Drawing Tutorial 021 - Figure drawing(Gesture)

In last 10 weeks or so we have drawn face its elements and basic head shape and human body proportions. Here comes the stage which we all want to jump into straight away and create something believable and fluid. But, without the basics gone through (majority of us cannot perfect the basics before we try advanced) its not possible to create realistic human figure drawing. It takes practice, years practice to hone the skill so that the muscles draw what we want them to draw.

Its hard not to be impatient with the learning process any new but fascinating skill. Any skill that help excel creativity is so much overwhelming in every step of the learning process that it comes with overwhelming flow. At that time it feels like breaking all barriers to create anything without any bounds. Unfortunately, the flow gets obstructed by the skill.

There are systematic ways that can lessen the agony in the path of learning but never without pain. It takes enormous amount of time and energy to develop the skill to draw without hesitation and true to life figures.

In the case of figure drawings, the probable permutation and combination of physic, gesture, expression  that the subject is wearing(if not nude) is so huge that without the understanding of the basics its tough to grasp the whole figure straight away. Therefore study of individual elements of the body like eyes, mouth, torso, arms, legs, fingers etc are necessary though may seem boring at times.

We today look at how to construct a figure that is not standing stiff like a  stick! Beginning with a stick figure gives immense flexibility and option for revising the gesture at early stage.

Figure drawing considering its thousands of variation does not have one straight formula to nail it. But some basic formulas do apply. For figures standing here's some basic principles.

1) Normally line joining shoulders' joints are horizontal and symmetric along centre line. However, the line takes slope when the subject shifts weight on one leg. Shoulder joint one side of the weight bearing leg is lower.

2) slope of the the line joining hip joints is just in the opposite direction. Thus the box of the torso makes a dent in the side of the weight bearing leg and stretched on the other side.

3) Weight bearing leg is straight and vertical.

4) Non weight bearing leg is free and can be drawn with more flexibility.

5) Hands, if stretched fully and hang vertically, shall have their fingertips in a slope similar to that of shoulder joints.