Foreshortening- Drawing the Figure in Perspective
Drawing the human figure is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding activities for an artist. The human figure is ever changing and no two body shapes are the same. This makes drawing the human figure an ongoing development process. You are truly forced to really look at the figure when you draw it. This enhances your overall drawing skills. Drawing is all about seeing after all, and the stronger you are at understanding what you see, the better you become at drawing.
So what is foreshortening? Foreshortening is what happens when the human figure is viewed in perspective. Foreshortening creates the illusion of space and form in a drawing of a person. This is often because of an extreme point-of-view. This point-of-view can be a "worm's eye view", looking up at the figure; or a "bird's eye view", looking down on the figure. There are other possible angles where foreshortening can occur as well.
Drawing the figure in a pose that creates foreshortening doesn't have to be hard. You can draw a figure in perspective using the same steps as you do when drawing a figure in a standard pose. Start with a line from the head to the feet. When the figure is foreshortened, this line will be shorter. The more extreme the angle, the shorter the line. Draw the lines to indicate where the shoulders and waist will be next. From there, draw a stick figure. Last, thicken up the figure. As you work, be sure to observe the figure and pay special attention to relationships that exist. Also, be sure to look at the positive and negative spatial relationships that happen.
The featured video demonstrates how to draw a foreshortened figure from above.
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