In need for help with the proportions of the human body!

[PaintMyBrain]

Hello everybody. I am a beginner at drawing and I really need some help with the proportions. I am right now practicing on the body and the head, mostly from posemaniacs. I have read that the body is mostly 8 heads in leght and some say 7 and I have read a lot of this stuf.

But! I need some simple advise from you on how to think while drawing the body, if anyone have pictures illustrating where these "heads" should be, where the middle are and so on please post them here.

My legs seem to be to short everytime, what do I need to think of?

Everything regarding the proportions of the human body please may you be posted here.

Thank you all for tuning in. I am grateful of any advice you may have.

Yours truly / PaintMyBrain

[viperxmns]

Usually when talking about the 'heads' proportioning, it's when the figure is standing upright, with the heads pretty much stacked right on top of each other.

With your leg issue, would you say you're making the lower legs too short? Post some pictures to get feedback on.

[MacTire]

Download a copy of Loomis' "Figure Drawing for All It's Worth" (a quick google should find you a source). His is the most accessible proportionary system I know of.

[pretentieuse]

Don't think about heads. Well, okay, think about heads. But don't think let them dictate your drawing. Draw what you see and fix what looks wrong. That's all. If you're using a reference, the heads should be sorted for you.

[Zazerzs]

proportion question: It all breaks down to correct measuring and knowing how to break down the figure.

I suggest going with the 8 head method: its widely used and divides evenly.

For your legs: The length of the legs are 1/2 the length of the body, divide that again in half to find the knee location.

Loomis has all this and is free on the net.

I like Michael Hampton's book on what to do next.

if books arn't your thing the Riven Phoenix vids are cheap enough and they break all this stuff down.

oh I would also suggest stop using posemaniacs.... forever.. but thats just me...

[Kamber Parrk]

Proportions are all good until "The Figure" actually does something!

7.5 or 8 heads, whatever.

But, ultimately, when the figure breaks away from "the anatomical position"-- ramrod straight, hands at the side facing forward-- you need to resort to "comparative measurement"-- using your thumb and pencil to relate horizontal to vertical measurements.

[PaintMyBrain]

wow some awesome feedback. Thank you all. I will post some things here on monday, don't have a scanner here right now. Will read everytihng and take it it. Thank you so much.

I do believe my legs get to short mostly everytime, don't know which leg mostly both of them but I'll post some stuf here asap.I also have an issue with getting the head the right size.
Why not posemaniacs?
I will start reading Loomis right away!
horizontal to vertical measures?

Thank you honestly and heartfully! Keep posting tips and tricks, this thread is not only for me but for all who need some advice with proportions.

Cheers / Brain

[PuppyKitten]

Kambar is right.

For a character turn-around, standard tricks like the head-method may work, but it's pretty limiting. Comparative measurement and careful observation beats a memorized formula any day, and it teaches you observational skills which will be useful for drawing completely unrelated things as well! I suggest comparing angles and distances and looking at negative space in proportion to other parts of the same image (assuming you are working from a reference or life).

Of course, the easiest advice I can give you is: Draw longer legs! No, seriously. Whenever you draw legs, force yourself to draw them longer than you normally would, even if it feels awkward at first. Eventually you will make a habit of it.

[arenhaus]

"Why not posemaniacs? "

Because they use incorrect Poser models that do not represent real anatomy. Look at real people, not superficial fakes.

[Nightfalls]

"Why not posemaniacs? "

Because they use incorrect Poser models .

Naw they're correct, their models are from CT scans too if you read their site. Where did they say they used Poser btw?

The general idea is to have a model that's fairly correct, I would say those models are very good and I don't see anything wrong with them or anything wrong with using them. That goes for any model, made our of wood and strings like in Bridgman's books, from a site, from pictures or from real-life.

[Elwell]

Naw they're correct, their models are from CT scans too if you read their site. Where did they say they used Poser btw?

???
Their models are Daz's Victoria 3 and Michael 3 with muscle map textures, and the default Poser light set. Which is fine, as long as you understand what you're using.

