Sketching the figure

[Elankat]

Previous information resurrected from the grave....

I've done a few quick examples in Photoshop and I hope they help.

I think the biggest stumbling block people have to figure classes and drawing the figure is trying to overthink it, drawing too tight, and not being familiar with anatomy.

Everything about our bodies is determined by the underlying structure. We see the surface and, therefore, draw what we see...the skin and hair. However, you have to train yourself to look at what is REALLY being shown. This is the bones and the muscles. The skin is just covering. Without really looking at the structure and how it all fits together, you get the same problems that plague the beginning portrait artist who draws lines and not the shapes, masses and values.

I have my favorite anatomy books listed in the Studio forum.

http://www.scribbletalk.com/showthread.php?t=123

I like them because they are decent books with good explanation for the price. The Peck book is a good starter and relatively inexpensive. I prefer it to Hamm. Having a good understanding of some of the body structure is a big plus when you are sketching.

Now, here's how I work with figure drawings when drawing quicker gestural poses. It's just my method, but it may help you.

First, I think of the figure in terms of the art mannikin...

[Elankat]

I think in terms of the head, upper torso, lower torso, leg, arm and joint sections. It roughly breaks out into a rule of 7.5 to 8 heads that is listed in that body proportions thread.

The next step is to get a very quick sketch of the proportions and gesture using the mannikin. I did this one in 3 minutes. Of course, by the time I found the right paint tool and fumbled with my wacom, it was a little less.

Edit: I should clarify. I don't use a mannikin. I draw the person or the pose as if they were a posed art mannikin. It keeps me from "overthinking" the pose and focuses me on just the big shapes.

[Elankat]

Now, I used very light lines and you can see the pose already developed. Even if you are using a non-erasable medium, do this step. The only time you need the super clean perfection is for a final piece and, let's face it, you'd be transferring that from a sketch anyhow.

Next, I use the next 7 or 8 minutes to flesh it out. Here's where I start paying attention to how the bones are connecting, the muscle is moving, and the fat is laying over it. By thinking in terms of where the bones are UNDER the skin, it helps convey an expressive and accurate figure.

[Elankat]

That's a 10 minute pose. I could do faster if I were working with actual paper. The additional 5 minutes can be spend refining shadows and highlights or working on hand and foot details.

When sketching, observe where joints and bones are in the structure. Look at how the shoulder blades connect and move in relation to the spine. Also look at how the upper and lower torso relate to each other. The knee joints are in different place to show the foreshortening on the extended leg and you actually see the back of the calf and heel.

I'd recommend doing some 5 minute quickies of people. Another thing is to put in a movie and pause it, then draw for 5 minutes. When you get in practice, you can get a lot down in 5 minutes. Here's a set of 5 minute sketches I did by pausing my VCR on Return of the Jedi. This is Oola, the Twi'lek dancing slave.

I think it is always better to draw from life when possible. However, it isn't always an option. I wish I had the money to pay for the open studio sessions at the art institute here. I think the pose books are okay, but I find them to be overly dramatic in terms of pose and lighting. They are expensive too. The best ones are worth it, but they are hard to find and you pay for them. When I practice the figure, I go to the park and draw my son or people in quick 1 to 3 minute gesturals. I pause the VCR and draw. I take my own reference shots with the timer on the digital camera. Oh, and I look at porn. :devil2: Say what you will, but I've managed to get quite a nice directory of good nude shots. Mannikins are fun to play with. You need to get a good one to have it be worth anything though. I think mannikins are good for when you want a specific pose and can't take the ref shots for it. I don't own one because I want a more expensive one. There's a cool hand mannikin too that I want. It's a very realistic looking hand with fingers that can be fully posed. Not enough money though. So, I'll continue to look at porn. :D

[Elankat]

A few reasons why I recommend the books I do:

1) There was an academic list of Gary Faigin recommends the pairing of books as one of the best resources. The list comes from the Seattle Academy of Fine Art, which Faigin helped found. Faigin's book on facial anatomy is the absolute best anatomical resource I've ever seen, so I trust his opinion.

http://www.seattlefineart.org/Bookpicks/arttech.htm

2) Second, the book is one of the highest rated artist anatomy books on Amazon.com (just under Faigin's book). I've looked through the highly rated book by Ryder and think it's a nice book as well.

3) I just wasn't impressed by the Hamm book. I didn't think the drawing or the book was detailed enough. The Peck book has the added bonus of several nude photos in dramatic lighting that you can use for reference and lots of good, in depth illustrations of bone & muscle in all sorts of positions.

Hamm's book is harder to find. Last I saw, it was out of print. I also think that his book focuses on telling you how to draw the surface and doesn't spend enough time on the underlying structures. I think Hamm's book teaches a "forumula" for drawing and there is no such thing. The rule of 8 heads is a guideline. The important thing to learn is what composes those shapes, shadows, valleys, peaks and highlights on the body. I can give a formula for eye shape and placement, but to truly draw it well, it helps to understand how it fits in the head, what each piece of skin is and does, how the bone fits around it.

It's a matter of degrees. The Hamm book is basic and glosses over the important (imo) items. It's the same reason I recommend Kullberg over Hammond in terms of portrait books. I like books that I'll keep on my shelf and continue to learn from.

[Elankat]

did a few more quick drawings so you can see the thought process I go through. I will say that it seems like a simple method, but keep in mind that it's very important to have a good idea of anatomy to make it work. You have to know how the bone fits into the knee so you will know if you are seeing too little or not enough of the calf, for example. However, if you have that foundation, you can draw the figure or pose without being able to see the entire body.

I'm using some dynamic poses here, so I selected one of my favorite girls, Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle. Pics were taken from various Xena fan sites. They are part of my pose directory on my computer.

In each pose, I've spent 5 minutes per pose on the wacom. Again, I'm not very good with the Wacom pen yet and was drawing a bit smaller than I prefer, but you get the idea.

The first shot is the photo. I've marked over it in bright green to give you an idea of the shapes I'm looking for. If you look at the horizontal lines through the torso, you'll also notice that I look at those angles to get an idea of the twist on the pelvis. The second shot is a 30 second to one minute block in of the pose on my paper. The last shot is the pose at 5 minutes.

[Elankat]

Another pose...

[Elankat]

And a final one...

[Bob Ebdon]

LeAnne this is really helpful, thank you. I love the idea of a pose directory! I also have Gary Faigin's Facial Expressions book - he is scarily good! A useful one that I dip into from time to time is Anatomy Drawing School by Szunyoghy and Feher - this is really good for dog/cat/horse anatomy as well. It is a huge book, but I got it really cheap in some discount bookstore years ago, so it may be hard to find.