ANDREW LOOMIS

I
(

'
"

/ '/ .�
.-
I
-
·I
/

•
(·

A BOOK OF FUNDAMENTALS
FOR AN ARTISTIC CAREER
I:

.
•

.
/,,,
CONTENTS. INCLUDING ILLUSTRATIONS

AN OPENIN(; CHAT 1,5

I. TI·IE APPROACII TO FIGURE DRA\VINC 21

Observe Yollr Sl1rrol1ndings 22
The Nude as a Basis 23
What Is Linc? 24
Beginners' Work 25

lLLUSTI\ATIONS

Ideal Proportion, !.f ale 26

1deal Proportio,1, F eniale 27
VariQus Standards of Proportion 28
Ideal Proportions at Various Ages 29
The Flat Diagran1 30
The Flat Diagra1n 31
Quick Set -11.p of Proportions 32
Proport·ions by Arcs and Head Units 33
Proportwn in Rel£1tion to the I-Iorizon 34
The John ond '!,,fary Problenis 35
Find·ing Proportion at Any Spot in Your P·icture 36
"Ht1nging·" Figures on the Horizon 37
We Begin to Dratv: First the ,VIannikin Franie 38
l\1ovement in the i\1annikin Frame 39
Details of the l\iannikin Fra111e 40
Experimenting tvith the i\-1annikin Frame 41
Outlines in Relation to Solid Form 42

The Mannikin Figure 43

(LLUSTRATIONS

Adding Bu.lk to the Frame 44

Adding Perspective to the Solid !11annikin 45
Arcs of !11ovenient in Perspective 46
Pktcing the M<innikin at Any Spot or Level 47

7 /
 CONTENTS. INCLUDING ILLUSTRATIONS
Druu;ing the �1annikin frorri Any Viewpoint 48
Co111bining A1·cs <>f Mdver,1ent uAth the Box 49
Land,narks You Sfwuld Kno1c 50
Landrruirks You Shoukl Kno1v 51
Sketching the Figure in Action f1·0,n lrr1agination 52
Draw Sarne of These, But Draw .''vfany of Your Own &'3
The Fe,nale lt,fannikin 54
Sketches 55
The t.-1 ule und Fenu1le Skeletons 56

II. THE BONES AND t-.1USCLES 57

Rcquircn1cnts of Successful Figure Dra,ving 58

ILLUST!\.-\TIONS

l11iportant Bones 59
l'vfuscles on the Front of the Figure 60
Muscles on the Back of the Fi.gure 61
Afuscles of the Ann, Front View 62
J.1 u.scles of the Ann, \!ariecl Vi(:ws 6:3
:\1uscles of the Leg, Front Vieu; 64
A1uscles of the Leg, Back and Si</e Vieu; 6 ,5
"tl'otc lt,st Play 1citlt \lv'h{lt You Haoe Learned 66
f
' ry Building Figures tcithout i\.fodel or Copy (j7

III. 13L()CK F()RtvlS, PLANES, FOllESH()RTENlNG, AND LIGHTING (i8

Foreshortening and Lighting 6\J

11,Ll'STI\A.TIOKS

Block Forms 11 elp to De1;e/op Your Sen,se of Bulk 70

Feel Free to Invent Your ()wn Blocks 71

-.,. ,
l-1ow To Use an Ar1-S1o1·e \\fooden ,\1 01111iki11 72
Quick Sketches fro1n the \Vooden !Vt onnikin ,.)

Fort:shortening 74
Some Pen Sketches for 1:oreshv1te11ing 75

--
Planes 76
Plones i j

78

8
 CONTEN1'S, INCLUDING ILLUSTRA1'IONS
Lighting 79
Sin1ple Lighting on the Figure 80
True Modeling of Hounded Fon11 81

I V . DRAWING THE LIVE FI(;URE: l'vtETH()DS OF PH()CEDUR.E 82

JLLUSTRATIOJS'S

Grouping Shadow i'vlasses 83

The Main Values Stated 84
The Fast State,nent of Yalu.es 85
Procedure 86
Procedure 87
The Visual-Survey Pror:edure 88
Dratving fro111 the Af odel 89

V . THE STANDING FIGURE 91

Variety in the Standing Pose 92
ILLUS RATIONS
T

The'\V eight on ()ne Foot 93

Distributed \Veight 94
There Are . Many Ways of Standing 95
Shadou; De�nes Form 96
The Nearly Front LighHng 97
Building fr<nn the Skeleton 98
Accenting the Fonn 99
Anato111y Te�·t 100
A 1'ypical Problem 101

VI. THE FIGURE IN ACTION: TURNING AND T\VISTING 103

ILLUSTRATIONS

Turning and Twisting 104

Turning and Twisting 105
Turning and Twisting 106
Turning and Twisting 107
Turning and T,oisting 108
Turning and T1visting 109
l'enline and Pencil 110
 CONTEN1'S. INCLUDING ILLUSTRATIONS
A Good Method for 't-.1ewspaper Reproduction 111
Quick Sketching with Pen and Pencil 112
A Typical Problern 113

VII. FOR\VARD fviOVE�fENT: TIIE TIPPED LINE OF BALANCE 115

The }.1echanics of }.,!overnent 116
ILLUSTRATIONS

Snapshots of \,\talking Poses 118

Snapshots of Running Poses 119
The Tipped Line of Balance 120
Springlike l.1ove1nent 121
Action Too Fast for the Eye 122
Twisted Forward 1\,foven1ent 123
fl.fooe1nent 11.ead to Toe 124
Fast t1,fooen1ent 125
Push of the Back Leg 126
A Typical Proble,n 127

VIII. BALANCE, RHYTH�1, RENDERING 129

lLLUSTllATIONS

Balance 130
Balance • 131
·Two ft.fethods of Approach 132
Defining Forrn toith lust Tone and Accent 133
Stressing Con.struction 134
T100 ,\1inute St-udies 135
Rhythrn 136
Rhythn1 137
lLLVSTRATIONS

Rhythrri 138 •

Crossing Lines of nhyth1n 139

"su;eeri'' 140
Relating One Contour to Another 141
Defining by Edges and Shadotv without Outline 142
A T)1)ical Problem
/
143

10
 CONTENTS. INCLUDING ILLUSTRATIONS
IX. THE KNEELING, CROUCB:ING, SITTING FIGURE 145
ILLUSTRATIONS

Crouching 146
The Incomplete Statement May Be Interesting 147
Point Technique 148
P/,anning a Pen Drawing 149
Kneeling and Sitting 150
Kneeling and Twisting or Bending 151
Getting Full Value Range with Ink and Pencil 152
Ink and Pencil in Combination 153
Pen Drawing 154
A "Looser" Treatment 155
Fine Point Brush Drawing 156
A Typical Problem 157
X. THE RECLINING FIGURE 159
lLLUSTRATIONS

Sketches of Reclining Poses 160

Study 161
Coarse Grafn Paper Studies 164
Study in Foreshortening 165
Cemented Tissue Overlay, Spatter and Brush Drau>ing 166
Pen Studies 168
A Typical Proble1n 169
XI. THE HEAD, HANDS, AND FEET 171
lLLUSTRA TIONS

Head Building 172

Blocks and Planes 173
Bones and Muscles of the Head 174
The Muscles i n Light and Shadow 175
Features 176
Setting the Features into the Head 177
Studies 178
Studies of Miss "G" 179
Young and Old •
180

t- 1
 CONTENTS. INCLUDING lLLUSTl<ATIONS
"t.1ake Studies Like These of Your Friends 181
Proportion of the Baby flead 182
Bahy Heads 183
flands 184
Hands 185
The Foot 186
A Typical Proble1n 187

XII. THE C0�1PLETE FIGURE IN COSTUlvlE 189

)LLUSTRATIONS

Draw Figure, Then Costurne 190

Clothing Studied froni Life )91
Rendering Drapery 192
Dra10 the flalftunes and Shadotus 193
Elirni11ation and Subordination 194
Study from Life 195
Brush and Spatter Illustration 196
A Typical Prohlcm 197

CLOSING CHAT 199

Ho\v Artists \.Vork 200
Hunning Your Studio 201
About Your Prices 202
Introducing Yow·self 203
Do It Your \Vay 204

12
 1-\J\r OPENING CHAT
DEAH REAnER:
For 1nany years the 11ccd of a further l,ook 011
the subje ct of figure drilwi11g has hecn appare11t
to nie. I have ,vaitcd for such a hook to appear
vchic.:11 could be reconi,nended lo the ,nanv·
,
,voun" b artists ,vilh who,11 I have con1e i n co11-
lacl. f'i11ally, I have con11: to the realization that
such a book, regardless of one's ability as au
author, co11ld be ,vritten 011ly by a ,nan actually
in the field of c:01nn1ercial art, ,vho in his experi­
enc•c had n1et a11cl countered ,vith the actual
prol>lc111s that n1ust be clarified. I recall ho,v
frantically, in the earlier days of n1y o,vn experi­
ence, I searched for practical infonnation that
rnight lend a helpiug hand in makiug rr1y ,vork
rnarketable. ll ei11g in the not 111111sual position
of havi11g tn support 1nyself, it ,vas the predica-
1nent of having lo niake good at art or being
forced lo t11rn to so1nethi11g else.
Across this ,vide co11ntry there ar e n1any of
you in that predica1nent. You, also possessed of
that unaccountable� urge ,vhich seeniingly co,nes
frorn no,vhere, waut to speak the language of art.
You love tn dra,v. You \vish to dra�, ,vell. If there
is any chance, you greatly v,,ish to 1nake a living
at it. Perhaps I can help you. I sincerely hope so,
for I think l have lived through every 1ninute
you are no�' living. Perhaps I can con1pile some
of the inforrnation that experie nce tells me you
want and need. I do uot pretend to w1d ervalue_
the fiue �,ork that has b een done; the difficulty
has ahvays been in finding it and sorting out
\vhat is of practical value and putting it into
practice. I believe that the greater chances of
success lie in the 1n e ntal approach to the ,vork,
rather than in sheer technical knowledge, and
since the 1uental approach has not oft en been
stressed, here lies the opportunity to serve you.
I not only assume that my reader is interested
15
in dra"'iug b11t th:tt he \Vishes fro1n his toes 11p
to hccon1e an efficient au<l self-supporting crafts-
1na11. I assu1ne that the desire to express your­
· self ,vith pe11 a11d pencil is not only urgent hut
alrnost undeniable, and that ,vou feel ,vou 1nusl do
sornething about it. I feel that talent 1ncans little
unless coupled with au i11satiablc desire to give
an excellent personal den1011stration of ability.
I feel also that talent rnust Le i11 �'Oulpany ,vith
a capacity for unlin1ited effort, ,vhich provides
the po�'er that eventually hurdles the difficul­
ties that ,vould frustrate luke,vann entln1sias1n.
Let u s tty to define that quality �,hich ,nakes
an artist "tick." Eve ry hit of ,vork he docs starts
out ,,>ith the pre1nise that it has a 1nessagc, a pur­
pose, a job to do. \'Vnat is the most direct ans,ver,
the sin1plest interpretation of that n1cssage he
ca11 1nake? Stripping a subject to .its barest a11d
111ost efficient essentials is a rncntal procedure.
Every inch of the surface of his work should be
considered as to \vhether it bears ilnportant re­
lationship to a whole p1111)ose. He sees, and his
picture tells us the irnportance of ,vhat he sccs
and ho,v he feels about it. Then ,vithin his pic­
ture he str e sse s ,vhat is of greatest importance,
and subordinates ,vhat 1nust be there but is of
lesser importance. He ,vill plac.-e his are a of great­
est eonttast about the head of the 1nost irn­
portant character. He \vill search diligently for
means to 1nak e that c;:haracter expr e ss the e1no­
tion in facial expression and pose that is to be
the all ilnportant then1e. He will first cL-a,v a t ­
tention to that character, b y every 1neans avail­
able. In other words, he plans and thinks, and
does not passiv ely accept simply because it ex­
ists. Not far back in the annals of art the ability
to achieve just a lifelike appearance 1night have
caused some ,vonder in a spe ctator, enough to
 AN OPENIN(� Cl-fAT
capture his interest. Today \vith color photog­
raphy and the excellen ce of the. c.u11era goin g
.develop your \vay, but learning from the other
p erhaps even further in that respect, \Ve are sur­
feited \vith rcalis1n par excellence, until rncre
lifelike representation is not enough. There is no
other course than sorneho\v to go beyon d ob­
viotL� fact to pertinent fact, to characterization,
to the e,notional and dra,natic, to selection and
taste, to si,nplification, subordination , and ac­
centuation. It is ten per cent ho\\' you dra\V, an d
ninety per cent 1cliat you drau;. Equally defining
ever ything \vithin your picture area, in value,
edge and detail, will add no rnorc than can be
achieved in photography. Subordination 1nay be
achieved by diffusion, by closeness of c.�>lor and
value to surroun ding areas, by sin1plillc.-ation of
insistent detail, or by o,nission. Accentuation
is achieve d by the opposite in each case, hy
shar pness, contrast, detail, or any added device.
l take this Opportunity to fmpress upon you,
n1y reader, ho,v irnportan t you really are iu the
\vhole of. art p rocedure. You, your personality,
your individuality come first. Your pictures are
your by-product. · Everythin g about your pic­
.
tures is, and should be, a little of ,vou. They \viii
Le a reflection of your knowledge, yo1u· ex-
perience, your. observation, your likes and dis­
likes, your good tal;te, and your thi n king. So the
real concentration is centered on you, and your
\vork follo\vs along in the \vake of what mental
self-in1provcn1eut you ,ue making. It has taken
1ne a lifetime to realize that. So hcfol'e we talk
at all about dra\Yiug, it is unportant to sell you
strongly on yourself, to plan t that urge so def­
initely in your con sciousne ss that you. mu st
kno\v at once that 1nost of it corncs frorn the other
end of )'.OW' pencil rather than the business e nd.
As a student I thought there \\'as a formula of
some kind that I ,vould get hold of S()tlle\vherc,
and thcrebv , become an artist. Ther e is a for-
n1ula, but it has not been in books. It is really
plain old courage, standing on one's O\Vll f eet,
and forever seeking enlightenn1ent; courage to
fello\v; expcri1nentation \vith your o,vn ideas,
observing for yourself, a rigid discipline of do­
ing over that \Vhich you can improve. I have
nev er found a book that stressed the irnportance
of n1ysclf as the caretaker of n1y ability, of stay­
ing healthy 1n entally and physically, or that gave
111e an inkling tl1at 1ny courage 1night be strained
to the utrnost. Perhaps that is not the \\'ay to
\Vritc books, but I can see no hann in the author
realizin g that he is dealing \Vith personalities,
and that there is so1nething more irnportant than
technique. In art \Ve arc dealing \Vith so1ncthing
fal' rernoved fro1n a cold science, where the
hun1an element is everything. At le ast I am d e ­
tcl'n1ined 1.0 es tahlishcd a fellowship with ·m y
reader, \velcoming hiln to the craft at \vhich I
have spent so n1an y years. If I have any b lue
chips I can pass on to hun, I lay t)1e1n before hitn
so that he may join in the gan1e. I cannot pro­
fess to kno\\1 rnore tl1an the experience of one
individual. Ho,vcver, one individual experience
if \\1ide enough might well cover many of the
problen1s that \Viii doubtless · come to others.
Solutions of those problems may provide like
solutions. I can lay out an assortinent of fa·ct�
and fundamentals that ,vere he lpful to me. I
can speak of the idealization s, tl1c practical
hints and device s that \\1ill undoubtedly make
dra\vings rnore salable. Since the rcquire1ncnts
arc ahnost universal, and since n1y own experi­
ence does not vary t, >Teatly from the average ex­
per ience of my conte1npor,uies, I offer rny ma­
terial \vithout setting up n1ysclf and n1y \York as
a critcl'ion. In fact, l \VOtud prefer, if it \Vere pos­
sible , to subordinate my own viewpoint, or tech­
n ical approach, an d leave the reader as free as
possible for individual decision and se lf-expres­
sion. l use n1y experience rn erely to clarify the
ge neral requil'en1ent�.
It should b e obviotL� that, first of all, salable

AN OPENING CH r\T
fi1,rure dra,ving 1nust be good drawing, and
"good dr awing" means a great deal n1ore to the
professional than to the beginner. It 1neans that
a 6gure rnust be convincing and appealing at the
same time. It rnust be of idealistic rather than
literal or normal proportion. It !f1USt he related
in perspective to a constant eye level or view­
point. The anatomy 1nust be <.'01Tect, whether
exposed to the eye or concealed bene ath drapery
or costume. The light an d shado,v 1nust be so
handled as to ilnpart a living quality. Its action
or gesture, its dramatic quality, expression, and
e1notion inust he C'Onvincing. Good clra,ving is
neither an accident nor the result of a), inspired
mo1nent when the Muses lend a guiding han d.
Good dra,ving is a co-or dination of many fac­
tors, all understood and handled expertly, as in
a delicate surgical operation. Let us say that
each factor becomes an instrument or part of a
1neans of exptes,rion. It is when the 1neans of ex­
pression is t!ev elop e!f as a ,vhole that inspiration
'
and individual feeling co1ne into play. It is pos-
sible for anybo1y to be "off" at any time in any
one or more of the factors. Every artist will do
to be thrown out an d done over. The artist
"good ones" and "bad ones." The bad will have
should, of C'Ourse, 1nake a critical analysis to de­
tcnniuc why a ch·a,ving is bad; usually he \viii
be forced to go hack to fundamentals, for h ad
dr a,ving springs fro1n basic faults as surely as
good drawin g springs from basic 1nerits.
Therefore a useful book of figure drawing
cannot treat oue phase alone, as the study of
anaton1y; it n1ust also seek out and (,'()-ordinate
all the basic factors upon which good dra,ving
depends. It must con sider both ae sthetics and
sales' possibilities, tecluiical rendering and typi­
cal problems to be solved. Otherwise · the read­
er is only partially inforn1ed; he js taught but
one angle, and then left to Hounder.
!\,fay I assu1ne that you as a young artist are
facing a bread- and-butter problern ? \.Yhcnever
17
.
you achiev e sufficient technical ability, there
,viii he an income ,vaiting for you. From that
point on your ean,ings ,vill in crease in ratio to
your iinp rovement. In the fields of practical art
the ranks thin out at the top, just as they do
every,vhert: else. There is not an advertising
agency, a 1uagazine publisher, a litho1,1Taph
house, or an ar t dealer's that will not gladly open
its doors to real ability that is ne\\' and different.
It is mediocrity to ,vhich the door is closed. Un­
fortunately 1nost of us are 1nediocre ,vhen ,ve
start out; by and large, 1nost comn1ercial ar tists
of outstanding ability had no n1ore than average
talent a t the start.
fvfay I confess that t,vo ,veeks after entering
art school, I was advised to go ba�k home? That
experience has n,adc .me much 1nore toleran t of
an inauspicious beginnin g than I might other­
wise have b een , and it has given inc additional
incentive iu teaehing.
luclividuality of expression is, ,vithout ques­
tion, an artist's n1ost valuable asset. You could
n1ake no more fatal error than to atte1npt to
duplicate, for the sake of duplication alone,
either my \\•ork or that of any other individual.
Use another's style as a cr.utch ouly-until you
can walk alone. Tr ends of popularity are as
changeable as the ,veather . Anaton1y, perspec­
tive, values ren1ain <,'Onstant; but you must dili­
gen tly search for new ,vays to apply thcn1. The
greatest problem here is to provide you ,vith a
solid basis that \viii nurture individuality and not
produc-e in1itation. I grant that a certain a1nount
of iinitation in the e,uliest phase of le arning 1nay
be necessary in order that self-expression may
have an essential background. But there can he
no progress iu any ar t or craft ,vithout an acc11-
n1ulation of individual experience. The experi­
ence comes best through your o,vn effort or ob­
servation, through self-instruction, the reading
of a book, or tl_ie study of an old 1naster. These
cxperienc-es are b undled together to form your
 A N OPENING CHAT
,vorking knowledge, and the process should
never stop. Ne,v, creative ideas are_usually vari­
ants of the old.
In this volume I shall try to treat the figure
as a living thing, its po,ver of moven1ent related
to it� structure and its move1nent separated in­
to several kinds. We shall dra,v the nude for
the purpose of better understanding the draped
figure. We shall think of the figure as possessed
of bulk and ,veight, as being exposed to light
and therefore shado\V, and hence set into space
as we kno\v it. Then \Ve shall try to understand
light for ,vhat it is; and ho\v fonn, \Vith its
planes of various direction, is affected by it.
We shall consider the head and its structure
separately. In other \VOrds, we shall provide a
foundation that will enable you to make your
figures original and · convincing. The interpreta­
tion, the type, the pose, the dra1na, the costtnne,
and the accessories will all be yours. \Vhether
your figures are chawn for an advertise1n ent, to
illustrate a story, or for a poster or a c-alcndar
will not change appreciably the fundam ental
demands upon your· kno,vledge. Technique is
not so ilnportant as the young artist is inclined
to believe; the living and e1notio11al qualities­
the idealization you put into your \Vork-are
far more in1portant. So are yotu- selection and
taste in costume and setting -provided you
have mastered fundau1entals. The s1n artest
dress in the \VOrld will not be effective on a
badly drawn figure. Expression or emotion can­
not possibly be drawn into a face that is poorly
constructed. You cannot paiut in color succ.'Css­
fully without so1ne C.'Onception of light and
color values, or even hope to build a co1nposi­
Lion of figures until you know ho\v to draw
them in absolute perspective. Your job is to
glorify and idealize the everyday rnaterial
about you.
It is 1ny purpose fro1n start to finish of this
18
book to lend you a hand to the top of the hill, but
upon reaching the crest to push you over and
leave you to your own 1nomenttun. I have hired
and paid the best 1nodels I could find, knowing
that the lilnited funds of the average young art­
ist, would 11ot pcrrnit that. If you study 1ny draw­
ings in the light of a model posing for you, rather ,
than thinking of then1 a.� something to be dupli­
cated line for line and tone for tone, I think you
will in the end deriv e greater benefit. With every
page I suggest you place your pad at the side of
tlie book. Try to get the 1neanilig behind the
drawing n1uch more than the drawing itself.
Keep your pencil as busy as possible. Try figures
varying as much as possible frorn those in my
pages. Set up fig ures roughly, fro1n the imagina­
tion, rnake them do all sorts of actions. If it is pos­
sible to draw from the live 1nodel in school • or
else,11here, do so by all means, utilizing as best
you can the fundamentals \ve hav1: here. If you
can take photos or have aG'Cess to the1n, try your
skill in dra\ving from thcn1, addilig what ideal­
ization you think should be there.
It might be a goodplan to read the euti�e book
at the start so that you \vill betfer understand
the general plan of proced1u·c. Other kinds of
drawing such as still life should be supplement­
ed, for all fonn presents the general-problem of
contour, planes, light and shado\v.
Get used to using a soft pencil, one that will
give con.sideriiblc range fro1n light to dark. A
thin, weak and gray dra,ving has practically no
co1n1nercial value. The switching to a pen and
black <lnnving ink is not only interesting but has
real value cornn1ercially. Use one that is fairly
flexible. Pull the pen to make your li11e, never
push it at the paper, for it \viii only catch and
splutter. Charcoal is a fine mediu1n for study. A
large tissue or layout pad is excellent tO-\vork on.
Perhaps the best \Vay is to suggest that you
use the book in whatever manner suits you best.
THE APPROACH TO FIGURE ORA\\TING

The first chapter of this book will be treated a little differently from the
others, as a prelude to the actual figure, and to lay the groundwork of the
structure we are later to build . This part of the book will be·of especial
value to the layout man and to the artist for the prepru·ation of prelun­
inary sketches, roughs, the setting do,vn of ideas, suggestions of actions
and pose, ,vhere the figure n1ust be drawn ,vithout the use of models or
copy. This is the sort of ,vork the artist does iJ1 advance of the finished
,vork. This, m other ,vords, is the work with ,vhich he sells hin1self to
the prospective client. In that respect it is most important since it really
creates opportunity. He will be able to prepare this \\'Ork iJ1telligently
so· that ,vhen he gets to the final ,vork he ,viii not be confused with ne,v
proble,ns of perspective, spacing, and other difficulties.
The reader is urged to give this chapter his utinost attention since
it is unquestionably the 1nost important chapter in the book, and one
to pay good dividends for the concentrated effort involved.
 I

