Famous Artists Course Fomous Artists School, Ine, Westport, Connecticut Drawing the human form _ tesso- Albert Dorne Fred Ludekens Normen Rockwell Al Porker Ben Stahl Stevan Dohanos Jon Whitcomb Robert Fawcett Peter Helck George Giusti Austin Briggs Harold Von SchmidtThe human figure The artist who wishes to achieve wide popular succes: must be able to draw the human figure. ‘alanis and many gallery artists who never seriously attempt to draw the figure. They are content 10 restrict themselves to product illustration and decorative design, on the one hand ot {landscapes and all ile on the other. But few serious artists ate willing to limit themseles to tha extent (Go ehrough a representative group of magazines, and you will see that there are few drawings which da not include people. In ‘most sory illustrations the accent ison people ~ their actions, their emotions The reason for this emphasis is eaxy to under stand, Since we ae human beings, ee are more intereed io Fellow human beings than in anything ele. We wat to know how other people look, fel, move, and act. Popular magazines are designe wo satisfy this natural curiosity. ven the adversing illustrations in these magarnes usually include people. Advertisers have discovered that figures, no mat ter how small, are able to "stop the reader. Figures also help demonstrate the product, pointing out its chet features and Stoning how itis wed, which may lead the reader to accept Tris eternally true that thee i no other vehicle wo subtle or There are, of course, come so elective for the erpresion of human thoughts and emotions Ss the human figure. The artist tho has mastered drawing ofthe hhuman figure can call human personalities to lite at will and pict the specific atitudes, ations, mood, and emotions which ‘ill best express the picture story he wants to portray. He can Uansport he reader to a world far removed {rom immediate ‘experience, and enable him to live, momentarily, an imaginary texlnence with imaginary peopl. The grea arts are dramatists in paint who consistently help thee fellow amen bridge the gap between innagination and. reality. If you hope to become that Kind of arts, you mast learn to control the human figure for Your own purposes From previous experiments, you may have concluded that drawing the figure isan extremely dificult jo. We are going to Show you that it can be much easier than you think. But you rust be willing to progress one step ata time, mastering each step as you go-along, Ifyou are patient, and follow very cre fully the procedure presente inthis and the following lesons ‘you will Gnd chat your progres wil amaze you, “The chiet reson most students have trouble mastering the human figure is very simple: They wane to start right all by drawing a fully clothed model in = complicated pose. They spend great deal of time worrying about details of feature, Snatomy, and drapery. But in their concern about dheve details ‘they low all sense of proportion, construction and move ofall ‘the solid form of the figure “There is only one sound way to approach the problem of raving the human figure. You must begin by having a ery clear concept of its basicfarm. ‘The human Body is not 2 two. dimensional symbol on a Rat surface: nor is ea paper doll with such decorative duals as hair, eyes, teeth, clothes, shoes, et Arawn on top of i. The human figure is fst and primarily Uicedimensional objec. solid object with bulk and weight Tis cetainly ay threedimensional au 2 ptce of sculpture in ‘wood, marble, or bronze, “The solid form ofthe human Body looks complex. 1 js obvi ‘ously not a single sphere or cube or eylinder. But when we ‘examine i we discover that this complex form i actually con struction of very simple forms, These simple forms are closely related tothe spheres and cubes and cylinders you learned 10 recognize and draw in Leson 2. If you can draw those forms ‘well, you wil have no dificulty poting them together to make ‘he total human form. Th this lewon we will show you how to analyze the human, figure in erms of these simple, basic forms. We will show yout ‘what the proportions ofthese individual forms at, in relation to the toal fore. We wil ilstate the methods by which thee individual forms are connected, aut demonstrate howe the part imove. In other word, we wil explore the basie contraction of the figure ‘Then we will show you how yo can daw this base human form in any postion and any kind of activity. We will alto explain how the form changes as it develops from ehild into {adult and show you how to draw eat iferent stages. ‘Once you have learned to contro the base form, the ret will he fairly simple. But don't give in to temptation and rush right ‘on to attempt sketches bled with anatomical dete Tn the fol: lowing lesons we will study simple anatomy and the special problems involved in drawing individval pares ofthe bey sich Sethe head, the hands, andthe feet. Concentrate for the present fm the basic form figure until you can do anything you want With i. Draw itn a8 many postions as pow, Look for iin ota of pepe ming and above al nthe people “The information presented inthis leon isso important chat itis not enough for you merely to