Pocket Art: Figure Drawing

The quick guide to mastering technique and style

Joanna Henly

• Publisher: Rockport Publishers
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781631594717
• eBook ISBN: 9781631594724
• Topic: Arte
• Subtopic: Arte general

In Pocket Art: Figure Drawing, the second book in the new Pocket Art series (be sure to check out the first book on portraits!), learn to draw figures on the go with the quick visual exercises in this compact book.

The lively, graphic approach of this guide will have you drawing figures right away. Look and learn with step-by-step illustrations and expert tips provided by London-based fashion and portrait artist Miss Led, a.k.a. Joanna Henly. 

Following an introduction including a look at career directions for figure artists and an overview of tools, materials, and techniques, your lessons begin with the basics ofaccurately rendering body proportions, body types, and body parts. After you gain some experience drawing basic figures, you'll move on to adding expression—a person's style and personality, proclamation and identity—to your work. Then you'll finish up by heading out and about, practicing street sketching and movement. A gallery of drawings in the back provides a quick reference for inspiration and to reinforce what you've learned.

This quick, visual guide is a must-have for figure drawing artists of all levels.

PART ONE: THE BODY

BODY PROPORTIONS

We’ve started to talk about using the head as a basic unit of measurement for the body—and it’s as good as any measurement for a rough guide. Bodies are very different, one to the next, so this is an approximation that will help you judge and estimate the relationship between body parts.

Observe both the male and female figure in profile to see the average difference in body frame.

BODY TYPES

All bodies are beautiful. We’re built with wonderful variations in stature and form. Here are a few drawings I created for a fashion website that helps consumers buy the correct garments for their body shape.

Female body shapes: slim, athletic, and curvy

Male body shapes: slim, athletic, and thickset

Into Bloom, personal project

Work for Clinique’s makeup line; a frame from a commissioned animation

BODY PARTS

THE ARMS AND TORSO

These images show you the arms in relation to the torso and spine. Look where I have added circles that show the joins of the arms and legs. Using a rhombus shape for both the body above the waist and for the body below, you can see that the elbow joints are placed approximately along the line where they connect (the waist line). Observe also how the top of the leg’s lines run from the waist line and the bottom of the rhombus.

Moving forward, you can now start adding the form to the limbs and begin to shape the body. Use pinched triangular shapes from the waist down and softer shapes on the arm guidelines.

THE LEGS

Now, you should be familiar with the lines and shapes used to create the basic form of the body.

Here is a great example of the female legs in a relaxed standing position. See the difference in the foot where there is more and less weight: On the flat foot, you can see how the toes are more fanlike, whereas the lifted, lighter foot is at an angle to the leg, which lengthens the toes and almost makes them more triangular. Use angled lines on your reference to see this more clearly if you wish.

Note the oval shape that marks the lower stomach before the hips. This is where I started the drawing. After you have the oval, you can create the lines for the legs. Notice how the length between the top oval, from the pelvic bone to the knee joint, matches the length from the knee to the ankle joint.

The top of the thighs can also begin as oval shapes: See the lovely conical forms that help guide the form of the thighs. These then turn up, a little smaller this time, to shape the calves. Use ovals to mark the joints of the knees, ankles, and even the toes. Try using tracing paper over magazin...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part One: The Body
• Part Two: Expression
• Part Three: Out and About
• Part Four: Media Gallery
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Copyright