\t •

V
.\

•
I. THE APPROACH TO FIGURE DRAWING
As we begin the book, let us take note of the
broad field of opportunity afforded the 6gnre
drafts,nan. Starting ,vith the con1ic or si1nplc liue
drawings of the ue,vspaper, it extcuds all the
,vay up through every kind of poster, display,
and n1agazine advertising, through t'Overs and
story illustration to the reahns of fine art, por­
traiture, sculpture, and 111ural decoration. Figure
dnnving presents the broadest opportunity fro111
the standpoint of earning of any artistic endeav­
or Coupled with this fact is thP- great advantage
that all these uses are so interrelated that suc­
cess in one almost assures success in auothcr.
The intcrrcl�tiou of all these uSE;S spriugs fnnn
the fact that all figure dra,ving is based on the
same funda1nentals ,vhich can be applied no
,natter ,vhat use the ,vork is put to. This brings a
further great advantage to the figure 1na11 in that
he has a c-onstant n�arket if he is capable of good
work. The n1arket is constant because his work
fits into so 1nany notches in the cycle of buying
and selling ,.vhich 111ust always be present bar­
ring flnancial collapse. To sell one 111ust adver­
tise, to advertise one 1nust have advertising
space, to have advertising space there n1ust be
attractively illustrated ma�azines, billboards,
and other rnediluns. So starts the chain of \L�es of
,vhich the artist is an i11tcgral part.
To top it all, it beco1nes the most fascinating
of any art effort because it offers such en<lless
variety, encompassing so much that it ever re­
mains new and stin1t1lating. Dealing ,vith the
hu1nan aspects of life it runs the ga1nut of ex­
pression, emotion, gesture, environn1ent, an<l tire
interpretation of character. \Vhat other SelJs of
effort offer so great a variety for interest auJ
genuine relief fro,n 1nonotony? I speak of this to
build within you that confidence that all is well
'2 I
once you arrive at your destination; your re.ii
concern is n1aking the journey.
Art i11 its broadest se11se is a language, a nies­
sagc that can he cixprcssecl better iu no other
'Nay. It tells lL� ,vhat a product looks like and
ho,v \Ve can use it. It describes the clothes and
even the 1nan11ers of other ti1nes. In a \\'ar poster
it incites us to action; in a 111agazinc it 111akes
characters alive and vivid. lt projects an idea
visually. , so that before a brick is laid ,ve rnay
see, before our eyes, the finished building.
There was a tinrc ,vhen the artist ,vithdre,v
to a bare attic to live in seclusion for an ideal.
For subject, a plate of apples sufficed. Today,
ho,vever, art has beco1ne an integral part of
our lives, and the successful artist cannot set
hilnsclf apart. He ,nust do a certain job, in a
definite rrranncr, to a definite pw·pose, and with
a speci6ccl date of de]ivery.
Start at once to take a ne,v interest in people.
Look for typical characters everywhere. Fainil­
iarize yourself ,vith the characteristics and de­
tails that distinguish the,n. \Vhat is arrogance
in tcnns of light and shadO\\', fom1 and color?
\Vhat lines give frustration and forlorn hope to
people? \-Vhat is the gestltrP. in rP.lation to the
e,notion? \Vhv , is a certain childish face ador-
able, a certain adult face SlL�picious and un­
lrust\\•Orthy? You must search for the a11S\\'ers to
these <p1cstions and be able to 1nake the1n dear
to your public. This knowledge will in ti1ne be­
co1ne a part of you, hut it can c.�nnc only fro,n
observation and understandiug.
Try to develop the habit of observi11g your
surroundings carefully. S01ne day you may \\'ant
to place a figure in a similar atJnosphcrc. You
cannot succeed con1pletely with the figure un­
less you can dra,v t�c details of the setting. So
 OBSER\'E YOUR S U RROUNDINGS
begin now tq collect a 61e of the detaih that
give a setting its "atmosphere."
Learn to observe significant details. You 1nust
he concerned ,vith more than l'vfartha's hair­
drcss. Precisely why does l'vfartha in a formal
go,vn look so diffen,ul iu shorts or slacks? llo,v
do the folds of her dress break at the floor ,vhen
she sits down?
,:vatch emotional gestures and expressions.
What does a girl do ,vith her hands when she
says, ''Oh, that's wonderful!"? Or ,vith her feet
,vhen she drops into a chair and says, "Gosh,
I'm tired!"? What does a mother's face register
when she appeals to the doctor, "Is there n o
hope?" Or a child's ,vhen he says, "Gee, that's
good!"? You must have more than 1nere tech­
nical ability to produce a good drawing.
Nearly every successful artist has a particu­
lar interest or drive or. passion that gives direc­
tion to his technical skill. Often it is an absorp­
tion in some one phase of life. Ha1·old von
Sch1nidt, for example, loves the outdoors, nrral
life, horses, the pioneer, drarna, and action. Ilis
,vork breathes the fue that is in hhn. Harry A n ­
derson loves plain Atnerican people - the old
family doctor, the little ,vhite cottage. Norman
Rock,vell, a great portrayer of character, loves
a gnai·led old hand that has done a lifctitne of
,vork, a shoe that has seen better days. His ten­
der and syn1pathetic attitude to,vard humanity,
in1ple1nented by his rnarvelous technical ability,
has ·won hi1n his place in the ,vorl<l of art. Jon
\Vhitconih an d A.I Parker are at the top because
they can set do,vn a poignant, up-to-lhe-1ninute
portrayal of yotu1g 1\.1nerica. The Clark brothers
have a fondness for dra,ving the Old West and
frontier days, and have been most successful at
it. l'vfaude Fangel loved babies and drew thern
beautifully. None of these people could have
reached the pinnacle without their inner
dri ves. Yet none could have arrived there with­
out being able to dra,v well.
I do not strongly reco1n1nend becoming
"helper" to a successful artist in order to gain
backgroun d. i\1ore often. than not, it is a dis­
couraging experience. The reason .is that you
are continually matchi ng your humble efforts
agail1st the stellar perfonnance of your e1n­
ployer. You are not thinking and observing for
yourself. You are usually cheaining, developing
an itueriority complex, heco,ning an imitator.
Remember: artists have no jealously guarded
professional secrets. Ho,v often have I heard
students say, "If I could just watch that man
work, I'1n sure I could get ahead!" Getting
ahead does not happen that way. The only
mystery, if such it may be called, is the per­
sonal interpretation of the mdividual artist. He
him self probably does not kno,v his o,vn "se­
cret." Fw1damentals you 1nust ,naster, but you
can never do so by watching another man
paint. You have to reason. them out for yourself.
Before you decide what type of drawing you
want to concentrate on, it would be wise to G'On­
sider your particular background of experience.
If you have been brought up on a farm, for in­
stance, you are much more likely to succeed in
interpFeting life on a faim than in depicting
Long Island society life. Don't ignore the inti-
1nate ki10,vledge you have gained from lon g,
everyday acquaintance. All of us tend to dis­
count our o,vn experience and knowledge-to
consider our background dull and common­
place. But that is a serious mistake. No back­
ground is bmTen of artistic n1aterial. The artist
,vho gre\V up in poverty can create just as much
beauty it1 drawitig ttuublc-do,vn sheds as an­
other artist might in drawing on,ate and luxuri­
ous settings. As a matter of fact, he is apt to know
1nuch more about life, and his art is likely to
have a broader appeal. Today great interest has
developed in the "American Scene." Si1nple
homeliness is its general keynote. Our advertis­
ing and 1nuch of our illustration, however, de-
 THE NUDE AS A BASIS
mand the sophisticated and the smart, but it is
\vise to bear in 1nind this newer trend, for which
a humble background is no handicap.
It is true that most artists must be prepared
to handle any sorf of subject on de1nand. But
he does best. If you do not want to be typed or
gradually each one will be chosen for the thing
"catalogued," you will have to ,vork hard to
widen your scope. It means learning broad
drawing principles ( everything has proportion,
three dimensions, texture, color, light, and shad­
ow) so that you will not be floored by cornmis­
sions that 1nay call for a bit of still life, a land­
scape, an animal, a particular texture such as
satin or knitted \vool. If you lean1 to observe, the
demands should not tax your technical capacity,
because the re1!dering of all form is based upon
tl1e \vay light falls upon it and the \vay light af­
fects it� value and color. Furtherinore, you can
always do research on any tuuan1iliar subj ect.·
Most artists spend as much tune in obtaining
suitable data as in actual drawi.i1g or painting.
The fundamentals of painting and drawing
are the same. Perhaps it might be said that
drawing in general does not attempt to render
the subtleties of values, edges, and planes or
modeling that may be obtained in pai.i1t. In any
1nedium, ho\vever, the artist is confronted with
ilie same problems: he will have to consider tl1e
horizon and viewpoint; he \viii have to set do,vn
properly length, breadth, and thickness ( in so
far as he is able on the flat surface); he will have
to C.'Onsider, in short, the element� iliat I am talk­
ing about in this hook.
The nude hu1nan figure must serve as the
basis for all figure study. It is i.inpossible to dra\v
the clothed or draped figure ,vithout a kno,vl­
edge of ilie structure and form of ilie figure un­
de rneaili. The artist who cannot put ilie figure
together properly does not have one chance in
a thousand of success- either as a figure drafts­
man or as a painter. It \Vould be as reasonable to
expect to become a surgeon without studying
anatomy. If you are offended by the sight of the
body ilie Almighty gave us to live in, then put
this book aside at once and like,vise give up all
iliought of a career in art. Since all of us are
either 1nale or female, and si.i1ce the fi!,'Ures of
the two sexes differ so radically in construction
and appearance ( a \Vo1nan in slacks is not a man
in pants, even when she has a short haircut), it
is fantastic to conceive of a study of figure draw­
ing that did not analyze the 111any differences. I
have been engaged in almost every type of com-
111ercial art, and my experience con.finns the fact
that the study of the nude is indispensable to
any art career that requires figure drawing. A
vocational course ,vithout such study is a deplor­
atile \Vaste of time. Life classes generally work
fro1n the livi.i1g model; hence I have tried to
supply drawings that will serve as a s11bstit11te.
Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of
clra\ving: linear and solid. Linear dra\ving- for
exa1nple, a floor plan- embraces design or scale.
Solid dra,ving attempts to render bulk or three­
dimensional quality on a flat plane of paper or
canvas. The first i.i1volves no consideration of
light and shadow. The latter gives it every con­
sideration. It is possible, ho,vever, without light
and shado\v, to make a flat or outline drawing
of a figure and still suggest its bulk. Therefore it
is logical to begin \Villi tl1e figure in Bat dimen­
sion- start out with proportion, can·y it from the
Bat to the round, and then proceed to render ilic
bulk in spaG-e or in te rms of light and shadow.
The eye perceives fonn much more readily by
contour or edge ilian by the 1nodeling. Yet there
is really no outline on fonn; rather, there is a sil­
houette of contour, encompassing as much of
ilie form as we can see from a single viewpoint.
,ve must of necessity limit that form some \Vay.
So we dra\v a line- an outline. An outli.i1e truly
belongs \vithiJl th� category of flat rendering,
iliough it can be acco1npanied by the use of light
 WHAT I S LINE?
and shadov,. The painter dispenses with outline
because he can define contours against other
masses or build out the fonn in relief by the use
of values.
You 1nust understand the difference het\veen
contour and line. A piece of ,vire presents a line.
A contour is an edge. That edge ,nay be a sharp
lirnitation to the fonn ( the edges of a cube) or a
rounded and disappearing li1nitation ( the L'On­
tour of a sphere) . .!,;!any contours pass in front of
one another, like the contours of an undulating
landscape. Linc figure drawing, even as land­
scape dra,ving, demands foreshortening in order
to produce the effect of solid fonn. You cann ot
outline a figure ,vith a bent wire and hope to ren­
der its solid aspect. Look for two kinds of lines:
the flowing or rhythmic line, ,vcaving it about'
the fonn; and, for the sake ofstability and struc­
ture, the contrasting straight or angular line.
Linc can have infinite variety, ,
or it can be in-
tensely 1nonotonous. Evea if yon start v,ith a
bent wire, you need not 1n·ake it entirely monot­
onous. You can vary the ,veight of line. \Vhen
you are drawing a contour that is near a very
light area, you can use a light line or even
o,nit it entirely. \Vhcn the line represents a con­
tour that is dark and strong, you can give it n1ore
,veight and vitality. The slightest outline dra,v­
ing can be inventive and expressive.
Take up yow· pencil and begin to swing it
over your paper; then let it dO\Vll. That is a
"free" line, a "rhythrnic" line. No,v, grasping
your pencil lightly bel'\veen tl1u1nb and index
finger, <lr,l\v lightly or delicately. Then Lear
do,vn as though you really 1neant it. That is a
"variable" li ne. See if you can draw a straight
line and then set down another parallel to it.
That is a "studied" line.
If you h ave considered a line as 1nerely a
1nark, it may be a revelation to you that line
alone possesses so 1nuch variation that you cnn
,vorry over it for the rest of your days. Hemcm-
ber that line is so1nething to turn to when your
dl'awings are dull. You can start expressing your
i ndividuality ,vith the kinds of line you dra,v.
No\v to thefigtu·e. \\1hat is the height-to-width
relationship of an ideal figure? An ideal figure
standing straight must fit ,vithin a certain rec­
tangle. \.Yhat is that rectangle? Sec dl'a\ving,
page 26. The simplest and most convenient unit
for measuring the figure is the head. A normal
person 'Nill fall short of our ideal byhalf a head­
he will measure only S(�vcn and a half heads in­
stead of eight. You need not take eight head� as
an absolute n1easure. Your ideal man may have
any proportions you \Vish, but he is usually made
tall. ()n pages 26 to 29 you will find various pro­
portions in head units. Note that at any ti1ne you
can v,u-y your proportions to suit the particular
proble,n. Study these carefully and clra,v them,
two or three times, for you ,vill use them, con­
sciously or not, every time you set up a figlll'e.
S0n1e artists prefer the legs even a little longer
than sho,vn. But, if the foot is shown tipped
do,vn in perspective, it ,vill add considerable
len gth and be about right.
It is remarkable that 1�ost beginners' ,vork
looks alike. Analyzing it, I have found certain
characteristics that should be mentioned here.
I suggest that you co1nparc this list \vith your
own ,vork to see if you can locate some of the
characteristics for irnprove1nent.
1 . Consistently gray throughout.
\·Vhat to do: First get a soft pencil that ,vill
rnake a good black.
Pick out the blacks in your subject and
state them strongly.
By contrast, leave areas of ,vltite where sub­
ject is white or very light.
Avoid putting ovcrstatea grays in light
areas.
Do not surrotu1d things that an; light with
heavy lines.
 BEGINNEf{S· \:YORK
2. An oi;erabundance of small fuzzy line.
Do n�t "pet" in your line, clra\V it cleanly
\\,jth long S\veep.
Do not shade with a n1ultitudc of little
"pecky.. strokes.
Use the side of the lead \vith the pencil laid
ahnost flat for your n1odeling and shado\vs.
3. Features 1nisplaced in a head.
Learn \Vhat the construction lines of the
head are and ho\v spaced. ( See Jiead
Dra\ving.)
Build the features in to the co1Tect spaces.
4. Rubbed arul dirty, 1.1)/ually in a roll.
Spray \vith fixative. lf on thin paper, n1ount
on heavier stock.
Try never to break the surface of your
paper. This is very bad. If you have done so,
start over. Keep your dr.nvin gs Hat. Keep
•
•
untouched areas sen1pulously clean \Vith a
kneaded eraser.
5. Too 1na11y r11ediu11i.s in sa·me picture.
l\·fake your subject in one rncditun. Do not
co1nbine \vax .crayons \Vith pencil, or pastel
with so1nething else. ]\;fake it all pencil, all
crayon, all pastel, all \Yater color, or all
pen aud ink. lt gives a certain C.'Onsistency.
Later on you llhty co1nbine different 1ne­
diu1ns effectivelv, but do not start that \vav.
, \vater ('Olor paper or board, for it can get very
6. The tendency to use tinted papers.
A black and \vhite dra\ving looks better on
white paper than anything else.
If you have t.o use tinted paper, then work
in a color that is hannonious. For instance
a brown or red coute era,von on a tan or
cream paper.
It is better to put your color on white for
clarity.
7. Copies of movie stars.
This gets intensely monotonous to anyone
inspecting abeginner's \Vork. The heads are
usually badly lighted fron1 a tlrav,ing stand­
point. Take a head that is not well known.
2,5
8. Bad arrange111ent.
lf you are doing a vignetted head. plan in­
teresting and attractive shapes. Don't run
over to the edge of the paper unless \\'hole
space is to be squared off.
9. lJighlights in chalk.
It takes a very skillful artist to do this suc­
cessfully.
10. Uninteresting sub;ec/s.
.
Just a C'Osh.u11e does not n1ake a pichire.
Every picture should have son1e interest if
possible other than a teclu1ical demonstra­
tion. Heads should portray character, or ex­
p ression. Other subject� should have niood
or action or senti1nent to 1nake it in teresting.
\Vatcr color is perhaps the n1ost tricky medi- '
1un of all. Yet most beginners take to it. \Vater ·
�·olor to he effective should be broad in treat-
1n e11t, \Vith lar ge loose \vashes, and not too fin­
icky. lf you find yourself stippling and pecking
you cau he pretty sure it \\,jll not be liked.
\Vater color should have a feeling of the "ac­
cidental" or color that has done something of
its O\vn an d dried that ,vay. Lovely effects are
obtained by dampening an area first an d then
llo\viug the color into the \vet area. Use a real
1nessy on a soft and very absorben t paper. The
less you have to go over ,vhat you have once put
do\vn, the better. Generally v,ater-colorists pre­
fer not to leave a lot of pencil, especially diuk or
shaded pencil sho\ving through. Sorne \vater­
eolorists \vork by \Vashing in a · general tone,
-sen1bbing out the lights \Vith a soft sponge or
brush, and \\'ashing .iJ1 the halftones and darks
over the original tone. If you are tuiable to
hantUc water color in any other ,vay than by
pecking in little strokes, I \VOuld suggest you try
pastel \vhich can be spread and rubbed at will.
Oil paint has the a?vantage that it stays wet long
enough to maneuver the color as you \vish.
 ..
IDEAL PROPORTION, MALE
HEAD UNIT.S
e
ld«1l ha,qht
O q,,.1 t11h S

ci.,.._
:_13 • Sb.o<llc\g1��
,.,.,c.,.
- _- ., ,
7

_ .,.
S�ooldaYS al S � O
N

,r
II
5 FT

ll
'-
---i I /.
/

I \
\ I
Ki les
\, ..._.. I
�
I \
',../.........
I�
6

,,
�

Ii
\'

.,,,
.
.,.

'
!
�

I)
•
"I fT •I I
I

'
t'lavel
\\
"
V
J I ''

)
I

j
5
-
Y, - - -�
li1p3
•
J 'I
fl

./
J l' \
\ I
I.'/
�
Crotc
4
!I., \
"
au�tocks � •
�;
�
�

\ I
.,. 0

\
\
�

·..
1<S

1\1
�. '-i
v� ")

.E+
jl 2 FT
\
\ I
I

I ;, J
I
'°....
'.)
\
2 \
1 0

i1
I f'
->l
V

''•
\
; I PT
!( �

",.
�od
"1)
Lc,w.o,.. lu'ls c>re
l
-
I
'< �\
V)
I back of 1"1 idd le \

0 li>1e tl.,u Fiqul'e

' ;
·,

•\
/

Heals 7 =, .-
Take any desired height, or place points for
top of head and heels. Divide into eighths. Two
and one third of these units will be the relative
\vidth for the male figure. It is not necessary at
this stage to attempt to render the anatomy cor­
rectly. But fix in your rnind the divi,;ions.
Draw the figure in the three positions: front,
side, and back. Note the comparati ve widths at
shoulders, hips, and calves. Note that the space
behveen nipples is one head unit. The \vaist is
a little \vider than one head unit. The wrist
drops just belo,v the crotch. The elbows are
about on a line with the navel. The knees are
just above the lower quarter of the figure. The
shoulders are one-sixth of the ,vay down. The
proportions are also given in feet so that you
may accurately relate your figure .to furniture
and interiors.
 IDEAL f>ROPORTION. FEJ\tlAl.E

HEAD UNlf5

,.
I

�'
:Y�·it ��·.m
i
�- ��_B1 e_pl_!!i_
•
/
w....,
\\
tll>ows-Wo,..f. " V
I ___ _.:,�.-,1-- -J:t._ �..
�- '(o'� .t_4�v� .

\
,, ,
,/
I ..,. ·.I
•. .

l'o...i Cro+c.l.
M,ddl¢ Po;"� \ 3 FT
/
,
I

2 FT

\ I \ I
'5ottow, of \(1,1aes · \ J \ I _H<1 1 ht-o �o cho1t"
2 l � �··

I F'T

. '.
. .'
I I

The fe1nale figure is relatively narrower-hvo
heads at the widest point. The nip1:ilcs are slight­
ly lower than in the male. The ,vaistline meas­
ures one head tu1it across. In front the thighs
are slightly ,vider than the armpits, narro,ver in
back. It is optional whether or not you dra,v the
legs even a little longer from the knees do\\'11.
Wrists are even ,vith 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 some,vhat heavier thighs.
Note carefullv, that the female navel is belo,v the
\\•aistbne; the male, above or even with it. The
nipples and navel are one head apart, but both
are dropped below the head divisions. The e l ­
bov.r is above tl1e navel. It is important that you
learn the variations behveen the 1nale and fe­
male figure.
 \'1\l�IOUS STANDAl<DS OF fJf<OPOR-rl()N

NORMALJ:4 HDS I DEAUJTIC,8 l-1175 FAS�1 ION ,8 Y2f--lDS HEROIC,9 l-lDS

THE ACADe.M t C Mosr Afl:TISTSACCEPT ACC.E.P�D
PRO "'°0 r:<.., f C>NS 8 HEAPS AS tJORl"IAL
USEC> IN MOST &:HOQJ.S,
(�Ttic.R DUMP'()

,
r
a ---- '
. ''>

.
-- '
'
,, 3

I
'

-;- °W"
, - -- ·
l
it-1+ ' ,,•
�­
I .J .... , I ,,.- i ' •

1
..ii,' f '

'"'
.

' l-\'}ll't
�

. '- I
v'
, •'
' "
�
' \ I '
'· I .fJ
�

..
7
('� I 't:,

,�,�t c-
,�
�
. 8

' 1"
t
\

7 8
J\ ,
1

/�I
\
\

,,(,V •." ,, 8
.I
•• 8 l't Q

You can see at a glance why the actual or nor-
1nal proportions arc not very satisfactory. All
acaden1ic drawings based on nonnal propor­
tions have this dun1py, old-fashioned look. Nlost
fashion artists stretch the figure even he youd
eight heads, an d in allegorical or heroic fig1.u-es
the "superhun1an" type - nine heads - ,nay be
used effectively. Note at \vhat point, or head
unit, the middle of the figure falls in each. -It
\vould b e \veil to clraw the side and hack in these
various proportions, using the previous page for
a general guide but chai1ging the proportion.
You can control the appearance of height or
shortness in any figure by the relative size of the
head you use.
 IDEAL PROl:> ORTIONS AT VA.KIOUS AC�ES

' .,__ ' �,-- � -' !-iu

ADULT
. 9•
J ' ! 6i"
' I
"� "'1 7" .
J•• �- ••
-
/
( -" - I'--
r
b"

..I--
�llULT
-:s.=-), .;. ISVr., 7lr._ l!AOS ....: '

.. 'l
t. ':: .

"' , f A _,,.
I
,
A �

'10 YR.�
, ''IOYR.S)
'

"\3iVR.S' ,
oi;;j, ' "' ' �
-'J
e,
��\. ,<S'. 1
• . \ I

' '- ....�

j,

- - � , ----
�\J
.
� ;.
\
, I YR.
r, ">'-
�
AOVLT 5 YRS

' ' ""'- ) V. ,' The qvowtl1 o� 4he kead 1s ve.ry qradual,only
_"°' ""'\
--
. 1 '� V

"' adcl,l1q .;5 1l1ches up a11ddow11 fYowt the

".l., I
j 2
JOY�• 7 "0s @ 1:-.."
J
• -
.,..., --
- first year 6 advlt\.tood .Tue leqs qrow
. ......,.
'

'.. // - --- -

,"t
�

,.
. �early twice as fast as tke i.orso.
......
.... t \ "":1"'! .
V

'
.I} � ... (

,, ·.� ....
• �

I ,,.. ' ..,__

'�

' .,,
I
"

',.. ' ' ...,

S'<R.5 • <., HOS @ 7 "

�- ,
v

'"
l../
-
� � .,�
r:.�
1'
�,
�
' �
- II
"°'I .,er,

,.. ' \ J
1 ,
��

'
4�

'-,- :;-tl ' , ' " -

•,

, r< '
•,
3YRS �5'HDS �"!i"
,, ' .J "-� ' t � r-t)\
//

' -� ' .._...

1 ,��-�
'\ti
" . "
'l •
" .
'
"'1', \--0

Tl
�

-
I'

'r. .
� s �I �- YR� 1
..,..•' ' .
Ht>S@i,"

..,,I . , \ ...
s
-
1

•,
' J

·(��-"
\_]'- ,

- '
l, •
-...!,,]
'
-
I • t--

l1'") .... '

V ) /1 I
"-
.... .... , 'I
� .. �

.J_ ts ' \. + . ,r,.,.- '. '

�

t·· •
� 2
\.,'
- -- 1,/ I\' ' I �
�,-) 1 •
\'/· y , '
� '"

" - - - .- ..
_,

- -· .... I• •
-�
.I
' I
. 'v
"-'- "-V - . -
3 ',

' /1 . �-
�

�\- -
' �
I

...
,

.5 �
4 ' --.; "' '"' •
" ,
, '

'/ ' I
?

..,.....,, .... ;,\I ,:'- '

�,7 ., 5).,. , ' 4 . ,,
\
I
b ., ' • \..
:,' /"

These proportions have been v,orked out ,vith ,vith a five-year-old boy, you have here his rela­
a great deal of effort and, as far as I kno,N, have tive height. Children under ten are 1nade a little
never before been put do,vn for the artist. The shorter and c:h11hhiP-r th,111 non11al, since this ef­
scale ass1uncs that the child ,viii gro,v to be an fect is considered more desirable; those over
ideal adult of eight head units. If, for instance, ten, a little taller tha11 norrnal - for the sa,ne
you waul lu <lra,v a rnan or a ,vornan ( about half reason.
a head shorter than you ,voul<l dr.nv the 111a11) •

29
 THE FLAT DIAGRAM
II ' V4lo\1•'1. I lo\q po'-K�,

- '"
.....
+-!OW TO PROJEC.TTHE"F�DIAORAM" ONTO THE GROUND PLANE

I \ \ \\
I Iuseful
'

,
7

-
B

"I - °""Tuis will prove !MOS!: whet1

�a,ve. t, lfOU
draw wi.tkoot a 1t1odcl aHd in fore�llorte11n1q 1.--
��-..,.J You u11ll li:ar11.
.....
lokr/,owlo
build tkc solid

\ •
\\
- fn:;�tka�at

l]
/
1

• \.
.-

....,
2. hd,�

__,,._.l,,,l___ _,c.
�

lt
--
.. .
f,U..,.�e IE.v�s�s
C
l,'i fullow·,,.q
BL._
o.
_

1-lc.t Flo� Dioq ra .,._

•
Us�H 'j -CWO plaHcS

-J
\

'" iI
1
-...._L �

: FlAT 01:GRAM :
51.odou.,.r ca" l>o c:lra.w� btj H"s pla.... ll is a·'lv·,c:1/fo,. tk4 �ol ,d ,.., p«..-specl;i.11e .
I
I
I '
• .
/ FLAT DIAGRAM IS NO MOOE THAN A TRACINQ
I t O A SHADOW-WITH ONLY TWO DI MENS IONS -
I 1 8 T IT IS OUR MAP. WE CAN'T DO WITHOUT IT
0,
• ., 1>,•,••ql s 1 � t NTtL WE KN ?W T11f WAY,
1, �· .,'f dtaqo•Qfs u-,t;I

I 1h•• Fto Go...l

( A1\o•u O �f:.L��.s o;v;d,r
I EH nt...lol , sl.¢d..1-c -_
,.,. ...
.:...I ./---:,/ -tk re o,.• 8 eron spaus.
�\

".
I
I So o"- uM"T\.1 /,Y- - ..;J,,::::::..---,,.1
I \:l.tot-• QrQ.
8 sIJOC..,CZ.S • >,,::::...-..,...,=-� •

• Flot 0,oq<<>ltl
s,-u,,.'I pose

•
l 3 PLo"'"C: S

C
0

,,. 8 ""
applies to difficult fura�..tc"11tq
lwo WO'j5 of- ra.,da.-; ,.'\ W.o ·0o�·of �t,o Flat- Di""lra rn. si.ow·,..'l kow tu ,,..i...ciple

to be <lXplai,uid.
·,.._ pc.-$pec.ti.ve. Yov on< u.-qad to leoYK � Mow.lb
w�U. It.alp 1100 oul: of �a"-'1 di{�i.wlli.e.s lah,r oM..
 THE FLAT DIAGRAM

-
OTHER IMPORTANT USES OF THE '' MAD"OR FLAT DIAGRAM.

- r'Z···· -_....
t
� ) ' ,,Y.
.,
kJ.
- �
JV \
J.

/I 1
Sk&* "i/l•'f

l"
. /, -...
/
�!/!J�
'•!

} r
�

-
I '
lt'I'. U.&OW'
1 �V

\j
.II

\ II JlT "''""
\, ;
,

.
'

KOl<IZ:Oli
--ll,+-Hf--iaci-!i:
Gl<.0'«
!!£!!�W4...ll�'
' �
. '
I
' .\

-
Al I poi.tll:-s·o� -1:ke: Fiqore ca11 be put i11. Qo ,ck''.Sel: up"111. Ov,ck "Sef-up· of
perspe:ct-ive w"itk il1e · Map· cis quide per�pecti..ve the "Map".

I
l
.I

31
 QUICK SET-UP OF PROPORTIONS

, ·

(/t�·1
!
j !f
.1 �d
' ! '
�,s
/,./,
\·� 1 � \'
\

• '
•:'I'
•
.� !' •

1 ;,V .· )
�· I
•
•
) h ,=-, .
�

Ir, t
U)o . (, V

!
�

l
'

.' -
V

'
I =d.
!.'
I N

-. /'
\\

! ",'IJi
'

A·
't tRO'TrH
i"!
. ''

). l
......_
·,

"r->\ 'f
� \
•'
\
"� I .',..,.. ....
- r,I
·
•
· K111rt
"
;

'w
. I
\!
/
•'

\.·
:
;

l
·''

I
i I

!
i
'

-I lli I .
. _.J{i_
'

.
-... "
•

1 l-:d \\
x ,I
hMJ
s�••1 :j ;.
{----
��s. ',

...�d� ..,.,.
\\
!
- ,,... \
\

3h4S ""'
� '' i•,

\' l
,----_)
. \ • ... .

\ .i
•'
'
.. r ; II.
! {

. ,. ·.
i

\}\.(i. • y
•

\ . i j

i
l
I '

-} �'
I /

3 'l
 PROPORTIONS BY ARCS AND HEAD UNITS
J;Ul.1.. UE'IGtCr
. - -. ..... 8

t.,--,,
'
''
'
\

'
S�os.
\
\
I
. '
+-1-4- •

. .....
I

I
J I
'

•
I
I

! '

' l_ I
I

-· ..
,

I
I
I•
•

I
.;.

/
I
/
/

I
/ /
/

/
I -- _.,..
., ,t�
\

""-�-
I �'I, ) U$t; $0(.K\,;.1 AS Cl!NT�

I
.SWI N G, Art(.S fOR. f'totM,-

--t� '
'..<,""
/ / /
-- - -·
� <, �
/ /

- -- -- --
/
 PROPORTION IN RELATION TO THE HORIZON

How to bu'ild your P�C.ture attd .f:1 qures

-.
tr-om an,</ e'tel evel(or HorizoH-, wh,ck mea�s Bi.esartte)
1 ? � "I 5 6
A A

• --
A
7
• 8
A
9 10

VP ••
--- - - t.:
" .. 0

D1 v,de 111ft, 4tl<s. B<J1ld 1qurcrs.lf TaKeaM�erp:,111\: D1v1de asyoud,d Complehz3td F1q. 1'.>oi ld VOUl'p1ctur-e

.Qule: Horti:011. »w st cross all si,��lar- fiquvcs 011, a.level pl£U\£ at tke sa.11«? po, n.t.(above,fl� lotees)
you wo11l-"1ore- 0·11tvu'c'w\-lorrz:011. befor-e to same Hor,.z.oK.

HOW TO Ll\Y our TI-IUMBNAIL 5KEfCHE5 FOR FIGURE PLACEMENTS AND SIZES
Ho�l:ZON M,A'( 6F.. PLAC'cO Aeove. flGURt;S • •
!l'oca17.t.)N

� -
� ',
FK>11< ow,: f1<]Ure yooca11 'lei ""� '"""l,er Tok� a httle off for o�u;-;-; "� iiqure A fi qun, •1<14 >\l>IOUl-ol-p,c.b,re

""""'··
tW.Pp {',4,qQS''"IN I:.
Q ro lDY'l'l\R pu,.,..e
....,,,

- -- -.. . --- - - - - - --
Fl <.iUR-t:

'
I , \I
Jd I . ..
�

Fc,, clot

34
 THE JOI-IN AND MARY PR()BLEMS

� ---=--
--- -·
,....�:-··'.:····· ·····"'"· ·..:.....-···/«
_l'f�I\IXQM - A

:_· :.:::�::--=: -·':'.:::;.... ,.:....- . .

-
'-- -��4-F==! - -·· · · ...�·
. . ---.� - . ·•
. . -:
.... . <
�-
--- . ....
--· .---
..,,,.
... . .. . . ...

. .-. .-:. . _
- - �- '
. /

J:\ ..
.
/
.1 v,�� · ·0.l
··
. I '
··
�
�
lr !!k.,
' � //

JI�--
The picture dta11'1<1 s Now ,f w<?. li12 dow1-11�e We walk bcckwa..-d a�d
1 F we starid.The hor1:z.011 kor1zo1-1 drops too.The
?'

upward 01-1 tl1e b<iQ.ck

qoes upw,t-'1 us. p,2Y.5pec.bve clta11qes. Horizo� ris<Ls above , 1<ow .

.--

1--- - -
- -

- - -- - - ·-

I
ed oy so..whow WYO>\ - Jokn IMO

35
 FINDING Pf{OPORTION AT ANY SPOT IN YOUR PICTURE
. vPolFIG5
VA.Nf$1ifNC: POf.ltTOr:
f l CUR.ES �,2. .�..!14 v.p.oS:.FIG I
p
POl�T M4,.,­
&� t>LA<:eo
YWlol��
• at precisely that spot. Obviously everything else
•
•
PRINCIPLt: APPL E.5
To ANY PART OF FIGURE
l'v1any artists have difficulty in placing figures
in their picture and properly relating then1 to
each other, especially if the cotnplete figure is
not sho"1n. The solution is lo dra,v a key figure
for standing or sitting poses. Either the whole
figure or any part of it can then he scaled ,vith
the horizon. AR is taken as the head measure-
111cnt and applied to all standing figures; CD to
the sitting figures. This applies wh(1n all figures
are on the same ground plane. ( On page 37
there is an explanation of how to proceed ,vhen
!=-t.OR.I.ZON L I N E
V.-Pol HGB
VP.oi.rLC.b, 7.
' . •
-·
the figw·es are at different levels. ), You can place
a point any,vhere ,vithin your space and find the
relative size of the figure or portion of the figure
should be dra,vn to the san1e horizon and scaled
so that the figures arc relative. For instance,
_ a key horse or cow or chair or boat. The
dra,v
important thing is that all figures retain their
size relationships, no matter ho,v close or dis­
tant. A picture can have only one horizon, and
only one station point. The horizon moves up
or down ,vith the observer. It is not possible to
look over the horizon, for it is constituted by the
eye level or lens level of the subject. The horizon
on an open, Hat plane of land or ,vater is visible.
A1no11g hills or indoors it n1ay not he actually
visible, but your eye level detennines it. If you
do not understand perspective, there is a good
hook on the subject, Perspective Made Easy,
available at 1nost booksellers.
 "H,-o\NC}ING" FIGURES ON TflE HORIZON

/
I
--"'"'I

\_

,_.
i \

--- ';

'.
'.

""·
--- -­
--..... -·
. '"'-
>

- ·- - . .
- - -
You ca,/ ha11q"vouY fiqu,.,es OJ.\tke Ho,.,,zo� li.1te by 1,1.1oki "'-q Lt cut t roucik �i.wtt\aY fiqu nts i.11. t
�<:\.1'11,e pla.ce.This keps tkem-011. the san.te qvou�d pla1te. Note HoY1zo11. url:s 11,1.e11.at (l.)Q1stand the
,eatitd woitte11. ot clti<1.. The 011.e sbll'ldutq wo1'(a.1t at left ·L5 dYa.w11. rel ati.ve. to Bte IM.(?11 . Si.J.1(,ple?

HC!<.I.ZON LINE

I _...:·..

-
·,

'<ou c.a11. also"ha11.q" keads 01'1. tke Hoviz.o\'1. : Heve we have 111easuYed a r-,r:opot-b.on.a:te
o..t :
at
li.11.e.k tlus ca.Se u. cots ma1<t.'s MMS di.sl::eu1.ce.dow11. Fro� Ute Hot-1z.ott..l ha.ve
tk.e 1-tt.outk, tk.e wome� tke. crye:;. : taket1- two k.-ea.ds as an.opti.oi.ta.� spa.,ce.

37
 WE BEGIN TO DRA\V: FIRS1' THE MANNIKIN FRAME
THE FIRST PROB LEM: HOW SHALL THE WEIGHT BE CARRI ED?

�1 PPL£.\

IJ

PROPOR.TION UNI:. MANtl1klN FltAME Slt>E. WEiGHIONRT.FooT WT.ON LFT.Foor WY.ON eon, FEET

WElCHTON Pt!.LV\$ Wi. ONe. KNEE,ONe FOOT

ALL FIGURE ACTION SHOULD

(I
BE BASED ON A DISTRIBU1101'l-=-.>,.,.. Yi)Hv"
-..,._.-�- l
--=�
OF THE WE.IGHTOFTHE. OOD'{

)�
1�
ON ALI. FOUR.S COMBINATION HANDS, PeL\/\S AND FEET 5U5PENOED 60.CK AND PE.L\/15
 MOVEMENT IN 1'1-11� MANNIKJN FRAME

---�
Le.T US SrR.IVI': FOR LIFE AND ACTION FR0"1 THE. VE:RY 8EGINN ll'IG. DflAW,DRAW-

-
�
,·.
;:;--

I I

2
I
\
I .,

,,Ci- t:",r \
\
\ I \I
\ I
I
I
I \ I
\ 'I
\
I
\
I I
I
'/
I
I •THESE ARE
\
\ \
I

\
I srATlONAfl"t'

\,
\ PIVOTS ''
I
I \

\
\
I , ..
I
,·. '
' "
I
\ J
I
\ \ I
\ \ I
I
\
'
I "
\
THESE. ARE. \
• MOVING PIVOTS ''
.� I

. '- I
'
' I
'tttE MAIN LINE OF BAl.ANCI!. SHOULD J..EA.N DIR.ecTION OF 'THE MOVeMENT, TR'( �OME. NOW,
/

- ""
'(i
� O
;;;� �
U� G ;-,-::�� MAY 61c av I LT u f'ON=
�F;;;l� a.•-
:- _
VE.
R_ _ _
D LI N l.s- FO _
R ��- -
e.·N
_T_
_ N_
A_ _
DG RAC.E.. AVOI o RIGtlT AIICi\.ES
•
39 .'
 DETAILS OF THE MANNIKIN FRAME

•
I Lll<E. TIHS-...
•
DAAW Ac.APE -1

�11 .,

Cl.orcH

l
CUR.VE. THE.
LE.GS

PllSH
&ACK:-+

/f<,£LS
PROPORTION LINE ICROHT!:SACK. .3/4 1:>ACK. SI c;,e,.. 3/"'! Fl<ON'r
ALL THE. TIME You SPEND ON THIS FELI...OW Ptl.YS 81G DIVIDENDS. LeAl<_N ALLA80UT \-\IM.

