B. Drama / D. Visual Arts · Drama and Visual Arts

Visual Arts: Figures, Foreshortening and Systems for Showing Space

D1.3 D1.4 D2.2About 50 minutes

Learning goals

I can draw a human figure with adult proportions of about seven to eight heads tall.
I can use contour and gesture drawing to capture a figure.
I can use foreshortening to show a form coming toward the viewer.
I can compare perspective with alternative systems for showing space and choose one for my purpose.
I can analyse how figure and space choices communicate meaning in art works.

Words to know

proportion
The size of parts compared with each other and with the whole.

head unit
Using the length of the head to measure the rest of the figure.

contour drawing
A drawing of the outer and inner edges of a form, made with a slow, careful, continuous line.

blind contour
A contour drawing done while looking only at the subject, never at the paper.

gesture drawing
A quick, loose drawing (often 30 seconds to 2 minutes) that captures a pose's action and movement.

foreshortening
Drawing a form that points toward or away from the viewer so it looks shorter, with the near part larger.

isometric drawing
A way of showing 3D forms where parallel edges stay parallel and the sides are drawn at equal angles, with no vanishing points.

vertical placement
Showing distance by placing farther objects higher on the page.

Remember from Grade 7

You drew boxes and buildings in two-point perspective with a horizon line and two vanishing points, and used converging lines, coloured shadows and shading to create depth.

In Grade 8 you'll draw the human figure with adult proportions using contour and gesture lines, use foreshortening to make forms come toward the viewer, and compare perspective with other systems artists use to show space.

Why do drawn people look "off"?

Many people draw heads too big, arms too short and legs too short. It's not a talent problem. It's a measuring problem. Our brains think faces are the most important part, so we draw them bigger than they are.

Artists solve this with a simple tool you always carry with you: the head.

A wooden artist's mannequin stands in a walking pose beside an open sketchbook of pencil figure drawings. — Artists pose a mannequin to study proportions and gestures. Use the head as your unit to check the figure's height. AI-generated image

Proportions of the adult figure

Use the head (top of skull to chin) as a unit. Most adults are about seven to eight heads tall. Artists often use eight for a tall, elegant figure and about seven and a half for an average one. Children have bigger heads compared with their bodies, so a young child might be only four or five heads tall.

Useful landmarks (eight-head figure):

The hips are about halfway down the body.
Wrists hang about level with the hips.
Elbows line up with the waist.
Knees are about halfway between the hips and the feet.
Shoulders are about two heads wide.

Every body is different, and these are guides, not rules. Artists change proportions on purpose too: comic heroes are often drawn nine heads tall to look powerful, and cartoon characters often have huge heads to look cute.

Measuring an adult figure in head lengths. Most adults are about seven to eight heads tall. The hips are about halfway down, the wrists reach the hips, the elbows line up with the waist, and the knees are about three-quarters of the way down.

Contour and gesture

Gesture drawing: in 30 seconds to 2 minutes, sweep loose lines to catch the action of a pose: the curve of the spine, the tilt of the shoulders, which way the weight falls. Gestures capture movement, this year's principle.
Contour drawing: slowly follow the edges of the figure with one continuous line, as if your pencil were an ant crawling along the edge. Include inner contours too (where a sleeve folds, where an arm crosses the body).
Blind contour: look only at the subject, never the paper. Results look wobbly but train your eyes to really see.
Directional lines: contour lines can wrap around a form (like stripes on a sweater) to show its direction and volume.

Foreshortening

When a form points toward you, it looks shorter, and its near end looks bigger. An arm pointing straight at you might look like a large hand and a short, round blob. Draw what you see, not what you know. Measure with your pencil held at arm's length.

Foreshortening. The same cylinder (like an arm) drawn from the side and then pointing toward you. Pointing toward you, it looks much shorter, and the near end looks bigger than the far end.

Other systems for showing space

Linear perspective, with vanishing points, is one system, developed by artists in Italy in the 1400s. It is not the only way to show space.

Isometric drawing: edges that are parallel in real life stay parallel on paper; there are no vanishing points. Isometric drawing is used in technical drawing and in many video games because objects keep the same size anywhere on the screen.
Vertical placement: farther things are placed higher on the page. Persian miniature painting and many traditional Chinese landscape paintings use this, along with overlapping, so the viewer's eye travels up through the scene.
Multiple viewpoints: in the early 1900s, the Cubist artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque showed objects from several angles at once, as if you were walking around them.

None of these is "wrong." Each one shows space in a different way, for a different purpose.

Three systems for showing space. Two-point perspective: edges converge to two vanishing points on the horizon. Isometric: parallel edges stay parallel, a system used in technical drawing and many video games. Vertical placement: objects placed higher on the page are read as farther away, used in many art traditions.

