By Artists & Illustrators | Fri 13th Dec 2013
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An expert on Renaissance-style techniques, the Classical Art Academy founder Martin Close explains how to paint accurate shapes and forms
1. Practise on scrap paper. Expensive paper can be intimidating. By practising on cheap lining paper from a DIY store, or even brown packing paper, you alleviate such issues. The reduced value of the paper affords more practice – it is better to do three separate 20-minute drawings than one drawing across a whole hour.
2. Think inside the box. Imagine your subject is contained within a box. What shape must the box be and how big are you going to draw it? Mark out the imagined box on your paper as faintly as possible. Getting the box right will not only help you reproduce the correct shape, it will also serve as a point of reference between the subject as you see it and the drawing on the page.
3. Work the angles. It’s difficult for us humans to judge lengths correctly, but we’re really good at angles. By estimating the angle between two fi xed points you can reproduce their position within the box of your drawing.
4. Begin as a sculptor. would Rather than proceeding to the outline of the subject, use straight lines to cut away what isn’t needed from the box. Imagine a sculptor cutting away the marble he or she doesn’t need before beginning to carve. Doing this will focus you on the negative shape around the subject, as well as the subject itself. If the negative shape is correct, the positive shape will be too.
5. Use the 4-8-8 method. Simplify your shape before putting in detail using one set of four lines and two sets of eight. The first four define the box and another eight cutaway from it to fi nd the basic proportion and gesture lines of the subject. The fi nal eight straight lines represent the main shape. You can’t do a detailed drawing in just 20 lines – limit yourself to defi ning the correct proportion, gesture and shape of your subject. These three things are the foundation of your drawing and if you have them wrong, no amount of detailing will make them right!
6. Simplify tonal values. Over your 20 lines, draw the main light and dark shapes en masse using just two tones: black and white. Simplifying is essential to seeing and drawing the tones correctly. Try making a study of a plaster cast in charcoal with just black and white values, similar to the ones pictured right. If the proportion, gesture and shape lines are correct then this study should look right.
7. Introduce complex tones in stages. Once your lights and your darks are drawn, identify the mid-tone and draw it in where it appears. From these three tones, you can find two more mid-tones making five in total. Each of these should be drawn on in turn. On white paper, charcoal can deliver atleast nine distinct tones in this way and, with practice, you will become adept at finding them.
For more information on the Classical Art Academy visit www.classicalartacademy.co.uk
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FAQs
Although the average person is 71⁄2 heads tall, the custom in Classical Greece (since Lysippos) and Renaissance art was to set the figure as eight heads tall: "the eight-heads-length figure seems by far the best; it gives dignity to the figure and also seems to be the most convenient." The half-way mark is a line ...
What is the 8 head rule? ›
Although the average person is 71⁄2 heads tall, the custom in Classical Greece (since Lysippos) and Renaissance art was to set the figure as eight heads tall: "the eight-heads-length figure seems by far the best; it gives dignity to the figure and also seems to be the most convenient." The half-way mark is a line ...
How to achieve proportion in art? ›
In order to achieve accurate proportions, there are several methods:
- You can use the sight-size method.
- You could use relative sight-size method.
- You could use reverse sight-size method if working from a photo.
- You can sketch quickly and loosely from life while constantly comparing to your subject.
PROPORTION DEFINITION IN ART
Proportion can be used to make a composition appear more realistic or more stylized depending on the type of proportion used. Proportion does not refer to the overall size of a composition (scale), but rather the size of elements within the composition in relation to each other.
What is the 2 7 rule in poker? ›
2-7 (Deuce to Seven) Triple Draw Lowball is a poker game in which the low poker hand wins the pot at showdown. In other words, it is a form of 'Lowball'. It is a 'draw' game, meaning that you are dealt five cards, and may discard from zero to five of them on the draw, and receive that number of replacement cards.
What is the rule of 8's? ›
The rule of 8s follows the same principles of the 8-minute rule, but it is calculated per service. In other words, a clinician needs to perform half the service time outlined in a timed code before she can bill for one unit of that code.
What is the golden rule of body proportions? ›
The Golden Ration Defined
In most cases, this is going to be a comparison result in a ratio of 1:1.618. This appears naturally all over your body. For example, if the length of the hand has the value of 1, then the combined length of hand and forearm has the approximate value of 1.618.
How to improve proportions? ›
7 Tips for Better Proportions
- Practise on scrap paper. Expensive paper can be intimidating. ...
- Think inside the box. Imagine your subject is contained within a box. ...
- Work the angles. ...
- Begin as a sculptor. ...
- Use the 4-8-8 method. ...
- Simplify tonal values. ...
- Introduce complex tones in stages.
The mouth is one third of the distance between the nose and the chin. The distance between the eyes is equal to the width of one eye. The corners of the mouth line up with the centers of the eyes. The top of ears line up slightly above the eyes, in line with the outer tips of the eyebrows.
What are the principles of proportion? ›
Proportion is one of the easier principles of graphic design to understand. Simply put, it's the size of elements in relation to one another. Proportion signals what's important in a design and what isn't. Larger elements are more important, smaller elements less.
The closer you can get your waist/shoulder ratio to 1/1.61, the more aesthetically pleasing your body will be. To find out your ratio, measure around your waist, then the circumference your shoulders, (You're probably going to need some help with this part) then divide shoulders/waist to get your ratio.
What is the golden rule of proportion? ›
The golden ratio, also known as the golden number, golden proportion, or the divine proportion, is a ratio between two numbers that equals approximately 1.618. Usually written as the Greek letter phi, it is strongly associated with the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers wherein each number is added to the last.
Why do painters hold their thumb up? ›
Artists are often depicted holding a thumb out at arm's length. This is a method of measurement which helps compare dimensions of pictorial elements.
What are the 3 strategies you can use to solve proportions? ›
The 3 ways to solve a proportion are: vertically, horizontally and diagonally (cross-multiplication). The vertical method is used if one of the ratios has a common multiple between the two quantities.
What is the 8 head figure theory? ›
The whole body structure was lengthwise divided into eight equal parts, which is known as the eight head theory. This theory has become the foundation of all fashion drawing and for understanding the body shape and structure …show more content… This body is divided into 8 parts in which each part is 8 inches in length.
What is the 8 head method of drawing? ›
The eight head count is a method in which the size or length of the the head is used to measure the height and width of a figure. The most common usage of head count method is eight heads for height and three heads for width.
What is the 8 head to body ratio? ›
Interesting Facts About Head-Body Proportions
Men are 8 heads high. Pretty sure you must be wondering what this means? It means that the height of an average person is equal to eight times the height of a regular head. The average newborn baby height is 19–20 inches or 48.2–50.8 centimetres.
What is the 8 rule in basketball? ›
The eight-second rule in basketball generally requires an offensive team and more specifically, the offensive player in possession of the ball to dribble it or pass it from the offensive team's backcourt into their own frontcourt within eight consecutive seconds.