--
NE.VER DRAW THE
LIMBS .STRAIGliT
; 1--1---1:
..1
AND 5Tlff AND . ,,
WITHOUT SPRING

I
- I-• �:--..
-- (
I
I
(
�

\
""'
I ' ·./i
'I LAY Tll�l,0.PE •
OV�R: e<ALL ot CHEST
\

21-10:;

3 11t>5 .
...

THIS IS ASIMPLIFIED \/ER.SION OF THE ACTUAL FRAME -ALL YOU NEE.D FOR A .START

40
 EXPERIMENTING \VITH THE l\1ANNIKIN FRAlVIE

!)O A LOT OF EXPERIMl:'.NT1NCT.1('.EMl=.MBE:R THAi MOST

OF THE ACTION IN YOUR. FIGllRE.$ MUST COME FROI'<\ YOO
�r(
••AS YOU FEEL IT "RATHER. Tl-lAN FROM A MODEL.
XJ
t\
);

,\
'

YOO WILL SOON LE:AR:.N 1'0 E)(PR.E.SS YO(tl<:.SELF. A VITAL

.
E:XPR.ESS ION IS MORc IMPORTANT t-l�R.e. THAN ACCU R.ACY.

You CAN \JSE:. THIS TYPE OF SKELETON WI-IEN Pl.ANNIN(j �OUGH.:i,l.AYOUT�,COMro.SrTIONS.

41
 OUTLINES IN RELATION TO SOLID FORM

A. LET US ASSUME WE HAVE OUfLINES OF THREE CIRCLES SET ON 3 ADJACENT PLANE.5,

Jr.��"' - -,
,..,...--.-----� All SOLlD5 MUST HAVE THESE THREE
2
1 r - DlM EN SIONS.

_-_,..·�-_
1 LENGTH

--r 2 BREADTH
...., ,_

I
3 THICKNESS 'I
' ,,

\\ f
I

B. BY MOVING CIRCLES FORWARD TO A COMMON CE.NTER,WE PRODUCE. A ::lOL\ D BALL.

NOW TAKE A COMMON OBJECT.

u
2
-
, .-. fr- �I
L
" ,,
I
,._ _ �..;,)
THE OU1LJNE.S

. -. .
I ll

.'
OF EACl-l PLANE
. f
\
- ..
. --
� MAY BE. VERY ��;::t==>I
-
"

i---::...; � .. � ....,
•
..
..,3- ' -
---
. DI FFERENT,
----
--- - ._ BUT PU1 TOGE'THER,FORM TliE SOLID.

l=RONT
50, 1111 DF::AW tNc; WE
2
1
_ ) (_ MUST ALWAYS TR:.Y

'
t, ••
10 FEE.L THE l"l lDDLE

.. .,
1 I
-"\

CONTOURS A'SWELLAS
/ --., '
THE EDGES. THE: OUT-
! I ( :\ LINE5 ALONE: CAN

\), · '
/

I \
5UCiGE5T 50L\D\'TY.
WATCH HOW EDGES

�\ 1 ).---.. PASS ONE ANOTH E �

_
-- - __;=---_,,
':-:_':'7'....___�
,3...,
. . ;:,:,

FLAT SOLID

• •
THIS WILL NOT BE. EASY UNTIL YOU BECOME ABLE. TO THINKAL,LAROUND
THE THING YOU HAPPEN 10 BE. DRAWlNG1TRULY KNOWING ALLOF TtlE FOR. M ,

42
 Tl-IE MAJ\'NIKIN FIGURE
The foregoing has given us a general fra1ne­
,vork to ,vhich ,vc can no"' add a sirnplification
of the bulk or solid aspect of the figure. It ,vould
be both tedious and superHuous if, every tiln e
,ve drev, a figure; we went through the ,vhole
procedure of figure dra\ving. The artist ,viii
,vant to make roughs and sketches that can serve
as an understn1cture for pose or action- perhaps
to cover \\<ith clothjng, perhaps to work out a
pose that he ,vill finish ,vith a model. ',,Ve rnust
have some direct and quick "'ay of indicaling or
setting up an experimental figure - one with
whjch "'c can tell a story. The figure set up as
suggested in the follo\ving pages will usually
suffice. Properly done, it can ahvays b e devel­
oped into the 1nore finished dra,ving. 'vVhen you
are dra"•ing a 1nannikin figure, you need not be
greatly conc.-erned with the actual muscles or
how they affect the surface. The mannikin in
dra,ving is used much as is a "lay" figure, to in­
dicate joints and the general proportion of
frame,vork and masses.
The mannikin seryes a double purpose here.
I believe that the student will do much better to
set up the figure this way and get the "feel" of
its parts in action than to begin at once ,vith the
live model. It will not only serve for rough
sketches but will also become au ideal approach
to the actual drawing of the figure from life or
copy. If you have the frame and masses to be­
gin with, you can later break then1 down into
actual bone and muscle . Then you can more
easily grasp the placing and functions of the
muscles and "'hat they do to the surface. I am
of the opinion that to teach anato1ny b efore pro­
portion-before bulk and 1nass and action-is to
put the cart before the horse. You cannot draw
a 1nuscle correctly without a fair esti1nate of the
area it occupies within the figure, ,vithout an
understanding· of why it is there an d of ho\v it
,vorks.
Think of the figure in a plastic sense, or as
43
something ,\<ith three dimensions. It has weight
that n111st be held up by a fra1ne,vork \vhich is
extremely mobile. The fleshy masses or bulk fol­
lows the fran1e . S0n1e of these masses are knit
togethe r quite closely and adhere to the bony
s�ucture , ,vhereas other n1asses are full and
thick and \vill be affected in appearance by
action.
If you have never studied anaton1y, you may
not kno\v that the 1nuscles fall naturally into
groups or chunks attached in certain \vays to
the fra1ne. \Ve ,viii not treat their physiological
detail here, but consider them merely as pai·ts
interlocked or \vedged together. Hence the h u ­
n1an figm·e looks very much like our 1nannikin.
The thorax, or chest, is e gg-shaped a�d, as far
as ,ve arc concemed, hollo,v. Over it is draped
a cape of muscle extending across the chest and
dO\Vl1 the back to the base of the spine. Over the
cape, in front, lie the shoulder muscle s. The but ­
tocks start haU\vay around in back, from the
hips, and slant dow11ward, ending in rather
square creases. A V is fonned by the slant above
the 1niddlc crease. There is actually a V-shaped
hone here, wedged bet"'een the two pelvic
'
bones that support the spine. The chest is joined
to th e hips by hvo 1nasses on either side. In back
the calf ,vedges into the thigh, and in front there
is the bulge of the knee.
Learn to dra\V this n1annikin as well as you
can. You ,vill use it much more often than a care­
ful anatomical rendering. Since it is in propor­
tion in bulk and frame, it 1nay also be treated in
perspective. No artist c.-ould possibly afford a
1nodel for all his rough preliminary ,vork- for
layouts and ideas. Yet he cannot intelligently
approach his final work without a preliminary
draft. If only art directors ,vould base their lay­
outs on such 1nannikin figures, the finished
figures would all stand on the same floor, and
heads ,vould not run off the page \vhen drawn
correctly.
 .
ADDING BULK TO TJ-IE FRAME
THE .GROUPS OF- MUSC.LE.S 51MPLI FIE.D.

' \

.... . . ,
ll

...

I
DE.VE LOPING THE PREVIOUS FRAME. WITH SJMPLI Fl E.D MUSCLE GROllPS LAI O ON TOP.

1--t-- ---. .. ,

J
\

\
·? · ..
···,' ,

A SIMPLER MANNIKIN
IF THE OTHER I'S TOO
DIFFICULT.

Wi=-Wil.L STUDY THE "ACTUAL'.' BONE AND MUSCLE CONSTRUCT! ON LATER. GE.T THIS .

44
 ADDING PEllSPECTIVE TO ·rr tE SOLID fvlANNIKIN

HER.I:. I S A GRJ:) 0P
OF CYI..INOER.S .NOTE --. .... __ __ _ - "')
_
I - 1,::J
r;::.

- .. - . .
HOW TliE ELLI �E5
NARROW OOW N

-- -- T· --
AS rt·U:'( NEAR THE

-
\
EYE LEVE.L,EIT1i£R

.
FROM ABOVE OR ,

- - -- -
BELOW.

IV '
.. - - ·-
�

.... I'
6.:::(E Le.VE L I
\
A ND �ORIZ.ON

--
-
FROM THIS YOU GET . �
TIIE PR.INC I PLE OF �

- - - ...
PEcR.S PECilVE IN
THE ROUND FOR.MS
ON TtlE FIGUR.E. \ ..
. -'
.
,._
--· -
s

'ii I
�- ,__
-
.

C
"
\

...
( -( ·'-
�

TR.Y DRAWING YOL.•R MANNIKII.J FIGURE. TO THE HOR.IZ.ON

- --
-- -
- \
- ---·
. \
,_,7
.
VP

L I

4.5
 -·
ARCS OF MO\!EMENT JN PERSPECTIVE
•

"P
0-- I I

.,
_,:. .: '
l
....,.. ,. ..
\...-cl'*'
/t ,
\ ,,
\

':£. - --
�
� /- ;.--
\ I
\I I � �·

,
.

I I
,
J ,
r �1
' I
•/ I
/
' \
i
- )tj,\
\l .-
I/
/ ��.,(
' \
\ THE.ARCS OF MOVEMENT CAN BE. I
ro GET THE LEN<'.iTH
\

,
I �
\ DRAWN FIRST,
\ I ,i
OFA FORESHORTENED LIMB IN PE.R·
l:�.ING A O l F F J -
; \ 1
{

- '2 �g
s PE �
�0 �� p��b�
\ ===,.,-
E.

\ -��; �t
,��I
I
I 7 I

J
I

\
J .,
I
I
I
I
I I
I
j

I
),-
\
\
) I
I
\' I

\
\

'
I '

THE. E'(E. ALONE WILLBE. E:.NOUGH TO DE.TERMINE ·

• •
Tl-IE ARCS , PRAW THEM UNTIL THEY 5E.EM RIGHT,
 }:>I.ACING THE MANNJKIN AT ANY SP()T OR LEVEL

IF- YOU DO NOT UNO��TANO

PER.SPEC.TIV15, IT 1S AOVl�EO

- -- --
T'O G'e1'AOOOD 800K ON TliE
�Ua.1!:C.T,'fO<J MUST l<NOW
IT EVENTUALL 'i' To SUC.tEEO.
YOU CANNOT SC'T UPAGOOO
DRAWING WITHOUT II.

-- - -
r
'
\
(
'
t,-)
\
\ �
\
' I
\ / I
\
\
/ � I
I
\ /

-------
\ \ /
\

,-� ---]- -- \-,

/
/
I
I

- - - -- - - -
'
( /
/
I
__
\ \
I
�
, ,--
- J._;.
\ \ _.. �
\ \

-
�
\
'
•/
\

\.
1 { \
- - EVERY FIGURE IS R.f.l.A'TE.C IN SIZI=.
�,cv.ai:
--
TC EVERY 0TH Efit. FICVRE ANO ALL

- -
ONE.

-
MVS'T Bit DRAWN IN PERSPEC'TI\/E

� .,.. l
�
( AU. S(AW, -:::::.,.
Ato"" HIM - 'It> THE. SAM?:. EYE LE.VELOR HOR.IZOH.

( •

47
 DRAvVING THE MANNlKIN FROM ANY VIEWPOINT

H
T7fl::AW THE"�X I N IW(.l(i'H PE:�P.ECTl'VE.DIVIDE. g.y DI AGONAL�· 15UILl7 l"IANN I K I N •
 COJ.VIBINING ARCS Of" tvJOVEJ',,1 EN·r \\TITl- l THE BOX

I nI·
'.

I.

SKETCH '1'0(1 �
(l'ICI NGS•J N THc '!- I I
.,
SECT 10/.IS or- Tlif:c eox.
'
I

- -
·'

/
. ,,

�� !

- - --
ilflNK IN TERMS OF THE 501..ID.
- -=s· ==ll-
- .:__.,_
.._- -·-'
--- (

49
 LANDMARKS YOU SHOULD KNO\V
•
• • •
$U�FACE CHARACTERISTICS THAT GIVE. PUNCH TO THE FIGURE DRAWN WITHOUT A MODE.L

\ '\ (.OR.0� A'T PIT Of NECIC,

-
\
1.- - \---,1 C,QNVl5.)( LIN e L1N&.3 PASS
I
LINll. e.i:.NOS IN
11,<.�-l HEftC. 'TOP Llf'IE. ,••••
PAsses UNDER. tauR.R..ow

COtl.O .O.•iO OLLOW'S

ON "f.ei.'Ye, NIP '6 e IN S L
OOTLIN.� P SSE$
<;.o�VE!X LIN$! TO TH 0 TSU>E:

-- -41- [
C4LF HIGH ON THE.
- our.s,�,LOW INSIOE )I 7
l..CN P $6.S
TLIH& E IN

PASS

LINi:. PASn.S
THE. E.lBOW IS NEVE� C:..ONV&)(

6ALL 0� SIG' '11:)E, .5Tli:41G'ttT .-ND� It= F

UKl:.A. M 11'E.R.ED CO"-HER.

''

.. -.. ..
.. -
b w

.. .
� BONE:,
�
llN& PAS�E$ WIGH
"
L "'" ,,,. LOW STUDY THESE LANDMARKS CARE.FULLY.

--
• THEY WILL KEE.P YOUR l'-IGURES FROM
CALF WEOGl:S l'<TO
WI (.
\,,I PP&ll j..EG' lh BACK LOOKING FLABBY ANO !> H A P E L E S S .
LATER,WHE.N YOU TAKE U P '"T H E ACTUAL
LI NS PASS£$
BONE AN!> MUSCLE, YOU WJLL HAVE. 'THE
IM POR.TANT THIN(,,S TO LOOK FOR,

�How THIS ieN OON

· - .. . ····· - --- - -.J

50
·- - - - --- ·- -- ·-
LANDMARKS YOU SI-IOULO KNOW
- ·
SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS ON THE l3ACK 0� THE MALl:c FIGURE.TO MEMORIZE.

BODY
'
FUR.20W

OUT�I Ne. PASSE

,s,S
,_ _ _
_

ARM
01 P:s, IN Sl..t GH."TL'(
·�

OU,. LIN$ PA$5ES

t \ .11�
'
�
' �·
\I<,fl---'-- - - - - - - - - - - �- -""'""'-"-=:::..,:
ANO_c. ,e.:::.,:� c:.... -
FURR.ow OF SPINE IS 1>1:E.PEST
8UJ.GE FUJ;l.R.OW

'--lf-..\- --,1>-� WHEN Fl(itlR.E. IS ER.ECT

'-'--
Fu�
c1.eow

COP""VEX
TR.Y Vfl:.AWI NG TH I <S

I
1-- - - - -- �'!I�l.N-..s PA�-�- · ­ SAC!( VI EW. VO IBE

.- .
�E�T YOU CAN.
NCA.VE:

..
:, ij STUVIE.17 n.e. M�·
WI-IEl'l YOU HAVE
1,\! .�
I
I
/

I,
CL� COME l3>ACI,(

J_
I
'
OUTLINES PASS ANV VO IT AGA.1 N

-t-
�\ '/)/
\\
i
�,,
k-���1-fl - -- --"
&e,R,e
la!:>.'
A l< ..J!:' OU'r Lit_.�- __

f
"

' 'TEN DONS

AN f7 l70N '1- GET
ANKLES Dl�COUP::AG E.D. !-iE'�
J,. TOLIGH OLD 5tW!

5I
SKETCHING 1'HE FIGURE IN ACTION FROM IMAGINA·TtON

d'j0·'�
'
..

\
;
I ,

\'\ .
G,..-
\� \ )

\i
� J
/

?-- ..
1/
:s�J
- r. ..
=
�� �-

lJ � ., -�
LEC.RNING TO l"EEL AND SET UP Tl-<E FIGURE IN L>C,-ION IS NO, AS OtFF°I CULT AS IT LOOKS
'\

52
DRA\\1· SOME O F THESE. BUT DRA\V MANY OF YOUR 0\:VN

.I
I
/

' . j/
· · \\
�
p ..,_\
'
....'
.- /;.. . '' �'c"-.
� .-- .�
\,
.
.-<.:: .• . .
� \
�::;;.....--'b- •
"'S'

,I

'

,I

l<EEP YOUR DRAWINGS FR.EI=. ANO SKETCHY. ORA\/V MANY FIGURES AT VARIOUS E.YE LE.V�LS.

53
 THE FEMALE MANNIKIN

TuE. MAIN DIFFERENCE 8E.T-Wl"EN ntE MALE AND FEMALE MANNI KIN IS II'\ THE PELVIS (DISCS). THE.
HIP BONE.5 COME UP TO THE LI NE OF THE NAVEL (MALE,THEY ARE iWO OR 1HRfE. INCHES BELOW). THE
FEMALE WAI STLINE 15 Al30VE THE Nll-VEL,THE MALE ATOR JUST
• BELOW. FEMAL.E R18 CASE IS Sf'IALLER,
•
PE.LVIS WIDER.ANO DEEPE.R,SllOULOERS NARROWER.CAPE, DR.OP5 IN FRONT TO INCLUDE BR.EASTS.

·�,, ':l
(("\:- I
',
,, '���, , ,..,..'-
. -
i 11�,,.,1
'
•
sl.o,,1,,. .-,
�
,

J-
./
•
-
- - It\-
Al
l� I'fl ,...., 1
�,�-
2Al,J,;LJ!tftJ

\I \ \ }
• ,
1./....·�" i" \
I
�·
�....a,,w/

17 �-Y(j
j • \,

,. ,
,,. ��'i.7J,_, '.. �
4 J
'('
'
\J I} "
I 1 Iii

·-
•
I
�
' �•4$ �

8 i1"1, ,I. ' ' ) ' }\� MI

TOP o• ltl!AO

I
T

) I I
\ I
\
\ V
I
2. "C7'.i�

�-t-;-:-l�t--.r--t�rt� ���-\"T-t-�TOPOFKNEE ' .

1 1 f1 1.
\ !

NEE. S (S\IOES)

54
 SKETCHES

�\

I.
\-�
\
'

THE. 3 D1Yl510N5 Nfc5.D

NOT C3E. UPRI G 1-1 r ,

MANY 5TUDEl'IT5 UNDER·

VALUE. lHE U5E Of FRAME.
AND MANNI Kl N,BU1 IT MAY
BE TttE MOST YALU A13L!=.
SINGLE ASSET YOU l-lAVE.. .
YOU Alc.E UR.G'E.D TO SP!:N D

' 1 TIME. AND 'THOUG\-1T ON IT.

55
 THE MALE AND FE�1ALE SKELETONS

llfA05

•
IDEAL PROPORT I O N S USED HEADS

•
7

c:t.o.v,et..c

CAPUL.A

STe.�UM

6 tUJME.R.US

'
,
SPINE.

\
5 PELVIS

.��
_._ CR.UM
.:,... '
'
R.AOtUS
UL.Nl>

•
CT. TR.OC.HA.NTE.R

• • . "c
c>ue,�

-
4
FEMUR.

,,:--�
���
3

•
•
PATELLA

FISUL�
2
2

• INOICA"TES WHERE
50NE SHOWS ON SURFACE

* NOT£ OIFFERENCElt\
S11APE Of FEMALE PEL\I\S
 II. THE BONES AND MUSCLES
The further you go in the study of anaton1y, the
more interesting it bcco1ncs. l'vlade of soft and
pliable material, elastic yet strong, capable of
unli1nited 1nove1nent and of performing count­
less tasks, operating on self-generated po,ver,
and repairing or rene,ving itself over a period of
time in ,vhich the stronge.st of steel parts would
,vear out- the hun1an body is indeed an engi­
neering n1iracle.
On the opposite page the n1ale and female
skeletons have been set up. l have kept the head
units alongside so that you tnay relate the hones
to the figure in correct proportion.
The skeleton, though strong, is really not so
rigid as it appears. Though the spine has a rigid
base in the pelvis, it posse-sses great flexibility;
and the ribs, too, though they are fastened finnly
into the spine, are flexible. All the bones are held
together and upright by cartilage and muscle,
and the joints operate on a ball-and-socket plan
,vith a "stop" for stability. The ,vhole structure
collapses ,vith a loss of consciousness.
Strain upon the 1nusclcs can usually be trans­
ferred to the bony structure. The ,vcight of a
heavy load, for example, is largely taken over by
the bones, leaving the muscles free to propel the
lirnbs. Bones aL�o fonn a protection to delicate
organs and parts. The skull protects the eyes, the
brain, and the delicate inner parts of the throat.
The ribs and pelvis protect the heart, lungs, and
other organs. \Vhere protection is most needed,
t.h e bone co1ues closest to the sw·face.
It is very important for the artist to kno"'' that
no bone is perfectly straight. An ann or a leg
drawn ,vith a perfectly straight bone ,vill be
r�gid and stiff-looking. Cw·vature in the bones
has much to do 'h•it\the rhythm and action of
a 6gui·c. It helps mak\it appear alive.
The chief dilference� el\veen tlle 1nale and
57
\'-
fc1nalc skeletons are tl1e proportionately larger
pelvis in the fe111ale and the proportionately
larger thorax, or rib case, in the male. These dff­
ferences acconnt for the ,vicler shoulders and
narrO\ver hips of the ,nale; the longer ,vaistline,
lo,ver buttocks, and wider hips of the fen1ale.
They also cause t'he fe1nale arn1s to Hare out
,vidcr \vhen they are sv.1inging back and forth
and the femur, or thigh bone, to be a little 1nore
oblique. The hair and breasts, of course, distin­
guish the fen1ale figure, but they arc 1nerely its
1nost obvious characteristics. The fen1ale is dif­
ferent from head to toe. The ja\v is less devel­
oped. The neck is Jnore slender. the hands are
srnaller and u1uch more delicate. The muscles of
the arms arc s1naller and 1nuch less in evidence.
The ,vaistline is higher. The great trochanter of
the fcrnur extends out farther; the buttocks are
fuller, rounder, and lo,ver. The thighs iu-e flatter
and \\•icier. The calf is 1nuch less developed. The
ankles and \vrists arc si11aller. The feet are small­
er and more arched. The muscles, in general, are
less pro1ninent, niore straplike- all but those of
the thighs aud bnttocks, \Vhich are proportion­
ately larger and stronger in the female. This
extra strength is, like the larger pelvis, designed
to carry the extra burden of the tu1born child.
Concentrate upon these fundamental differ­
ences until you cnn set up an unrnistakable male
or fe1nale figure at ,viii.
Note the black squares on the n1alc skeleton.
These are bony pro1ninences ,vhere the bones
are so near the surface that they affect the con­
tour. \·Vhcn the body beco1nes fat, these spots
beco1ne di1nples or re1.,-essions in the surface. In
thin or aged figures, these bones protrude.
Working fro1n life or photographs will not
eliminate the necessity of kno,ving anat'omy and
proportion. You should !ecognize ,vhat the
. '
 REQUIREMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL FIGURE DRA\�'ING
humps and bu,nps are- and why they are there.
Otherwise your drawing w.ill have the look of
inflated rubher, or a wax department- s, tore dun1-
lll)'· The final ,vork on anv , com,nission of iln-
I
portance should be drawn from a mod�! or good
copy of so,nc kind, since it 1nust comp,etc with
the work of men \\•ho use ,nodels and gopd copy.
!vlost artists own and operate a carnera �s a help.
But it ,viii not do the ,vhole job. Outlin�s traced
from a photograph. hecause of the exaggerated
foreshortening by the lenses, have a ,vide and
dumpy look. Limbs look short and heavy. f"Iand.,;
and feet appear too large. If these distortions are
not corrected, your drav,ing ,vill si,nply look
photoi,rraphic.
It might be ,vcll to n1ention here some of the
require,nents of successful figure dra\\•ing. The
"s,n arf' female figure h,L5 so1nc n1annish con­
tours. The shoulders are drawn a little wider
than norn1al, ,v ithout 1nuch slope, the hips a little
n arrower. The thighs and legs are made longer
and mo re slender, with tap,:,ring calves. \Vhen
the legs are together, they should touch at the
thigh, knee, and ankle. The knees should be
srnall. The leg is elongated fro,n the knee down
,vith sm,1ll ankles. It is 1nerely a ,vaste of time to
sho\\• a n .art director a figure that l<x>ks large­
heade<l, narro,v-shonldcred, short-arincd or
-legged, wide-hipped, short, fat, dun1py, or
pudgy. But a figure inay be actually bo ny and
unusually tall and still please a fashion editor.
S1in1ness in 6g11re dra,vi ng has beco111c altnost
a cult. \Vhat the artists of the �liddle Ages con­
sidered voluptuous appeal would be plain fat
today. Nothing ,vill kill a sale:: so quickly as fat­
ness or shorh1ess. ( It is a curious fact that short
people .lrc apt to <lra,v short figures. A 1n,u1 ,vith
a short wife \\'lil tend to draw short ,vo1ne11. ) If
n1y ftgures seent absurdly tall, rernc1nber that I
an1 giving you the conception :\C(..'Cptccl as a
st,1ndard. They will not look too tall to the art
buyer. In fact, some of 1ny figures here are even
shorter than I ,vould instinctively dra\v them.
The essence of successful male figure dra,v­
ing is that it be kept masculine-plenty of bone
and muscle. The face should be lean, the cheeks
slightly hoJlo,ved, the eyebr ows fairly thick
( never in a thin line), the mouth full, the chin
pron1inent and well defined. The figure is, of
course, ,vide shouldered and at least six feet
( eight or 1nore heads) tall. Unfortunately, it is
not easy to find these lean-faced, h,nd-muscled
n1ale models. Thev , are usuallv, at harder work.
Child ren should be drawn fairly close to the
scale of proportions given in this book. Babies
obviously should b e plu,np, dirnpled, and
healthy. Special study should be given to the
folds and creases at the neck, wrists, and ankles.
The cheeks arc full and rotu1d, the chin is well
under. The upper lip protrudes so,ne,vhat. The
nose is round and s1nall and c.-oncave at tl1e
bridge. The ears arc s1nall, t�ck, and round. The
eyes practically fill the openings. The hands a.re
fat ar'ld <lin1ple<l and there is considerabl e taper
to the short fi ngers. Until the structure of babies
is ,vell understood it is ahnost fatal to try to draw
thern \vithout good ,vorking material.
Keep all children up to six or eight years quite
chubby. Fro n1 eight to twelve they can be dra,vn
very much as they appear, though the relative
size of the head sho11ld be a little larger than
nonnal.
If you get into ehan1cter <lra\\•ing, you may <lo
a fat fellow-hut do n't 1nake hirn too yotu1g. Do
not dra,v ears too large or protruding i 11 ,u1y
1nale dnnving. The n1alc hands should he exag­
ger ated a little in size and in the ideal type rnust
look bony and n1useular. Soft, round hands on a
1n,1n sin1ply \\'On't go.
The art director sel<lon1 points out your faults.
Ile sin1ply says he docs not like your drawing.
Auy one of the above 1nistakcs may acG'Ount for
his dislike. Ignorance of the dernands upon you
is as great a handicap as ignorance of anaton1y.
 ltvIPORTr\N'f BONES

'
.,,.!�
'

�c.,c V1£W

'
'
'•
I

\-:"'.r
2
l SCAl>Ol..A
t. HUM e:.R..U..S
� ULNA.
,4 RA.CIUS
.5 C.1..A.V I CLE.
lo-
/

'
I

�.•
I PE/;LVIS
2 SAC 1.aUM
3 Pe.MU'Ft.
ft\-4.Le $Kl!.'-ETON 1 6ACK ANP .$JOE. VIEWS
4 P

\
• ...Te L..l..A
5 Tl �JA 4
" I' I l!!>U1..A

St-fOULDE.R., Fl:ONT
1. C L..,C>.VI C L.C.
2 .SCAPU L.A.
3 HVMeR.v,.s

,,

:l 9
 J\1USCLES ON THE FRC)NT O F THE FIGUR.E
..

ST&kNO�'VOIO
S�" A$T010

:TOtO

\ PECTORAL I S M INOFl.
Pl::CTORALIS MAJOR, 2 l>·tC SPS
S�R S M�NVS

I ACI.JS
FA�G A£ LAT

( .
(,
' AD O TOA.. l.DNOU �
1

1f
$A�"T'OA. S
GR.A \ L..
V0..'5TV$ bA'[E@ALIS
SE.RRA"TVS MACIJUS

1 DE.cro,o
2 eice.P.s
.3 Pe.CTORALI S Ml>..JOF!. V'AS1"U� M.E.OlA\..lS
4 1..A'TISSlMU&. OOR.S I
S Se;R.-"rUS MAONUS

GAST CNIU'ltoJS(U.U')
Tl A;(SH tN !ic:),n�.)

Tl
Pe.R.ON&US a..()NG'V�

I\'IJ-- .o?•Sll..,!;.v.,:,��-

I 2. TR:.APe:ZtUS
.3 S"rER.NOHYooo

60
· t'-1USCLES ON THE BACK OF THE FIGURE

LE.NIIJ

01!.�"'TOIO
INF.R,._ 5PUiATUS
RHOM&OIO

ERECTOR SP! NAe LAllS$1MU� DOR.SI

G'ieovp

\ EXTERNAl. O&LI QU!!.

GLUTEU$ ME01 US

JL.t0"1'1 l31Al. 8ANO

(ikACIL\3

SeM1TeNOINOSV$

81Ct!.P� FE.MOR.I!>

CA5lflOCNEMtU$

PE.ROME.U.S LONC'VS

TEN.OON Ol"AC.Hlt...Lt:S

.50\.EUS

t ER.aCT� SOSNA& CROUP /•

2. R�OM 601 D /
J, 3 L!.Vl(fOR ANGULI SC1.PUL A.�
� -'I "TRAPl:ZI U:1

61
 l'vlUSCLES OF THE ARM. PRONT VIE\\T
..

8
BONES

)�,,
I SCAPULA

-. -
2 i,uMe.o.vs

, 4 RADl(JS
3VLNA -
/ , r
\

-, ' ,)M. SHOW$ ON OPP0�1'TI! 5\De;

WM'f!N \"I.ANO 16 TURNED OVER.,
KEY
I D�LTOIO
2. BICEPS
MUM�O!I JS 3A u l.oNa ..
� TR1ceP:S,Ot.JTe.R ...l!AO
36 ,, INNlliR u
4 6RACIIIA\..13 AN"l'IC.US
!J SUPINATOR LONC1U$
7 n COMMUNIS
6 EXT�SOR CARPI AAo1AL1$
8 » '$ OFTliE TIIUM&
+--Ulk"- 9 �LE.XOR CARPI U1"'ARIS
10 J>Ror,ATOR T.E.R!e:5
I I FLl'.\COR CARPI IU>l>CALIS
12 PAI.MARIS I..ONOUS
9 &1.5 FLEtORCAAPI UU<.e.R1S
14 EXTEN�R CARPI ULNARIS
1, ANCONEU$
J C., FLE.XOstS 0$-THE HANO
1'1 6RAC"10R.A01AL1£

DRAW THESE ARM5

TO HELP FIX THEM
IN '<OUR MEMORY
 . MUSCLES OF THF. ARM, VARIED VIE\\TS

(�

OOTliR. 1'101:. VIEW RICHT AR.M INNER Vl l5W "-IG'H'r A"-M UNOE;R AND INSIDE VIEW

, r ...,

IHN!cR. VIEW (eoo'< s,oia) 0-UT&.r(. 5lO'E. 6ACK \/IE W,PALM IH

.I
 MUSCLES OF THE LEG. FRONT VIE\V

�
�
i•

'.
·,
'
'

Tl t,,IA

s ·,
'
F-18IJLil,.