read it. We augge that you learn every detail thoroughly. You ean do this mont effectively simply by making dovens of drawing, both while you are study ing this Iewon and alters, in our spare time. Most of these practice drawings can be done in jst a few minates. Practice of this kind sil help train your hand and your mind in the pro portions construction, and relationships ofthe individual forms to that you will never forget shem, “These ewenia! farts abou the human form areas baie and Invaluable to you, as an artist 2s the knowledge of words i 10 the writer. You will be drawing the human figure the rest of your life, so build your knowledge and contol of i a solidly Ss you cam. You will nd the rewards well worth the eBThe basic form figure The drawing at the right shows you the simple basic forms that make up the lager form of the human body. Every dis teacting detail has been eliminated — only the important forms remain, These are the head and neck; upper toro and lower toro: upper arms, lower arms and hands per le, lower les tnd feet. Think of exch form ofthe fut of something sold. Do ova ard that ic ocupes Let's compare the f wre wit were carved fat form has thre dimen re with the photograph of the i fgg model to the lel. Are the movel and the baie form figure similar in base mass and construction, withthe same asocation| fof parts? Ves I both mosel and form figure the neck, the arms, {he legs andthe torw are ewentilly modified cinder, similar to thowe you drew in Leson 2. The head is baialy simple sphere, The hands cam be reduced to cubic forme, while the feet are combined cone and cube forms Tt is extremely important in the beginning to view the body of these simple, basic forms, understanding the ewer ‘placing thee in their = For the present you rat {gnore Hai and features, aswell asthe more subtle curves result ing trom underying bone ad muscular structure Once you ea control an draw the basic forms propery, you will have litle ‘rouble drawing the details ofthese forms ‘he drawing hs ean roa Be Sees geeFemous Arti Cour Drawing the human form men 4 7-head division 8-head division i wt oh he 1. Proportions The artist uses the human head as his asic unit of measure ment forthe entire human figure. ‘The head can be viewed in too ways, however —in erm of it height, and its weidth. The height of the head from chin to top of skull is the ruler by which all yeitical measurements are made. For example, the is speaks ofan “eighthead figure,” by which he means that the figure is eight vetcal heads high. Tt ie more convenient to we the width of the head in making horizontal measure you look at she people around that they differ considerably in propor head which we think is lange for his body, another has head hich seems smaller than normal. The great majority of people however, ae reasonably similar in proportions and shape at any ven age, Tis because of this fc, of cure, shat itis pombe realy made” dreves. Mow people can be ted into standard patterns suc adjustments, for clothing manufacturers to design suite and ‘estully with only (On this bais we could ensly arrive a average for the adult figure. There isa dininct difference tween the andthe sverige ies” Arist have always sgh to discover the ideal the perfect figute. The Greek sculptors or ‘ample, established a “canon for he human figure, This canon wear a set of proportions for the ial gure. Inthe same way Tater arti, suc a6 Leonardo and Diirer set up thelr own can A proportions for the Heal Figure. In sunny respects the Concept the Hal changes period to period, The hety, vo Iorals were much admired in their day. then women were yi they ad monumental proportions Today popular taste has swung in the opponite direction ce we are attempting to draw people who wil seem ad some and beautiful to the average person of today, we must set vows beauties of the Rubens tip 4 canon of proportions based on. presently taste. This ‘anon nee not necenarily be the same ae the measurements of the preentday average man or woman. In the photograph onLesson Fomovs Arise Cour Drawing the human form the opposite page the model is welldleveloped male of average height: He isa "sevensheud fur” People today. however, do not considera seven head figure tall enogh to sail ther con eighthead figure, which they heal figure whichis sed in moter illustration ‘On the righthand sie of the Lacing page you will see how the eight head figure looks. To make this gure the sae height as the severhead figure we divide the height into eight parts (ne of these parts serves as the basic head measurement unit Alter drawing in the hea, we positon the other parts of the bly along the vertial axis. The body alone, Irom neck 1 fet, row menses seen head nts. ivtead of sx The parts ae all slightly elongated because of this, and ay a rest the figure seems much better proportioned, The eight ead Bure i today considered the idea." 1s this, set of proportions which we will expect you to follow through: fou the Course, unless we specially request different propor tions. Occasionally you wil want to draw people who are obvi founly nok average, Ifyou want to caricature a person, or show that e is shorter than average or