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Beginning Figure Drawing represents the culmination of decades of instruction to studios and professionals around the world where Steve has honed his teaching philosophy down to a fun and efficient experience. This is Part 2 of the series, check out Part 1 here!
Despite his impressive bona fides, Steve specializes in making complex information easy to understand for everybody. In the second installment of the series, Steve breaks down the elements of the figure, and the jointed connections and proportions of the body through a series of lectures, demonstrations, and Old Master studies. Building upon a solid foundation of Gesture and Structure from Part 1, learn from Steve how to place the head, legs, torso, etc on your page in a realistic and natural context. It’s important to remember that each body part has a relationship to the others.
Materials
- Sharpie Markers
- Conté à Paris Pencils
- Ballpoint Pen
Dear Steve,
This is by far the best explanation on gesture & structure that I’ve ever heard – especially where the legs should start! Thank You so very much!!!
Warm Regards 🙂
How do you make the most of these masters analysis? I find myself watching, but not sure I’m getting much out of it. There are so many of them, and they are so long, I feel like I’m missing something.
Its helped my to draw along with him. Ill pause it then try to draw it how I would. Then I watch him and try to do what he does. Thats just what works for me.
Thank you for letting us know and also submitting a ticket to us! We will be in communication with you there to get this resolved as the site is up and running for us 🙂
Would you recommend doing this course alongside the the Head Construction Course?
I love the “coke bottle” structure you used. Had not seen that but it is one of those things that resonates with me in comprehending that complex twisted and bent torso shape and perspective as in that pic. So many gems like this in your courses that really change how I draw almost immediately. Love your courses. Finished the head one and am now doing the figure one and also just got your book (displays so well on large screen via Kindle app). 🙂
In trying to draw along with the demonstration,
I found this post EXTREMLY HARD (Beginning Figure Drawing, part 2, section 21) to get the gesture/structure sketch. Extremely. I’ve been trying harder and harder more twisty poses and found this one the hardest so far. Anybody else try this one? It might be because the underside is just so dark maybe. I’m just really struggling on this one. I can’t get a “skirt” shape very well on the pose. I can’t get a tube or coke bottle type shape on the torso to give me anything to lock onto. It seems to me I just end up trying to copy this one because so few structures help besides maybe head/arms/legs. My proportions just really fall apart on this pose. I have tried analyzing it putting shapes into it tracing on my iPad – and I’ll think I have it, but when I go back to free hand – it just falls apart. I’ve been getting good quality on a variety of other poses. But anybody else find this one super hard? Should I try to just work with more lit poses for now?
Here’s two ways of thinking about it, one rounder one more boxy. I hope this helps.Ok, it took a lot of tries with different approaches. Once I sort of dropped the chest straight down from the neck and then made the curve, it started to improve everything a little. I was really having tough time with what I couldn’t see – what was blocked. Also kind of found out how to work the belly gesture line from both ends – from the chest, and the pelvis, and then kinda meeting the line in the middle of itself. I was trying to put more basic shapes in the torso – and although this started with just more gesture lines here and there, it did seem to end up being oval. But when I did oval, it seemed to fall apart. Hmm. I did find Steve’s drawing of this and watched it. He kind of did a LITTLE bit of an oval (kind of half – around bottom of ribs). I know he could/would do it 5 different ways and all would work. It wasn’t a real cut and dry pose for sure though. I did learn a ton though just getting to this point. Man, many whacky attempts.
Yes! You have the right idea. It’s often the case that we can’t tell what’s going on with the figure which makes it difficult to construct. So in that case using anatomy to help us analyze the pose will help. As you progress you will learn that more. Eventually you should do both of Rey Bustos’ courses but this is an ongoing learning problem that you will deal with for the rest of your life. So will all of us!
Joshua as I looked at your first round trace, I thought “super rad” you can see the rib cage how the abs sit under there etc… I have been a member for a few months now, and I really get what you are saying about knowledge of anatomy and structure helping one to understand and analyze the figure. I also wanted to add, that just thinking of the simple forms of head, torso and pelvis as simple/yet characteristic forms, has really helped me to see things simpler and build from there.
Yes, you can’t really “see” until you know that’s likely to be there. Once you know how the figure should be your reference when you have it is nothing more than some suggestions. You can fill in the rest more easily. It’s a long, tough, process but it’s worth it!
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