\:
10
,,
\•

I
�
'&'
'

MU SC LE5 OF THE LE.G

1. PSOA.'3 ILtACU3
Z, PECTlt,I e.vs
.3 ADDUCTOR MACNvs
4. Tl81ALIS ANTICUS
.5· f:.XTE.NSOR. WNGuS OIGiTOIWM 15 BAND Of R.\CHTE.R.
(, R.ECTU3 Fl!:MO,Z.IS
7 VASTI.J.J LO.TeRAL IS
8 VAS1'\J., MEOIALLS
��V WITH IT! 9 GASTROC.>11!:MI US
,o SOLE.US
11. (l RAC.I LIS 21 BICl!:PS F-EMOR.I S
12.. TENSOR. FASCIAE l.ATAI! a, VA�TUS \NTE.Rt•1\lr,.01v3
13 CiLUTetJ.S Meo, U � 2.� SASl.TOllt.l S
J4 ILI01'181AL BANO .2.4 TE.NDOM 0¥AC.M\ L..L.li.5
<
lb PATELLAR. LI OAMENT
17 PiaRO>l&.U.5 LONOUS
18 GLVTeJ.iS MAXIMV3
19 SE.MIMeMekANOSVS
ZO SE.M,TltNOINOSUS
 MUSCLES OF THE l�EG BACK AND SIDE VIE\V

'
'
'

Tl&IA

Pl&UU..

24

!SACK V I EW OUTE.R. S l l>E V I EW

THERE IS NO OTHER. WAY TO ACQUIR..E 8¥ CEOR.GE. BRIDGMAN A:; ElCCELleNr. THERE.

A l<NO'WLE. OGE OF ANATOMY "T... AN TO
"01c. IT our� .STAY W 1TH IT UNTIL YOU
CAN DR4'W °™E MU.SCLE5 �M MEMORY.
G'£T FURTHER BOOKS 0... THE. 5U8JECT.
THE AUTHOR R.l!!COMMENO!I THE GOOKS
I., AL50 A -veRY FINE 800K OF DIACi RAM.,,,
'ARTISTIC ANATOMY., SY WALTER f. M0.5 ES.
IN THE5E. OOOK.,, THE 5UBJECT IS MOP.E. E.')(·
P,ER.TLY COVER.e.P,AND MUCH MORE COMPLETE.
�IT P.._Y S TI:> l<NO W : 50 SYAY WITH IT !

...

65
NO\¥ JUST PLAY \VITI·{ \Vl-IAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

'
.' '.
I.I' ',I
I
II

.,
. f)

J
'\.
. -'
..
�.'d" UI'\'"'"".'
. ..:.,: .-,::_· . ).
';? I .. - -

K
-
I

\ fl , '-
. .
'\ t

66
TRY BUILDING FIGUl{ES vVITHOUT l'vlODEL OR COPY

C
- �\
I ·,
•.
 III.'BLOCK FORMS. PLANES.
FORESHOR TENING, AND LIGHTING
The transition from outline and specific t'On­
struction to the figure rendered in light and
shado,v is quite a hurdle. Often the sn1dent is
unable to 1nake this jump. The difficulty arises
fro,n a lack of conceptio11 of the solid. Yct there
are intenne<liatc steps that can n1ake the ren­
dering of the third dimension (thickness) fairly
sin1ple.
Ho,v can a solid fo rn1 be set into space? Ho,v
do ,,.,e conceive of it so that ,ve kno,,., it has bulk
and ,veight-that we can pick it up or btnnp iu to
it? The ,u,s"'Cr is that our eye instinctively rec­
ognizes the solid by the ,vay light falls upon it.
As far as the artist is concerned, when there is
no light there is no fonn. The only reason an out­
line dnnving· can suggest thco solid is that the­
oreti<.:ally a dra,ving rep resents the fonn in a
light that conies fr01n directly behiud the artist;
he u<.:e the forn1 casts no shado,v visible to us. As
the ccH1tOLU"S aud edges turn ""'"Y from us and
the light, they tend to darken until they be gin
to look like lines, sharp al the edges and soften­
ing as they approach the 1niddle or closer part
of the forn1. \\1e call this "flat lighting.'' I t is the
011lv ' ,vav' that fonn <.:an be rendered "'ithout
shadow, but it does include ''halftone," "'hic:h
is the next step between the full light and the
shadow. The shado,v is really there also, but ,ve
<.:annot sec it fro,n OLU" vie"11oint.
\Vhen v,hite paper is uscod for the dra"•iug,
the paper theoretically represe11ts the greatest
light-that is, the plane u;/1ich is at right angles
tu the so,irc 1: of light. Tn all cases other than flat­
front lighting, the fonn is rende red hy the cor­
rect interpretation of the dire('tion of the planes
a,vay fro111 the right-angle plaues, or the turning
a,vay of the fonn fro,n the source of light.
68
The first and brightest planes arc called the
.
"light planes . , The next planes are the ''halftone
planes," and the third planes, ,vhich are unahle
to reccive direct lighting because of their auglc,
·
are called "shado,v pla11es." \Vithi11 the shado"'
planes may be those that arc still receiving sub­
dued, rcAected light; these are called "planes of
reflection.'' Forrn cannot be rendered without a
clear grasp of this principle. The plnues ar c
worked out in the sirnple order of: ( 1 ) light, ( 2 j
, shado,v -v,hich is the darkest aud
halftoue, ( '.3)
is at the point where the plane parallels the
direction of light, and ( 4 ) reflected light. This
is called "simple lighting." It is unquestionably
the best for our purpose. �\,hen the re are sever.ii
sources of light, the "'hole cornpositiou beco mes
a hodgepodge, inconsistent ,vith natural light
and highly confusing to the student. Sunlight
naturally gives us the n�ost perfec:t rendition of
fonn. Daylight is softer and n1orc diffused, but
the principle still hold.,. Artificial light, unless
contro lled au d hased upon the su11 principle, is
the Ay. in the ointrnent. The canicra n1ay ' be able
to get a"•ay ,vith four or five sources of light;
the chances arc that the artist cannot.
Before you plunge into the i11tricaeies of light
and shado,v, it would be ,veil to kno,v \vhat is
going to happen to fonn ,vhen light strikes it.
Sin ce the light ca11 be 1nade to con1e fro111 any
dfrcetiou, the organization of the light-to-dark
n,ay start ,vith any plane as the light plauc. Jn
othe r ,vords, in a top lighting slightly lo the
front, the plane acro,s the hreast ,1101ild hl' the
light plan<s. l'v1ove the light to the side, and th,1t
plane ,voukl beeo1ne a halftone plane. Set the
light hclo,v, and the s:une plane is iu sh ado,11.
.
Ilencc all ph1nes are reh1tice to th e ligl,t ,ource.
 FORESl lORTENJNG AND LIGtlTING
Let us start, then, ,vith the form in the sim­
ple st possible terrn s. By drawing block forms ,ve
cut out the extreme subtleties of halftone. Con­
tinuing a plane as a single tone on a surface as
long as we can b ef�rc turnil,g it in another direc­
tion is simplification, or massing. Actually the
figure is very rounded. But rotu1ded surfaces
produce such a delicate gradation of light and
shadow that it is difficult to approach without
a sitnplification and n1assing of these tones.
Strange ly enough, the siniplification is a good
deal bette r in the en d than the exact photo­
graphic and literal interpretation. It is son1ev,hat
like trying to paint a tree by pain ting every leaf
instead of massing the foliage into its big forms
and ,vorking for bulk rather than inb·icate detail.
After ,ve hayc mastered the larger plane, ,ve
can soften it at its edges to mold it into the 1nore
rounded form, ,vhile tetaiuing all ,vc can of the
bigness of <-'Onception. Or, we cau start \\,ith a
big block, as the sculptor ,vould start ,vith a
block of stone or 1narble. ,ve he\v awa y the ex­
cess and block in the. general nias s that we ,vant.
\Ve then subdivide the big, straight planes into
s1n aller ones until the rotuided effect has been
produc.-ed. It is like goiug around a circle ,vith
a series of short; sb·aight lines. You may ques­
tion why ,vc do not at onc.-e proceed to the fin ­
ished, smooth, and rouud form. The answ er is
I
that in a drawing or painting, so1nething of the
individual procedure and structural quality
should remain. ,vhen it is loo Jt1ud1 �111uutlied
dO\\lll and polished, it becomes entir e ly f actual.
The can1era can do that. ln a dr awing, ho\vcvcr,
"finish" is not necess arily art. It is the interpr e­
is art an d that has value. If you include all the
tation and process of individual conc.-eption that
literal facts and actualities, the result will be
boring. It is your selection of relevant facts that
will c reate it1terest. A S\veeping conception car­
ries \\,ith it vitality, purpose , an d conviction. The
more detailed and involved ,ve get, the le ss
forceful and powe rful is our 1nessage. ,vc can
take a conipass and draw a circle perfectly, but
,ve have left no trace of onrselves in \\•hat we
have set do,Y11. It is the big form that does the
job-not the little and the exact.
O n pages 70 and 71 I have tried to give an
inkling of ,vhat I mean. I-Iere the sw·face is con ­
ceived of as having 1nass and bulk. The effect is
sculptural. It is looking at our mannikin a little
.
differently. If we arc to co1npose the 1nannikin
of si1nplificd blocks, ho,v shall ,ve shape those
blocks? Your ,vay is as good as mine. Shape
them any way you ,vill to mTive at a massed or
bulk effect. This i s the real approach to "solidity"
in your ,vork: actually thinking of the mass,
bulk, and weight of it.
V\!ith this approach, we take the art-s tore
\\•oodcn 1n annikin and use it as a basis for setting
up a figure ( page 72). \Ve go a step further with
the mannikiu on page 73 and attempt to eli1ni­
nate the stiffness of the jointed parts, still thin.k­
it1g though in terms of n1asses.
Retaining these lernis ,ve take solids (page
74) and tip the1n , re1ne 1nbering at all tilnes what
each section of the 1nass would be and where
it belongs in relation to the · ,vhole. \Ve 1nust
depend chiefly upon line to render the form, or
that part of it which goes back into space, as seen
by the eye of the obse rver. This is foreshorten­
ing. Actual me as ur e1nent of length cannot
be 1nade, since viewing the fonn fro1n one point
is like looking at a gun barrel aiJned directly at
you. \Ve must think of the contours and fonn
as sectious lined up one behind the other. An
outline is rarely sufficient, ho,vever, to represent
the receding seclio1L�; most often halftone and
shadO\V are needed as we ll, as shown on page
75. Pages 76 and 77 are an interpretation of the
rounded figure flattened into planes tli at go a
step furtlier than our simplest block forms. On
pages 78 and 79 we place the sirnplified forrn of
the head nn der variou�kinds of lighting.
 •

BLOCK FORMS HELP TO DEVELOP YOUR SENSE OF BULK

..

\I
f/
FEEJ_ FR.EE TO INVENT YOUR OW I BLOCKS.

/---- -..

', .
I', ·,
'

q
&LOcl<I NG I N FORM I :S ,. He.
F'OON C>AT I ON FOR. ALLWOIU<
I<;&N C>.E.R:eC> I r,j J..l<'.i H,- AI-< 17
.:sHA.vow. TP:.Y ro 1<.e.ouc:e Tt<E
FOR:M ro IT-' SIMPLE.STTERMS,
At7QOlNCi
� "
""'HATE.YEP:: 1"j;.GftE'':
0$0 f'IN 1$H YOO INIStf. l!EHl!M&�,
A S•MPLE a.BAN CJ,./T 5fATE'Ml!HT
IS l)EIIe.i:,:. ni4N J4Yttl(;-.00 HOcti.

· ' 'f/,
,i
.:' / :l �1 ilNl<TOMY IS srvotEO A� TO
·:
I., .
I
HEt.P YOU 61.11 LD -'IMP!.E: FQRMJ
·1/•/ CON'\IINCI NGLY. A NAllllll<tN WILL
'
Hl=LP YOU NOW ,O�SOME CASTS.

'I
I Yoo NEED NOT,.AT THIS S,.AGE,
ATreMPT LIGHTO.ND SttAt>OW,
tr ,r.:,' TOO t>tPPICUL,. • .JUST
PFl:AW 61G 131-0CKY :SHAPe.S.

"
TR'( lO -'eNSe THE R:>�M A.LL

,,
THe vvAy l<:OOND, .�e Ot.,EC.T
IS TO CET �T OF rH�R..AT
INTO THF. SOLID

71
HOvV TO USE AN ART- STORE WOODEN MANNIKIN
.,

,I, '
I•
I I

7
s"eTC.t< THE. MANNIKIN .
. TH&.N nu, LO "<OUR FlGVR.S.

WH'l!.N use.o WITH A e,T OF

ANATOMICAL KNOWL.C.OGE
TH� WOOOe.N MA.N N I Kl N
C:.C.N ee A a....A,. t<ElP IN
MAKINCc PR.eLtMINAR.Y
SKe:rCHES . LAYOUT� ANO
COMPOSITIONS.
"(OUR Af:n Ot!AL.e.,R. MAY
tiAVE: ONE OR. CAN aer Ir
FOR. YOO.

7 'l
QUICK SKETCHES FROM THE vVOODEN MANNIKIN

I
I
//
i

. .....

'
\
/-,_ I

73
..
 FORESHORTENING

YOU CAN FORESHORTEN ANY FORM 0Y DRAWING INTERMITTENT CROSS SECTIONS AND CONNECTING.

No MATTER WHAT THE FORM ·� LlKe, IT C4N 8E DRAWN THIS WAY· SOT YOU MUST CON S I DER
THE COMPL.ETE. FORM, NOT JUST THE. VIS10LE. PORT ION. SENSE THE FORM 4LL AROUND

�-...,.,..,.
!l. --
�
--�
/'(J,
Iii ,
I
I j::::,,_...
···,
, <� --- \

I. ::: ·-- - ..
�-.-"'"::·.,-�-?<"""".:
.... �
-�---(/(
-
r
· ::
\ '- / ... "�.
. \ � ., "-?
..
'
: ••�· �..(_
V '._,: l ' .

'-.......::··'::---
' I( I�- .
�- -
+

THE. CONTOURS PASS I N FRON,,OR OVE.R

ONE. ANOTI-IER... YOU SHOULD PRAC -r I C E.
FROM LIF'E OR GOOD PHOTO Cl'RA P H S •

74
SOfvlE PEN SKETCHES FOR FORESH ORTENING

75
 PLANES
PLANES A-eE. THeOR.E TICO.L FLATTENING Of: R.OUNDE.0 THI! USE OF PLANES c,ve.s MORJ!. OF AN INDIVIDUAL.

•
FORMS 45 WE.LL AS ACTUAL Fl.A"T <>REAS. IN A� AN QUALITY. NO TWO ARTI :,Ts WILL ,Ee PLANE:S ALI KE •

•
E)(TR.E.Mf SMOOTHNESS ANO RDi.JNONE.SS OF- FORM
" " ""
1ENP� TOWAR.0 THE. SLICK. 4ND PHOTOG'RAPH IC. r.
• .' IT
SHOUl-0 ee AVOIDE.O Lll<.E TiiE MEAS L.ES.
•sQUARENESS Ol'ROONOEO FORM IMPART"SA CERTA IN
•
RUGGEDNESS AND VITi::.L.1TY, A <iOOD AXIOM 1$, SE.E.
MOW SQUARJ!. "(OU CAN MAKE THE ROCJNo:'

-·----· - . - .'-.
-
'

•
WERE. IS A RO<JND
•
FORM
SET INTO PlANE:l �A.R.,EAS / \
I
OFLlGITT HA.LFTON.e A.NO

SW.O.,POW,

T"l&ilt.E I" NO 36.l'

A.VL.lro FOR. Pl.AHi!.$.

6 b
VOO OAAw l"He.MAS
YOU TtflNK , e&31""IO
StnT Ttte. SU0Jf!CT.

-----,1- -·
\

/
• •PLAMC.S A.Re 'T140se.

If
j! n.e. LICttT
• •
IN l'ULL- LlGH't.1MII. "4ALFTO N•

I "
P�N&.$ Alt& TttOSe IN MA1...P
.
I .
•'.' LIGt4"f, TWe. PA,SACI! 'TONE. I�

"
n,iAT 'I.Nt11C.H ME.RO� nti. HALF•
TI)HE. ANC, Sl-tA.OOW. '1"1-1e. �
i, "04& J...I GHTeST 1?:>N.E. II"( 1'"4e
\\ I/ �.,_.Aoow.
HERE WE. HAVE. SQUAR.E.D
TfiE. ROUNDED FIGCJR.E. INTO
PLANES. THE. PuR.Pose. I S
ro use ,He.M AS A BAS Is
FOst R.eNOIS.RJNG L.IGHT>
<> I
\
\

t"<ALFTON E. AND SHA DOW,

IN THE. 'SIMPLEST TE.RMS
.6ND t.T n4E SAME. TIME.

"
PRE.SE.R\/ I N G THc MA I N
STR.UCTU�L FOR.1vJS ,
�
Wf! iHE.N SOFTEN ,HE
EOG I!'S OF THE. PLA N E S
'It:> "THE oe.c, R.EE THAT
we. DCCM 3A"'TtSrrACH)R.'{,
 PLANES
THE.R.e. IS NO SE.T OF PL.ANES WHICH WILL FIT n,IE
FIGURE. AT ALL TIME.S I S INCE "11-H" SURFACE FORM
CHANGES W111l t'\OVEMENT .SUCH AS BENDING AT
THE WAIST,MOVEMENT OF THE. SHOULOERS,ETC.
THE PLANES ARE. GIVEN MAINLY "10 StiOW HOW
THE FOR.MS CAN BE. SIMPLI Fl E.D • EVEN WHl:.N
YOU HAVE Tl-IE LIVE MOOE.LOR. COPY, YOU
ST/LL WORI-< FOR Tl-tE. MAIN Pl.ANES OF LIG I-IT,
HALFTONE: AND .SHADOW• OfHERW /SE YOU MAY
HAVE. .0.N OYER.POWERING CONl=US ION Of'- TONES.

-� i

'

- r- RE.ME.MS E:.R. !
WI-\E.N W0Rl<.1NG WITHOUT A
MOOE.L OR COPY,YOU DRAW
THE. PLANES FOR. THE. LI GHT,
HALFTONE AND s1-11:.oow ·
WHEN WORKING WITH "!HE
MOOE.LOR COPY, YOLI ORA\/\/
THI: PLANES FROM THE Li<lHT,
HALFTONE 6.NP SHADOW.

77
 LIGHTING
•

l� FL�T l.lCHTING•-(�CIOM DIRC:CT\N I N ftftONT) 2.•,rAGe.••• ORAlo\.6T1c,.we1AO, GHOSTLY,UK(: 3,• I/• SJOE:A<iOOO LIGHTINO.P\ACE'Tttf
000D Falt �lt.1�TlVE, �I MPLIClTY. THt!, L\CHl FROM ACRA'1'e.i:l .(LOW--F�1'J
•
llCHt <45° FRON,. USE ONE UGHl ONL"(.

.. .
4."54 10P s,oe"-ONE � THE 8E5T. ,,. CIVE.5
� ......
6:'TOP•-AVElt:'< 8EAUTIFUL LICtn'ING'.T'Kt S
,r.. ,,:;,ij ... ..

M4XIMlJM UC\IT,HALFl"ONE,1HAOOW&lilRfUCT. E.�TOC> BoCK � 'wtT'i REFLE;C10R ,V£R.:'(<iOOQ

Gtve,o�e,n Wt11NOS1T'( TO �HAOOWS. G1ve_., <REAT &OLIOITY TI:) T'WE FORM.

- .
?. �ISSCR.O.SS. U$UALLV BAO. HE'le.R HA.VE e'"ALL flA'{ ·-PROVING MOW!XC£3, L\Qlon& 9: \I\,_.� 840, AREA� OF LlGtt t C. �t4Aa()W
UGt-'T liQUA LON 6C!T H s,oe.s.cur3Vf>flOlll"\. MA'< ACTCJALLY &UMIHA'Te. :SOLIO P'OR.M. SMOULO ME.valt ee �lltW: OIC'Ne 1.04&.
 LIGHTING
Herc the camera lends us a helping hand by
sho,ving the "actual" light as it falls on a simpli­
fied forn1. The form has been rounded to give
you the gradation fro1n light' through halftone
-
to shadow. Nwnber 1 is a front lighting, <.'Orre-
sponding to the treattnent of a flat and unshaded
outline drawing. The only shado,v, under the
chin, occurs because the light was raised a little
to allo,v the camera to be placed under it.
Camera and light, of course, could not have
been placed in the identical spot. Ilad this been
p-0ssible, there would have been no shadow. An
all-flat or formless lighting may be obtained by
to. '"Sll.'°"OUE:TT•• 1'Nf. �e.V�e, Ot: N0.1
piling in equal lighting from evcr.y direction
..,

GOOP' l"'OR. PO.STl!Ja ,Ol!!!SI<:N &, FLAT Ef:: FEC.TS .

(Number 8).
When there is a single sourc.-e of light on the
object, the sh�dowed side reflects some of the
light in a luminous manner. The reflected-light

x-­
areas within the shadow, however, never be-
co1ne co1npetitive with the areas in light, and the
�
unity of the mass of light as opposed to the mass

,vithin a shadow area should ever be as light

of shadow i s maintained. In dra,ving nothing

as that within a light area, heca1L�e reflected

tion might be the use of a JTiirror. That, however,

light is never so strong as its source. One excep­

would be a duplication of the light source rather ._._._

• •
than reflection (refraction) . The dazzling light 11. FRlNGE - LI GHTE.D DIR.ECTL..
SACK SLlG\-rTLY TOP. VER'X EFFEC.IIV'E..
"< FR.OM

upon water is another exainple of refraction.

Simple lighting, ,vhich 1neans lighting from a
single source, and the reflected light of that
source, is the 1nost perfect lighting there is. lt
renders form in its actual contours and bulk.
True modeling of form cannot he approached
any other way, since lo change the no1mal or
true value of the plane is to change and upset
the form; if the value is "off," the form is incor­
rect. Since the photographer may not have rea­
soned this out, it is better to make your own
photographs, or at least supervise the lighting of
any photographic copy. The photogi·apher hates
12. St<.Y� TOP Wli�..6 LtCHi GRC>vNV
"'

shadows; the artist loves them. P'C>R. R E.FLt!C.T 10 N , HA l'll� \...'IESI.'(aooJl,

79
 SI!VIPLE LIGHTING ON THE FIGURE
'•

/
! I
I

PRAW :SHADOWS· FIRST,TIIEN HALFTONE:S.

CAST SHADOWS ARE. PAR.KE.!IT.DONOT

MA.KE FORM SHAOOWS TOO 8LACK,
D
-ei;
LIGHT CP,.PER)
MOOE L f'ROM St-lAOOW 'ro THE Ll°OHT.
HALFiO� E.

, . .
t<EE.P ALL \-IALFTONES LIGHTER THAN

SHADOWS. DONT OVER MODEL 1.IGHT-

• $HADOW

80
 TRUE MODELING OF ROUNDED FORM

,,
The silnplest \vay to explain the fi.1ndamental
principle of rendering light and shado,v is to
think of a ball \vith light focused upon it just as , A
,.
the sun lights the earth. The area on the hall
,,
j
,•
closest to the light is the high light (A), coin­
parable to noon. If we move on the sw-face of
the sphere a\vay iro1n the high light in any
direction, we find that the light begins imper­
ceptibly to fade into the halftone area ( B), C

D
,vhich 111ay be con1pare<l to twilight, and then
to last light ( B+ ) , and on to night ( C). If there
is nothing to reflect the light, there is true dark­ I!

ness; ho\vever, if the 1noon, a reflector of the •

A.
' u•
•
L....; HIQHLIG11T , NOON
sun's light, comes up, it ,viii reflect light into the
shadow (D ) . When light is intercepted by a f(;l B, HALFTONe • TWI LICHT, 8tlA'STU<iHT

body, its silhouette falls upon the adjacent light • C . SHADOW � •NIGHT•
plane. This, the darkest of the shadows, is called l!:i D. REFLf:CT
• MOONLIGHT•
•
"cast shadow." It is still possible, however, for • f. CAST SHADOW •ECLIPS E •
a cast shado\v to pick up some reflected light.
The artist should be able to look at any given
place on his subject and determine to \vhich
area it belongs - the light, the halftone, the
shadow, or the reflected light. Correct values
must be given in order to obtain unity and
organization of these fow- fundamental areas.
Othenvisc a drawing will not hold together. •
Treatment of light gives a clra\ving cohesion no
C
less than structural fonn.
There are many things you can lean1 fro1n
photographs if you use thc1n intelligently. Re­
me1nber, ho,vever, that the range of light to dark
is much greater in the eye than in pigment. You
cannot possibly put down the full range; you
have to silnplify.

· .· ·f4:t
. ''\ l,
',..· ·' \

81
 IV. OI{AWING THE LIVE FIGURE:
METHODS OF PROCEDURE
Before you undertake to dr a,v fro1n the living
1nodel, be sure you have absorbed all the pre­
lin1 inaries so far discussed. These are:
The proportions of the idealized figure
The general fnunework
The relationship of perspective to the figure
l\'1ovemcnt and action
The 1nannikin and silnplificd building of the
fonn
The anato1nic <.'011stn1ction
The planes by which we build light and
shado,v
Foreshortening
The funda1nentals of light and shado,v
The true n1odcling of forn1
Now ,vhcn you have to dr,nv so,nething set
ti p in frout of you, yon 111ust possess still another
f1111da1nental skill-intelligent 1neasuren1e11t. I
say "intelligent'" because your ailn is 11ot rncre
ch,plication.
Suppose y�,u hcgiu to dnnv a husky young
inan, anns 11plifted, ,vho1n yon ,vanl lo interpret
in tt:nns of light, halftone, and sh,ulo,v. You
have set yo11r light source lo"' and to the right,
so that there will be a varied play of light aCJ'OSS
the form. First, look for the area of !,'Teatest light.
Jt is found on the chest nnder the left arm of the
n,odel. No,v look for the ,vhole 1nass of light as
opposed to the ,vhole 111ass of shado""· Sketch
in the conto,u, of the figure and hlock in these
,nasscs. ( ()11 page 83 you ,viii find the halfton<'s
added aud the shado"'s relatively darkened.) l
Sl•ggest that you use the point of yonr pencil
for the contours ,1nd the side of the lead for the
,nassing of the halftone and shadov,;. \Vhen you
ar� drawing ,vith a pen, shadows and halrtoncs
.
can be achieved only by con1binations of lines.
But a brush or pencil adapts itself to 1nass. Ob­
serve, too, that the grain of your paper \Viii add
to or detract from the attrnctivencss of the tex­
ture of the dra\ving. Because of the method of
reproduction, a coated, smooth paper could not
be used for the dra,vings in this book. Beautiful
grays and darks arc possible, ho,vever, on the
s1nooth papers if the side of a soft lead pencil is
used. The halftones and darks 1nay be proclucecl
in either pencil or charcoal hy rubbing with the
finger or a shnnp of paper. The \vholc fignre
dra,ving n1ay be rubbed with ,l rag and the lights
picked out ,vith a kneaded eraser.
()n pages 86 and 87, look over my sho1ildcr
as l proceed \Vith my o,vn ,nctho<l for drawiug
a figure . On page 88 sec a plan of approach that
I call the "visua l survey." lt is less co,nplic,ited
than it looks, for I have included visual measnrc­
n1ent lines that, ordinarily, arc not set <lowu. It
is a plan of finding level points ;tncl plnn,h points
and the angles established by sighti,ig a ,'On­
tinualion of the line to sec ·where it cn1crgcs.
This is the only plan I kno,v that can ht: dt:­
peudet! upo11 lo offer any degree of accuracy in
freehand drav.•ing.
It is c•asiest to sight in vertic,,l ,,nd horizontal
lines, so that in1portant points directly across or
under each other are quickly "checked." \Vhen
a point falls 011tside the figure, s11ch as a hand,
angles of poiuls ,vilhin th.. figure ,viii help lO
, j)la<-cd
find it. \Vhcn ,,·011 have corrcctlv . one
point, proceed to others, and finally your dra,v­
ing \viii check ,vilh the 1nodel. This principle.
also illustrated on page 89, applies to any subject
before you and provides a ,·aluablc 1ncans of
cotTohorating the acc1u-acv of vonr clnnving.
.. J ; J ....
 GROUPING SHA00\\1 l\'IASSES

-- A

. .:
�

,.
··,.r. 'Ji'.
.r,.
�

'

e.

WHEN ORAW\NG FROM . '' A LIGHT

LIFE OR. PHO'TOS, DRAW B t<ALFTONE
THE CONTOVR.5 OF Ttt e; 8+ OK.HALFTONE
HALFTONE ANO .5HAOOW C SHADOW
MASSES, STUDY ALLTliE 0 R.l!!FLECT

SURF.ACE AREAS AND DE - E C.AST SHADOW

CIOE TO WHAT Cl.ASS

EACH AR-EA 13ELONGS.
.; �'\'�
:i
... -·
-
IS IT LIGHT, HALFTON�
SMAOOW, lt.EFLECT O R.
CAST S HADOv,i

-..
?
FI R.ST

.-
8 .)
 -
THE MAIN VALUES STATED

. .•
•.

·.

. .: · ;. ,�.

.
/

,
.
... � ,,:,,;:
!)'!" ••
... . :. . �.>' ,._.
:•'

.. -�
·• � : · '
· . �:.!
·.,...
· ,:.:
..
..
..
,

....
.
',
.,......
,_

'.• . .
'•'
· --� .�l . . .· _.,----
/ �·-. :.�
� 1'
�i�
- •rii '$
S
,. . -
.. .
:· o�
•a .t�
. )111!/�· �.
-t
<-s.:' ,

)t
LAST STAGE
,

.
THE VALUES WORKED

"
OUT• .A,ORAWINO MAV
BE STOPPED BEFORE us& THE. SIDE. OF 'll1e.
ENTIRELY FINISHED·, PENCIL.. l=OR. DRAWING
:lOMETIMES WHE'N A
• •
TONE.S OR.VALUES, AND
ORAVVINCi suc.ce=,
ONL.Y, lT 13 teAft MORE
A SHARP. POINT F=O� 'TH.E.

INTE.REST 1r,.ic,
C.ONTOU�S.

•
 THE FAST STATEMEN-r OF VALUES

.,:
'. ....(;.

(
\
\
't

'
i
I

'

I
j

f
;·,> I/
SHADOWS SIM PLY S"TATEO ARE
ESSENTIAL IN FAS"T S K t:. "T C H \ N G

•..
 PRO CED URE

86
 PROCEDURE

J
I
I
I )

•
 THE VISUAL-SURVEY PROCEDURE
-
- - -. •
' -
�-==-- -- --- �:;-
t-CEASUR.I. BY HO.S..otNO PeHCu.:. • LEVEL PCWN'T"S

I
ALWAYS AT AR."'1$ L..l:..NGTH e Pt.UMC POcNTS

I ,---· '-11
?-.1EASURINC THE SUBJECT
1. Establish two points on your paper as tht
desired height of pose ( top and bottom ). "'-Nlit, THl'I.U
, ,..ll>PL.e$
Dravv a perpendicular through these point� / :
aME.R.GU

J
as the middle line of subject.
2. Locate the middle point of line (if). No"',
holding pencil at ann's length, find the middle
point on the subject before you. Fro1n the
1niddle point get quart er points ( up and ;I
I
down).