taller than average, you can “ely Se snaonip he ane! poof Ao this very easily by retaining the same width measurements tise to draw the eight ead figure, but reducing the height to five or six heads, or increasing the height to nine or ten heads However, any departure trom the eight bead formula should be Aeliberate. The trawings above show you how the eighehead basic form figure looks sn diferent views ‘Rely on your eyes for correct proportion. The head asa uni ‘of mease is convenient an helpfl while you are Rist lear Ing figure proportions. You must realize, though. that you do thot make figure drawings with a par of dividers oF arler. You imuke them with your pencil and youreyes! Actually, the only time you can Iierally mean the body aad ace how many heads long it ss when the figure is standing bolt upright, ina post. tion of atention, Any other time ~ which means most of the ime ~ the figure or parts of i are foreshortened to some extent Fhereore the only way to gabe proportions is with your eyes. ie Jaks right ici right, By all menne study the chart above and fx in your mind the sizeof one part ofthe body compared ‘with another, but put your ruler away when you sart to draw. Never forget for a moment that skill drawing js simply sil ful seeing, transferred o the surface of your papertence 4 Famous Ai Coune Drawing the human form Structural differences—male and female the male figure propor etal, Roth figures are shown the same height i tions below in onder vo make direc comparisons. woman is drawn slightly shorter than the man beside hi th ng the ee farm ou a onc ‘er tvith a smaller base head measurement than the manRelative proportions at various ages ‘When a child is born, some parts of ts bady are much further developed than other. Its ead, for example, is quite large as ‘onapared with the length offs arms and legs. By the te the baby ea year old, his body from neck to fees about three and ‘oneal times the length of hina head. Ia other words, he is about four and one half heads high. is legs are sil quite short Sompared to the Leng of his head and torso: the center of Bis boy is a line through the stomach, rather than the crotch, As the child grows older his legs and arms become much longer. By she time he is eight the center of his body has moved dove to line above the hips. At the age of twelve, he fs about seven heads high, and the center of his body falls atthe crotch, From this time on, until he bocomes a full grown ad, he broadens out in addition to becoming taller,leven 4 Fame Ati Couie 10 Drawing the human form 2. Construction12 4 Drawing the human form The hand The hare, like the foot, cannot be reduced 1o a single basie form quite as easily as can the eter pars ofthe body. However, it ema be imterpreted forthe present ata combination of simple forms which represents the real Rand with reasonable accurcy Ac the lef it is treated asa wedgeshaped form divided inco 0 pl: the lower, tapering wedge suggests the mass ofthe fingers. The wedge of the pul, viewed alone sa nearly perfect ‘The finger wedge is about as long as the palm wedge. The visible part of the thumb is about the length ofthe tle finger This simplied preenttion of the hand will serve for our basic fore drawings Later, in Lean 6, we will acu the fren and structure ofthe hand in detail The foot The foot has the same exential structure a8 the hand, with the importane difference of propor ely a Jong 2s the head is high. The upper reclaced quite logically to a cone th point where the top of the foot meets the ankle. This cone is fot symmetrical the back rites almost straight up. while the front is quite slanted. The t ot the foot ate best cach to the will stay the actual foot in detail when you reach Leson 5 foot wil serewan 4 Fomous Arie Coure Drawing the human form 13 The head OF all the parts of the human body, the head is tindoubiedly the mos. important from the viewpoint aS — fof the artist. In later esos we will make a thorough / study of the head and how to place and drat the fea tures and the hair, For the present, however, itis { txtremely important for you to think of the head only eee solic and miss and Keep the = . the head is sphere — actualy se on the cylindrical column of m the surface . Pe n the placement of the few ~~ fT VU tures and sow their lative postions as ween from the cD i front and from the side, Notice that the egg ea is slightly diferent in the sie view and tha iti led. more of an egg for14 ‘nn 3. Movable parts Important points at which mosion occur nthe body are indicated by white dots onthe figure at the lef. The individual parts are connected by three distinctly diferent types of joints 1) the ballandzocket joint, which appears 3 the shoul ders and hips: 2) the hinge joint found at the Knees and elbows: and 3) the fesble column, term tne to describe the spine and the neck ‘The action of the first to of thee joint is itlurated om the opposite page ah of these joint varies considerably in the type of motion it allows, The ballandsocket fount is extremely Bexible. The part of the body attached to it can be swung around or back and forth in every diecion — just ab though fe were attached toa ball evolving in a