Figure

Drawing Methods for

 Artists
Over 130 Methods for
for Sketching, Drawing,
Drawin g, and
 Artistic Discovery 
Discove ry 

Peter Boerboom and Tim Proetel

 Contents

1. Fro
Fromm Line to Figure
Figure

2. 1. Shrink
Shrink
3. 2. Outline
4. 3. Interior
Interior Conto
Contou
ur
5. 4. Join
Join Together
Together
6. 5. Struct
Structure
ure
7. 6. Measure
8. 7. Fill In
9. 8. Bend and Stretch
10. 9. Curves
11. 10. Bandage
12. 11
11.. Facial Expressions
Ex pressions
13. 12. Improvise

14. Definitions
15.  Abou
 Aboutt the Authors
 From Line to Figure

To create a picture of the human figure is a never-ending theme in art.

 Whether as perfect half-gods and beauty queens or realistic, touchable
individuals, or whether as imposing rulers or tormented souls, images
outlast us and tell of our time, our misery, and our dreams.

 We’re surrounded by photographic images. Quickly created and often

shared, they are ever present in today’s picture-cosmos but a drawn
human figure is different. It is unique. The creation is more than just
pushing a button; it is an intense moment of observation, followed by 
decisions, which are made with every line. How do I interpret what I see
and show what I mean?

To sketch a figure means to capture it, fix it in our mind just like a fleeting
thought, and contain it on a piece of paper. This skill can be developed
through close observation. Experimentation is another approach to
constructing a figure, which can be accomplished without a subject. A spot
turns into an idea, a line leads to a concept, and from that a figure is
developed. Try it out! Look! And try again! Figures don’t have to be
anatomically correct if the outlines are imaginative and the lines and
expression are lively.

The focus of this book is the enjoyment of drawing and the question of 
how to draw people successfully with both simple and more complex
methods. We show you how to comprehend the human figure and build
up a repertoire for your own approach while doing so. We invite you to
experiment and venture into the big theme of figure, body, and human.
 1. Shrink

The fear of drawing people incorrectly can

be inhibiting, but with simple tools and
basic knowledge, we can commit to paper
expressive, funny, refreshing, and
surprising figures. Quickly drawing
miniature figures relieves the pressure to
achieve something grand. Not every detail
has to be right; ideas are noted and jotted
down on paper. You will gradually develop
a sense for proportions and an eye for
posture. Without the constraint of fear,
 you may end up creating a line of figures
that tell their own narrative.
Use different approaches to collect ideas.
Let all the ideas happen on paper. The ones that
are fun can then be explored further.
Think simple; quickly move from figure to figure
and find a rhythm. The figures next to each other
turn into a scene.
Label theatrical postures or create dialogues that
could inspire more ideas.
The long lines from the shoulder to the heel
include the hips.
Movement comes from loose configurations of the
basic shapes.
 You can either split up the different parts of the
figure or keep them together during the drawing
process.
Differentiate the joints and leave empty spaces in
between.
 5. Structure

Creating the framework is the beginning

to developing a figure from the inside out.
 While drawing, the framework is
imagined, with the design stemming from
 where the emphasis must be to give the
figure stability. A flexible vertical line,
derived from the spine, as well as
moveable horizontals (shoulders and hip
girdle), are the most important axes on
 which the whole figure is oriented.
Finally, the body is laid around the
structure like a shell—it surrounds it.
 6. Measure

Measuring a body is a delicate affair.

Idealism, reality, wish, and cliché can
create a wide variety of contradictions.
Besides aesthetic norms, dimensional ratio
plays an important role when drawing
bodies and faces in correct proportions. A 
simple unit, such as the size of the head or
hand, is used as a proportion to measure
the length or width of the other body 
parts. Where is the body center; how
many times does the head fit into the
height of the body?
The body’s center is between the navel and crotch.
Body height is generally equal to seven and a half 
heads.
How far down does the arm reach?
The eyes sit in the middle of the head. The length
of the nose matches the distance from the chin to
the tip of the nose.
 To move from a frontal view to a three quarters
profile, the distance between the nose bridge and
the eye is shortened. On the frontal view, the
distance seems bigger because the nasal bridge
creates a distinct separation.

