Tracing Around a Template or Object
Hold a pencil straight up and down with one hand and hold the template or object in place with the other. Without changing the template’s position, draw around it, moving the pencil exactly along the edge. Use this technique to draw around your hand or an object.
Stick Figures
To make a simple stick figure, draw a circle for the head, a line for the torso, and two lines for the legs. Add feet to the legs and two arms that reach the hips. To draw a stick figure in an action pose, start by drawing the torso at an angle. Add a head, also at an angle. Look at a model to see where the legs would be for a running, jumping, or kicking figure. If the figure is catching a ball, running, or standing with hands on hips, also angle the arms.
The 1-2-3 Rule
To draw a stick figure using the 1-2-3 rule, first draw the head. It is one head tall. Draw a line for the torso that is 2 heads tall. Draw the legs 3 heads tall. Draw the arms 2 heads tall, starting just below the head (leave a short neck) and ending at the hips.
Drawing Figures in Ideal, or Classical, Proportion
Proportion refers to the size of each part in relation to the whole. Ideal proportions of figures are based on the observations and rules of ancient Greek artists. An ideal adult figure is 8 heads tall. The torso is about 2 heads long, with another head length for the hips. Legs are about 4 heads long. Arms are 3 heads long, with the hands extending just past the hips.
One-Point Vanishing-Point Perspective
One-point perspective is used when viewing a flat surface, such as the side of a house, from straight on. In one-point perspective, all verticals and horizontals stay the same, with only the lines that are moving away from or toward the viewer seeming to recede to a vanishing point on the horizon. The top and bottom of the picture are parallel to the picture’s format, and the vanishing point is usually centered on the horizon line, directly in front of viewer at eye level. Guidelines from the corners of the picture to the vanishing point mark the angles of the side planes. Objects appear to diminish as they recede toward the horizon.
Two-Point Vanishing-Point Perspective
Two-point perspective is used when viewing a building from its corner. The two vanishing points are located on either end of the horizon line, at the far left and the far right. The closest edge of the building establishes the vertical plane, and guidelines are drawn from its top and bottom to each vanishing point. Objects in the distance appear smaller than those closer to the viewer. All surfaces on the right appear to diminish in size as they get closer to the right-hand vanishing point. Surfaces on the left appear smaller toward the left.
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