Drawing Lesson 35, Part 1 – How to Draw a Person

Discover How to Draw a Person

Video Lesson Description

In this video lesson, you will discover How to Draw a Person in silverpoint. This video also includes essential information on silverpoint materials, silverpoint grounds, and silverpoint drawing methods and techniques.

How to Draw a Person – Sketching from the Model

In summer of 2012, London was hosting The Summer Olympics. For this occasion, The British Museum had placed the marble statue of Discobolus in the central court; it stood as a figure of physical fitness and a symbol of the ancient roots of the Olympic Games.

We will use this statue as a model for our metal-point drawing and show you How to Draw a Person in silverpoint.

We begin the “How to Draw a Person” video lesson with making a preliminary sketch right in the museum. This is done to practice drawing a male figure and also, to choose the most attractive point of view for our future metal-point artwork. It is a quick sketch done in graphite pencil.

How to Draw a Person – Preliminary Drawing for Silverpoint Artwork

When it comes to the “How to Draw a Person” lesson sequence, before starting a silverpoint drawing, I want to make a pencil draft outline for our future artwork. This preliminary drawing will be transferred onto a silverpoint ground later on.

In this lesson you will discover How to Draw a Person using constructive drawing approach.

The model’s internal skeletal structure is indicated in straight lines to mark the arrangement of Discobolus’s body.

When you think how to draw a person starting from its skeletal structure, it is very much like drawing a matchstick-man. But do not be fooled by the simplicity of this approach. Every single line position, angle and length is carefully measured up and compared to each other.

This rudimentary drawing holds the main information about Discobolus’s body position, proportions and posture. This is a very good approach of oversimplification of the human body in the beginning, when you can concentrate only on the main proportions of the body and limbs without paying any attention to the volumes and shapes. When this preparation is done right, the rest of the body will come together with more confidence and precision.

When it comes to next steps of the “How to Draw a Person” process, with all major elements of the body skeleton in place, I draw the volumes of Discobolus’s body. I am paying attention to how far from the matchstick lines the contour of the body is. Every inch of the Discobolus silhouette has its unique curvature and direction angle. These elements shall be observed with attention and depicted with precision. For example, when drawing Discobolus’s leg, I am measuring by eye and with pencil distances between the outline of the leg and its central line, as well as the overall thickness of the leg in any particular place. Also, I am taking into account angles and direction of the outline.

When considering How to Draw a Person, keep inmind that knowledge of human body proportions is very important in figure drawings. In dedication to these subject video lessons, you can discover and memorise what the main human body proportions are and how to use them in your drawings. You can measure such proportions with a pencil and mark them on your drawing, or as in my example, keep them in your head and measure by eye.