� II - �
3. Take the greatest width of the pose. Coin­
pare it to the height. In rny drawing it come.
just above the right kneecap ( about �). Lay
the width equally on each side of your 1niddle � ·
�
��.;i���
point up and down. ,No,v locate the middle
point crossways on your rr1odel.
4. Your tvvo lines will cross at this point. It is

t ,f
the middle point of your subj ect. Reme,nber
tliis point, 011 the n1odel.
Y�u ""ork ·out fro1n il in all udL l
. ·�
directions.
5. No\v, with plumb line, or eye, locate all the
itnportant points that' fall beneath one an­
other. ( In my dra\ving the subject's right heel
\Vas directly underneath her hair at the fore-
head, the knee under the nipple, etc )
6. Start by blocking in head and torso and,
from the head, sight straight up and do,vn
"
A

..0
and straight across, all the way up and do,vn �

the figure.

.
7. For the angles, sight straight on through z
0
and establish a point on the line \Vhere it falls
tu1der a known point. ( See line of chest and.
nippl es. The lu10,vn point is the nose. This

8. If you constantly check points opposite,

locates right nipple.)

points underneath, and \vhcre the angles

en1erge, after having established height,
\\•idth, and division points- your drawing \viii
be accurate, and you will knO\\' it isl
PLUMB LINE

88
 DRA\\llNG FROM THE MODEL

-- -.

1.

, ,,
. � II

' ,,'\\
I,.\,",, MAKE A FIN O E �
L_ _ __ _
)
+

1.

·J�flk!
A
�{ /{;,, I ,: /.
z
) wt
i1,l'i�
I/. t ·:ii/,
i.Y.
:! 3
I
,1///:·i,:f�..l
. I ',
, I , . :• ,
f· \ ../i
4
i{ I
5
• ,('
,, .
'� · '

i V1
.'/ ' II.
. ,
\1II j ,
6 j j
•

7 II

\
//1''
I11r
� 1 I · \II1
r
I
�M�M6E;R 11<1S Pl.AN GIVES THE ACTUAL. LIVE. PRO• COT 'T'HO R.LCH·IT MoU=.s FQOM $CME ST\ll'P CAR.DISOAR.O,
P0'!.TION5. MAl<:E. ANY AOJUSTMENT.5 YOU W15H MAit.iC Ofl'F IN lttCMes AN1'"CUP1UCieTHCR. :mes CAW ee
A!) '<O<J GO 4LONO. USUALLY ADO A Ll"TTLE OM LEN(i'TH, At>JUSTE.D.\T GIVES PR0PORTl¢NA'TE WIO'TW TOHl!'.ICHT.
 '•

·1·--·.·. .
.. : ,):(
� ..
•
_,,_,.• !-
·. · ••

. '-....
•f •
: <
I/
', .,
)

:1
•
l

I
\
 V. THE STANDING FIGURE
. ' .
Much of the essential equipn1ent for professio11al
figure drawing is described in the preceding
chapters. You have now learned a "1ucans of
expression,'' but your us<, of that kno\vledge is
just beginning. Fron1 this point onward you
nn1st learn to express yourself individually,
sho,ving your particular taste in the selection of
models, choic.-e of pose, dramatic sense and in­
terpretation, characterization, and technical
rendering.
Routine knov.,Jedge and fact thus beco1ue the
basis for \vhat is often referred to as inspiration,
o r spiritual quality, subjects that are little dis­
cussed in art ttxtbooks. The truth is that there
are no hard-and-fast rules. The best advice is to
,vatch for the individual spark and fan it into
flame when you find it. For my part, I have found
that most students possess initiative, are open to
suggestion, and are thoroughly capable of heing
inspired to express .the1nsclvcs ably. I believe
that when the qualities 11eccssary.f.or acceptable
drawing are pointed out, you 1nay he helped
tremendously to bridge the gap between mua­
teur and professional dra,ving.
T\vO broad approaches are needed: First is
the conception, or "What have you to say?"
Second is the interpretation, or "Ho\v can you
say it?" Both call for feeling and individual e x ­
pression. Both call for initiative, knowledge, and
inventiveness.
Let us take the first step. Before you pick up
your pencil, or take a photograph, o r hire a
rr1odel, you n1ust understand your proble,11 and
its purpose. You rnust search for an idea and
interpret it. If the joh at hand rcqnires a dra,v­
ing designed to sell so1nething, ask yourself the
following: To \vhom rnust this dra\\'ing appeal?
Shall it be directed to\vard a selected or general
class of buyer? Arc the buyers going to be 111en
91
or wo1ncn? Is there a dra1nalic ,vay of expressing
the suhjcct? \Viii a head or whole fignrc best
serve to e111phasize the idea? Should several
figi.ues 1nake up the cornpnsition? \Vill a setting
and locale help or c.an the message he conveyed
better \�;tl,out these? \Vhere and how ,viii it be
reprodnced- ncwspaper, 1nagazine, poster? You
1nust take into account \Vhich advertising
medium is to be used. A billboard, for exarr1ple,
\vill require a sil11ple, flat background and the
use of large heads, since the n1essage must be
taken in at a glance. Ne\vspaper dni.wings
should he planned for reproduction ?n cheap
p,tper- i.e., line or siinple treatinent ,vithont
subtlety in the halftone. For the ,nagazine,
,vhere the reader has 1nore tune, you 111ay use
the complete figure and even background, if
needed. The tendency, ho\vever, is to si1nplify
and to strip drawings of all that is not of 1uajor
irnportance.
\Vith the sec.-ond step you advanc.-e to the prac­
tical interpretation of the idea. Eliminate what
you kno\\' to be impractical. For instance, do
not approach a billboard subject ,vith several
<-�>mplctc figures, for their expressions ,vil\ not
carry fro1n a distance. Granting, then, that you
rightly choose large heads, ,vhat are the types
you ,vant? \Vhat are the expressions? \Vhat are
the poses? Can you do better if you get out your
ca111era and nail do,vn an expression that you
kno,v cannot he held hy the hour? Can you put
:tvlothcr over here and have roo,n for the letter­
ing also? \Vould she be better over there? \Vhat
\vill you choose for a backi,>Tound? \�1hat \viii he
the style and color of her dress? Yon begin, at
this point, to expedn1ent \\'ith th111nln1ail im­
pressions on a tissue pad until you can say,
''That' s it," and then, ,vith all the vigor that � in
you, proceed to prov<;_ that "tl1at\ it."
 VARIETY IN THE STANDING POSE
the ,vorld that ,vil! do a
There is 110 book in ..•
job for you. There is no art.director V,'ho can do
your job. Even though the art director 1nay go
so far as to lay out the gei1eral idea, space, and
place1nenl, he still is asking for your iute rprcta·
can lay do,,>n in front of you v,hich ,viii co1n­
tion. Again, there is no piece of copy that you
pletely ans,ver your needs. Another ,nan's work
,vas done for his own purpose and for another
problen1. The principal difference between the
amateur and the professional is that the latter
courageously strikes out in his o,vn �'ay, while
the fonner gropes for a way of expressing hi1n­
seU.
Endless variety in posing is possible. People
stand up, kneel or crouch, sit or lie down; but
there arc a thousand ways of doing these things.
It is surprising, for exa1nple, to observe ho,v
111any ways there are in v1hich to stand up.
Plan the standing figure carefully, re111e1nber­
i11g that, although standing still is a static pose,
you can suggest that the standing figure is c-apa ­
ble of 1novem ent. Only when you portray a tense
1noment demanding rigidity in tho figure do you
arrest the latent n1ove111ent. To relieve the stat'ic
feeling, p ut the weight on one leg, turn the torso,
tip and turn the head, or allo�· the figure to lean
upon or be supported by smnethiog. A fairly
good rule is never to have fa<.-e and eyes looking
straight ahead and set squarely on the shoulders,
unless you ru·e tryi ng for a definite '\traigh t ­
from-the-shoulder attitude" to suggest defiance,
in1pudence, or a pitting of 01_1 e personality
against another. This attitude rcrninds one too
111uch of the old photographs in ,vhich Grandpa's
head was held in a clan1p cl,uing the process of
getting his likeness.
Sec that either head or shoulders are tun1ed
or tipped, or both. With the standing figure
everything is relaxation, balance, and a distribu­
tion of ,vcight. Any sort of gesture is a relief
fro1n hands hanging ,notionless at the sides. A
self-conscious girl has the feeling that she never
knows ,vhat to do ,vith her hands. The unimagi­
native artist, too, does not know what to do �'ith
the hands of his figures. But the girl can put her
hands on her hips, finger her beads, 6x h er hair,
pull out h er vanity case, apply lipstick, sn1oke a
cigarette. Ilands can be ,nost expressive.
If you sho,v legs, let them be interesting even
in the standing pose. Drop one knee. Raise a
heel. Do anything except keep the1n -glued to
the fioor side by side. T,vist the body, drop one
hip. get the elbo,vs at different levels, cl asp the
hands, put one hand up to the face, do anything
that keeps your dra,ving frorn looking like a
wooden dummy. Draw a lot of little "funnies"
until you find one that is interesting. �1ake every
standing figure do smnething beside just st<lnd­
ir1g. Ther e a.re so many natural gestures possible,
to co1nbine ,vith the telling of a story, to express
an idea or emotion, that it should not be hard to
be original.
\Vhen I illustrate a story, I usually read signifi­
cant parts of the rnanuscript to the 1no<lels. I try
to get the1n to act out situations as n aturally as
possibl e. At the san1e tin1e 1 try to think of how
I ,vould act under the circumstanc(�S in the story.
There is, of c-o urse, the danger of overacting, or
of using geshlrcs that go _beyond the n atural or
logical, which is alinost as bad as being static.
Experiment ,vith the lighting on the 1nodel to
express best ,vhat you have in mind. Give in1-
portance to a portion of the figure by getting the
sti- ongest and 1nost concentrated light upon it.
S0n1eti1ncs parts of a figure can he lostin shadow
to advantage. S01netin1es a silhouette ,nay be
stronger and 1nore eo,npelling than a brightly
lighted subject.
The ,vhole gamut of expression is there for
' u to choose from. ,Don't for111 a fe,v habits that
vo
you <.'Ontinually repeat. Try to 1nake each thing
you do just as original in <.'Onception and execu­
tion as you possibly can.
 THE \:VEIGHT ON ONE F001'

I.
'/ ... . .. .. .,
.
,.
;,··

.. \
. -.
.- ·
: ,.::·_;''

..•
,

. • "·
;• .
;. ,
'

• �·, :.
:�. :.·
.

.. '.
·,
f•• ..'
· \.'\'
\ ..

'·

·-
9 '3
 DISTRIBUTED WEICHT

-,:,.,..·:. \ . ..
..·· ,�,..... ..-..�·�....,,..:
�
,

-�· '
/. 1
"" ?F-
t

· /:,1�';.,),
'
I

'
. ..•...
�t
.

". !
,f, •• •

'
I
•

·; / !
l/
I
,
' ;j,.:
,.;·\
\

l·
\
\
1
. ..·.
..
. i· . Ir
•,• '
Y
.
.-;,...,. .
..

I
, r

I•
.
f� '.
,, i�
./
;
'

.,
;
,, I
,'

.
..
;
,

_,
1 ' L-
!/;t

.
'.
�j

t\ :7

..
.�
,_ ·,:,' .�
\. .
.@it-

94
 .THERE ARE MANY \\1AYS OF STANDINC,

• ,

•·,
; ,:;
::,1·:..
•'

.. .
'
·
. ,.
. .,.
'>,. ,
.
,,f,

r. . •u .,•!· .
·¥(.
,.
. ,

�f
'�
,,,, ' .

. ...
. ·' .' .
ll<t}
) �

i
\;·t;: y�::
<.­
<'#_
�· : :.

·
-J}
'\·. : ,'
J)
!?·
.
.. l
. ... .
•l ,,. ,,
:,
\\
. '--......: ::..'I

..
)Y;• , . )

•: I .
.,,JJ
'
.
!(·,
..-·' .,,,,-
'? .
.,.. ,. \.
·--· ...,,..;;,..,�:!J
;$.:¢ :, ..
95
 SHADO\V DEFINES FORM

•
'.

'
I
?it:

J 1,· �- \'
•I
IJ ;
j

f •'

I
\!
'' '! ,

.... ..
{�. ;
..,/''
'

D�AW THE SHAPl!.5 OF Fl L L IN THE SMAPl!.S

'THE LICHT ., HALFTONE, WITH THE RIO!fT TONES
ANO SHADOW AR.EAS AND THE FOR.I'! TAKt:J
A& CARl!.FULLV AS THE CARE OF ITSEI.F.
CONTOUR.$. •
 THE NEARLY FRONT LIGHTING

··:

,. ,.'!,: ,,. '

I .' • • ;. •
·/•
'
,, ;.,!· /;. .,
;, :,f. . , •

··;;,.,,y. ,, .••.
• • •• • ', .o,."....

·l:·· 'i·· , . /,r: :,

••

-t
'" ·
,;,�
·u,.,;;:,� ,:.'t;.t: ••
.,w_
•� ,�'I!:,�
.
• . 'I ,,,�

,.

, USE 'THE SAIIIE Pl.AN

' 6

I
;
·' EVeN 111'QU I C K l l: S
1.
I
·'

..
..
-�:

·
.... -. .·kb
�- .. . .,., · . .
;,, . ":
;
·
•;, : >
,,�

97
 • BUILDING FROtvl THE SKELETON

80Nl!!.S� "'(Ou CAN S'rAQ.Y WITH COQY

'#'..¢· l.. , :
''

...... . .
'·

I ..
.,....t:e.,Q. P.\au�e.s BB.PORA ADDING THE

•.
,..;,.•

.. ., .r .''r.
'/
,,,
C.LOTHtN(j. "TR.'( IT Wt'T"H V'=.R,Y .StMPL..£
0.' ,

.'� ·'."
(

.�\.
-·

I
AND M.<.JSCL.6.S \NI ......... e,ecOM� CNSTINC.T

I
AS YOU �W. VOCJ VVILL �C.B ..,.ME.M

�.3 P'LAN$5 0� LI awT, HAJ...PT'ON6. A.NC>

SH6.00W. K.NOV'V ,-t-tAT 1"1" iS APPAR.e.N"T

I
TO ANY A�"TIST ¥'/HO KNOWS ANAIC'.)M Y

81!! ON£< WNO KNOWS. Tl-le, STR.UGOL.£ IS

CAP O,:: NOT l<.NO� l N C . YO(J"t, Tl M E..

WILL as. -n::>C) PRE..C.tOUS TO f-#0,.VE. ,0

STliitL! cc L..e W l"TH CONS,.R.uC·n 01"1. PS
w&.LL As �L.J_ TH& OTHeR THtNGS'
'
!.
!
'
\ J ;i
\ !

.
- �··-
'
�\,
' '

98
 1\C CF:NTINC� THF FORl\,1

l
�

·,
'
\
.

'.

99
 ANATOMY TEST

I .I
00 YOU KNOW YOUR. M U S C L E S '?

1
LETS F I N D OUT, TO BE SURE. .

I
j

--------·...·-

.,
..•

'------··---
-
1· ;'iJ------- --·
.,,.,jj
:. �cf,

t.'

w�rre. IN THE NAMES OF Jlot� MU3CL�S

____..._.,_ , I
Tl<EN RE.FER 5""CK 'lOYOUR ANATOMY
AMO :IEE; IF YOU we= CORRECT,
_

ire Yoo CANT i:aio ,,, vou NeE..D MORE.

,s-ruDY. 00 15...CKAIJD Ol"T ITTHI.STIME..

. ·,.
; YOU WI LL NE.Ve.� 151!! SOR:iit.Y !

100
 A TYPICAL Pl{OBLEM
A typical problem worked out icith <in advertis­
ing art director:
"Please rough out so1ne little figures for pose
only," an art dire�tor says. to you, "to show to
the Blank Knitting Company, suggesting our
next ad. Indicate a one-piece bathing suit. D e ­
tails of the bathing suit will be supplied later.
Use a standing pose. The figure ,vill be cut out
against a white background, and the ad is to
occupy a half page up and do,vn in the Sateve-
•
post.
When you have 1nade a series of roughs, sho,v
the two you like best to the art director, who
takes then1 to his client. After,vard the ru·t direc­
tor tells you, "Mr. Blank likes these. Please dra,v
the1n actual size for. the magazine. .The page
size is nine -a1}d-three-eighths by ti.velve-ancl­
one-eighth inches. You are to have the left half
of the page up and do,vn. Pencil ,vill do. Use
light and shadow on the figure."
l\-ir. Blank ().K.'s one of your pencil sketches,
and the art director says, "Get yo1u· n1odel and
101
take so1ne snaps. Our client \\'ants outdoor sunlit
lighting and cautions us against getting a squint
in the 1nodel's eyes."
The next step is to photograph a friend in a
bathi ng suit. The chances are you ,vill have to
idealize her figure when you make your dn,\\>ing
fr o,n this photograph. .l>-1ak e her eight heads tall.
the hips and thighs if nec.-essary.
Raise the crotch to the 1nid(Uc of the flgurc. Tl'itn
She might be s1niling over her shoulder at you.
I-lave her hair hlo\\•i ng, perhaps. Find sorne use
for the hands. i\·1ake the ,vhole dra,ving as ap­
pealing as possible.
- your drawing will be reprod uced hy
Sinc.e
halftone engraving, you have a full range of
values ,vith which to work. You 1nay qse pencil,
charcoal, litho pencil, \l\lol!f pencil, or wash. You
can rub if you prefer. You also have the choice
of pen and ink, brush, or drybrush. The dra\\•ing
should be rnadc on Bristol or illustration board
and should be kept flat. Never roll a <lra\\>ing
that is to be reproduced.
•,
.
.
;I"",,•
'

·,

... ·.
,.
.._
h,. j'
.,. · •:
. ,.
,•
., '.;

·,
.. .
<

� \
·.:., , �
;'.;

;, '!
 VI. T·HE FIGURE IN ACTION :
1,URNING AND TWISTING
Every good action pose should have a suggestion
of "sweep." Perhaps I can best describe sweep
by saying that the 1noven1ent ,vhich irnmediately
precedes the pose is still felt. On the following
pages I have tried to sho,v this sweep or the line
that the li1nhs have just followed. The cartoonist
can add terrifically to the sense of 1notio n hy
dra,ving his sweep with lines back of a rnoving
hand or foot.
The only way to get sweep in the line is to
have your model go through the entire 1nove­
n1cnt nu<l observe it carefully, choosing th,; ;,, .
stant that suggests the 1nost rnoven1ent. Usually
the action can be best expressed if you use the
start or finish of the sweep. A baseball pitcher
suggests the n1ost action either as he is all ,vound
up, ready to thro,v, or just as he lets go of the
ball. A golfer expresses 1noven1ent best at the
start or finish of the swing. If you were to sho,v
hirn on the point of hitting the hall, your dn1,v­
ing would have no action pictorially, and he
,vould appear only to be addressing the ball in
his ordinary stance. A horse seems to be going
faster ,vhcn his legs are either all drawn up
under him or fully extended. The pendulum of
a clock appears tt) be movir1g when it is at either
exb·e1ne of its s,ving. A hanuner raised fro1n a
nail suggests a harder blo,,, aud rnore n1ove1.nent
than if it ,verc sho,vn close to the nail.
For psychological effect in dnl\vi.ng, it is essen­
tial to acquire the full range of movement. The
obser ver 1nust be 1nadc to cornplete the full
1notion, or to sense the 1notion that has just l�een
103
con1pleted. You ,vould instinctively duck fro111
a fist dra,vn \vay back frorn your face, ,vhcreas
you rnight not ,vithdraw at all from a fist l\vo
inches away. The prize fighter has learned tci
n1 ake good use of th is psychology in his shor t
punches.
Another 1neans of illustratir1g action is to sho,v
its result or effect, as, for instance, a glass that
has fallen over and spilled its contents, \Vith an
ann or han d just above it. The actual 1noven1ent
has been completed. Ano ther exan1ple is that of
a ,nan wl,v l,a, fallt:u du,vn after a blo,v; \Vith
the ann that hit hirn still extended.
There are instances, ho,vever; when the 1nid­
dle of the action is best. This is called "sus­
pended action." A horse in the act of clearing a
fen ce, a diver in mid-air, a building <.,'Ollapsing­
are all examples of suspended action.
Fix in your 1nind the whole sweep of action
and make little sketches at this poiut. At tilnes
you can help the action ,vith a bit of bl ur, some
dust, a facial expression. The cartoonist can
•.vrite in, "S,vish," "Srnack," "Zo,vie," ''Bing,"
"(',rash," but you ,nay not.
If you perform the action, it helps to give you
the feel of it. Get up and do it, even if it does
seem ·a little silly. If you can study the action in
front of a large rnirror, so much the better. There
should be a 1nirror in ev ery studio.
S01ne of your "action" cmncra shots n1ay b e
disappoiuting unless you keep these facts in
1nind; kno,ving the1n helps you click the shutter
at the precise mo1neut.
 •
TURW!G AND TWISTING
. . a"' .,, .

'
(
I
1

,,

' i
}

{ti,�. h
..
, :'

"
I

.· t
·,�' .,·
. .
i\
\

" .......
'/ ./

104
 TURNING AND T\VISTING

tI

105
 TURNING AND TWISTING

,
.."1·

106
 TURNING AND Tv\'I STING

. .... .

. '

... �·

I f
1 i

}&
i ) tf. '

10 7
 Tl JRNlNn A ND TWISTING
'

"·
'. ''
!
/.''� ·

��··
..

JJ\
<.

.___- ·- ·· .
- ---
108
 TURNING AND T\VISTING

..'
FOLLOW 11-iE SHADOW DOWN

. WITH THE. SIDE OF THE. L.1!.AO,

�

109
 PENLINE AND PENCIL

'
>i

,.· .

THIS 1s A QUICK AND 51MPLc WAY OF

RENDERING,PEN OllTLINE WITH THE. SIDE
OF TH!a PENCIL L.EAO FOft. :SHAOINO, THIS
•
WAS DRAWN ON 1'AIN6RIOGE COQUILLE 2·

110
A GOOD METHOD FOR NE\VSPAPER REPRODUC'flON

111
QUICK SKETC}1ING WITH PEN AND PENCIL

'.
,.
/

.'• ---- -
.•..,. ,-�
.....-/
�..', :'."'*<..
� , ...,....�,
•• - /
, _ r.,;:;7

-1.,..• ,. .
... ..
<"• • ,.::,
' u ¥
•• • ,J

.'t. ..
, ,• I

\>J ·r
;;':
. .. t
\

'r•,\I(\

PEN AHC> P&NClL Q(.I IC.K. $1<1t"TCl-41tS

6Q.I!. '=-"'F•CTIV'E Pak Jt.OUO�S. LAYOUT$
Olt <?OMP0'61,-1QNS Tl.:) Bl!. SUBMl,."TtO.,

112
 A TYPICAL PROBLEi'vl
A typical probletn worked out with an art editor.
of a fiction magazine:
The art editor says, "I have picked for illustra­
tion this p aragraph fron1 the 1nauuscript":
" 'The last act was over.' Jackie was re1novin g
the scant costume she had ,vorn in the final
chorus. She was alone in her dressing-room, or
so she thought, until, by son1e inexplicable in­
stinct, she turned quickly to,va1·d the jtunble of
costun1es hanging in her ,vard,·obe. There ,vas
unmistakable movement in the glitter of se-
. . ,,
qu1ns.
"Now," continues the editor, "I'd like to see
a rough or two in pencil on this before you go
ahead. I think we can use a vignette shape better
than a rectangular picture . Take about two­
thirds of the pj1ge. The girl should be featured,
b ringing her up lar ge in the space. ,�re ,vant
something ,vith actio1f and punch and sex appeal
but nothing offensive. Very little background
nee,>t:Ssary-just enough to place her. 'fhe gir l,
you know, has black hair and is tall, slender, and
beautiful."
Proceed to make several roughs or tlnunbnail
sketches fo� your own approval. It is clear that
the girl is frightened and has been caught olF
guard. Someone \s hiding- a rather sinister situa­
tion. The e1notion to co1nmunicatc and drama­
tize is fear. The story says she turned quickly,
and that .she was removing her scant costume,
and the editor has said there 1nust be nothing
offensive in the drawin g. You must put across
the fact that she is in a dressing-room at the
theater. A bit of the dressing table and rn irror
might be sho,vn, and, of course, the closet or
wardrobe \vhere the intruder is hiding.
Project yourself into the situation and imagine
her gesture, the sweep of move1nent. She 111ight
1I3
have pulled off a slipper. lookine arouncl ,vith a
startled expression. Perhaps the hands can do
something to emphasize fear.
To get an idea of a chorus C.'0Stu1ne, go to a
1novie of a n 1usical G'01nedy. Look up some clips
of chorus girls. After you have decided on a pose
or arrange1nent of the subject, get someone to
pose for son1e studies or snaps. Use a photo ffood
la1np. Plan the light as though it ,vere the only
light iu th e room, shining over the dressing­
table. You can get drainatic effects \vith your
lighting. Co at the proble1n as seriously as
though it were an actual co1nn1ission, for if it
does beco1ne a reality, you ,vill have to be ready
.for it. You cannot start being an illustrator ,vith
your first job. You ,vill have to be judged an illus­
'trator before you can get the assign1nent.
Take a paragraph from any rnagazine story
and do your version of an illustration for it. Bet­
ter , take one that was not illustrated by another
artist, or, if it was, forget entirely his interprP.ta­
tion and style. Don't under any circu,nstances
as you,· ou,n dratving. .
copy another illustrator and submit the result
After you have read this book, co1ne b ack to
this p,tge and by the illustration again. Save
your dra,vings for samples.
The paragraph quoted for illustration is, of
course, fictitious. The art director's demands,
however, are altogether real. l'vlost magazines
pick the situation. Some even send you layouts
for arran ge1n cnt, for space filling, text space, et
cetera . All seud the 1nanuscript for you to digest.
S01ne ask you to pick the spots and sho,v the1n
roughs first. !\,lost like to see vvhat they are going
to get before you do the final dra\vings. You 1nay
,vork in any mediu1n for black and ,vhite half­
tone reproduction.
 ,

'•

''

'
t

I
•
'· 4,o ,I

.'It.. ...•,
.
' #
I
4.
�
�� 4
<:

·"' .... •."

