com h06 - sketching from a manikin

8/8/2019 com H06 - Sketching From a Manikin

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FROM A

Brenda Hoddinott

H06 BEGINNER: FOCUS ON PEOPLE

In this heavily illustrated lesson, I

show you how to sketch a human

figure from a wooden manikin.Manikins are wonderful models; they

dont move, require no bathroom

breaks, and dont talk your ears off!

This lesson is divided into three parts:

SKETCHING PROPORTIONS: You sketch the shapes of the manikins pose asproportionately correct as possible.

ADDING SHAPES: You outline the locations of additional body parts, such as

the shoulders, knees, elbows, and wrists.

REFINING THE SKETCH: You enhance your visual skills as you sketch theproportions more accurately.

FROM MANIKIN TO HUMAN: A manikin serves as a reference for

establishing accurate proportions. The goal of this section is to sketch a figure

that looks human, based on the proportions of the manikin.

Suggested supplies include good quality white drawing paper, various grades of

graphite pencils, kneaded and vinyl erasers, and a pencil sharpener.

9 PAGES 32 ILLUSTRATIONS

This article is recommended for beginners of all ages. The curriculum is easily implemented intoinstructional programs for home schooling, academic and recreational learning environments.

Published b y Hoddin ott Publishi ng, Halifax, NS, Canada, 2008


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Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used forany commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.

E-mail [email protected] Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

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Figure 601 Figure 602 Figure 603

Sketch: (noun) is a simple drawing thatcaptures the integral aspects of a subjectquickly and efficiently; (verb) refers to theprocess of rendering a sketch.

Shape: refers to the outward outline of a

form. Basic shapes include circles,squares and triangles.

Form: in a drawing, is the illusion of thethree-dimensional structure of a shape,such as a circle becoming a sphere byadding shading.

Proport ion: is the relationship in size ofone component of a drawing or an objectto another or others.

SKETCHING

PROPORTIONS

The first step is to sketchthe shapes of the

manikins pose as

proportionately correctas possible.

1) Very lightly sketchthe proportions of

the manikin.

A photo of themanikin is on each

page to help guide

you.

Use a 2H or HB pencil, and follow along with Figures 601 to 609. Dont press toohard with your pencil! In reality, the lines of my sketch are so faint that they are

barely visible. I have darkened them in an imaging program so you can see them.

I have added a border around each illustration to give you an idea of where to draweach part on your paper. Nothing is more frustrating than drawing the upper half of

a body, and then realizing that you dont have enough space below to add the legs!
mailto:[email protected]://www.finearteducation.com/http://www.drawspace.com/http://www.drawspace.com/http://www.finearteducation.com/mailto:[email protected]


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TIP!

Beforecontinuing,

pat yourdrawingwith a

kneadederaser tomake thesketch

lines lighter(as inFigure609).


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TIP!

Do not draw directlyover your sketch lines.Rather, refer to the

photo of the manikin andmy sketches to look for

ways to make yourdrawing more accurate.

Figure 611Figure 610


ADDI NG SHAPES

In this section you add more

details, such as the locations of

the shoulders, knees, elbows, andwrists.

2) Sketch the shapes of thevarious parts of the manikin.

Use an HB pencil

and refer to Figures

610 to 617.


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Figure 618 Figure 619

Take notethat Ive

made the

legs a littlelonger.

REFIN IN G THE SKETCH

By refining the outlines of the

various parts of the manikin you areenhancing your visual skills, and

have a final chance to sketch the

proportions more accurately.

With lots of practice drawing from amanikin, you can combine the steps

in this section with those in the first

two sections of this lesson.

3) Use your kneaded eraser tolighten your sketch lines again.

4) Neatly outline the various shapesof the manikin, adjusting the

outlines for increased accuracy

as you go.

Refer to figures 618 to 626. Youmay need to sharpen your pencil

again if the tip begins to get dull.


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Figure 626

Figure 627 Figure 628

Before you continue, compare the drawing in Figure 626to yours, and adjust anything you arent happy with.

FROM M ANIKI N TO HUMAN

Manikins merely serve as references for establishingrelatively accurate proportions. Unlike humans,

manikins shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and

ankles are simple circular forms.

If you have an illustrated book on human anatomy, youmay find it very helpful. However, dont get caught up in

trying to add too much detail; the goal of this sketch is to

simply draw a figure that looks human.

5) Take a kneaded eraser and lighten your sketch one last time.6)

Replace the manikin figure with the outline of a humanmale.

As anaside, this

manikin

is male;

femalemanikins

are alsoavailable.


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Figure 631Figure 629 Figure 630

Figure 632 With a few minoradjustments to the

shapes of the

manikin, a human

figure emerges.

CHALLENGE

Sketch two more human figures from amanikin using the techniques and the

processes discussed in this lesson. To keep

the task challenging, use poses that are

completely different.

If you do not have a manikin, use the photo

of two manikins in Figure 632.


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BRENDA HODDI NOTT

As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist,forensic artist (retired), and illustrator, Brenda

Hoddinott utilizes diverse art media including herfavorites: graphite and paint.

Brenda is the author of Drawing for Dummies(2003,Wiley Publishing, Inc., New York, NY) and TheComplete Idiots Guide to Drawing People(Winner ofthe Alpha-Penguin Book of the Year Award 2004,Alpha - Pearson Education Macmillan, Indianapolis,IN). She is currently writing two books on classicaldrawing.

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on theenjoyment aspects while gently introducing the technical and

academic. Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter, the

quest for knowledge also becomes enjoyable.

>Brenda Hoddinott

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