Figure Drawing: Structure

Sketching the 'armature'

H South, licensed to About.com, Inc.

In this example, a simple standing pose, a vertical line dropped from the top of the head to the floor gives you the figure's center of gravity. Usually this will be over or close to the heel of the weight-bearing foot. Visualize a line across the shoulders and through the points of the hip-bones; if drawing a simplified skeleton, sketch in the direction along the center of the limbs, look for the angle between the arms and legs and use a line through the elbows to check their position relative to the shoulders.

• Figure drawing: the need for structure.
• Sketching the 'armature'
• Drawing the 'manikin'
• Describing volume and gravity
• Volume and cross-contour
• Gestural structure
• Exploring form