THE BASICS OF HUMAN FIGURE DRAWING
The Basics of Human Figure Drawing
Look at a child’s drawing of ‘My Happy Family’ and you will realize that drawing
the human body is not child’s play. Surprising isn’t it? We look at ourselves in the
mirror, everyday, we interact with people of every size and shape and yet,
drawing a perfect imitation of the human body is one of the greatest mysteries
known to us all. While many artists enjoy drawing landscapes, still others are
fascinated with the human form. Leonardo da Vinci was one of the masters of
human anatomy in art history, having spent years of discipline learning and
practicing the art. Here we will attempt to demystify the process of human figure
drawing for beginner artists in a few easy steps:
Step 1: Plan the Drawing: Begin by just drawing a few vertical and horizontal
lines, making a rough estimate of the proportions of the body. Measure the
amount of space the head would occupy, as well as the height ratio of the head
to the body height. Keep in mind, that for an average human figure, the body
height should be 7 and a half times that of the head. Lightly drawing 7 horizontal
lines at this stage, for the relative placement of body parts, will help to ensure
that you get the proportions of the human figure correct. The armpits would
form the second line below the head, the hips would be the third and so on.
