I signed up for figure drawing class not because I have an interest in drawing (I don’t really), but because I am pathetically slow at sketching subjects to paint. This class focused on blocking-in the figure, in other words, reducing the live model to a series of blocks.
Besides overcoming my fear of naked strangers, I picked up some simple approaches to blocking. These include:
- Draw the envelope - this is a 2D shape encapsulating the subject comprising several intersecting straight lines. A polygon. This is an opportunity to decide on a scale of the figure on the paper.
- Start with one line, look at the model while squinting and holding out your pencil to gauge the angle of the line. Do the same for the second line.
- When you have two points, you can begin to triangulate. This means that you will decide where to place a third point by determining the angle of the third line from one of the existing points that intersects one of the existing lines.
- Finish the envelope in this way.
- After drawing the envelope, build-in smaller shapes.
- Look for curves, “movement”, anchor points (where direction changes or lines intersect).
- Find the plumb line.
- Look at the tilt of the hips/shoulders, asis/sacrum, head, rib cage.
- Put in the shadow shapes.
- Similar but alternative techniques to blocking are to draw the body as a series of ovals or lines.
- Hold the pencil loosely, more like a paintbrush than a writing pen.
- Move from the shoulder, not the wrist.
- For practice, draw without looking at paper.
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