Life drawing introduction

1. Life Drawing

2. A good site for understanding basic shapes and structure of the body in action:
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/farp/figure/williamlibodyconstruction.html
Simplifying the body
The evolution of the stick man…

3. Weight & Balance
Consider the centre of gravity and balance of the body.
Consider how the weight
of the body is distributed.

4. Volume
Once you have the basic proportions mapped
out, start to fill in the main forms of the body.

5. Anatomy
To improve your life drawing, it is
important to study the anatomy of the
figure. This will help you understanding
the skeletal and muscular construction of
the body.
In your
sketchbook, you
should have a
couple of pages
of anatomical
studies.

6. Light & Shadow
To give your life drawing depth, you need
to record the different tones created the
available light. Be aware of the variety of
mid-tones, not only the light and dark
areas.

7. Ink Studies
Due to the immediacy of ink, it can help
you to make more gestural marks and,
hence, free you from focusing purely on
the details. You can also build up an ink
study in layers.
Marlene Dumas, the New York-based
artist, is well known for her fluid ink
portraits. Have a go at washing your
background with water and drawing
or painting over the top.

8. End