):•,

{� ·-

I
.,_ . I
I
,I
'
/
(' . '
•

.-
. '
 VII. FOf{WARD lvlOVEMENT:
THE TIPPED LINE OF BALANCE
The theory of depicting for,vard 1novc1ncnt ( any
action that carries the ,vhole body fonvard ) r e ­
quires that the top always Le sho,vn ahead of
the base. lf you balance a pole on your hand,
you must follo,v ,vith your ha nd the 1novcn1cnt
of the top of the pole. If it leans iu any direction
and vou
, 1nove the hase in the san1e direction at
the sa,ne speed, the pole rnaintains a constant
slant behveen base and top. And the faster it
goes the greater the slant.
So with figures in fonvard 1nove1nent. A line
<lra,vi1 do,vn thfQugh the mi<l<llc of the fonvard-
1noving figure will slant exactly as the pole tloes.
Ifyou think of a picket fence with all the palings
slanted an d parallel, instead of vertical, you
have a clear idea of the line of balance in fo1,vard
movement. On page� 118 and l l9 is a series of
pich1res taken ,vith a fast lens, for the n1otion
picture cainera is actually too slo,v to stop n1ove­
n1ent for "still" reproduction and enlargen1cnt.
The separate shots ,vere taken at split seconds
apart an d pieced together to sho,v the progres­
sion of the n1ove1nent. I ,vished particula(ly to
have t he figure rernain the same size tlu-oughout
the s equence. The photographs reveal xnauy
facts, not apparent to the naked eye, about ,vli at
takes p lace in the acts of rLulning or vvalking.
In v,,aJkin g or running, the line of balance r e ­
n1ains a constant for,vanl slant as long as the
same speed is 1naintained and tips rnorc as the
speed is increased. This change is hard to see
because the moving anus and legs distract one's
atten tion frorn the aetion. A person must lean
the body forward to take a norn1al step. The
balance is caught by the fonvarcl foot. The for­
,vard push conies front the foot in back. The
arn1s 1nove in reverse of the legs, so that, ,vhen
the left leg goes for,vard, the left ann goes back.
· The center of the stride expresses the least 1nove-
1ncnt. Note the last picture 011 page 1.19. For this
photograph 1ny !n ode] stood still and tried to
pose as if he were moving. You will see at once
ho,v uuconvincing the 1notion is. Jt is not t he
fault of the 111.odcl but the fact that the in1portan t
principle of fonvard n1ovemcnt is uot working
i1, the pose. :vlovenient dra,vn ,vitl1out consid­
eration for the tipped line of balanc.'C ,viii not
give the i1nprcssion of fonvard movenient. The
dra,ving, uo 1natter ho,v anatomically correct,
,vil! resc n1ble the n1ovenient of a jtun ping-jack
suspended fron1 a string.
The tipped Lne n1ay he placed lightly on your
paper and the figure built upon it. Tech nically,
a heel should never be placed directly under the
h ead but in back of it, to give motiou. The foot
that is carrying the ,veight and pushing should
ah,,ays' b e in back of the line of balan ce. \
\\'e think of the act of ,valking as if the foot
describes an arc ,vith the hip as center. \\/hat
actually happens is that the hip describes the arc
,vith tl1e foot as center. Each step is a center ,vith
a fanlike 1novcn1ent going on above it. The foot
that is off the ground swings in an arc f onvard
fron1 the hip, ,vhereas the foot on the ground
reverses the arc. As ,ve \\>a)k along, ,vhat hap­
pens is this: foot n1ovcs body, body 1noves foot,
foo� n1oves body, body n1oves foot. Each leg
takes the job over as soon as it is put on the
ground, an<l the other leg relaxes and s,vings
•
fonvard, n1ostly by rnomentu,n, until it takes
over. Both aclious go on sirnultaneously.
Hip and k11ec drop on the relaxed side. The
leg c,uT)'ing the ,vcight is straight as it passes
under the hip and bends at the knee as tlie heel
115.
 TIIE MECllANICS OF MOVEMENT
co1nes up. Photographs. illustrate this clearly.
The relaxed leg is bent at the knee as it swings
fonvarcl. It docs not straighten out until after it
has passed the other knee. This is very ,veil de­
fined in the side views of the ,valling poses. The
legs are both fairly straight at the extremes of
the stride. Here again is that paradox, that the
legs seem to express most ,notion at the st:art or
finish of the.sweep described in the last chapter.
Note particularly ho,v much the girl's flying hair
adds to the 1nove1nent in the running poses. Also,
the girl runs with arms bent, although in ,valk­
ing they swing naturally as they hang down.
Try to base walking and running poses on
photos of actual rnove1nent. They are ,veil worth
obtaining-and those given here ,vill prove valu­
able for reference in a pinch. To get all the action
that is in a stride ,vould require a slo,v-1notion
sequence, ,vith page after page of pictures re­
produced to any practical size. I feel this is
hardly necessary; careful study of the two fol­
lo,ving pages should suffice.
Start dra,ving mannikin poses. See if you can,
in a series of small fra1nework sketches, draw all
the way through a co1nplete stride. In clra,ving
back views of walking pos"s, r"rnernber that the
pushing leg in back of the figure is straight until
the heel leaves the ground, the heel and toes
being lifted by the hencling knee.
The use of can1eras hy artists is a controversial
subject. Yet the demands on the present-day
artist for action, expression, and clr,unatic inter­
pretation are so exacting that it seems a bit
ridiculous to fake these things ,vhen the actual
kno,vledge is so easy to obtain by 1neans of a
camera. I do not admire a photographic-looking
dra,ving, but I certainly detest a clra,ving that is
meant to have virility and conviction but is inane
and static through ignorance or laziness on the
part of the ru·tist. The fact that you can learn
things of valuefrorr1 the camera is reason enough
for you, as an artist, to have and use one.
·t 16
The source of your knowledge, as mentioned
before, is immaterial. Why put a model through
the ordeal of trying to keep a vivacious s,nile on .
by the hour? No one can hold such a pose. We
can learn 1nore ahout a smile from the camera i n
. five minutes than we can in five years of trying
to "catch" it ,vith the eye alone. Limbs move too
fast for the naked eye to record. Expressions
change antl are gone in an instant. The camera
is the one means of nailing these down so that
we can study them by the hour. It is an un­
pardonable sin merely to copy. If you have noth­
ing of your own to add, have no feeling about
it, and are satisfied, teclulically, with the manner
of treabnent and have no desire to change this,
use the camera only. There will be many i n ­
then thro,v away your pencils and brushes and
.but to copy, but these instances will be fewer
stances where you ,von't know what else to do
as you try to express ,vhat you feel and like
through your increasing technical knowledge.
Use your camera for all it's worth as part of
your equipment. But keep it as equipment- not
the end, but a means, just as your knowledge of
anatomy is a 1neans. Every successful artist
who,n I know, though it 1nay be heresy to say
so, has a camera and uses it. Many artists I know
are expert photographers, taking their own pic­
tures and developing them. Most use the small
or candid variety of camera and enlarge their
prints. The ca,nera broadens their scope tre­
n1endously in securing data outside the studio.
Start saving for a camera right now if you have
not already 1nade it one of your "means."
Going on with our line of balance, there are
times when this line may be curved. In a sense,
then, the line of balance is like a spring. For
instance, a figure 1nay be pushing very ha.rd
against something. �he pushing wo1,1ld bend his
figure backw,ud. Again, if he were pulling hard,
it \\1ould bend the figure the other way. Dancing
poses can be built on the curved line, as well as
 THE MECllANICS OF MOVE.l'vlENT
swaying figures. �fovetnent can b e straight as
an arrow, or curved like the path of a skyrock et.
Either suggests powerful motion.
The vital quality to have in your dra\ving is
the "spirit" of movement. YOU cannot be success­
ful as an artist if you remain seated in your chair,
nor can your drawings be successful if the figures
. figure appears to move faster if he is passing a
you draw remain static. Nine times out of ten
the picture you are asked to do will call for
action. Art buyers love action. It adds zest and
pep to your work. A nwnber of prominent artists
recently 1·evealed tlte fact that the "drapey"
figures are out as definitely as the First vVorld
War "flapper." Ours is an age of action. A model
ca1u1ot be left to pose herself. You \Viii have to
think hard: "\Vhat can I do with her to make
this drawing sillg?"
The solution i"s not easy, for it is a matter of
feeling and interpretation. Today a girl on a
magazine cover cannot just be s,veet. She must
b e vital in every sense and doing sorncthing
besides sitting in front of you and having a por­
trait painted. She cannot just be holding so1ne­
tl1ing; the magazine-cover girl has already held
everything fro1n cats and dogs to letters fro1n the
boy friend. Let her swim, dive, ski through fly­
ing snow. Let her do anything, but don't let her
be static.
Pictures have changed, and it may be tltat the
camera and photography have been the cause.
This does not 1nean that a drav.,ing canuot be
just as vital as a ca1nera study. Only ten years
ago the artist did not fully realize what con1pcl­
ling interest lay in action. He had not seen photo­
graphs snapped at ont> thousandth of ,� sec-ond
and never dreamed that he c.-ould do this him­
self. Not only magazine covers but any drawing
you do will have added selling po,ver witl1 good
action. To make it the right kind of action, you
will have to find out ,vhat action really is and
then study it as you would anatomy, values, or
any other branch of dra,ving.
117
A ,vord of wanting must be added against too
1nuch duplication of action. If you are drawing
several figures, all walking, unless tlicy are
1narching soldiers, do not make the1n all ,valk
alike. Interesting action derives fro1n contrast.
All the variety you can achieve is needed. A
stationary or slow-1noving figure.
In1portant, al�o, is the handling of 1nass
action: soldiers in battle, race horses grouped
together, figures scatfering a,vay from some
danger. Ahvays pick out one or two as the key
figures. Put all you have in tl1ese. Then group
and n1ass the rest. If you define the individuals
equally, the dra,ving beco1nes ,nonotonous.
Battle pictures should concentrate on �ne or t\vo
figures in the foregrotmd, the rest beco1ning
subordinated to these. It is safe to handle s u b ­
jects filled with action in this ,vay, since too
1nuch attention to the individuals <.vho make up
the 1uass 1nakes for confusion. A group is more
powerful than many units.
There is a trick you must lean1 in order to
capture poses that caiu1ot be othenvise obtained
- for example, a falling figure in 1nid-air. You
pose the figure, as you want it, on the floor. Use
\
a flat back ground, get above the figure with the
ca1nera, and shoot down. Place hiln head first,
feet fi1·st, or any ,vay you want your model. I
once did a s,van-dive subject by having the git-I
lie face up across the seat of a chair, and from
the top of a table I used a clov,1nward shot. You
I
can take the figure this way aud then reverse it.
By shooting from a very lo,v vie,vi)oint or a high
one, 1nany seen1ingly impossible action shots
may he obtained. They 1nust b e skillfully done.
The artist can disregard the shadows that fall
on !us background, but the photographer cannot.
Do a lot of experimenting from ilnagiI1ation,
from the 1nodel, and with your camera. If you
can draw well, that• is good. If you can add con-
vincing movement, so much the better.
SNAPSHOTS OF WALKING POSES

I I CJ
 SNAPSHOTS OF RllNNING POSES

1}�k-,
{''
�
' J

ltl!M�M•&�
41f,M'$ �- OP'rO•• Ta
TO 1.ac.s. •AC'te. POQ,. �
MOT LA•va Gll:Ot.+NV """'"''­
....o....� ""OOT I.. -..,.H.,. IL,C:r.
,6.Al""IS ,,.._$$ tU ":J .&T..,.
•..., IP
TI N e. ita.,•-s P'"4.$�. Ml� •S
MtC:.HIUf.. ON •1pa 0,. l'"VOT
C&toCkVI..C wa.,o......... l<N...
� ON U.O Q-C,co\.lft""
.t,,C'110N ,s 15-.sT Vl�k....
.lV
... ,.
•
..,.
..aMIL,S � ,3'T9',lp._•
AL ""'"""� TI .. LI Na o,. ....\.�
..N C•. r-\6.ka ntt..lif,,\.N,4f l,..$
oa .,...•.,.. -4$ ""'•ova. .

119
 THE 'fJPPED LfNE OF BALANCE

,,.�..
. ..
. ,·!·
,. ,, �"' '
{

. ·.
, '
/.

;
,
t

'.. ,.�
...
I ·,
..
.·,

''"-
'?•' : )"
,. �!· ,. :..
,., : • • : t'•'
,

�. . ,.
'\ .> �:.f ;
,, ', ' ..
�
':, . • "i.<;
. ;,
�· , ;
�.. .. . ,. ' i

,/
••

·-.....-. . .
...._ . ,,
.)� ...

l l0
 SPRINGLIKE MOVEMENT

'' I
t., I\ "'f• vi !1

I
/

'
y

..

121
 • ACTION TOO 'FAST FOR THE EYE

. .
_
•,

�- . ..
.:· --�), .

�· · ,
�(�
:."..,;
..,_ ·
' ";/' ,
.-"'
..,

...
� ,,.
\
·�1
. I

,;(
{i \
��-
-
122
 T\,VISTED FOR\VA RD MOVEMENT

IF Vc.)U WAN"r A PENCIL. TH4.T ooes NOT

R.ue OR. SME.oO.R UNDER YOUR. HANO., lT , :r

l'ltl:SM.6.COLOR. eu.CK. 9'35'....e PENCILS
,... Jr

COMC IN A "UL1. A5.SOR"TMl=NT 01' COI..OR.:S.

". ·-
'

... . ,_..,.....

..

· "'
:.�
.
·
.., , ..f.

>.
.·. ,
�

/.. .
:,fJ
,·..�,· .. ·
.

t '.2'.3
MOVEMENT HEAD TO TOE

124
 FAST MOVEMENT

, ......l
., ..."'":---..
.',,'··'
·0,
� �)\
. . .f
�
··,.. . ·,:.,
\, •.

-- -

.�.•. .
.,
'}

-
l

• ·;
.,. · ,•�
,;'· '

..
i

.,
'1r· �
--- -- . . .• · ,
-· ..
� ,,..
..�.

.. .
..
i..•.

• I• ',,.
/
r

.I

...,. -.
i· ,:;.,
y

,,...,. 1- - · "··· .... ...

��� .

1 '.2 5
 PUSH O F TI-IE BACK LEG

;·..'
t,

•••

-
" ,\t�-
:. ,,\i �
.• ),
.

--,
..
c '11i¢ ·�

.'

.. .
..
.'
'.

. -,
•
'·
. .,,''..
� .- �= ·
,,

•:

·,
' ':
...·· ',

,. . .
.\,' •..l

t
•

,.,.,,,,., , .
,.

<._

126
 A TYPICAL PROBLEM
A typical problem based on the assumption that
you are employed by an a.rt service:
You are wanted in the front office.
"Cood n1oruu1g. I've called you in to ,neet
Mr. Saunders. I'd Hke you t6 ge t the infornlation
from him firsthand. "
Mr. Saunders: "To make this brief, I am
organizing a ne\v company for parcel delivery.
We are starting out with a fleet of new trucks.
All \vill be painted a bright red. Our name will
be, 'Satu1ders' Snappy Service'; our slogan, 'vVe'Jl
deliver anything, anytime, anywhere.' We \Vant
a trade-1nark designed to display prominently
on our trucks, in our advertising, and on our
stationery. We'd like a figure of so1ne l.ind with in
a circle or triangle, or some other odd shape. It
•
ought to be symbolic of speed. You can include
any kind of device, such as \vings, an a rro\v-
anything that would get across the idea of speed.
127
Please don't n1ake another \Vinged tvlercury. lt's
be1.,,b done to death. It can he dignilicd or clever.
,¥e ca1u1ot use a 111essenger-boy device because
i t is not typical of the con1pany. Our men ,viii
\Vear unifonns and a cap bearing our trade- mark.
Please submit some rough ideas in pencil."
Take one or t\vo of your hest roughs and finish
·
then1 in black and \\1hitc for a line cut. l)o not
use halftone. Keep them very simple.
1\-lake a Hat desigu in black and one or hvo
other colors for the design to go on the trucks.
Design a small sticke r to be pasted on parcels.
This \viii incorporate the trade-1nark and the
lettering, "Delivered promptly, safe ly, by Saun­
ders' Snappy Service." Size to reduce to hvo by
three inches.
Design some direct-by-mail postcards for pos­
sible use. These should be si111ple, original, strik­
ing.
 •

'

.,..,...

�·.
•
,
,,
,..

,•

'·
 VIII. BALANCE, RHYTHM, RENDERING
Balance is a physical attribute each of us 1nust
possess. If a figure is dra\Vll \Vithout balance, it
irritates us subc.'Onsciously. Our instinct is to set · ,vill be so tomorrov,. The ftn1damentals of ren­
finnly on its base anything that is wobbling and
likely to fall. \Vatch ho\'1 quickly a 1nother's
hand grasps the teetering child. The observer
ree,-ognizes quickly that a dra,ving is out of bal­
ance, and his inability to do anything about it
sets up a negative response.
Balance is an equalized distribution of \Veight
in the figure as in anything else. If ,ve lean over
to one side, an ann or leg is extended on the
opposite side td �'Ompensatc for the u nequal clis­
tiibution of weight over the foot or two feet that
are the central point of division for the line of
balance. If \ve stand on one foot, the weight
must be distribut ed much as it is in a spinning
top. The figure \viii then fit into a triangle. lf
\ve �tand on both fe�t, \Ve make a square base
for the weight, and the figure ,vill then fit into
a rectangle.
This should not be taken too literally since an
ann or foot n1ay emerge from the triangle or
rectangle, but the division line through the
1niddle of the triangle or rectangle will sho\v that
there is approximately a like amount of bulk on
each side of it.
When you are using a live model either for
direct sketching or for can1era shot�, she \Vil!
auto1natically keep in balance- she cannot help
it. But in drav,ring action from the imagination
balance must be ,vatch e d carefully. It is easy
to forget.
Before going into the problem of rhythrn, the
fundamental� of rendering must be taken into
account. Suggestions for rendering technically
in different mediums will appear throughout the
rest of the book . Technique is an individual
129
quality, and no one can positively state that a
technical tre atment popular or successful today
dering, hov,cvcr, are not so much concerned
\vith ho\v you pnt your strokes on paper or
canvas as ,vith e,-or rcct values re ndered intelli­
gently for the specified reproduction and a clear
conc eption of the use of tone and line in their
proper place.
On page 132 are hvo dra,vings that I believe
,�ill be self-explanatory. In the first, tone is sub­
ordinated to line; in the other, line is subordi­
.nated to tone. This gives you hvo jumping-off
places. You can start a dra\ving with the definite
plan of making it· either a pure line drawi.t\g; a
combination of line and tone ( in \Vhich eith er
can be subordinated to t he other), or a purely
tonal drawing like the one on page 13,'.3. I suggest
that you do uot confine yourself to a single man­
ner of approach and treat all your \Vork in the
sa1ne \vay. Try pen and ink, charcoal, line dra,v­
ing with a brush, ,vatercolor, or whatever you
,vill. The broader you rnake your exp erience in
differe nt b·eatn1ents and 1ncdiun1s, the \vider
your scope beco1ncs as a practicing artist. If you
are 1naking a study, then decide first ,vhat you
\Vant n1ost fron1 that study. If it is valu es, then
111akc a careful tonal drawing. If it is construc­
tion, line, proportion, or anaton1y, \VOrk \�ith
these in mind. If it is a suggestion for a pose,
the quick sketch is better than something labored
over. The point is that you \vii! have to labor
' u \Vant a detailed or tonal state111ent.
\Vhen yo
You n eed not labor quite so hard to express a
bit of action. If your cli e nt \vants a ske tch, sec
that it re1nains a sketch and that you will have
something 1norc in· the way of finish to add to
your final C:.ra\ving.
 J3ALANCE

:,.:-1
I
I

!
i
.;___ __ . ,_-' I
Iv
. . .f�,.
.,.· ·-,v

WH!!N Tt-11:. FIGU�E 51ANOS ON ON� f=OOT, iHei

MA1W WEIGHi lS 01STR\13UTeD WITt11N A.

V
A Re.CTANOL.e.; A'60UT Llt<e LE.T,eRS
TR.1.o.tCO.L.E-.; IF ON 60..,.H f"'Ee.T,TttEN W\TI-UN
n\e.

�,_
AND -®

130
 BALANCE

II

-·

·,

\
',
\

.,,

..11
d

.'
i

131
 T\:VO M· ETHODS OF APPROACH

I
I
\
�. '
\,\

j •11 , .
.
. -
�
.

.'.,

TONI! 5V801t.OINATE.D 'TO OlYTL I N E

HERE. ARE. TWO APP�ACHE:5 WHICH I/I/ILL

PRODUCE. ENTI RELY DIFFE.ReNT RESUL
,S.

TRY 50TH . LIN!:!. 15 R.£.0.L..LY THE FORTE OF

"FAKED.. TliE.R.E. CO.N ee.

T..E Dl<:AUGHTS MO.N,WHI Le TONl!!C I :S THE ALLY
OF THE PAJNTEFf... TI.:>Ne IS MORE. DI FF-IC.ULT
AND :SHOULD NOT ee
MO.NY HAPPY' C.OMSJNAIION.8 OJ: 150TH.

OU'TLINE 5U60R.01f'•{A'TEO TO TONE

13 2
DEFINING FORM WITI-1 JUST TONE AND ACCENT

. ..,.

'

..

.....

!QN4,.I.. �TUj7Y

�:/

133
 STRES SING CONS
TRUCTION
•

-
.

"

-.

}t !

L I>'I!.. -"!ITU17V "'Oll:.

�UCTtQ
\ N

I
. . -�.· .
\ ·'-.....
"\.
' .
-
 T\\1 0 MINUTE STUDIES

.
,.
l
.
...� ,,,
.,

.. ·,
. · ·,
-,

,,�· 1· :' . /..�·

. ... �
.

•
' . ,'
# .�
.... .. .. .� · .� .
� \
\ ·.

'<-::::,,t.·

. ..,,_ _ ·- ,u·
��·
..
'

.
�
.
'

.• .),,

\
�

, .'

\ J'' GUtCK.
$,TOl71 ES FOR.
.isc-r«:.> ,.J •

........ �.

135
 RHYTHM

: · ··
. . . . ··,·.
.. ;�:.:- �····
,, ·• ..
''-. ",,_,.•', '.

BASIC LINES OF RHYTHM

HO<lAR,.H LI NE. OF eeouTY �

T'HE PAF<.OBOLA

R H YT H M

,, F-L.OW ,, INTO
AXIOM: A N Y C01'1TOUR.THAT
CAN t,I: EXT ENDED 01<::MAOE.
,. TO ANOTHER
ADDS UN ITY,CRACe MV RH YTHM

PROCEDURE: SIGHT ALONG

A CONTOUR .-SE.e, IF= YOU CAN
� ff •
"

P I CI< UP THE SWING OF THE

LI NE I N ANOTHJ:::R. CONTOUR

WITHOUT 015f'OR.T10N OR;

IN CORRECT VK.AV'JING.(FIG 't)
\

---
VOUWILL FINDTl-11: AVERAGE:

SL•l!,J EC.T FULL OF RHYTHM II=

FIG. I •'
YOO LOOK FOR JT. KcEP YOUR.
PE.MCI L DOw'N ON THE �Af'E�.
 RI-lYTHi\1
The feeling of rhythrr1 is of tre1nendous un­
portance in figure dra·wing. Unfor tunately, it is
one of the easiest things to 1niss. In 1nusic ,ve
feel te1npo and rhythn1. In drawing it is 1nuch
the same. Consillered technically, rhytlun is a
"Ho,v" of <-'Ontinuous lute resulting in a sense of
unity and grace.
\Ve call the rhythn1ie c1nphasis on a line or
contour "picking up." The line of an edge, ob­
served across the forrn, will he picked up and
,e,outinued aloug another c:'Ontour. The next fe,v
dra\\•ings n1ay serve as exan1ples. Look for this
phenon1euon of rhythmic line, an<l you ,viii find
its beauty in all natural fonns - i u auin1als,
leaves, grasses, flo,.vers, sea shells, and in the
hun1an figure.
'\<Ve are col}Scious of the rhyth1n that pulses
through the universe, beguul.ing \\'ith the atorn
and ending ,vith the stars. Rhyth1n suggests
repetition, Bow, cycles, ,vavcs, and all a1·e related
to a unified plan or purpose. The feeling of
rhytlun in dra,ving, aside fro1n the abstract, is
a "fo!lo,v-through': in line, just as it is in tl1e
1nove1nents of various sports. A bo\\•ler or golfer,
a tennis player, or any other athlete must master
the s1nooth "follo,v -through" to develop rhythn1.
Follo,v your lines through the soli<l fonn anti
,vatch the1n beco1ne part of a rhythmic plan.
When a clrawu1g looks clun1sy, the chances are
that the tJ·ouble lies in its lack of "follow­
through." Chuusiness in action- and in ch-,nving
- is lack of rhytlun that results in a jerky, uneven,
disorganized move1nent.
There . are
. so1ne hasic lines of rhvtluu, for
which we can be constantly on the alert. The
first is called the "flogarth" line of beauty. It is
137
a line that gracefully curves in one direction and
then reverses itself. In the h\ln1an fonn, il is
present everyv,herc: in the line of the spine, the
upper lip, the ear, the hair, the waist anti hips,
and down the side of the leg to the ankle. It is
like the letter S in variation.
A r.ccon<l line of rhythn, is the spiral, a line
starting ,1t a point and s,vinging aro\lnd that
point in a spreading, circular 1noven1ent. This
rhytlun of liue is apparent in sea shells, a "'hirl­
pool, or a pinwheel.
The third line of rhytlnn is called the parabola,
\\'hich is a s,veep of line continually beutliug to
a greater curve, like the course of a skyrocket.
These three lines ,u-e the ha�is of Hiost orna-
1nentation. They can also he JT1ade the basis of
pictorial co1nposition. They see1n to be so thor­
oughly a part of all graceful moven1ent tl1at lhey ,
shollld be given great consideration in all dra\v-
ing of rnoven1ent. The lines of rhythn1 in anirn,1ls
arc easily observed and hence easily c:'Onlpre­
hencled.
Rhythrn n1ay be forceful, as in great "'aves
beating upon a c'Oast,. or gentle and fl(l\Ving, as
in tl1e ripples of a pond. Recurrent rhytluu
moves and stirs us, or gives us a feeling of rest­
fulness and e<>1nposure, pleasing to the senses.
The so-called "strcan1line" is rhytlun applied to
ugly contour. The co,n,nercial application of
this principle has been e1ninently successful. The
lines of otn· trains and slups and n1otorcars, our
planes, and O\lr household appliances have heen
built upon this e<>nccpt first recognized in na­
ture-in the dolpll.in an1ong othe1' fish, in birds,
and in all living things designed for swift mo­
tion.
 1�HY1'HIVI

,, • lo�,:; UliE.$

SWING' YOUR. Pl=NClL VERY LIGHTLY

AT l'IR5T. Fl=EL FOA. THE:. RHYTHM Al-It>

PLOW Or- CONTOU R. Nl::.VER. MIND 1 F

YOUR. DR.l>WINQ :5E.EMS TO CET CR£Y

•
AND MESSY . SEST TO use A SMOR.r
•

STU8 OF A P.ENCIL, THEN HOLD Ut-.OER

, ',.
' .----:,.
.

\�
CROSSING LINES OF RHYl-llM

\ J
I
" .I

''
I
�
.·
\:/Jl..
,
1
.
DOTTED �r..tes ARI:. "TOCAL\..'<OUR. ATTE.N'rlON 10
"

.
ACROSS Tl'iE FORM. NO TWO PoSS'S WORK A L I KE
1\-tE. WAY CONTOIJR.S MAY �I:. WOVSN T001!.TH E.R..
. ..
BUT WHEN Ttte CONTOUl<5 l'AVe. THE. FEEi.iNG OF
"
8e1NG COr<NecTaC '>ND A PAR:T OF .EACH 0TH e.R.
• •
Tl<f=N A sYMPHONY � LINE.IS ESTABLISHe.D.
RHYTHM I N DR.AWINO,AS 1 N Mus,c, U N I Ft es
THE. WHOI..E. SO THA, THE f'e.e.WNa AND MOVE­
MENT OF ALL BECOMES MOR.E. IMPOR.,ANT THAN
ANY SINGLE PART. Kee.p FEecL1NG FOR. THE.
COIi.RE.CT AND V<PR.E SSI\IE LINE. 11= IT C>oESN'T
)

Go DOWN THE FIR.3TTIME, 81<:ING 6.NOTHl!.le L.1NE

DOWN. SOME.TIMES A NUM\31:R OS: LINES AR.E.
MORE 6XPR.e.�s,ve. THAN ONE., LIKE R.1 PPLes ON

WATE°R. R.E.PEA, I NC TH£. MOVE.ME.NT. 11.HYTH M

CAN l..lFT '<OUI<. ABIL.ITY 'TO THE. S!e.1eS.

I '.5 9
 �.. S\lVE EP"
---- --:----�
,:-- -�::_:-----:---:--
·,. ,

.,:.' . i
(

.
· . i, \ . \
� -
t �
?�
��
·, 1 \�.
j ..
j '.

..
,.•. .' 1.'.
�·
·,. i
, '

..
. RELATING ONE CONTOUR ·ro ANOTHEI<.
-l

.·
,.;
, • ,!

:·-!"'
,,,.,...;

.
.!·

..;J. .
\
•. ·
' • •..
j:' :
••

..'

(
• �i; .
-

�.
••

�. "\
·:· \

•
DEFINING BY EDGES AND SI-I ADO\:V \:VITHOUT OUTLINE

.'·...·.
.'
'
. :'
.•

,·;· · · : · .�·
,

.•..
.•
FICORE POSEC> A<TAIN.5TAWMI�
=l<GROUNO "1'0 0.EMONSTRATE
HOW ,.,..s FORM l'\AY I!,£ DE.F1Neo

WlTH .:$1NCi LE. l..lOMT, WtTH.O(..)'T

OBVIOUS USE OF OUTLINE.. 'T'M.E.

OUTLINE IS DRAWN V�RY UCHTLY

FOLLOW.E O �y A CAREFUL STUDY

OF TONc, e.ooes ANO AC.CE.NT.$.

..
t..· ; ·.
;.,•
,j i :.:,.•.
,
:: , .' ·)\· �.:

' .. ,;t .:
. :.
, ·. . � ,;,' . ·,
 A TYPICAL l�ROBLEfvl
A typical probleni tvorked ou. t with an account
execut ive in ari adi;ertisirig agency:
"Your ,vork has co1ne to my attention," says
the executive of an advertising agc11cy, "and,
fro111 ,vhat I have seen of i t so far, I like it very
much. I have a ne,v gasoline account, for ,.vhich
we must have a fresh approach. I ,vant to use
a new ,nan in the field, and he must be good.
\Ve ,vill cover all advertising 1nediu111s pretty
thoroughly, but the initial punch ,viii con1e
from outdoor advertising in a series of bill post­
ers. Whether or not ,ve give you this series to
do depends upon ,vhat you can show us iu the
,vay of art ,vork in roughs and sketches. \Ve are
,villing to pay five hundred dollars per poster to
the right man, this price to include all prelimi­
nary work. The • na1ne of tlie product is Sparko
Rhythm Motor Fuel. As a starter, here are son1e
captions we have thought up: Tune Your A.fotor
to Sparko Rhytlnn; Heard Eve-rytvhere ... Sparko
Rhythrn; Sp/lrko Rhythni Sounds Sweet in any
Motor; "Swing" to Sparko Rhythm; Always in
Step with Sparko Rhythm; Let Your Motor Sing
to Sparko Rhythm; I n Tfrne, Every Tinie, Tha.t's
Sparko Rhyth111; Keep in Tune 1c'ith Sparko
musical terms, OUt We \ViJl De g)ad ·to consider
any ideas that associate rhyt!un with a inotor
fuel."
The width of an outdoor poster is t\vo-and-a­
qu:irter times the height. }.,!nko covcn,l 011,nll
roughs on tissue for ide:ls that c.,ould be used to
illustrate the above. You do not have to show an
automobile, or a motor, but bear in n1ind that
it is a motor fuel. The words "1notor fuel" rnust
be somewhere on the poster. You ,viii probably
want to use a base line of lettering across the
1 4 '3
botto1n of the poster: "A1nerica's Gre,itest 1'·1otor
Fuel." The sheets in a poster run fotu- across,
and two and a half up and clo,vn. The half-sheet
,nay be placed either at top or botto1n. Try to
avoid cutting through a face at the joining place
of t\\'O sheets. If the face is very large, see that
the joining places do not cut tluough the eyes.
· Sometimes the sheet5 vary a little in color, and
the bill poster cannot he relied upon not to get
one sheet pasted a little off.
vVork up in color your best ideas i n sketch
fonn. Size of poster for sketch is ten by t\\•enty ­
t\vo and oue-half inches. A margin of "'hite goes
tuonnd the poster about hvo inches at top and
bottotn, and three at the sides.
I an1 not going to suggest what to do, but what
not to do, as far as your design is concerned.
l)o not make the name Sparko Rhyth1n too
s1nall.
Do not put dark lettering on a dark back­
ground.
Do not put light lettering on a light back­
ground.
Get sonic good copy for your style of lettering;
Keep lettering very silnple and readable; don't
get fancy.
Don't f,1ke your figures; get good copy.
Don't niake s1nall figures or too 1uany.
If.you ,vo�1ld liko to oxpcrirncnt, ch·u,v or paint
the finished poster: the size ,viii he, in incl1es,
sixteen by thirty-six or t\venty by forty-five.
Paint a ,vhite 1nargin at least two inches top and
bottorn and three or 1nore at sides.
Save your effort as a sa1nple.
r-"•�·--- _ _,,. .................... ........ "'.
:
.. .'
�. , /•
...•
.. .... -

7 f'
i
.
·
.. .. . ...,
, ..,'

,...-..�:: -:...·
. .. • , ,;

..
, .;f.:
• •: . !<
,
,

•.

• '
/'·
••
.,
..·-,:
. ..
0 •.
i'< '

.. . /

'
'
..
''
.'. '
.•

I
,_, .
-}
�

· .· ·... �' ,...:,.;'

'
.
,
..
./< . , : �. ....,,..
,
...
·

,;
' •
)t ,....
•-�
,•

..
 IX. THE KNEELING, CROUCHING,
SITIING FIGURE
In this chapter ,ve are concerned with qualities
other than 1notion. Ahnost the whole ganiut of
feeling can be expressed in a seated figure. It
can suggest alertness or co1nposure, fatigue, de­
jection, aggressiveness, tirnidity, aloofness, un­
easiness, boredom. Each ,vould be expressed
differently. Sit do,vn or have someone do so, and
see ho,v you would dra1nati:i:e each of these.
It is of paran1ow1t ilnportance, at this poilit,
to understand the shifting of the ,veight fro,n
the feet to the buttocks, thighs, hands, elbows,
back, the neck and head. Important, too, is the
correct understanding of fnreshortened limbs
that asswne other than usual contours. In such
poses limbs become props or braces rather than
coniplete supports. 'fhe spine has a tendency to
relax in a concave n,anner toward such bracing.
When you are sittillg on the floor, one of your
arms usually becomes a brace, and the spine re­
laxes to,var<l the bracing shoulder. One shoulder
' of eacl1 other and <lra,v them that way; if you do
is high and the other one drops; the hips lean to­
,vard the brace; the weight is carried on one si<le
of the buttocks, the side of the supporting arn1.
When you are sitting in a chair, your spiue
1nay lose its S-shape and beco1ne a C. 111e thighs
and buttocks take the ·weight. Both flatten a
good deal, particularly a wo1nan's thighs. The
position of the bead over the body should be
carefully placed, since it has n,uch to do ,vith
,vhat the pose suggests. The drafts1nan must
decide whether the sitting pose should be erect
or relaxed. Rcmcrnbcr that the figure is ahvays
subject to the la,v of gravity. It should have
,veight, or it cannot he convincing.
Foreshortening will require subtle obser v a ­
tion, for no two poses are quite alike. Every pose
off the feet ,vill be a new problem and probably
t 45
one yon have not solved before. The variations
of vie,vpoiut, lighting, perspective, the unlhnite<l
variety of poses, all keep the problems of draw­
ing new and interesting. I ca1u1ot think of any­
thing less ani1nate<l or more boring to look at
or to draw than a 1nodel ,vho is "j ust sitting."
This, to me, 1neans both feet close together on
the floor, a1111s resting alike on the anns of the
chair, back flat agaillSt the chair, eyes lookilig
straight ahead. Your 1nodel might half-turn to­
ward you, hang au ann over the back of the
.chair, cross her feet, stretch them out, or hold
a knee. Use plenty of iinagination to ch ange a
dull pose into an interesting one.
Let the v,hole pose of the model.as ,veil as the
hauds and facial expression tell the story. Do
you ,vaut her to show aniJnation or ,veariness?
If she sits at a table, talking to her Hance, let her
lean fonvard, ahsorbe<lly, or sho,v displeasure
if they are quarreling.
\·Vatch carefully for contours arranged in front
not, a tl1igh ,vtll not recede, a part of an ann ,viii
look too short or sturnplikc. Ren1e1nber that if
the hands or feet are close to the camera, they
photograph too large. Any 66ru1·e that is quite
foreshortened should be photographed from a
distance if possible, and then enlarged for copy.
If you are planning a portrait, find a natural ges­
ture or pose for your sitter. Turn the chair at an
odd angle, get an unusual vie,vpoil1t, don't have
the head stiflly above the neck. Let her drop
conifor tably into the corner of the chair, feet
drawn back or even dra,vn under her, or feet
extended and knees crossed. Don't let tlie legs
n1ake a perfect right angle ,vith the knees.
You rnust stir yourself on to invention.
 CROUCHING

.......

