This and That—Day Ten: The Human Form

Sadly, tonight was our last class.

As a finale to our ten week course, tonight we looked at the full human form. Using the wooden mannequin as a model, we were able to review basic human proportions and how to use a mannequin as a guide for drawing people.

We started with some fast warm ups where we experimented with using different types of lines, like spirals, to capture a human form, mass and position. Drawing in this way is a great way to warm up and to capture a form quickly while giving your drawing a bit of depth. Check out how these spirals can help define the three-dimensional shape of the human figure (see picture below).

I also challenged my students to try to capture their mannequins with contours—by only drawing the outlines of shapes with no shading or fills. This exercise is great for training the eye and lovely for creating definition.

For our main exercise we proceeded to draw with slower deliberate detail. With pencils in hand we measured proportions, blocked in shapes and rendered our drawings of our model. Below is my "in progress" sample with all lines blocked in and the shading started.

With our course complete, I wish to thank all my lovely students for their participation. I had a blast getting to know you and sharing this experience with you. Thank you for your bravery in your willingness to try new things. You all have inspired me and I look forward to seeing what you can do in the future. Keep drawing!!