What is Figure Drawing?

 

Learning artists, at some point in their creative journey, will always encounter the practice of figure drawing. It is one of the most common teaching techniques when it comes to sketching or drawing with dry mediums like , graphite, or pastels. So, what exactly is it and why is it so important? Figure drawing is the practice of having a live model, often nude, and drawing their poses in real-time. It is an excellent exploration for an artist to understand how to capture the different shapes, textures, and proportions.

Typically, these figure drawing classes will have a nude model who is either standing or sitting in a pose that emphasizes the human figure. They will hold this pose for hours or sometimes even weeks or months to give the artists a chance to create a detailed and intricate drawing of the figure.

The ideal way to conduct a figure drawing practice is to focus on different sections of the figure with each session. This all depends on what the artists would like to learn or improve — the torso, the legs, the hands, etc. They could start with a quick rough sketch and then dive into a detailed study.

Let’s understand figure drawing by exploring the benefits of the various factors involved.

Human Figure

Learning how to replicate foundational shapes like lines, ovals, and squares can be really useful for an artist. In fact, it is a basic skill that’s essential for various forms of drawing. Human figures offer a great study of these shapes. It is rare to find a perfectly symmetrical and proportioned body which means that recreating them requires an excellent understanding of shapes and forms. Learning these unique factors from a human figure can help an artist make any drawing more complex and interesting.

Nude Model

The architecture of the human body is very complex and intricate. Drawing these figures fully clothed will hide these intricacies, offering a less detailed understanding. The real value of figure drawing lies in replicating the texture of the skin and the contours of the muscles with the stiffness of the pose. Capturing all of this is challenging but extremely rewarding once mastered. It allows an artist to edit and define how to draw any form that they would like to draw.

Live Drawing

One of the most valuable benefits of figure drawing is that it helps an artist understand the element of motion or action in a drawing. The artist is capturing a living human in their natural position, seeing it as it is in real life. It is the best way to get a feel for movement, weight, balance, and tension. The artist can also draw multiple takes of the pose to really hone their sketching skills. Overall, artists must try out figure drawing if they want to capture more dynamic artworks.

Originally published at http://kokuyocamlin.wordpress.com on May 25, 2022.