. -,.
,,.,,

IT SHOULD BE REPe.AT�D OVER. AND OVER. TO THE.

STUDENT NOT TO !'AKE. LIGHT 4 N D .SHADOW ON .
• H
;
THE F IOUR.E. DRAW FROM THE MOOEL OR. F l'!.C>IVI A
., IS
i:

�HOTO, FIVE MINUTE:S OP .:SE.E.INO

�
aooo
WOR.TH DAYS OF FAKING . SHAPOWS CAN BE.SE.EN
'
;

FU>TTER. ANO SIMPL.ER THAN THEY ARE. . '., ,,\

THE INCOMPLE1'E STATEMENT MAY BE INTERESTING

. ...,,..
.-,.,..

·'

�- ..-·. ·
�
..� .
. .,'(: .
,-, ,t

.
,.:. ::
. ......
,.
·...� '
,; " !

14 7
 POINT TECI- INIQUE
'

.�·:'t·r..., :.
·;
i .
: '.
; .; t ' ,.- •
I , ,,
,:
' , r�·
". . :
•' I

.
' .

,• •'

...

\
.\

PENCIL POINT RE.NOE.RINGS � .• ',i : �' :

, .:

A80YI!!. : Vl!R.TICAL LINE MODEL.INC

'tlOHT A PENL.IKI!. TREATMeNT
�
\
 PLANNING A PEN l)RA\\1ING .' .

A PEN "'T'R.E�'TMENT PLANNED IN

Pe.NCIL s.o.ve..s llME=. ANC' "'r"-OUGLE. .

.· · .."" .
,.

'

..
\
. _.. ..... �. . .
\\\
·I
�

M00ELlNO WITH IHE. PENCIL POINT IS SLOWER ANO MOR.E C>ll='FlCULT. IT 1S

ALSO MOR.E LIM\TEO '°'-S TO TONI! VALVE:S. HOVVE.VE.R. ll' �HOULO BE OF're.N

PR.,A..CTICE.O T O OE'IELOP' "'THE KNACK OF- S:,,EN DRAWINCi.

149
KNEELING AND SITTING

.
-...----.. .. - · ·
..____
KNEELING AND T\VlSTING OR BENDING

•
 GETTING FULL VALlJE RANGE \,\TITH INK AND PENCIL

A COM61NA,tON OF 8LACK ANO GRADED "TONE OFFER' cJNIQUE. POSS! 61 LITI ES, D�WI NC

,, "
WAS DONE ON BAINBl>.IDCie. COQOII..L.E. N0.2. . THI!. BJ..ACKS ARE HIGGINS INK, THI!. 'TONE.,5
� y

AR.e. DONE WITii PR.ISMACOLOR. BLACK .035 Pl::NCI I., REDVCTION IS ON!=..,� I R.0

152
 INK AND PENCIT. IN COJYIBTNATION

,!z
....
3•
"'
i5
II)
' 0
z
nl J:
.J I-
.J
'.)
s
<J 0
Ill
u
0
:>
V}

w
-
iJj
···-
0
\J

-
� .J
() '.l
z 0
(j

I
1/)
z
0
1<I.
�
z
. .. . ., . .
.·
z 4
.

� .<:J .�••"'?'
...

0 0
,.
,-.,.�-: ..... .,,;, , '
l-
z
4 2
z
-II!
4
II) \)
:r
8z UII:
4

-z
...I V)
u -I.;
z
\J
&
z 0z
<l
<I.
v
z I
1/)
'.:)

� �
0 II.I
ulz i
.I i
u. 0
l-
0 Ill
Ill z
0. 0
.J

r4 I).
uJ
IIJ z
)<

z u.
<( 4

153
•
PEN DRA\\TING

PEN A1\10 IN I<. .STU D1 EJ"'

'TM" ..,.ROKE.S Pl.A.NNeo WITH A RP

.SH<>
.
IP6NCIL,INK:E0 11\1,ANO ORA
WING CJ..I!.ANEO

" E. D ERAS!O...
WITH l<N&.Ar.C> tT I � A.
. CO O D

PLAN TO F'OLLO W 'TH

,,E OU:Ui.CTl ON 0F
TH2' pLt:..Ne ()J;t. FOR.M WITH "THE Sfl'tOK<:$'
,

l 54
 A "LOOSER" 'fREATMENT

,.

PSN SK&.TCH\NO
FOtt.C:e.T "11:)UR.Sl!LP, YOUft.

�.

155
PRAWN WITH A SMAI.L CAMl!LS \<AIR. 81<.V:SHAND D�WING INK ON 6�1:STOL 130ARP
 A TYPICAL PROBLEM
A number of typical problems in a contest for
sculptural designs:
1. The problem is to design a group of figures
for a large fountain to be placed in the center of
a cfrcular pool fifty feet in dian1eter. The subject
is, "I am America. I give thee liberty and a free
life." The dra,vings are to he submitted for i n ­
terpretation of idea only. The group 1nay con­
tain a heroic figure sy1nbolizing the Goddess of
Liberty. The ,vork should be A1nerican in spirit.
Figures can typify agriculture, 1nining, indus­
trial life, the borne, et cetera. The artist, ho\v­
ever, is not linlited in any ,vay.
2. Design a large drinking fountain. S01ne­
\vhere upan the base will be the inscription: "I
am America. Fro1n 1ny lakes and strea1ns 1 give
•
thee the \\•aters of frcedon1."
3. Design a sun dial to be placed within the
botanical gardens, bearing the follo,ving in-
t57
scription: "I am America. I give thee my soil."
4. Design a statue for the zoological gardens,
the inscription to be: "I am A1ncrica. I give all
living things the right to life."
!5. Design a soldiers' and sailors' n1onument.
The inscription to read: "I a1n A1nerica. These
of my sons I gave for thy security."
Here arc unlimited opportunities to express
yourself. One interesting manner of handling
these designs, after having \vorked out rough
tissue sketches, would be to <lra\v on toned paper
\vith charcoal and white chalk. In these there
would be considerable study of the figure,
action, drapery, dran1atic interpretation. \Vork
out your ideas \Vith your pencil, your can1era,
material gathered by research, ct cetera.
There is no ohjectjon to using allegorical or
se,ni-nude rigures, hut do not stick too close to
the Greek. l\.1ake it An1erican .
 •

;.

. .., , .
-. .

'
'

,•'

-.

·'

..
 X. THE RECLINING FIGURE
011e of the most challenging phases of figure
drawin g is that of the reclinin g pose. lt offers the
best opportunity of all for design, interesting
pose, pattern, and foreshortening. \Ve forget the
body as an upright figure for the molnent and
think of it as a 1ncan s of HexH,le pattern for
space-filling. The h�ad may be placed anywhere
,vithin the space at your disposal. The tor so may
be regarded from any vie,vpoint. In the dra,ving
of the reclining figure, as in the standing and
sitting poses, avoid straight, tu1interesting poses
-the legs straight, the arn1s straight, the head
straight: I call these "coffin poses," for nothing
appears quite'so dead. Unlimited variety is pos­
sible with the reclining or half-reclining poses.
We brought the figure out of the "proportion
box" earlv , iu this book. Never fit a box around
anything that is an in terpretation of life.
The in1pression is that reclining poses m·c ex­
tre1nely difficult to draw. If you arc accusto1ned
to 1neasuring (!ff so many heads, you must dis­
card the method in drawing the reclining figure,
for it 1nay be foreshortened to so great an extent
that it cannot be 1neasured in heads. But there
is still height an d ,vidth in any pose. You can
still find the middle and quarter points and 1nakc
comparative n1easure1nents. From here to there
is equal to from th�re to another point. l\1easure­
ments are not standard and apply only to the
subject before you.
Heclining poses are often neglected in art
schools. The reason is usually the cro,vded room
in ,vhicll one student obstructs the view of an­
other. Consequently the most delightful and
interesting phase of figure drawing is passed
over, and many studen ts leave the school ,vith-
t59
out the slightest idea of ho,v to go about dra,vi ng
a reel ining figure.
The appearance of complete relaxation is of
first importance. A stiff-looking pose gives the
ohscrver the reaction of discomfort. The rhythm
of the pose should be sought very eiU"cfully. You
know 110\v how to look for it. Ahnost any 1nodel
looks better iu a reclining than in a standing
pose. The reason is that the stornach falls unvard
and appears 1nore slender; the breasts, if in­
clined to droop, return to norrnal roundness; the
chest be<.'Omes full and high; the back, l)'ing·ffat,
is straighter; even a double chi n is lost. Perhaps
nature purposely adds beauty to the reclining
pose. If glain orous appeal is needed in a dra,v­
ing, nothing can give it more than the reclining
figure.
If you a1·c using your catnera, do not place it
too close to the 1nodel, for distortion will result.
Reclining poses should he selected with good
taste. Crudity can send you and your drawing
out the door in a hurry. See that the pose does
not hide parts of the limbs so that they look like
sturn ps; for instance, a leg ben t under ,vith noth­
ing to explain it .1nay look like the fellow with the
tin cnp. You cannot tell whether or not he has
a leg. A.n unusual pose is not necessarily good,
but a figure can be t\vistecl about for u1teresting
design, or combined ,vith draperies for unusual
pattern. The hair can be n1ade a nice part of the
design. If the pose is co1nplex, keep the lighting
simple. Cross-lighting on an unfamiliar pose
may complicate it and 1nakc it look like a Chinese
puzzle. lf bizan·e effects, however, are ,vantecl,
it may ,vork out at that. A high vie\\•point may
lend variety.
 SKE'l'GHES OF RECLINING I>OSES
. ,. :

. ·:
: ...... . ', •
·.

.,,, ,. ,

/, .. ;
! ...

-"
,'

....,,'
.•,
.

'
·

,,.�. . ........ '

160
 STUDY

'
\

.,·
i
\
.,
'\
�{>

•/

'<
j·. i

·,

..

l6 I
 ·. ,

-�··-. ,,.
�;<
· ....

-· . . .....
.
·_ .:""!••

·.. ·.
. ., ,
·· "'-

-
·.-
.

... .... ·.
,.

-..-·,.<
. ... .
'.'.
'\ ,. ..........
.":,: : ...
....

. .
.

..
/ . . .,.---.-..... ... .

i'
t
i•,. ' . '
-.
j

i
'
' ''· '
i

\\
\

r
I

,, ' .
,•
.�- \ .,
! , . ·
' . ./
I () 3
 COARSE GRAIN PAPER STUDIES

""'
.''·�.
,,,
", : \ ..•
'.
.· ,
'

· ·, ,
,

- ..
 STUDY IN FORESHORTENING

..�· �..

., ·

/.
,.

;�, -
'
,;
.•
.,;

<•

.,.HE DRAW INC5 ON THESE PAGes ARE

.
,wo

,. OF
lNTE.N O E D ,o OCMON..:5Tft.A"'TE HOW 'T H la
,.ex,-uRE OR CRA I N THE,: PAl>eA. MAY ae
UTILIZeo TO AOVA.N,.6CE. THE. PELI CA,e

l'\ O O E L. I N O IS DONS 'NITH 'Tl-<E POINT ANO

THI!! 8�0111.0ER MAs�es WITH TME. SIDE OF

.
THE LE.AO. ATTENTION IS CALLEO TOTl-'I!!. USE

OF DARI( ACC-T.$. YOU CANNOT IN'IIE.NT LIG'HT

..
ANO SHADOW, 0-W l'ROM LIFI!!. OR. aooo C.OV'(.
•

165
 CEfvlENTED TISSUE 0\!Ef{L,..\.Y. Sf> ATIER AND BRUSH ORA\\'ING
.i . ::...· :· ::.. · � .·': .• .' . . .
., ' . · .
..
;

', ,,

. . _ .,/ '

-· -- · - -·
···­
-·
"'..-· - -­
._
·
166
 __ - _...
�:- . ?#
'

. -....·
-- -- -
/
.;''.
·

- '
1

... ·- i ,/

--
-=·=- -- - --
-
_;
:.

- - � - .,

�
- -=-
.- --=---==..
�
- = --
- -- - -- -
=::3
__ -- ... -- -
::= •
----�
-...:
..........- �
--- -- -
. - _;
=: _.;::-:---::.
-=___:- -
- --:.
-----:;
=- ·-· ·--
.- ·

�
-

--- ·

- · -
-
- -- --
=-
,
--·
=
 PEN STUDIES

.- -

.
168
 A TYPICAL PROBLE:tv1
Typical problem to solve with an art dealer and
representative:
"I have a particular commission in 1nind that
I believe you could handle," says an art dealer.
"My clients have organized a ne\',r country club.
They are building a beautiful clubhouse. They
want two 1nural decorations for their new dining
room. The woodwork \\•ill be-done in ivory, ,vith
a slightly deeper tone of ivory on the ,valls.
There are t\',ro doorways into the dining room,
over each of ,vhich there will be a lunette. The
lunettes are half-circles, the radius of each being
five feet, making the base or span of the 1nural
ten feet, five feet in height at the 1niddle point.
The club is to be closed between the months of
October and May for the winter, and, since the
club activities start in May, a spring mural ,vill
be used over one door and a fall subject over
the other.
"The subject selected for tl1e first lunette is
awakening spring. A reclining figure lies upon
the woodland soil, a,nicl wildflo,vers that have
burst into bloom, blossoming b ushes; and trees.
There are s1nall animals about, such as squirrel,
deer, rabbit, and birds. The figure is in the act
of awakening and about to rise. Her hair is long,
and. perhaps there is a garland of early spring
flowers about her head. The figure may be partly
covered with flowers.
"A female figure lying down to rest for the
winter is the fall subject. Brilliant autumn leaves
are falling and haye �rifted over the figure, cov-
169
ering it partly. In the hair arc drooping and
,vilted flo,vers. A squirrel with an acorn in its
pa",s, a rabbit burrowing do,vn into the soil,
hirds Hying- all 1nay be shown. The grass is
hro\\'ll and dry; perhaps so1ne red berries are on
a branch. The thought that is conveyed is that
. . ,,
sum1ner has endt:d and Nature prepares for
,v111ter.
rvlake ,nany rough pencil co1npositions. Do
not only RH the space \\,ith the figure stretched
stiflly across it. Proceed to \\'Ork up some small
thumbnail roughs in color. Then pose your
1nodel, 1nake studies, or take carnera shots. It
would be \vise to make so1ne studies of trees and
foliage in the woods. The little animals should
also be studied. The suhject could he given
1noder11, simple treatment . Vlhen your pre­
li,ninary 1naterial is ready, begin the sketch you
\\•ill submit. This sketch is called a cartoon. It
should he done well enough so that it can be
squared off. You 111ay then work fro111 it, if neces­
sary, directly 11pon the ,valls, or on a canvas
1nounted to St or to be glued into place.
Since the room is light and airy, the paintings
should be keyed fairly high, rather than dark
and heavy. Gray your colors a little so that your
picture will not jump out of the wall like an a d ­
vertisement. Treat the flesh delicately and sim­
ply. Do not try for brilliant or even strong light
and shado,v. You will gain valuable experi­
ence if you will paint these subjects on a s1nall
scale.
...
Au �="I/
Lei!)
111 · �
 XI. THE HEAD, HANDS, AND FEET
The head, perhaps, has n1ore to do with selling a
drav.•ing than anything else. Though the figure
drawing you submit rnay b e a splendid one, your
client ,viii not look beyond a homely or hadly
dra,vn face. I h ave often ,vo1-ried and lahored
over this fact in 1ny o,vu experien�e. ()nee so1ne-
thing happened that has helped rnc ever since.
I discovered eonstruction. I dist-overed that a
beautiful face is not necessarily ' a tv1)c.
' It is not
hair, color, ey es , nose, or nlouth. Any set of fea-
a face that is interesting and arresting, if not
tures in a skull that is nonual can be made into
actually beautiful. When the face on yon r dra,v­
ing is ugly and secins to leer at you, forget the
.
features and look to the construction and plae,-e­
n1ent of the1u. No faec can b e out of eonstruc­
tion and look right or beautiful. '!'here n1ust b e
a positive balance of the h\'0 sides of the face.
The spacing between th e eyes 1nust be right in
relation to the skull. The perspective or vicv,,.
point of the face rr1ust b e consistent v.•ith the
skull also. The place1n e nt of the e ar nlust he
accurate, or a rather iinbecilic look resulL�. The
hairline is extre1ne ly importaut because it not
only frames the head but helps to tip the face at
its proper angle.
The placement of the 1nouth at its proper dis­
ta nce behveen nose and chin can Olean the d i f ­
ference between allure and a disgruntled pout.
To su1un1arize, dnnv the skull correctly frorn
your vie\vpoint and then place the features prop­
erly \Vithin it.
ln my first book, Fun with 11. Pencil, I set about
to work out a plan for head construction that I
consider ahnost foolproof. l repeat the general
plan as a possihle aid here.•
•A slrikingly similar m<·:thod was <J riginated independently by
�fiss E. Crace Hanks. ( Sec Fun wt.th a Pencil, p. 36.)
17 t
(�on.sider the head a hall, flattened at the sides,
to \vhich the facial plane is attached. Tiu, plane
is divided iuto three equal parts (lines .{, B, and
C ) . The b aU itself is divided in half. Line A be­
comes the ea1·line, B the rnidclle liue of the face,
and C the line of the brows. The spacing of the
features can the n he laid out on these liues . The
plan holds good for either n1ale or fe1nale, the
diffe r e nce being in the nlore bony struct,ue, the
heavier hro,vs, the larger 1nouth in the n1ale. The
ja\v line in the 1nalc is usually dra\vn 1nore
sqt1arely and rt1ggedly.
I n this chapter are studies of the skull and its
bony structure, as well as the muscular construc­
tion and the general planes of the 1nale head.
The individual features are worked out in detail.
The heads are of varying ages. Si11ce no two
faces are alike, for you the best pla11 is to draw
people rather than stock heads. Perhaps an artist
of another era cot1ld repeat his type s endlessly,
ht1t there is no advantage in that today. It tends
to n1ake an artist's \Vork dated in short order.
The artist v,ho can keep his types fresh and lrt1e
to purpose ,viii last.
It pays in the loug run to hire 1nodels, though
there is always the tcmptatiou to save 111011ey.
The dauger in using dips fro1u n1agazi11es is that
the n1aterial is usually copyrighted. Advertise rs
pay n1ovie stars for the privilege of using t he ir
photos. Both the star and the advertiser will
resent having the1n "s, viped" for another adver­
tiser. Your client ,viii uot be happ� about it
either. The sa1ne i s true of fashion 1nodels ,vho
have been paid for their S!!rvices. You cannot
expect to use thcnl for your own purposes. Prac­
tiec fn>nl clips, hut don't try to sell your e,-opies
as originals. Once you learn to dra,v heads, it \viii
be your life-long inte r e st to portray character.
 1-IEAD BUILDING

HOW TO CON.STR.VCT A HEAD. _. /

OR.AW A 15.0.LL. OIV I !>I: l'ALL INTO .sec-.:10N:S :so TKA"T YOO 1-lAVE A MIOOLI!. LIN!!>.
OtVtOINO 15Al..L 3 WA'(� (LtNa., A,8A,>U>C), TAl<eONe. FOR. f'1l0DLllii,. L1Ne OP �.6-C!5..-,Ht.
OTt-te.tt. TNO WILL. Be A,., 1!.AR. LIN£. ANC, A. LIN& Of' SR.OWS. D�OP Ml OPLIL l...1N• 0 .. ff.AC&.

.
OPP (JALJ.... OIVIO� \"'4TO -4 PA1lt:r.:J TWA'T APPe.G.R. l!!.QUAL.., E�C:H PAA:.T E.QU.O.LTO l>MLP'"OP

.
THI!! t,1.&'TANCE. P.lt01>1 BROWLlNt!. T"() Top op 8ALL. • .:,'LIC.5 ()�� ..:,,oes B'f t>,tos>�ING t!All.
LIN& $'T'qAtC'HT OQWN. ,.1...4,,C.e. t!.AR:. AT IN1'·e.�ec,-,oN Ot LINU AANOC. NOW 6Ull.,.OIN.JA.W
�
ANO Fli6.TUQ.U. "TIU$ Pt.A... 1$ MO�li. if-tOR.OU(.itU '( COVS.llt.Q.Q IN F'UN W 1TH A Pl!,N CI L
..
 Bl.OCKS AND PLANES

.., ,·. .
;

,HE SIMPLI!! f'ORM DEVELOPEO TO THE C.0MPLE.X,Tr11•.ouoH T.. E. V S E O F PLANIS.$.

T1-1e.se A\/1!.llACe PL,A.Nl!!.S .$\,,l()UL.0 BE. Ll!AR.NE.D. THE'V AFU:. �e eASt� FOR. 1,.IOHl l N O .

tJ

T>iE PLANl!S .Sll>I!!. VIEW • aE.T SOME Cl.A'< ANO MOOEL THlii PLANl!.S SO YOO CAN
LIO>IT THl!>M OIP'l'ERE.N.T WAYS, THEN DR.AW T>ll!OM. R.e.FISr;:. ao.CK TO PACAS 72. ANO 7,3,

'. � .
.,1·,
,..�

f. ,v
!

.,
;\'

,.

8ACI< VIE.W-3 ARE!- MOST OIFl'-ICVL"T UNLES:5 F'ORM AND PLANl=S AR.E UNDl!.R.S'TOOD

17 3
 .
BONES ANG M CSCLES O F 1·HE HEAD
.

,;'.: .,.· ..·''

Glie.VESOME ! eu,- TRY TO OR.0.W IT CARE FULLY.

\ ;

__
.......__�}
1 FltONrAU5 Ir MASSS.,-G.R.
2 011.B>C.VL<>R.IS OC.ULI ,-7 4YCOMA1"1GUS
3 AUft.lCOLAF- Ml).Sca..es Q OA.l!IIC.UU.R1$ ORIS
'I ,-&MPORAl-1� (De.EP) 9 'T11t.JJtJ4C\JL.A.titIS
10 13,UC.C:.I Nb. TOIQ.
I t 01!. Pflt.6.S$0R.
l2. $"Te.tit.NO MA.3T0fD
\!$ T-..O.�a.%1 US

1 74
 THE MUSCLES IN LIGHT AND SHADO\:V

/'•"H •...,�
. , : ·...
S"IUDtES OF� ANATOMICAL CAST (WH1Te)

I . ,,· <.
J;f'
'
: :
, THE.SB AR&. TO SHOW THli ANATOMY OF
.,..;.,
TW!e. WBAO It.I IT.S SOLID A.SPBCT,OllAS f:Oltflit
IN UCKT ANO .SHADOW, IF 'fOU CAN OftAW
FROM CA8T5,IT l'5 ltECOMMl!.NDE.O T'OOO
$0. MA.NV $T'UOl!!NT.5 .SK.IP THI!. ANTI QUI!.
CL.ASS,NOT R.eAL..IZI NO lTS 'T'lt.U&V6.LUE.
l'T's ADVANTACI! I� T><AT THI!!. Su&JECT
ltaMAINS FlKeo POR CA-FUL .STUDV, IT
DEV&.LOPS SOL.I DI ,-.y ANO �c.1:-LL..e.HT

POSI. STUOV OF V'ALVE..5• 1 $U<lCil!.S'T YOO

11\AKG. $0Ml5. CARtl ..UI- FR.l!.S.HANb
0UPLIC6.rT IONS 01' Ttie.51!!. DltAWI ._.G"S

175
FEATURES

'
;
. .'
;
�T

'-·

.t:,.
·�...
. �.
,,
 · SETTING THE FEATURES INTO THE HEAD

"W
\
•

.·
\
. '·.
:<.::
.·
"·�
•.:-,:; . \

· -- --
,\

'
,

'. {
.• '.
;
'7;,- .
· · >�,..,
�
-,<"

IX
, i;·
//,'.
//
. ·;.'·; :
/./,·'
.
,.:, /
..?>
I

177
 S'fUDIES

,I

..
," ;. .. •,,

.'
.
. �· ... '
I,'S
; I
·1
!
. -�·...

, ,. ,
,,
..
. �
..
,
..• '
.,'
! ,,. ,·,
·
STlJDIES OF M I S S "G"

\
)
.-�·....

,,,,
•
\/ I
\

,·

179
 ,
YOUNG AND OLD

'· .

·.
·· �: •
°'

'· , ,, "'., ,
\ '\.....· ,
< °
\ . ,;,; ; .

180
 MAKE STUDIES LIKE THESE OF YOUR FRIENDS

'\ •'

S1UOIES OFA YOUNO MAN

TM&Jta Aft.I!. NO 81!.GKIST'S IN Dfit.A.W-.

IMO Hieb.OS. Ftlf:.ST COM&• 4.N UN•

0&R.:5TA·"40tN<:J OP .6 P'Alllt.TIGVs.Alt.

$kUL.L. Me>CT, 'TO CON�TkVC T AM

JltOIVtDVAL :11:T 0" F&ATUR.S.$

cOCUt.ecTL'( PLAc.1!.0 Wl"f ... I N

THAT OICt.K.L. TM8N C'C>MllSTt1e

,t..,..oeR.tNQ OP YHe "'°,u,,I OV'P.

THa PA.<:• 11V PL4NB$ o" LlG'MT

"'4L.-TON8 ANC> .:JH,Ar:,ovv. IW1!a,.'(

PJ.AN� Id A PART' Oft "TH£ "fttOLS

1\fl!. UGH'TINQ' .,...ouLO ea ..,

........

StM PLII . nut HaA.O \$ OlP..ICUl..'T

EHOVOH WITHOUT ADPtN(jj' ,.......

COMPL..ll)tlTY Of' M,6.N"( 1,..\0 ...TIF•

 Pl{OPORTION OF 1- HE BABY HEAD

- .... - ,,,. "'

r
<

, V

I\ '· '
I

.....

I
•
wronl o, MEAP .{,rft.,2"!,Y}j [4
..

PROPORT I O N , 1'2 TO IS MONTHS OLD, 6AB Hl=AP.

"Ttta1::e ,s C'JU;:.AT VA11tt•TYOF .SIZ.11: AMP'

F R:OM T S I '7'E.
�AW A SQ.U.c:.Ke.01VIQIS ,,. ,.., M,.,t.LF
�ORIZONT.O..LL"(. VSlt'\IG ,:)IDE Ag AS A SffAP"e.S IN tN�NT Sk.C.>U...'5. f,(OW15.Ve..A., 'TN�
k.Al71U.:1,VKAWAKC SC. THE Alt:C A.'V�e WIU.. A,,,_,it:01'rMATC.J....."( pa.ILL .0.
C.,C,O.:SSltHi' MlOC>LE UNG 01V'E.$ THE­ St:lUJll('II:. ... VOLJ CAN V�f!. TtfE. 94L.L 6.N.t>-
WttTT't1 OF t-fEAD lflC PR'O�TtOtt TO
HE'f(if4T, CnVU:>'f:: L..OWQ.R Wl.Lf'tNro4
PL.AN& •v U.SINO """ova "111:0PO"'"'"'QN.$.
EQUAL P.O.RTS . P�C.e. feA'tURe.5..

CHA R:ACTE R.IST IC.S TO t<:EME.M BE.J<:..

FACl!c IS ............
TIVE.L'( .:JMAL.L ,Ar,,ouT V-4 OF WHOLE HF.AO FROM 0ROW.S
'"TO C111N. EAR: t>ke>PS Slii.LOW HA.LPWAV UME • 'THE eve5,A.NO MOUTH ..4Jt.e A
L.ITT�e. bl:lova ni� '"4AL-F\N'.6.'( P01N"T 8-S"TW ee.N 811:.0W, NOSe AMDCH '"'
PIVl$lON3. TH.e Cl-U"'1 O�OP3 WE.LL. UNC>E..R. �CSR. .A.Mb MOUTH. "THEi UPP&R..
W P 15 LAR.<lCflt. A.HO LONCC.R.. ANO> PR:.oTR.VPl!l.:S. TH e. FOR.&. Ml!..a.0 DR.OP$
INWAR..t> ro -n.<e NOSE.. 151<:I pee OF t,&OSa CONCAVS.. EVE!O AR& 1-4>.R.GJI<
IN THB1Q.. OPS.NI NG:S, ANO SL..1CHTJ..V ft,.,fOR.e. THAN WIPT\,,( OPAN E.'(E. 6.PA A.'"T.

EY!!S ANDTMECORNe.�:, OF MOUTH ON A LINE �ROM THIil.SJ.<. 'POINTS

•
 BABY HEADS

\.. .... ..
. .,
. .�/ , ,
,

'\
·,
.,,. \

.. ....
'i\.
'. ,.
'. .. ....

· ..
,• ·..... �

'
 HANDS
•

.· - · -·-.·

.f I'
"'·
{
r:
./

.
t--s- Yx
·. � .}
'
. \�: :..;.,,._
{ l;,
.,;. "*"':' -"'
'.

,.!
'..
" ·' r
J j /f · '

lf ;ii
. '

!''
.) · ,. 1{! _,,,,....:,.
-,.,
- ,��-

,..fll:A,.W t=-IMOli.ft.9 -Nt..11:A'T&L'{

tlNT IL.. VO..., O&.N ·� O T .....,....
IN 4M"( OIIIC,Q.C;TIOl'4,

-------

- �.
-
' ..

6.T LEAST OME. M.6.ND OAIL.V

J..1Pe o-.. Ci'OOC> CC>P'Y

-
.,. .
 HANDS

,-. . .-,.,:-
..\. . ..
,
.
·""-..,......-····

'
. .... . . :,,.,. .
.

./
ef· .. !
·
� .,

I.
j,

1\
i.'t\
'f,
';
.· � t

;·/\
,

'
.,.
:?l;: . •( ,,. :
,,.. .:' · . 1. � .·
. .I't
T •·,:,.' .:f
,'f ' ,;, ,
,'·,<
.

. .
. lf "'' .

f, ,;fJ;J·

'i""'f'�,(.·..•(:·;··, .·. ·- · ' . 1

' "'f
."it•' . ;., ' :'g:- [
,/;'.'.�,::J·/J:
/1
�1:; . .
�':,.,
� ,.•� '.• . /· ,i;
i!1" \·; ',

.
4 •. � • ','

.. ..
' I' '.,.{Ip
.
., ,. .·'

'
··?· ' ...,.· .

-
·' �. ·f;,11$ '
'

l
!.
, ', �y.,•••
. . ..
',
·, THESIC,E JS NO MV.STek"f t H Tk E.
I
;
t1aTHOD Of', t:l'ft:4.W INO H.ANO':S .

...
l'T' 1,S 4 '""""'TT&Jlt Op _. I 'T'T I "tG
,,
p,acas "TOGa"'l"HIIUlf. PRO•o�

..J.
/

.
/,/ T•ONA.,.aLV. 9L.OCt< IN "t Hlli,

· .
• A�...-.::O)(l MA.'Ta AfltBA Ot="t"Ha

,;�­' ,, ./ !
r

l
� OJII <nta ptANP 1'S 4,;SOUT aQUAL

TO TH&. PAca rw;OM KA)R.L.lt'IE.

