUMAN FIGURES IN CORRECT PROPORTIONS BY MEMORIZING
STICK FIGURES
The human body is a work of art in itself and it seems impossible to draw it.
However, there are proportions of the body that you should memorize and
always keep in the back of your mind…and once you do this, the human body
isn’t so hard to draw at all. It is just these facts that should pull all everything
together for you.

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After you memorize the proportions of the human figure and know the
relationships between different body parts, practice sketching it out, over and
over again. Then go ahead and draw the human figure in different poses,
making sure that you keep the same relationships between the body parts.

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Proportion and Anatomy

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INFORMATION SHEET 1.

2-4: PROPORTION AND ANATOMY

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