EBS 275: INTRODUCTION TO PICTURE MAKING, UNIT 4

Figure Drawing

The term 'figure drawing' usually refers to as drawing from life whereby artists study and draw a

live model sitting in front of them.

Most art students, and even professional artists, typically will do almost anything to avoid

drawing figures in motion. It may be running, pulling, pushing or grabbing Torsos that twist and

bend. This is because drawing a body in movement presents far more technical challenges than a

static body rooted to the spot.

To draw a figure in motion using deep foreshortening is even more challenging. An example of

foreshortening is the dimensional distortion of a limb that is closer to the viewer in drawing.

Drawing a figure in motion accurately is a highly technical skill, one that was forever practiced

by some of the greatest old Masters of our time, including Michelangelo, Tintoretto and

Leonardo da Vinci (Anon., n.d.).

What Is Figure Drawing & Why Is It So Important?

Figure drawing is the practice of drawing from a live model in different poses. Typically this is

done with real models and working from life (not photos). Nude models are mostly used in

figure drawing to capture the full essence of the human figure.

Life drawing is also known as figure drawing. When you attend figure drawing sessions

you’re always drawing from life because you’re working from a real reference (the model).
But you can also draw from life by drawing an apple, a chair, or a car without a photo.

life drawing and figure drawing are basically synonyms and mean the same thing: to practice

drawing from a live model in various poses in a model room.

So you may be wondering why figure drawing is so important. Why is it practiced so often, even

by professional artists?

There’s a few reasons but they all boil down to the idea that reality never lies.

When you draw from life you’re attempting to capture the world as it really is. This means

studying forms, proportions, perspective, shading, and all the fundamentals that go along with

learning to draw.

Note that practicing from photo reference is perfectly fine. In fact it’s the best way to practice if

you’re at home with a computer.

But every artist needs time in front of the model.

Artwork by @penny.yin

It trains your eye to see things that photographs just can’t capture. This makes you more

perceptive in all of your work—and that includes animation or illustration where exaggeration is

crucial.

But can’t you just draw apples and chairs and stuff? Why do you need to draw people?
Two answers for that question:

 The human form is incredibly complex with so much to study

 Most characters/creatures can be built from human anatomical studies

The biggest reason we practice with the human figure is because it has so much to offer.

Mastering the figure is about more than just shapes and muscles and bones.

It’s about movement, weight, balance, and tension. It’s about studying the model’s weight-

bearing leg or how they position their hips to hold a certain pose.

As you study these minor details through figure drawing you’ll learn to see them everywhere.

In animals, in objects, and certainly other humans. But drawing humans fully clothed makes it

tougher to see the full scope of each pose.

And that’s exactly why figure drawing is primarily done nude.

Artwork by @dennis.spicer(Website)

Most artists begin figure drawing with quick gestures and sketches from photos. And really,

that’s a great place to start. Much better than not drawing at all.

But eventually you’ll want to find a local figure drawing class and get to it as often as possible. It

helps if the class is guided since you may feel uncomfortable and anxious entering the room as a

newbie.

Trust me, that’s normal. You get over it fast once you learn what you’re trying to do.
Figure sessions typically last for 30-120 minutes each and more expensive classes can go all day.

Some classes have the model hold the same pose for many weeks or even months at a time. This

gives you a chance to render a very detailed realist drawing (or painting) and bring it to

completion.

Other classes have the model change poses frequently. It may be one pose per session or even

multiple poses per session.

This is partly why it can feel so confusing to someone who’s never done a figure class before.

If you’re nervous about getting into art because you don’t want to attend figure classes then

start with online courses instead. There are many gesture drawing techniques you can pick up at

home before working from a live model.

I actually started my figure practice with Proko’s figure course and it was the best decision I ever

made. Even though it uses photo references it still teaches you what to do when you see a real

model take a pose.

Proko’s course trained me how to think about figures and more importantly how to start my

drawings in the figure room. If you can’t find any local guided classes then I highly recommend

Proko’s course as a starting point on how to draw figures.

 Sam

ple from Proko’s Figure Drawing Fundamentals

Have a look at our full review if you wanna learn more about Proko’s course.

