Human Anatomy Part II

Ideally the human body is divided into 7 ½ heads (in some cases it is taken as 8). Taking this into account it becomes easy to draw any figure in any position without blowing off the proportions.

The above figure consists of 8 head units(approx 6 feet in height). Note the space between nipples is one head unit.  The waist is a little wider than one head unit. The wrist drops just below the crotch. The palm is ideally 2/3 head unit. The elbows are bout on a line with the navel. The knees are just above the lower quarter of the figure. The shoulders are one-sixth of the way down.

 The female figure is relatively narrower – two heads at the widest point. The nipples are slightly lower than in the male. The waistline measures one head unit across. In front the thighs are slightly wider than the armpits, narrower in back. It is optional whether or not you draw the legs even a little longer from the knees down. Wrists are even with crotch. Five feet eight inches is considered an ideal height for a girl. Note that the female navel is below the waistline; the male, above or even with it. The nipples and navels are one head apart but both are dropped below the head divisions. The elbow is above the navel.

It is a good practice to start the sketch with a stick drawing (considering proper head counts). This gives us an overall idea how the final figure would look and also gives us chance to make quick corrections if necessary. Drawing the chest and the buttock helps us shape the body properly. There are a few examples of  stick drawing in Human Anatomy Part I.

Good reference books are available for learning to draw figure properly. Figure Drawing: Made Easy is a good one. It has got many illustrations with good examples. It does not go much into technical details and consists of mainly sketches and paintings rather than theory. It can be a good reference for beginners. Another more popular (and costlier) one is Figure Drawing: For All It's Worth. This is one for the pros, and its discusses figure drawing from all aspects and touches every nook and corner of it. It has both theory and illustrations. It's a great book indeed!