Nude figures are illustrated in this article; hence, the content is recommended for mature artists.

Artists under the age of 18 need permission from an adult before viewing.

GUIDELINES FOR THE

Brenda Hoddinott
P04 INTERMEDIATE: PEOPLE
This article discusses proportional guidelines that can help artists render more believable and accurate figure sketches and drawings. Humans have infinitely different but equally magnificent bodies that can be transformed into wonderful drawings. Drawing peoples bodies proportionately correct is an integral aspect of figure drawing. This article is divided into the following four sections: MEASURING HEIGHTS IN HEADS: This section describes the artistic process of measuring the height of figures in heads. While the measurement unit of a foot is always precisely 12 inches, the size of a head measurement unit can be different for each person you draw. INFANTS AND CHILDREN: This section discusses how head measurements can be applied to children in spite of the fact that individual children experience different rates of growth and their body proportions change at various stages of development. EXPLORING ADULT BODIES: I discuss the need for artists to respect all human figures as wonderful drawing subjects. Diverse adult body types are illustrated and the visual differences between male and female figures are explored. COMPARING THE PROPORTIONS OF ADULT BODIES: Despite their height differences, the vertical proportions of most male and female figures can be accurately rendered with three simple principles and a basic set of proportional guidelines.

8 PAGES - 12 ILLUSTRATIONS
This lesson is recommended for mature artists. The curriculum is easily implemented into instructional programs for home schooling, academic and recreational learning environments.

Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Halifax, NS, Canada 2002 (Revised 2007)

MEASURING HEIGHTS IN HEADS

When drawing figures, forget about measuring their height in feet, inches, or centimeters! Artists measure the height of a human figure in heads! This simply means using the length a persons head to measure the height of his or her body (naturally, the measurement unit of a head excludes hair). For example, an average one-year-old child is between 4 and 4 heads tall. While the measurement unit of a foot is always precisely 12 inches, the size of a head measurement unit can be different for each person you draw. Human heads become larger as they grow from birth through adulthood. For example, as a child matures from a baby to an adult, the overall length of his or her head grows approximately three inches. Even fully grown adult heads come in a vast range of sizes. By comparing an infants head to that of an adult, (Figure 401) you can get a good sense of the drastic changes in size and proportions, which occur as a human head grows.

Figure 401: The length of my daughters head grew approximately three inches between age one and adulthood.

Even though head sizes vary considerably, guidelines can still be applied to people so as to render a body size that looks believable in a drawing.

INFANTS AND CHILDREN

Individual children experience different rates of growth and their body proportions change at various stages of development. For instance, one-year-olds can be as large as two-year-olds, and three-year-olds can be as tiny as two-year-olds. Hence, there is no way to definitively say that a child of a specific age should be drawn a certain height. The most noticeable changes in human bodies occur during the first three years of life. The proportions of infants bodies are very different from those of adults. Babies heads are quite large when compared to the rest of their bodies. Between birth and two years, their heads grow more quickly than at any other time in their lives. Therefore, the measuring unit of a head is constantly getting larger as the child gets older.
Figure 402: Babies bodies grow much more quickly than their heads.
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At birth most infants are between 3 and 4 heads tall, and their heads are around 5 to 5 inches long. Of course, newborns cant stand up (Figure 403), so you need to imagine those tiny little legs stretched out.
Figure 403: A newborns abdomen looks quite big because the internal organs are very large in proportion to the tiny body.

Babies bodies change considerably during their first year. By the time infants reach one year they are approximately 4 to 4 heads tall and their heads are 6 to 6 inches long.
Figure 404: By age one, babies appear chubby, with their disproportionately large abdomens, long torsos, and short legs.

By age two, a toddler is around 4 to 5 heads tall. The trunk of the body (often called a torso), and the head grow more slowly than the arms and legs from this age onward.
Figure 405: The legs of a two-year-old are the fastest growing parts of his or her body.

A toddler of three is approximately 5 to 5 heads tall (Figure 406), and his or her head is approximately 6 to 6 inches long.
Figure 406: The body of a three-year-old begins to look more like that of a child, rather than a baby.

When you observe groups of children of the same age, you see an assortment of body structures, including short, tall, chubby, thin, muscular, and slender.
Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

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Figure 407 shows four children whose stages of development range from a young child (on the far left) to an adolescent (on the far right). Refer to the lines behind each of them to measure their heights in heads. By adolescence, childrens body proportions closely resemble those of adults.
Figure 407: Four children of various ages and heights.

EXPLORING ADULT BODIES

Between the ages of twenty-five and thirty, the bone structures of adults have completely formed and they have reached their maximum heights. The vast array of shapes and sizes of adult bodies is primarily determined by genetics and life styles. Respecting all human figures Imagine if you could randomly select and then compare hundreds of adults of the same age. Youd discover a broad range of various heights, weights, and body structures, each inherently beautiful. Figure 408 shows a few diverse adult male and female figures of the same age. In Figure 409, you can appreciate the bodies of mature individuals.

Figure 408: Eleven adults of the same age, with equally beautiful bodies
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Figure 409: Attractive bodies of four mature individuals.