Worked example

Example: Drawing a hockey player in proportion

Let's plan a drawing of a hockey player taking a shot, for a poster advertising a local tournament (audience: families; purpose: excitement).

Measure: draw a light vertical line and mark eight equal head units.
Gesture first: in 30 seconds, sweep the action line: the body leans forward on a diagonal, the stick swings back.
Landmarks: hips at unit 4, knees around unit 6. Because the player is crouching, the legs bend, so the figure takes up less height. Keep each body part the right length even when it bends.
Foreshortening: the stick blade points toward the viewer, so it is drawn shorter and larger at the near end.
Contour: go over the figure with a careful contour line, including inner contours where the jersey folds.
Communicate: the diagonal pose and foreshortened stick pull the viewer in, creating excitement for the audience and purpose.

Measuring in heads, starting with a gesture, and using foreshortening make figures look believable and full of energy.

Worked example

Example: Analysing space in an isometric game scene

Let's analyse a (made-up) isometric video-game map of a town.

System: isometric. Roads and buildings are drawn with parallel edges at equal angles; nothing shrinks toward a vanishing point.
Effect: a building in the back corner is the same size as one in front, so players can see and compare every part of the town clearly.
Compared with perspective: a perspective view would feel more like standing in the town, but far buildings would be tiny and hard to click.
Judgment: for the purpose (playing and planning), isometric is the more effective system.

Choose a space system for its purpose: perspective for realism and a single viewpoint, isometric for clarity, vertical placement for showing many parts of a scene.

Just for fun

What did one parallel line say to the other in an isometric drawing?

"It's a shame we'll never meet. We have so much in common!"

Hands-on activity

Figure and space studio

You need: paper, a soft pencil (2B to 6B), an eraser, a ruler, a measuring tape, a mirror, and a family member willing to pose (or a wooden drawing mannequin or a photo).

Measure a real person: measure a family member's head length and height with a measuring tape. How many heads tall are they? (Expect about seven to eight for an adult.)
Gestures: have your model hold five poses for 30 seconds each. Draw a quick gesture of each.
Blind contour: draw your own hand in a mirror without looking at the paper (2 minutes).
Proportion figure: draw a standing figure eight heads tall using the landmarks.
Foreshortening: have your model point straight at you. Draw what you see: a big hand, a short arm.
Space systems: draw the same simple object (a box, a house) in two-point perspective and in isometric. Then draw a street scene using vertical placement.
Analyse: which drawing feels most realistic? Which shows the most information? Why?

Your turn

How many heads tall is a typical adult figure?

Where are the hips on an adult figure?

What is the difference between gesture and contour drawing?

What is foreshortening?

How is isometric drawing different from two-point perspective?

What is vertical placement?

Why do people often draw heads too big?

More practice: warm-up

What unit do artists use to measure a figure?

True or false: a young child has the same proportions as an adult.

Which drawing is done without looking at the paper?

Where do the wrists usually reach when the arms hang down?

Which artists showed objects from several viewpoints at once in the early 1900s?

More practice: on your own

A friend's drawing shows legs only three heads long on an eight-head figure. What would you suggest?

Describe how you'd draw a dog running toward you.

Why might a game designer choose isometric drawing over perspective?

Explain why gesture drawing helps you show movement.

A painting shows a mountain village with houses placed higher and higher up the page, all about the same size. Analyse the space system.

Challenge

A comic artist draws a superhero nine heads tall. Analyse this choice for its audience and purpose.

Plan a drawing for a poster about a school sports day, using proportion, foreshortening and a space system. Explain your choices.

Is linear perspective "more correct" than vertical placement? Argue your position.

Check your understanding

Quiz

A typical adult figure is about ___ heads tall.

On an adult figure, the hips are ___.

A quick drawing that captures a pose's action is a ___.

Foreshortening makes a form pointing toward you look ___.

In isometric drawing, parallel edges ___.

Placing farther objects higher on the page is called ___.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: For Grade 8, the curriculum's focus includes contour drawings of figures, directional lines, one- and two-point perspective and foreshortening, adult human figures that are seven to eight heads in height, and alternative systems for representing space. Students use elements to communicate for an audience and purpose (D1.3), solve increasingly complex design challenges (D1.4) and analyse how elements communicate meaning (D2.2).

How to help:

Pose for 30-second gestures (it's fun and fast).
Measure heights and head lengths together with a measuring tape.
Look at isometric video games or building plans together and compare them with photos.

About bodies: figure drawing is about measuring and seeing shapes. Clothed poses work perfectly. Every body is different; the proportions are just guides.

Common difficulties:

Heads too big, legs too short. Measure in head units first.
Drawing what you know instead of what you see. Especially with foreshortening, measure with a pencil at arm's length.
Stiff figures. Start with a gesture line before details.