Learning to Draw: Chapter 2

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Index of Chapter 2: Proportions

1. Exercising the Hands
2. Exercising the Eyes
3. The Human Body
4. Guide Lines
5. Think Fast, Draw Faster

Chapter 2 - Proportions

The perception of distance is performed by the brain, based on the different view points of the eyes:

While drawing 3D objects, the distance perception may bring errors to the picture:

The viewer can see both right and left sides of the cube, so it tries to draw them both, resulting a distorted drawing. In the figure, the distortion can be easily discerned, because the object is very simple, but more complex objects can confuse the viewer.

While drawing 3D objects, mainly when they are near to the viewer, close one eye to get a 2D vision of them.

The correct perception of the objects to be drawn is essential to get their right proportions.

2.1 - Exercising the Hands

To draw straight lines and smooth curves, it's important to practice some simple exercises:

1. Fix a paper sheet on the table.
2. Draw a line using a ruler at the top of the paper like the red line in the figure. If you are left-handed, draw a line like the blue one.
3. Draw parallel lines, one after the other, as straight and as fast as you can, without the ruler, of course.

Now, draw curves:

Fix a paper sheet on the table. Take compasses and draw a circle (red in the figure). Follow the circle line a few times (about 15 rounds). Draw a spiral (green line in the figure). Try to keep a constant distance between the lines. Draw a "wave" (blue in the figure). Try to make the "wave crests" the same size of the "wave valleys".

Practice angles:

1. Fix a paper sheet on the table.
2. Draw a line using a ruler (red line in the figure).
3. Using compasses, draw two arcs (green): place the compass somewhere on the line and draw an arc; place the compass somewhere else on the line and draw another arc in such a way that it crosses the first one in two places (the guiding points).
4. Draw a perpendicular line (blue) using the ruler, passing by the guiding points (orange).
5. Draw a line, parallel to the horizontal line. Then draw a vertical perpendicular line. Repeat this procedure a few times.
6. Draw a vertical line, then draw a perpendicular horizontal line. Repeat this procedure a few times.

These exercises may be done in the intervals of other exercises. You don't need to practice them continuously.

2.2 - Exercising the Eyes

A very common "trick" used by artists to check proportions are described below:

1. Prepare a picture and a paper sheet. You may fix them if you want. Keep the picture at a "reasonable distance", farther than the reach of your arm.
2. Close one eye. Make all measures looking at the picture with only one eye.
3. Extend your arm, holding a pencil, and look at a line of the picture. Make one end of the pencil "match" one end of the line. Using your finger, keep the length of the line.
4. Mark and draw the line, checking the length registered by your finger. Repeat the process to the other lines and curves.

Using this "trick", you will draw your first "solid object", not a picture or computer image:

Sit before an simple object, like a vase. When drawing, don't move yourself to try to capture more details than needed. If you can't see one side of the object, don't draw it. Moving yourself will deform the resulting picture. Close one eye, as in the previous exercise. Make all measures looking at the object with only one eye. Extend your arm, holding a pencil, and look at some part of the object. Make one end of the pencil "match" one end of that part. Using your finger, measure and keep the length of it. Mark the length on the paper and draw the shape. Repeat the process to all parts of the object.

Practice using other objects with more complex shapes. If you find a very complex part, draw it's borders, like in the "void spaces" exercise, and "fill it" with its details.

2.3 - The Human Body

The drawings of the human body are some of the most difficult to be done, because even very little mistakes can break the picture harmony and create bad results. Practicing is essential. Start drawing human faces:

1. Take a photograph of a human face and a paper sheet. Fix them if you prefer.
2. Start drawing from the nose.
3. Draw the face, measuring the sizes of eyes, mouth, nose, ears etc. and the distance among them. Don't forget to close one eye while checking the proportions.

If you are viewing this Page with a graphical browser, you are probably seeing three figures. The first is a coloured picture of Harrison Ford from the album Blade Runner. The other two are a fast sketch (orange), made directly in a graphic editor using just "mouse", and an edge drawing (black) made upon the finalized picture. The fast sketch is terrible: wrong proportions and wrong angles. It is so because "computer mouse" doesn't use to be the best friend of drawings.

Anyway, how did I correct it? First, I colourized the picture. The photograph was very colourful with several hues of orange and yellow. It is difficult to separate bright and dark areas only with lines, mainly where the changes are very subtle, like in the human face. I filled the dark areas of the photograph with darker colours and the the bright areas with brighter colours. It became easier to see where the angles and proportions were wrong. When the proportions seemed correct, I started a more careful work on the details of the eyes and mouth.

I decided to present the first sketch, not only the result drawing, because there's something about it: even if the first sketch is not what was expected, it doesn't mean it cannot be corrected. More important, correcting drawings is a good exercice of concentration and perception. In a certain point, you will feel more confident in your eyes and will start checking proportions without the help of any ruler.

Repeat the exercise with other photographs, showing faces in different positions and people appearing in different situations, practicing sports, dancing etc. You may also try to use a computer with some graphic editor, but don't "kill your mouse" if some sketches seem terrible at first...

Another good exercise is to draw your own hand, because it is a model that you can control and it is very versatile:

1. Fix a paper sheet on the table.
2. Lay your hand on the table (not your dominating hand, of course). You can hold something, like a glass or a pencil.
3. Draw it, looking with only one eye. Don't move your hand before you finish.

Repeat the exercise with your hand in other positions and with a model, human or even a pet, if you can get one. If you cannot, seat before a mirror and make a self portrait.

2.4 - Guide Lines

Simetric objects can be more easily drawn using "axes":

Axes can also be used to help you drawing non-symmetric objects, giving you guiding lines:

Mark the object's proportions on the axes (red marks in the figure).

2.5 - Think Fast, Draw Faster

Drawing static objects are easier than drawing moving ones. A way to draw moving things, like animals, is to study it before starting to draw. Look the way it moves, the interaction of the moving parts, the shape and proportion of each section. Photographs and video recorders/players are good tools for studying and drawing animals. When you start to draw it, draw first the outer border and the main lines, then fill it with the details you remember. This is a very good exercise to help you to draw the abstract images from your mind.

This image was scanned and edited from a sketch I made from a documentary about the pumas' life (also known as cougars, Felis concolor L.). I made it when I was in Japan, in the beginning of 1997, from an NHK program, with the help of a VCR. By the way, I drew it without having to check the proportions with my pencil and I know, pumas don't have sky-blue eyes, but golden ones. This one does because I was playing with the colour palettes and liked the way they looked.

Page last modified on 1998-May-11 Monday.

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