Comparing bodies from Venus and Mars In addition to height differences, each individual man and woman has a unique body shape, which can differ significantly from those of others. Many peoples bodies dont even fall within generic proportional guidelines. Keep this in mind as you consider the following attributes of a female body as compared to a male (refer to Figure 410): Bone structures are smaller. Waist is higher and longer. Breasts are larger. Hips are wider. Jaw is smaller. Neck is more slender. Ankles and wrists are smaller. Thighs are wider. More body fat gives a rounder and softer appearance. Buttocks are fuller, and proportionately lower. Hands are smaller and more delicate. Calves are smaller and less developed. Feet are proportionately smaller. Muscles tend to be less developed.

Figure 410: In the interest of simplicity, generic female and male bodies demonstrate differences.
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Overall, men are taller than women, and their bone structures are larger. Their under forms are more visible, because they tend to have less body fat than females. Mens muscles are generally more developed, and determine most of the independent forms that artists visually define in drawings.

COMPARING THE PROPORTIONS OF ADULT BODIES

Again, Id like to stress that adult bodies are so diverse than no set of proportional guidelines could possibly apply to everyone. However, despite their height differences, the vertical proportions of most male and female figures can be accurately rendered with three simple principles. First of all, visually divide the height of any adult model into quarters (Figure 411). If youre working from a photo of a standing figure, you can measure and draw five lines to divide the figure into four equal sections. Then, apply each of the following three simple principles to your sketch or drawing: TIP
When you plan to draw a standing figure, make sure you choose a long enough drawing space. If you draw the head first, keep in mind that the length of the head determines the final height of your figure. Measure out the total

height of the figure Armpits are one quarter before you begin to of the way down from sketch the body. the top of the head. Theres nothing more Wrists and crotch are at frustrating than the halfway point. running out of paper Bottoms of the knees are by the time you get to the knees. three quarters of the way down from the top of the head. Most womens bodies are Figure 411: The total physically similar to one height of a figure is another, and men also have divided into four equal many physical characteristics sections. in common. However, generally speaking, men and women look very different from one another. For example, men tend to be taller than women. An average adult male can range in height between seven and nine heads. The average height of a female is between seven and eight heads.

To keep things simple, both the male and female figures in Figure 412 are eight heads tall. I think youll agree that very few adult bodies actually look like these drawings. I have chosen classically proportioned figures with pronounced forms, as created by their bones, fat, and muscles, to provide you with insights into where various anatomical forms are located. I have divided the total height of each figure into eight equal sections, and numbered the lines 1 to 9.
Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

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Despite their various differences, the man and woman in Figure 412 share several physical and proportional similarities. Take note of the following: Top of the head touches line 1. Entire head is in between lines 1 and 2. Chin touches line 2. Top of the shoulders is approximately one third of the way down from line 2. Armpits are along line 3. Lower sections of the elbows align with line 4. Wrists and crotch are along line 5 (halfway down from the top of the head). Hands fit into the space between lines 5 and 6. Tips of the fingers line up with the mid thighs between lines 5 and 6. Lower sections of the knees are on line 7 Bottoms of the feet are on line 9.

Naturally, the proportions of some parts of mens and womens bodies are different, such as: A mans nipples are higher on the chest. A females navel is slightly lower. A males shoulders are wider. Women have longer and smaller waists. A mans ribcage is larger and longer. A females hips are generally wider. Men have longer hands and feet.
Figure 412: Classically proportioned figures of a male and female demonstrate their many similarities and differences.

The next time you see a group of men and women, examine and compare their proportions. While you may find a few exceptions, youll discover that most people, regardless of their body structures, fit into the guidelines discussed.
Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

8 Brenda Hoddinott
As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, Brenda utilizes diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal, cont crayon, and oil paints.

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the enjoyment aspects while gently introducing the technical and academic. Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter, the quest for knowledge also becomes enjoyable.
Brenda Hoddinott Biography Born in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Brenda grew up in the small town of Corner Brook. She developed strong technical competencies with a personal commitment to self directed learning, and the aid of assorted Learn to Draw books. During Brendas twenty-five year career as a self-educated civilian forensic artist, numerous criminal investigation departments have employed Brendas skills, including Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police departments. In 1992, Brenda was honored with a commendation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and in 1994, she was awarded a Certificate of Membership from Forensic Artists International. Her home-based art career included graphic design, and teaching recreational drawing and painting classes. As supervisor of her communitys recreational art department, Brenda hired and trained teachers, and designed curriculum for several childrens art programs. In 1998, Brenda chose to end her eighteen-year career as an art educator in order to devote more time to writing, drawing, painting, and developing her websites. Drawspace http://www.drawspace.com incorporates her unique style and innovative approach to curriculum development. This site offers downloadable and printable drawing classes for students of all abilities from the age of eight through adult. Students of all ages, levels and abilities have praised the simple step-by-step instructional approach. This site is respected as a resource for fine art educators, home schooling programs, and educational facilities throughout the world. Learn-to-draw books Drawing for Dummies: Wiley Publishing, Inc., New, York, NY, this 336 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally. The Complete Idiots Guide to Drawing People: Winner of the Alpha-Penguin Book of the Year Award 2004, Alpha - Pearson Education Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN, this 360 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally.

Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com