But once you get past the absolute basics you’ll feel a lot more comfortable drawing from a real

model. Even if you’ve never done “real” life drawing before you can still enter the room with

confidence knowing you have an idea of what to do.

After a while these life drawing sessions will get easier. Eventually they get pretty fun!

Just remember that everyone hits roadblocks so don’t get discouraged if you have some bad

sessions. Again, this is totally normal.

What I recommend is eventually doing figure studies by focusing on different parts of the human

figure with each session.

Maybe start your sessions with quick gesture sketches and then move into detailed studies. Some

artists focus on specific areas like the torso or legs.

Other artists practice rendering trouble areas like hands or feet. Ultimately it depends what you

want to improve.

When you draw the human figure what’s your weak spot? Are there a few?

Pick one and draw that area from live models until it’s your strong spot.

Artwork by @richardsmitheman (process video here)

The key is to remember that life drawing is an ongoing lifelong pursuit, much like art itself.
Even artists with 30+ years’ experience regularly attend figure drawing sessions. Many of these

artists don’t even do realist work.

Did you know Walt Disney Animation pays for its animators to attend figure classes on the

company’s dime?

They do this because life drawing is the best way to improve your quality of work. And Disney

knows if they pay to educate their artists they can develop a team of the most

skilled entertainment artists in the entire world.

If Disney is willing to spend its own money on figure sessions for employees that should really

tell you something.

Figure drawing from a live model is truly invaluable, yet it’s tough to explain in words.

Specifically it’s tough to explain the artistic benefits in words.

You really have to experience it for yourself to see why it’s so beneficial for every artist.

And if you ever wanna give it a shot try searching for local life drawing classes and see what you

can find. Or you can start at home with Proko’s course and work your way up.

Either way start working from the figure as soon as you can. It’ll really pay off in the long run

(Anon., 2020).

Learn to draw people – Proportions of the human figure

If you want to draw people as a hobbyist, you can orient yourself on the basis of some

proportioning rules of the human body.

Example for a act drawing

(following Michelangelo's example "The Creation of Adam")

It is only a broad rule, but you can assume for the drawing that a person has roughly the height of

eight heads. The height of the head serves us as a unit of measure in the act painting, to help us

to draw the proportions of a person correctly. The unit head is distributed over the length of a

person as follows (see also the following figure):

 1. the head

2. from chin to nipples

3. from the nipples to the navel

4. from the navel to the crotch region

5. from the crotch region to the middle of the thighs

6. from there to the point under the knees

7. from the knees to the middle of the lower leg

8. from the center of the lower leg to the heels

Another rule for drawing the proportions of a person:

 The thigh is as long as the lower leg

Draw people & learn act painting

Proportions in width

These were the body length data, we now come to the proportion rules for the creation of human

drawings concerning the width of the body:

 From shoulder to shoulder = two heads

 Waist = 2/3 of shoulder width

 Man: pelvis width = width of the shoulder joints

 Woman: pelvis width = shoulder width

Distinction in the drawing of man & woman

Anyone who wants to learn to draw people must also learn to perceive the differences between

man and woman and to depict them correctly - not only in the case of act studies very important.

The most important differences of proportion in drawing and painting are the following ones:

 Women have a female breast

 A man's shoulders are wider than a woman's

 A woman's pelvis is wider in relation to her shoulders unlike a man

 A man is usually bigger and more muscular than a woman

Proportions man & woman correctly draw

Learn to draw arms

The drawing of the arms is actually a topic for itself, but as a part of a human the proportions of

the arm are described here. Here are a few tips to learn how to draw arms:

• The arm can be divided into 4 parts - as shown in the figure below. And that’s how the section

of the proportions of the arm is made:

1. Width of the shoulder - here begins the arm

 2. from shoulder joint to elbow

3. Length of forearm

4. from the end of the forearm to the extended fingertips

When the arm is attached to the body, you can work as follows:

 The elbow lies on a line with the waist

 The wrist is at the height of the crotch region

 The extended fingers reach to the middle of the thigh

Learn to draw arms

If you want to advance learning how to draw the human figure or act painting, you should also

study the human skeleton and the muscle structure