[Zazerzs]

Why not posemaniacs?

They are 3d models with a muscle texture, I guess there is some value to them .. I'd rather just get the info from better sources.

Over all the poses are awkward and lack weight and any sense of life.

Proportions aren't a trick or a gimmick, good luck trying to invent a figure from your imagination without knowing all of it.

When drawing from life knowing proportions will help keep your figure in check. Each figure will have its own unique proportion variations but knowing a standard set of proportions will help if drawing from life as well.

When a figure moves it doesn't mean you through all proportion knowledge out the window, it means you transfer that knowledge to solid forms and put them into perspective.

[PaintMyBrain]

wow yoy guys really are the best I have learned a lot of stuf from this thread! posemaniacs have both plus and minus I see, but if I want to draw poses from real life persons where can I find references, i know of kindgirls which is great for female bodies but for male?

And as goes for the "heads" i guess you guys are right, it doesnt stretch very far, we need to meassure and really look and try to understand how the body is sculpted, but this seem very hard, but I will continue read Loomis, guess he has this all figured out.

Please post any reference sites you know of besides posemaniacs, mainly for real life men because I don't know of any but post any sites you know!

Thanks again for all you brave souls helping a fellow artist Cheers / Brain

[sinkywinky]

Please post any reference sites you know of besides posemaniacs, mainly for real life men because I don't know of any but post any sites you know!

http://www.livemodelbooks.com/free.aspx (Nudity)

[PaintMyBrain]

thank you

[Kamber Parrk]

I don't mean to come off as dismissive of certain proportion systems. The 8 head figure, the 7.5 head figure, the "five-eye-head," and etc., are all pretty much standard concepts. And, certainly, you should study and know these.

But, these are "visual alignment systems" that break down pretty quickly upon movement of the figure.

Case in point: for the leg, Richer would have it that (in the "anatomical position") the distance from the trochanter to the knee-joint would measure 2 heads. And, the distance from the knee joint to the foot's contact to the ground would measure another 2 heads.

All very good. But, the shape of the thigh is governed by the femur which slants diagonally to the knee joint-- which in turn, staggers the alignment of the lower leg which, itself, is not necessarily truly perpendicular to the ground. Thus, the true dimensions of the leg are governed by the limits of bones that are not in alignment with each other, let alone in perpendicular alignment with the ground plane.

So, when depicting a view, apart from the frontal or lateral view of the legs in the anatomical position, the utility of this visual alignment, not being strictly tied to actual direction or length of the bones, becomes rather dubious.

[PaintMyBrain]

wow a very good post Kamper. Will read that several times, thank you very much for taking some time to try and help me I hope you will see that I am thinking of all this and that I am improving with my drawing. Thanks!

/Brain

[PaintMyBrain]

wow a very good post Kamper. Will read that several times, thank you very much for taking some time to try and help me I hope you will see that I am thinking of all this and that I am improving with my drawing. Thanks!

/Brain

[Zirngibism]

The proportions don't just break down when the figure starts to move, but break down as soon as you leave the comic world of idealized/standardized proportions.

When I am life drawing, the proportional variations among people keeps surprising me. I once drew a girl who was 5 heads tall.

It can even vary among relatives.
For example, my dad is 4 inches taller than I am, and yet my legs are longer than his!

If you get too caught up in standardized proportions, it may become harder to notice these things.

Maybe it would be a good idea to draw people who are abnormally tall, and abnormally short, so you can understand what's in a normal range.

[Elwell]

If you get too caught up in standardized proportions, it may become harder to notice these things.

I think knowing cannons of proportions makes it easier to notice these things, because you have a standard to measure against.

[Zirngibism]

I suppose it can go both ways.
I'd been specifically thinking about the "comics people" in my figure drawing classes, many of whom seemed to be riding solely upon their idea of what the figure should be.

But I guess some of that may have been attitude, and not necessarily because they were misled academically.