\
TO BOTTOM OJIL CHIN. WATCM

CA,t,a,-UL.L.Y 00ftrtTOUR.� r"ASS·

lt,fO IN P«ONT OP. &ACH OT't'tlilt:

Tt1a PA.L."1 1s CONC4va, ,....e

!
&ACIC. C.ONVIL"• � A'T l'T t

185
 ;

' TI.IE FOGT

� ,/
.'
.

i
;·
i
.
'

,,. ,s suc.a ...ST"Et> T"HA.T" YOU f7f<AW YOUR OWN FEIST

I N MANY ll'OSES, SaT"TINC A MIR:.lo::OR. ON •HE. R.OOR:..
6.LSO, •HAT YOU SEIT UP St<OES A.NI> 17�W n<eM FROM

MANY ANGI..ES A"-117 VIEWPOI NTS.

186
 ,A... TYPl C1\L PROBLEtvf
A typical proble111 outlinfJd by an art buyer:
''\·Ve ahvays need artists ,vho can dra\v heads
,veil. Coo<l dra,vings of heads are required in
almost all advertising, for illustrations on 111aga­
zine covers, anc1 litho displays. An acceptable
head must he in good dra,vi11g, to he sure, btit
that's only the beginning of its job. If it's a pretty
girl's head, the pose, the anirnation, the hair-do,
the costu1ne, the color, the type, the expression,
the age, the idea behind it, all count. For char­
acter drawing, J shall expect you to find a living
type to work fro1n, for the sake of authenticity,
and, if necessary, add \vhatever particularized
qualities the job spccifles. I cannot tell you ,vhat
to do or ho\v to paint it. Do the necessai-y ,vork,
bring it in, and, if I like it, I'll buy it. That's the
only way our Jinn buys art ,vork. \Vhen you have
convinced me -that you can do a good head, I
1nay give you further co1nmissions, but I 1n11st
187
reserve the right to reject any \Vork and may
even ask you to redra,v a job."
Begin ,vith a 1nagazine cover and experiment
until you have arrived at a good idea. \\'ork it
out s1nall, in color, until you feel the little sketch
has carryiug po,ver and attention value. Then
,vork up yo ur final dra,ving. Keep it as simple
as possible. Don't try to sell a faked, or "cribbed,"
head. No n1agazinc ,viiibuy it. Do not send ,vork
to a rnagazine that already c1nploys one artist
regularly, · since he is prohahly \Vorking under
contract.
· ()ther suggestions are: '>-lake a number of
studies of the people arotmd yon. Dra,v yonrself
in the n1irror. Draw a haby, a child, a your,g 1nan
and gil'I, a 1niddle-aged person of each sex, and
an old person of each sex al�o. Spend most of
your tilne dra,ving heads-your n1arkct den1ands
them.
 J . /'
�,i,!•t1 ,y,?''.
. .,,
\ . �-
�'Ill /
 XII. THE COMPLETE FIGURE
IN ,;COSTUME
Costumes ,viii keep changing, bu\
.the/hu1nan
figure remains the saine. You mu�t kno,v the
form beneath the folds of the clothin��ou n1ust
familiarize yourself ,vith the method.� of cutting
flat material and fitting it over the rounded
figure. The drape of the material is caused hy
the manner in \vhich it is cut and joined. �late­
rial cut on the bias drapes differently from that
cut on the weave. Try to understand what makes
the material do \vhat it does in the rufRe, the
pleat, the flounce, and in gathering; what is the
purpose of a dart; and \vhy the sea1ns and join­
ings cause the flat 1naterial to shape itself. You
do not have to kno,v how to sew, but you must
look for the constn1ction of the clothing, just as
you look for the structure of the figure under it.
It takes only a fe,v extra minutes to find out
which folds are clue to the constt·uction of the
garment and which are caused by the under­
lying forrn. Find the "intention" of the drape.
Discover vvhat the designer ha5 worked for­
slilnness or fullness. If a seam is smooth, it ,vas
mtended to lie flat. If there is a shirring or gath­
ermg at so1nc point, take note that it ,vas r,ot
intended to lie flat. You must not slavishly copy
each tiny fold, but neither must you disregard
fold5 entirely. Indicate the shirring at that point.
Learn how the female figure affects the folds:
the fabric falls away from the 1nost prominent
forms underneath shoulders, breasts, hips, but-
tocks, and knees. \Vhen material is loosely
ch-aped over these, the folds start ,vith them
and radiate to the next high point. \:\-11en the
material is fitted, if there are anv,
folds at all, the
folds will run around the protninent forms, pull­
ing at tl1e sea1ns. The rnale form 1nolds the
clothes in a like 1nanner. In a man's suit, for
exa1nple, the 1naterial over the shoulders, over
fit. The only folds you find then co1ne from the
the chest, and over the top of the back is cut to
pull at the searns. The botto1n of the coat and
the trOtL�ers are draped loosely. The trouser
folds radiate from the buttocks to the knee in
sittmg poses and fr01n the knee to the calf and
the back of the ankle.
An ove1modeled gannent is just as bad as an
ovennodeled figure. \Vatch to see that your light
and dark values stay ,vithin the color value of
the n1aterial itself and that its unity is not broken
hy lights and shadows that are more strongly
stated than nec.-essary.
Do not draw every seam, every fold, and
every button, hut try to understand construc­
tive principles and interpret them correctly in
,vhat you do put down, instead of beiug careless
in these matters or remaining totally ignorant
of then1.
No n1atter ,vhat you dra\v- figure, costume,
furniture-lem·n its eonstn1ction, so that you can
dra,v it.
 DRt\\V FTGUf{E. "fHEN COSTUivlE

''

�-·
t I•
(

'

'
•

• - .:, ,,
. _ :,.
., .
' : .,.
. r-
:

'·

--·-4

KNOW YOUR FIGURE. UNDER "TliE cosruME.

.tN EXCELLeNT MeTHOO FOt:t,. P�ACT tCE . NOW IS 'TO TAKE. IFAS HIOr-t Pl-tO'rO..S TO WORK.
:
�11:0M,AND ,AS I N C> I CA,.�O .o.e.ove I C>R.AW &OTH CO..STUMC .6Nt,, f=IGUA:.f!. UNDE:.R.Nl!l.0.TH,AS IF
CLOTH I NO 'WE.fil:E, "Tfl:.4.NSP.O.R�NT. 't't>v \NILl- VNOE.kSTAN l?THe.N THE R:E.LA,.ION.:5HIP' OF THA. Crilt.AP!a.
To THt=. F=O�r,,, VN17E.R.Nl!A"'Tt-t. YOU MUST bl! A&\.I!!. TC) kl!CONe,.�uc., .o,. Ci.OTMla.O l=IOutac..e.
 (�1�01'1-l!N(; STUDIED FRO!VI LIFE

THE Jt'E.NOER:.\NO OF Pt-=APE.RY l$ SO COMPLICAIEP A.T �EST.-r'HAT ONLY A VI!.�'( �ILLE.P

ARTl5AN COULO b.N.T I C l PAT!!.. WHAT t>kAP'E.Ft.Y WILL 00 I N A OIVC.N 1 N$TANCe.,
• •
UNOE!.R C:l!.R.T<>IN LIGHT ANO WITH Cl!lll:TA.IN TE.)(TUR.E . F'AKEO _CLOTHING USUALLY LOOKS
)T, 6MV W I L L NOT .SE.LL "THe. A'llft.R.A.Oe Ak:T euva.,c.. M.AJ<E IT A R'..U1..E. • . • RIOMT NOW!
 RENDERING DRAPERY

/I
I I

Re:NVeR\NG OF DltAPER:";' ,s .O.N AR:TICU�TION OF PLANES AftkANGeD IN P'ttOP'ER VALU!!:S.

 DR ,-\\V Tr[E H1\LF"rONES AND SHADO\VS

'

.·--� 1'
i
1

ST<.JVY POI<: A STOR.Y ILLVSTP::ATION. HERE ISA,YPICAL. PROCE ourz_e

OF DRAW ING HALFTONES ANO SHADOWS ONLY, LEAVING Ll<iHTS WHIT!a.

193
 EJJ.l\'I INATION AND SUBORDINATION

$TUPY � .STOFC.'-( IU..U.STflC6.TtON .

t-4&a:e, A 9A Cl<. L..I �HTr NC ,..a:ove.v
eP.l"&c.TIVl!l pt)(l;t..A VIG,Nf&T"ret,

JI'
�.
':

,.x.;.,

.!'..'
/
·
,,,<:

} ,,
, < :,
.' 'f'
·

..··�.­, '
(

'•

.,,.........
.....P""'"
' ..
.;. .;.,....

' .. . ....

194
 STUDY Fl�Otvl LIFE

. .,.
,.
·4. ''

•
" ,.
'
,,•,.

..·. •.:'·
.
: ./

* . 1-,, .,
•·,, ; / 1/•;,�:· ,'
• J .•f t ,''}
1f· :,.,·
1;
, .. . ... ,;;
1 , ,
•
• •
(.,.
• 1.
,,�

...
� .,

'

..
,. ,..
,
' ,,'.
I'!' ..,.
·'
,·•.·

....... _
(.·:·, 1''.,'..t·,; ,(<'
:· "".
,
,, �

,. :�·,, ,:

195
BRUSI-l i\.ND SPATTER ILLUSTRA1'ION

·'
•< '
:.
.;
.

.'

..
,
.'
.'

''

....
I .
;

..

..
 A TYPIC1\I_ PROBLEiv1
The proble1n of equipping yourself to do your
iob tvell:
\\lh at is the uext step? you rnay inquire.
Look about at the kinds of work you see dis­
played every,vhc�·c. What kind of ,vork do you
,vant to do? Once you make up your mind, prac­
tice that kind of dra,ving with brush or pencil.
You arc going to need n1cntal equip1ne11t as ,vell
as skill ,vith your hand. Try to kno,v n1ore about
your subject than the other fcllo,v. Re1nernhcr
you canbotTO\V only a little; n1ost of your kno,v l ­
edge 1nust come fro1n you r o,vn observation,
your determination, and your plain courage.
Find a ,vay that you can allow yourself one,
hvo, three, or even four hours a day for dra,v-
197
ing. Next, supply yourself ,vith n1aterials and a
plac.-e to work. Keep a fresh sheet of papl,r on
your dra,ving board at all times ,vith other
1natc rials at hand.
Hunt for subjects that interest you. Note the1n
do,vn and pin the notes to your board. If you
can do nothing better, set up an interesting still
life and work fro1n it until you have learned
so1nething fron1 it.
Start a portfolio of sa1npks of your best ,vork.
Don't take out a drawing aud th ro,v it away
until you have a better one ,vith ,vhich to re­
place it. \Vhcn you have a dozen good d ra,v­
ings, show then,. Don't ,vait for an expensive
collection.
 •

..

'

i
I"
'·
·,

,.
a::uee&P Wl1:,.M FtNa ..�·ott:. A

' ,'
P'A�•ti:. .STVMP. t-l JCHLtG'HTS

' Aka ..-,eic&.c:>Ot1T WITW KH-..."1!.v

I ,CU8&,tUt, MANV AC'Tl3T:, Ul<.E!.

Tt41e .....,,c,,&.R k.A.NGE Of' VALue$

\ ...P'P"OCO.CP ev ,'HI � Me.TNOV,$Plr.A,'(

wtrt-t Fl)(.6.T IVI!!!. <:Jooo LUCI<\

 CLOSING CHAT
There is always ;,i hesitation before turning in
a finished job. It occurs to n1e as I con1plete this
book, and it will occu r to you ,vhcn you look
over a pie<--e of your work: Could it not have
been done better? It may sce1n to you that you
should h�ve used a differen t approach, ot a bet­
ter method of construction. �1y o,vn philosophy
is to do the best I an1 capable of ,vithin the time
require1nents, and then to make the decision
that the dia,ving is now finished and 1nust be
turned in. Lack of decision is a hannful thing.
You can lean1by your mistake- andmakea1nends,
but the energy must go into a fresh effort.
Learn to use time ,visely. You ,viii not ahvays
have the time to do a dra,ving hvice or three
times in order to select the hcst exa1nplc. ,Vhile
you iue a student, use precious hours to the best
adva11tage. A hit of anaton1y n1isunderstood in
an ilnportant job that 1nust go tonight, a prob­
lem in perspective that re1nains unsolved, ruins
a painting on ,vhich you have spent days and
paid expensive 1nodels' fees.
'\'hen, early in your career, an art director
asks you to re-do a dn1,ving, be grateful that
you ai·e granted the ti1ne. It is a tragedy ,vhen
your diawing ought to be done over and cannot
be for lack of tirnc. You deliver son1ething you
do not like, and the publisher is forced to accept
it. He is generous if he gives you another job.
The term "talent" needs clarifying. To any
1nan ,vho has slaved to acquire skill in his art,
it is 1nost irritating to have his ability r efen·ed
to as a "gift." Perhaps there is one gen.ins in a
hundied years or n1ore ,vho can achieve perfec­
tion by "divine inspiration." I have never met
such a 1nan, and I do not kno,v any successful
artist who did not get there b y the sweat of his
brow. Again, I do not know of a single success­
ful artist ,vho does not continue to ,vork hard.
199
There is no formula in art that ,viii not breal<
do,vn as soon as the clforl Leh.ind it ceases. But,
to co1npensate, there is no re,vard on earth that
can compare with a pat on the hack for a hard
job ,veil clone. Talent, in its underclothes, is a
capacity for a certain kind of learuing. Talent is
an urge, an ins atiable desire to excel, coupled
,vith indefatigable po,vers of con centration and
production. Talent and ability arc like sunlight
and a truck garden. The sun 1nust be there to
begiu \\'ith, but, added to it, there n1ust be
plowing, planting, "'ecding, hoeing, destroying
of parasite s -all have to be done before your
garden ,viii yield produce. According to those
one-inch ads ,ve see so often, you can be an
artist, play the piano, ,vrite a book, be compel-
1.ing, convince anybody, 1nake friends, and get
a high-salaried job if you'll just sit do,vn and
answer it- and, of course, "kick in."
Jf you want to dra,v, if you ,vant to gamble
all you r chips for stakes that are really ,vorth
while, you have an excellent chance of ,vi nning.
If you just dabble, you ,vill cer tainly lose your
aute, for the others in the gan1e arc playing their
hands for all they are ,vorth. I have n1et students
,vho have said they would like to learn drawing
as a "sideline." 1·here are no sidelines. You are
either in the gan1e or out of it. "\Veil, then, ho,v
do I kno,v !'111 goiug to be good enough to 1nake
a go of it?" No one can possibly be assu red that
he is going to he good enough at anything to
make a go of it. Faith in yourself and industry
are all that any of us have got to go on.
An honest book on drawing can only poiut
the ,vay and suggest procedure. A book of do,vn­
r ight pro1nise can be nothing but downright
fake. It is natural for young 01en and ,vomen
to look for the "secrets" that allegedly assure
succ.-ess. It is even reasonable to feel that these
 H0\\1 Al{'rISTS \\/ORK
s ecrets are somewhere hi<lden a\\'av,
' and that to
n;vcal then1 ,vould assure sucee ss. I confess I
thought so 1nysclf ,tt one ti1ne. But ther e ar e no
such secret,, jealously guarded by the older
generation so that it need not give ,vay to the
younger. There is 11ot a craft in all the ,vodd
that opens its doors so ,vide to the young and
lays it� kno,vledge so fre ely at its feet. Note that
I say knowledge, for all the secrets arc kno,vl­
edge. Everything about this craft is fundamen­
tal. Expert use of the fundan1cntals is the only
basis there fa for learning to dra,v. These fun­
dan1entals can be listed, studied, and carri e d
out in your owu "'ay. They are: proportion,
anato1ny, perspective, values, 1.,-olor, and knov:1-
e<lge of n1ediu1us and rnatcrials. Each of these
can be the subject of infinite study and obser­
vation. If there is a secret, it is only in your in­
dividual expression.
The artist obtains his ,vork in different ,vavs,'
dependjng on the branch of the craft iu ,vhich
he speciaHzes:
In an advertising agency there is usually a
creative or art departrnent. Here the layouts or
visualizations are n1ade. There is a copy ,vriter,
an account executive, aud a layout 1nan ,vho to­
gether have planned an iudividual ad or a ,vholc
ca1npaign. An appropriation has b een 1nade b y
the advertiser. The inagazine space has been
decided upon and (.�mtracted for. As the ideas
are worked out, in sketch or layout forn1, they
arc subn1itted to the client an<l 0.K.'cl or re­
jected. l t has bee n decided that either photo­
graphic or art \\'Ork shall he used. All this has
taken place before you are called in. Ry this
tin1e, a closing date has bee11 set, and it is usually
not far off, sinc.-e the preparatory work has takeu
a good deal of tin1e.
You m·e handed the layout as ().K.'d or ,vith
instructions for changes . .\1ost agencies give
you considerable lee way for pictorial interpre­
tation, but yotu· clrawiug 1nust fit the space in
200
the layout. If you are working ,vith an ,u· t o r ­
ganization, you will not see the agency at all,
hut ,vill get your instructions and the agency
layout from one of your co1npany's sales1ncn.
Proceed, theu, to look up what <lata you need,
get necessary photos or 1noclels, and go ahead
,vith your job. If you are a free-lance ,utist, yon
·,vork in your o,vn studjo. ln that case you ,viii
have agreed upon a price ,vith the art director,
and you ,viii bill the agency ,vhen the job is
co1npk:tc and accept ed. In an ·art organization
you ,viii either be "'orking at a s et salary, or on
a split basis, usually fifty-fifty. �-1ost artists spe nd
1.,-011siderable time in organizations before s e t ­
ting up a free-lance studio.
The niagazine illustrater usually ,vorks in his
owu studio. He niay have an agent or sales rep­
resentative, especially if he does uot live in New
York City, where n1ost of the n1agazine houses
are located. \Vithout an age nt he deals directly
,vith the art director. The artist is handed a
1nanuscript. As a geu e ral rule, if the n1agazine
has not supplied hi111 with layouts, he is asked
to 1nake roughs for general 1.,,01nposition and
treatn1ent of the subject. The 1nag;azine may
pick the situation to illustrate or 1nay ask the
artist lo rea<l it, pick the situations, and snbrnit
several roughs for selection. ,,vbe n these are
().K.'d, the artist proceeds ,vith his dn.1,viugs.
vVhen the magazine picks the situalion and
gives the artist a rough fron1 the ,ut departn1ent,
he n1ay go to ,vork at onc-e. This is usually the
n1ost satisfactory a1Tange1nent, but it does not
give the artist so 1nnc:h freedo1n as ,vhen he
,nakes his o,vn selection. If you have an agent,
the agent bills the ,vork; other,visc you are
paid tHrcctly. An age nt's con1n1ission is approxi-
1nately tweuty-five per cent of tte billing frice .
There are several firms and guilds i n Ne,v York
that act as artists' agents. ,¥ork 1nust be of
proven quality, however, before they ,vill rep­
resent au artist.
 RUNNING Y()lJR STUDIO
Outdoor posters are handled through adver­
tising agencies or tlu·ough lithographers. The
artist seldon1 deals directly with the advertiser.
.
There are also outdoor advertising co,npanies
that buy art ,vork aud in turn sell it to the adver-
tiser. In the latter case the lithographer is called
in on a competitive basis.
Ne,vspaper dnt,ving rnay be done in art or­
ganizations, by the paper's staff, by the adver­
tiser's 0\\'11 depi;rt111ent, or in the free-lancer's
o,vn studio. Displays are done in the lithog­
rapher's art departn1ents or are bought fro111
organizations or free-lance artists.
lvtaga:,;ine eovers are usually speculative. You
silnply n1ake them, sen<l thern in, and 1nost of
the ti1ne you get the,n back. You are expected
to send retiu-n.postage or express charges. S01ne­
ti111es you can send in a preliminary sketch. lf
the magazine is interested, you n1ay be asked to
nrnke a final dra,ving or painting, hut the art
editor reserves the right to reject il unless you
are so ,veil kuowu in the field and so dependable
t!Jat you cau be relied upon to bring i11 au ac­
ceptable C.'Over design.
Con1ics are handled speculatively, as are 1nag­
az.ine covers, except in the case of newspapers.
There they generally 001ne through feature syn­
dicates. In this case you ,vork on a salary or
royalty basis, or both. You 1nust have several
1nonths of your featw·e completed on a strip b e ­
fore your ,vork \\'ill be considered. S0n1etimes
royalty is paid by the con1ic 1nagazine or syndi­
cate, in addition to the purchase of first serial
rights.
First-rate advertising may pay 1nore than
story illusn·ation . .l\i- ethods of reproduction are
so accurate today that almost anything painted
or dra\\,n n1ay be reproduced \\,jth fidelity.
Kno,ving lliesc n1ethods is valuable infonnation.
l\1ost engraving houses are glad to show their
equip1nent and methods to the artist. They know
that if he understands thefr problen1, he can help
'2 0 J
the111 by producing clean copy. Thb is also true
of lithographers. It is important to reme,nber
that a newspap_er U$eS lille or coarse-screen half­
tone. Pulp 111agazines n1ust use a coarser screen
than other 1nagazines. This 1ncans keeping fairly
contrasting values to assure good reproduction.
In all halftone reproduction the ,vhitcs of your
subject gray do,.vn son1ewhat; the middle tones
flatten a little; and the darks becornc some,vhat
lighter. \Vatcrcolor is about the best medi um
for reproduction si11cc it has no shine, is tL�ually
made s1nall, and therefore requires less reduc­
tion. Any of the drawing n1ediu1ns, ho,vever,
can be reproduced \\'ell. Nev<·,· sub1nit a dra,v­
ing on flimsy paper.
The arti.st should, early in his career, fonn the
habit of orderliness. Keep things where you
can find thern. Your dra,ving, when sub,nitted,
should be sernpulously clean and matted ,vith
a flap to protect it from di.rt. Keep your file in
order and clip whatever you think ,vill 1nake it
as con1plete in infonnation as possible. I have a
met!Jod of filing that \\'orks out nicely: l make
an index in alphabetical order of v,hat I have
filed and then give n1y folders consecutive nun1-
bers. In this way I put several subjects in one
file. For instance� I list bedroo,ns under B, and
the file number for this subject is put alongside
the listing. I also list sleeping poses under S and
give it the same nun1ber. My folders go fro111
one to three hundred. I can add as n1any 1nore
as I ,vish or add 1.nore subjects ,vit!Jin the present
folders by siluply listing the additional subjects
alphabetically and assigning a folder ntunber. I
have gradually learned the folder nun1bers, and,
as soon as I see a subject, I find it without re­
fcrring to the index. For instance, I know that
airplanes go in nmnber sixty-seven. On every
clipping I jot down the file nun1bcr and put the
clip into the drawer that contains the number.
I have filled seven filing cabinet clra,vers. I can
now go directly to a file that C.'Outains a school
 ABOUT YOUR PRICES
classrootn by looking it up alphabetically under
S an d getting the file number: vVithout a filing
system, hours upon hours can be lost looking
through htu1dreds of clippings to find a single
one. It is a good investment for the artist to sub­
scribe to a number of 1nagazines. By keeping
your copies in order, they eventually become
valuable. For instance, if I should need material
to illusb·ate a story laid in 1931, I could go back
to the styles worn in that period without diffi­
culty. Or to interiors. Or to the automobile that
the characters o,vned. Some day you may ,vant
to know ,vhat they were ,vearing during the
Second \Vorld \Var. ,\'hat were the soldiers'
helmets like? The n1agaziue s are brimming over
,vith tha t material no,v. ,vhen the war is history,
it will be hard to find.
Develop an orderly procedw·e in your ,vork.
Get the habit of making small studies before
you start son1ething big. Your problen1s ,vill ap­
pear in the sketches and can be ,vorked out then,
so that you will not b e sttnnped later on. If you
are not going to hke a color sche,ne, find it out
before you have put in days of ,vork. I re1ne1n­
ber a poster I once painted. When I ,vas through,
I began to ,vonder ho,v a different e,-olor back­
grow1d ,voutd have looked. \Vhen I had put the
second background on, it look ed worse. By the
ti.Jue I had tr ied about six, I ,vas r esigned to
going back to the first. It ,vas all lost motion that
could have been avoided by making thumbnail
sketches first. I could have done several posters
in the titne wasted, aud 1n y ,vork ,vould not have
If you once decide on a pose, stick to it. Don't
lost its original freshness.
let yow·self muddy up a subject b y wondering
if the arm 1night not have been better some
other ,vay. lf you must change it, start over an d
so keep it fresh. The more clearly you have a
drawing defined in your n1ind and in the pre­
liminary sketches, the better the result will be.
l'v(any dra\vings ,viii have to be changed to
'.l O 2
please your clients. The changes are often un­
reasouable and are matters of opinion, but do
not gru1nble, at least aloud. A chronic grumbler
is an w1popular fello,v, and soon the jobs go to
the ,nan who seems to be more cheerful, espe­
cially if his ,vork is equally good. Again, enthu­
sias1n and cheerfulness add their o,vn qualities
to your ,vork. Robert 1-Ienri said, "Every stroke
reflects the mood of the artist at the moment."
Ile is confident or hesitant, happy or so1nber,
certain or perplexe.d. You cannot hide mood in
a creative ,vork.
On the subject of prices, it is better in your
early years to get your work publishe d and cir ­
culated than to quibble over price. The more
you get published, the better kno,VJ1 you bc­
co1ne. The better kno\vn you are, the more ,vork
you get. The more work you get, the better will
be your price. Eventually you find your price
level, since you can keep raising your price as
long as n1ore p eople ,vant your work than you
can supply. If nobody ,viii pay the prie,-e you
arc askiug or if you cannot k ee p busy at your
prices, you'd better come down. It's just plai.J1
business.
I achnit you are apt to run into a buyer who
,viii take advantage of yotu- youth or your lack
of work, but, if you are capable, hi.s very use of
yotu- work may boost you clear out of his class.
There is no ,vay to place a value on a piece of
your ,vork. The chances are that you will get a
fair deal fro1n a reputable client. If you do not,
it ,von't be lon g before you ,vill discover it. You
,viii soon find out if you are asking too tnuch.
Posters can go all the ,vay up the ladder from
· fifty dollars to one thousand. Magazine illustra­
tions range fron1 ten or hventy to five hundred
or n1ore a picture. The ptu-pose,. the client, the
Attend an art school if you can, but carefully
artistic 1nerit-all these inJl.uence the price.
consider the instructors. If you can get a man
to te ach you who is active in his field, well and
 INTRODUCING YOURSELF
good. Ask for the names of some of his fon11er
pupils. If the school can show a <-'<>nvincing list
of professional men who vvere formerly his stu­
dents, fine. If not, hunt up another school.
Let me 1nake a suggestion or t\VO about the
preparation of an artist's sa1nples. There is slight
possibility of being accepted as a professional
artist ,vithout a ,vel l -cxecuted group ofsainples.
I have urged throughout this book that you r e ­
tain the best of your practice ,vork for san1ples.
Do not limit yourself to my proble1ns alone. If
you want to do figure work, prepare your sam­
ples for that purpose. Do not subniit nudes,
however, since there is no possibility of their
being used. The excellence of your figure dravl'­
drawing. SubJUit one or two girl subjects, per­
ing, ho,vever, should he present in your costu1ne
haps a man, or a man and a girl. A child subject
is always of value. Keep your subjects on the
happy side for advertising, and don't forget
glainour appeal.
All of the foregoing also holds b·ue for story
illustration, although magazines are interested
.
If you ,vant to do posters, your approach 1nust
in characterization, action, and drama as ,veil.
be different, since here simplicity is of first i m ­
portance. Do not mix up your presentation, by
,vhich I n1ean that you should not subniit a
drawing obviously designed for a poster or a d ­
vertising illustration to a n1agazine editor of
fiction. Try to fit your presentation to yow­
client's needs. Don't sub1nit a great raft of cha,v­
ings. An art director can see fro1n your first hvo
or three samples ,vhat he can expect of you. He
is a busy fello,v. He will keep looking as long
as your subjects, treatments, and mediums are
varied, if they are at all good. If he looks at
t\venty dra,vings, he is just being polite. Don't
impose on the n1au.
A very good 1nethod of introducing yotu·self
is to make up small packets of photographic
<-'<>pies of your samples. These may be 1nailed
to many prospective clients, together ,vith your
address and telephone number. Interested peo­
ple \viii get in touch with you. I followed this
schenie ,vhen I set up 1ny own studio after work­
ing for several years in various art organizations.
J photographed proofs of the ,vork I had done
for or through the organizations. The result
proved ,veil worth the expense. lvfany new cus­
to1ners ,vere brought to light.
It is advisable to start a library. There are
1nany good books on art: anatomy, perspective,
the \vork of the old inasters, and modern art.
Buy all you can afford. Read art magazines.
l',,fany valuable suggestions will cmne to you this
v.1ay.
Although I have err1phasized the figure, part
of your tune should be devoted to other subjects
for drav,ing. Draw animals, still-life subjects,
furniture, interiors, or ,vhatever else is likely to
be an ac<..-essory to the
,
6g1ue. Outdoor sketching
and painting is ,vonderful for training your eye
to color and value as well as fonn.
Painting ,viii help your drawing, and vice
versa. The hvo are so interrelated that they
should not be thought of as distinct and sep­
arate. You can paint ,�ith a pencil and clra,v
,vith a brush.
For color practice, use some of the color pho­
tography you find in the 1nagazines to render in
oil or water color. Pastel is a delightful 1nediu1n
for practice. There are many kinds of color
crayons and pencils ,vith ·which to experunent.
It is a constant challenge of the profession
that you never ki10,v what you \vill be called
upon to do next. It may be anything fro1n a
le1non pie to a lvladonna. As long as it has light
falling upon it, color, and fonn, it can be 1nade
interesting. I recall an advertising campaign
so1ne years ago for so prosaic a subject as enan1-
eled kitchenware. But ,vhat the artist made of
it ,vas exquisite. I recall the 1-Ienry lvlaust ,vater
colors that advertised hams and foodstuffs. They
 . ..
DO IT YOUR 'vVAY
\vere as beautifully executed as any fine English
\Vater <.'Olor.
Si,nple things such as a feVI' garden vege­
tables, a vase of cut ilo\vers, an old barn, prese nt
all the prohle1us there are to 1naster. Each of
these 111ay be a vehicle £or your individual ex­
pression. Each can be so beautiful as to be
\VOrthy of a place in a fine arts gallery. That is
the scope of things to he seen, felt, and se t down.
Clouds \Vere there for Turner; they are here for
you and will be here for your great-grandson.
The qualities of light on flesh are present for
you as they \Vere for Velasquez, and you have
as n1uch right to express you1·self as he had, and
much less superstition and prejudice to co,nbat.
Yon can set up the altnost identical pan of apples
\vith ,vhich Cezanne gave a lasting 1nessage to
the art world.
You can look for yourself at the haze of a t ­
mosphere that entranced Corot or the burst of
late-afternoon light that entlu·alled Innes. Art
will never die- i t just a,vaits eyes to see and
hands and brain to interpret. The paintahle
waves will not cease breaking with Frederick
\Vaugh, nor \viii pictures b e forgotten \Vith the
continuing rise of radio. You \vill also have n,a­
terials never dreamed of, subjects that we cannot
now imagine. You will have ne,v purposes for
art that have never before existed. I believe the
hu1nan body has heen increasing in beauty, al­
though it is hardly discernible to us. Think of
how standards change, for example, and of a
n,odern girl beside a buxom 1naid of Rubens'
tin,e. It ,vonld be a little hard to in1agine one of
his beauties ,valking do,vn !v(ain Street in slacks.
I doubt ,vhether his favorite n1odel could get to
the judges' stand in one of our innun1erable
beauty contests.
All the things have not b ee n done in art that
can and will be done. I don't think otu- hones
and ,nuscles will change 1nueh and that light
\vill shiue differently, so all the good rules \vill
still hold. I can only say that you n,ust have the
courage of your convictions, believing that your
,vay is right for you and for. your tilnc. Your
individuality will always b e yotll' precious right
and 1nust be treasured. Take fron1 the rest of us
all that you can assi,nilatc, that can beco1ne a
part of you, but never still the sn1all voice tha t
whispers to you, "J like it better l'QY ,vay."
'