Make sure the back of the head isn‘t too small in a

profile. The neck is noticeably higher than the
chin.
The round head and relatively low-placed eyes
create a childlike sketch.
 A child’s head is proportionally bigger to the body 
length than an adult’s head is.
It isn’t a complicated formula: The bones in the
palm of the hand are as long as the three finger
bones together.
The thumb, however, is as long as two finger bones
put together.
Isn’t there a tool hidden inside every human hand?
Divide the parts of the face without drawing the
nose, mouth, and eyes.
Use more shapes to differentiate the parts further.
 Hatchings, closely spaced parallel lines,
correspond with the real facial features and turn
into patterns.
Use symmetry as a guide.
 8. Bend and Stretch

Many archaic human depictions are static

and show a more symbol-like portrayal
rather than a lively one. With the
increasing demand for realistic pictures,
the ingenuity of design also developed
further. Muscles bend and stretch, the
spine curves and turns, and the focal
points move. This creates momentum and
tension. One difficulty while drawing
moving figures is to bring them into
harmony with your imagination.
Therefore, you need overlapping,
directional changes, and foreshortening
(angling the figure so it appears closer to
the viewer). You can depict a moving
figure with an open line that follows the
movement or by using a constructed
approach in which the joint points are laid
out first.
Observe how changes in posture are determined
by the bending of the spine.
 Begin by marking
markin g four
four joints on a piece of paper
and then complete the sketch with the contou
contours
rs of 
the arms and hands
han ds..
Different viewpoints and turns change the
distance between the joints.
Human hands grip, thanks to opposable thumbs.
 Without thumbs, we could barely hold a tool; our
fine motor skills would be restricted.
Decide which view
vi ew is most effective.
effective. The runner
here is more recognizable when viewed from the
side rather than from the front.
 9. Curves

The human figure

figure is
i s rich in cu
curves.
rves. Lines
swing and
an d bend
bend distinctivel
distinctivelyy around
ar ound the
the
shoulders, belly, breasts, and waist.wa ist. The
arms and calves are long stretching waves,
 while
 whi le the
th e toes are
a re short
sh ort ripples.
ri pples. While
drawing a figure, we think of sweeping
bends instead of sharp edges; the body 
becomes
becom es smoother and the form movin moving.g.
Depending on format, the wrist, wri st, the
the
forearm, or even the whole arm fulfills the
drawing movement and makes the line
dynamic.
Try drawing steep curves.
Draw quickly without thinking first.
 Finger joints, elbows, or knees all have
characteristic curves and
an d folds.
folds. The contou
contours
rs of the
body are convex and concave lines, differing from
fixed straight lines.
Count the
the joints of the toes on your own foot.
 Where do they bend,
be nd, widen,
widen , or tighten?
tighte n?
Draw the small toes like receding waves.
 10. Bandage

 Just like a bandage is wrapped around a

body, a line can be, too. The drawing
movements are circular, swinging, and
quick rather than tentative. The
imagination of a body’s shape dominates
the drawing, not the outlines or anatomic
integrity. Through the encasing bands and
loops, the body parts obtain volume. Even
if the bandages are only partially applied,
this method supports a sculptural look and
dynamic. During the drawing of the face in
half profile, staggered ellipses (tilted,
flattened circles) create a helpful structure
for the positioning of the nose, eyes, and
mouth.
Experiment with the ideas of bandaging: Lines are
drawn from one side to the other to create shapes
and therefore can’t overlap.
Take on the bird’s-eye perspective and let the
circles become smaller from head to toe.
Or draw the other way around, coiling the loops
upward.
Muscle movement creates facial expressions.
Observe your facial muscles in a mirror and draw
different emotions.
Improvisation only emerges while rendering a
sketch.
Using a fountain pen, create the figure in one fluid
motion as if laying down a string on a piece of 
paper.
Find and create contours.
These figures depict quickness.
 Facial Expressions
The many facial muscles allow for diverse expressions. It is questionable
 whether the abun
abundance
dance of human
h uman expressions
expressions can be reduced down to a
few basic emotions and if a facial expression is universally open to
interpretat
interpretation
ion and independent from
f rom herita
h eritage
ge and socializa
socializatio
tion.
n.

Figural
This is the artistic
artistic dep
d epictio
iction
n of human,
h uman, animal,
animal, or geometric shapes.
shapes. The
opposite of abstract painting, figural depictions use anything corporeal as
an origin. The boundaries show fluid f luid transitions; the conflict
conf lict betwe
between
en both
positions especially shaped paintings of the twentieth century.

Gesture
 With
 With hands,
hand s, arms, and even
even the whole body, spoken
spoken words are visually 
painted. Common gestures, such as lifting the shoulders upward, say 
everything.

Ideal
This is a wide field influenced by philosophy, politics, advertisement, and
fashion. In ancient Greece, people philosophized about the ideal body;
originally,
originally, the word idea descends from ancient Greek. On one side, an
ideal is subject to contemporary taste. On the other side, there are reliable
factors for a universal
u niversal sense
sense of beauty. This is especial
especially
ly true regarding
regard ing the
body; for example,
example, its symmetry
symmetry and the golden
g olden ratio, such as the
proportio
proportion n of width to height in a face.