socket. However the amount of motion depends on the construc tion of the individual joint. Although mot ball ndsocket joints, the wrist and_ankle joints permit similar rotary movement PETC hinge join at the elbow and knee works rch like an ordinary door hinge. Ht allows the forearm to swing forward and the lower leg to bend backward and then to reverse these move sents until each mb is back in a traght Tine Bgain, However, it does not permit the forearm tor lower leg to bend sideways. Try these move ‘ments younelt ad observe the diferent ways the Dalland socket joints and the hinge joints work "The third kind of joint i the flexible column ‘of the spine. This connects the upper a! lower halves ofthe body. The spine i involved in any tion which requires site in weight, ach at seating. running and jumping Since if highly ‘exible it permits no only a turning motion ll directions but also a twisting motion through: ‘ut it entire length. The upper par of the spine isin the neck, which controls all motions of the hea, "The diagrams on this page are intended to remind you of the various posibiliies which these ince diferent joints provide. Hamever, you fan suady the postbiliies and imitations of mo: tion in the human body best by experimenting to sce how the vaious portions of your oxn body ‘move. ‘Test out thew diagrams for yours a " iLLesson Famous Ais Couse 16 4 Drawing the human formFomovs Artis Courts Drawing the human form teen 4 How to draw the basic form figure and head The drawings on these two pages show you haw to get stared drawing the basi gure and head. Work freely at first, without attention to details or the exact placement of ind Your fe lines are simply “wat suggest the sive of the figure and oven, you can make the form more acu dual tines. you we them merely to pote, Once you have these ~ How to draw the m basic igure ipscss the figure Draw in pencil and don’t hesitate co erase and change. I's amis. he wo ty to "Tree" or tighten wp your sketch too quickly. Try to fel the action, Above all, Keep the solidity ofthe forms in ‘mind and drave them through. This isthe best way we know 9 ‘teate the illusion of thycedimensional gute.ton Fonos Aros Cou 24 4 Drawing the human form Many lines or few— but the forms are soli These pictures — each one by a diferent artist — vary greatly in syle and draw- ing technique. All, however, have one thing in common. They show that these artts pons «thorough knowledge ofthe form of the human figure, "The arts’ feling for form isthe main reason each one of these drawings is convincing. Whether he portayed his subject with just 4 few sketchy lines or | ~ ‘many painuakingly drawn details, he wel his penll to create the illusion of solid form. As he worked, he thought of his pencil as traveling around and Along the solid form of the body, wansferting it to paper. The result is that no ‘matter how mich detail headed, the unverlyng form ofthe figure shows through26 Lesion 4 Fomovs Art Coun Drawing the human form Seven artists draw the same figure Each of the drawings on these pages was made by 2 diffrent artist, ‘working from the figure shown at the lef. Here are (wo important points which you should gain from your study of these draseings and ply to your own work: 1. Each art hs drawn the fgure in his own personal way. He sed sgl that is easy and natural for hie Mon important of all cach drawing clearly shows that the arts Tas thought of the Bure and drawn it as though it were made Up of solid three dimensional forms. Because the feeling for form has now become a habit with these artists, they no longer find it necessary to draw the arms, egy, too. tes as separate cylinders, Neverthelew their pictures clearly show they Sl think of them in these terms as they dra “To make slid, convincing gure drawings, you must concentrate on Tearning the basic forms ofthe figure which we have carefully described ‘on Pages 5 through 15, At this stage of your training you will benefit fom by making drawings which are generally similar to those on re experience drawing ml unconsciously develop your ow styleDraw from life every chance you get 27Lonon 4 Fomees Arie Coure Drawing the human form 28 5. Do's and don‘tsThink with tracing paper “Tracing paper is often called the artist's best fiend eis am ileal material for experimenting with picture ideas for planning and perfecting your drawing, tnhether of the human figure or any other subject. es Inexpensive and pencil lines on it are easy to erase with a kneaded rubber. ‘Occasionally 4 teacingpaper sketch will become rest because of many erases, All yous have to doit slip the sketch under cleat sheet of tracing paper trace of the lines you want. If You are working fom an illustration with several Rgures, you can adjust, thie positions in relation to exch other by drawing them om separate sheets of tracing paper and shilting these around tll the figures lok right Then you can trace them on single fresh shee. ‘On these pages we show you some ways to we trae ing paper that we hope will make this material your bat frend, 100. ‘hci fr srr Sc yor ting taupe ae Aetsng etm cove ye oe ring Me Hw Be opt Stns och fr ohn beam ate, (Gon goa thane des oe caer nd a