How to Create a Figure Drawing
How to Create a Figure Drawing One of the most intriguing things to create is the human form. It is so complex and astounding that it never ceases to amaze when rendered.
In creating a the rendering of a person you must first chose the right medium and support for your drawing, usually a paper of adequate thickness and tooth grade. (Smith pgs. 42-51) If the drawing is to be a long kept picture the quality of the paper must be considered. An acid free base with a PH of between 7-9. Once you have chosen the paper you must also think about the medium, I prefer charcoal or graphite pencil for sketching. I high quality in either would be appropriate. (Smith pgs. 91-99) Each has qualities that are unique to the medium chosen. Graphite pencil can display great detail and precise markings while charcoal can result in rich depth and texture.
Choosing the light source and the angle from which you will study your subject is crucial. You want to not only represent the figure but have some type of meaning in the pose and create a sense of the emotion of the figure. The image should be intriguing and possibly give the personality of the person being portrayed.
After deciding the medium and the pose start by measuring with your eye the dimensions of your subject. Use the common eight to seven head model artist measurements to get an initial layout of the figure you are drawing. Familiarize your self with the common measurements of the human form. When finally creating your representation create the lengths and foreshortening with geometric shapes to represent the parts of the body as they come together to create the full figure. After getting the basic shapes and sizes you must then start combining the shapes to creates the legs, arms and torso and tie it all together.
Once satisfied start filling in the general shading and depth of the figure, lightly add more dark and light keeping in mind where the light source is; keep adding general
In creating a the rendering of a person you must first chose the right medium and support for your drawing, usually a paper of adequate thickness and tooth grade. (Smith pgs. 42-51) If the drawing is to be a long kept picture the quality of the paper must be considered. An acid free base with a PH of between 7-9. Once you have chosen the paper you must also think about the medium, I prefer charcoal or graphite pencil for sketching. I high quality in either would be appropriate. (Smith pgs. 91-99) Each has qualities that are unique to the medium chosen. Graphite pencil can display great detail and precise markings while charcoal can result in rich depth and texture.
Choosing the light source and the angle from which you will study your subject is crucial. You want to not only represent the figure but have some type of meaning in the pose and create a sense of the emotion of the figure. The image should be intriguing and possibly give the personality of the person being portrayed.
After deciding the medium and the pose start by measuring with your eye the dimensions of your subject. Use the common eight to seven head model artist measurements to get an initial layout of the figure you are drawing. Familiarize your self with the common measurements of the human form. When finally creating your representation create the lengths and foreshortening with geometric shapes to represent the parts of the body as they come together to create the full figure. After getting the basic shapes and sizes you must then start combining the shapes to creates the legs, arms and torso and tie it all together.
Once satisfied start filling in the general shading and depth of the figure, lightly add more dark and light keeping in mind where the light source is; keep adding general