Likeness
This is the highest grade of resemblance without removal of the essential
difference
diff erence between
between origin and portrayal
portrayal..

Mannequin
 A wooden model of the human
hu man body with
with movable
movable limbs,
limbs, a mannequin
can be helpfu
helpfull to create
create different
diff erent postures
postures and movements
movements while drawing.
But a mannequin is just a mannequin.

Mask
This is a facial coverup
coverup for religious or cultural
cultur al rituals and for
f or plays,
plays, such
as African masks, carnival masks, protective masks, death masks, and so
on. With this small piece of disguise, you become someone else quickly,
 which enables
enables the wearer
wearer of a mask to
to do exceptio
exceptional
nal deeds.

Model
Often in archite
arch itecture
cture and design, a model serves as anan example
example of 
something that doesn‘t yet exist, usually in the form of illustrated plans. In
 visual arts,
arts, a model is typica
typically
lly the
the inspiration
inspiration for and origin of a piece of 
art. Many artists develop physical or emotional relationships with their
models, which are reflected in the finished artwork. Examples include
Pablo Picasso and Lucian Freud.

Nude
This is the depiction of the naked human body. During the drawing, the
undressed
und ressed model holds still for long periods
periods of time so that
that there is
enough time to to draw a study
stu dy of the figure.
figu re. This exact observat
observation
ion teaches
the basic understanding of the body. Variations of this method include
 very quick
quick drawings
dr awings of posture, taking
taking unusual
un usual perspectiv
perspectives,
es, or
experimenti
experimentingng with different
diff erent mediums.

Outline
Quickly sketch outlines and don‘t get caught up in the details. The edge
that separates the object or figure from the environment is of vital
importance.

Portrait
This is the depiction
depiction of a whole
wh ole figure, the face, or a half-length
half-length portrait.
portrait.
The resemblance of the portrayed person is obvious. People who wanted to
obtain and preserve their faces past their own lifetimes depended on
painting back in the old days. Today this task has been taken over by 
photography. The most famous portrait in art history is the Mona Lisa,
 whose resemblance
resemblance to a real
real person
person is speculativ
speculative.
e. This painting
painting was once
considered a leading
leading exampl
examplee of portraiture
portraiture in art.

Pose
In comparison to natural movement or postures, the pose is rigid and
usually reflects the artist‘s
artist‘s vision.
vision. Often poses are used when creat
cr eating
ing self-
portraits. Posing in front of a camera means to take on a certain posture
that can be quickly drawn.

Self-Portrait
For a depiction
depiction of one’s own figure,
figu re, self-questioning
self-questioning and presentati
presentation
on are
important factors. It can be blunt, comical, vain, or sober. Reviewing the
self-portraits of Max Beckmann, Rembrandt, and Goya can reveal
something about how the artists viewed themselves. With masks and
costumes, Cindy Sherman increases the self-portrayal into an obsessive
deliberate
deliberate confusion.
confu sion.

Silhouette/Paper Cut
This is a more or less simplified paper cut drawing. It usually is black or
 white and
and can also be
be used as a template
template for printing or spraying.
spraying. As a
silhouette, the facial features are more distinct than as in a profile.

Torso
This is only the trunk of the human
h uman body, with the limbs missing.
missing. For
Rodin, the design of a torso was an artistic principle to emphasize the work
process
process through
thr ough supposed
supposed incomplete
incompleteness.
ness.
  About the Authors

Peter Boerboom and Tim Proetel both studied at the Academy of Fine

 Arts in Munich between 1991 and 1998 under renowned painter and
teacher Horst Sauerbruch. Their long friendship has repeatedly led to joint
 work. This book is the latest result of their collaboration, which included
many drawings and discussions. Three volumes about perspective, light,
and motion are already published; more volumes on new themes are being
planned.

Tim Proetel is an advisor for art at the state institution of school quality 
and educational research and teaches art and theater at an academic high
school, both in Munich.

Peter Boerboom also studied communications design at the College for

Design in Munich. He is a founding member of the artist group
Department for Public Appearance and executes art and photography 
projects together with Carola Vogt.
 Also Available
Translation © 2017 The Quarto Group
The original German edition was published as Figur: Menschen zeichnen.

© 2016 by Haupt Berne, Switzerland

 www.haupt.ch

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Cover, design, and artwork: Peter Boerboom and Tim Proetel