FOCUSING ON FORESHORTENING
Drawing is all about illusion, but not the sleight-of-hand variety magicians perform. In my drawings, I create the illusion of three dimensions in a variety of ways, but in every case I'm just drawing what I see in front of me. Foreshortening is an important method of creating the illusion of depth, and it works hand in hand with perspective; that is, the part of the subject that is closest to us appears to be larger than the parts that are farther away.
TAKING A DIFFERENT VIEW So what exactly is foreshortening in terms of drawing? It's a technique for rendering objects that aren't parallel to the picture plane in which you shorten the lines on the sides of the object that is closest to you. (It may sound confusing, but it's really not once you get the hang of it.) For example, if you look at someone holding his arm straight down against the side of his body, the arm is perfectly vertical and so looks in proportion to the rest of the figure. But if he raises his arm and points directly at you, the arm is now angled (and not parallel to the picture plane), so it appears distorted. In other words, the hand looks bigger and the arm looks shorter. So, in turn, you would draw a big hand and an arm with shortened sides. That's foreshortening!
Recognizing Foreshortening This photo of Justin is an excellent example of fore shortening_ Notice the difference in the size of his tiny head compared to his huge feet. This is because his feet are closer to us, so they appear much larger_ Additionally, I know his legs must be longer than they appear from this view point, and I know that his foot can't be the same length as his shin. But these are the size relationships I see, so these are the size relationships I will draw.
Step Two Next I lightly added secondary curves to represent the roundness of the figure and the folds in the clothes_ I am still blocking in basic information at this point, so I kept these lines light so they wouldn't interfere when I refined the outlines.
Be selective
when you draw. Analyze the scene or subject matter, and change it around if Yo Ll think it will rnah e a stronger visual statement.
Step Three As I began refining the shapes, I needed to check my
reference frequently. I added a dark shadow for an eye anchor to help me keep my place as I glanced back and forth from photo to drawing. Notice how the darker, thicker lines on the feet already make them appear to come for· ward, whereas the thinner, fainter lines of the upper body recede. This technique enhances the sense of depth.
Step Four In the final stage, I added some light shading and all the details of fabric folds and facial features. Within the overall foreshortened pose, there are secondary areas of foreshortening. For instance, notice how Justin's left foot is foreshortened (because it points toward us) and his right one is not (because it points straight up). The backs of his hands, wrists, and forearms also are foreshortened (because they point toward us), whereas his fingers are not.
FORESHORTENING SIMPLIFIED
Drawing is all about illusion, but not the sleight-of-hand variety magicians perform. In my drawings, I create the illusion of three dimensions in a variety of ways, but in every case I'm just drawing what I see in front of me. Foreshortening is an important method of creating the illusion of depth, and it works hand in hand with perspective; that is, the part of the subject that is closest to us appears to be larger than the parts that are farther away.
TAKING A DIFFERENT VIEW So what exactly is foreshortening in terms of drawing? It's a technique for rendering objects that aren't parallel to the picture plane in which you shorten the lines on the sides of the object that is closest to you. (It may sound confusing, but it's really not once you get the hang of it.) For example, if you look at someone holding his arm straight down against the side of his body, the arm is perfectly vertical and so looks in proportion to the rest of the figure. But if he raises his arm and points directly at you, the arm is now angled (and not parallel to the picture plane), so it appears distorted. In other words, the hand looks bigger and the arm looks shorter. So, in turn, you would draw a big hand and an arm with shortened sides. That's foreshortening!
Recognizing Foreshortening This photo of Justin is an excellent example of fore shortening_ Notice the difference in the size of his tiny head compared to his huge feet. This is because his feet are closer to us, so they appear much larger_ Additionally, I know his legs must be longer than they appear from this view point, and I know that his foot can't be the same length as his shin. But these are the size relationships I see, so these are the size relationships I will draw.
Step One I began, as always, by lightly blocking in the outlines of only the major shapes-no details yet. The most important thing was to study the photo carefully and make sure I had all the size relationships correct. However, although I followed the photo faithfully, I noticed that the book appeared to be unnaturally supported, so I added the right arm and hand. Even though I keep repeating "draw what you see," sometimes you need to take what is called artistic license and make a few changes, or no one will believe that's really what you saw!
Step Two Next I lightly added secondary curves to represent the roundness of the figure and the folds in the clothes_ I am still blocking in basic information at this point, so I kept these lines light so they wouldn't interfere when I refined the outlines. Be selective
when you draw. Analyze the scene or subject matter, and change it around if Yo Ll think it will rnah e a stronger visual statement.
reference frequently. I added a dark shadow for an eye anchor to help me keep my place as I glanced back and forth from photo to drawing. Notice how the darker, thicker lines on the feet already make them appear to come for· ward, whereas the thinner, fainter lines of the upper body recede. This technique enhances the sense of depth.
Step Four In the final stage, I added some light shading and all the details of fabric folds and facial features. Within the overall foreshortened pose, there are secondary areas of foreshortening. For instance, notice how Justin's left foot is foreshortened (because it points toward us) and his right one is not (because it points straight up). The backs of his hands, wrists, and forearms also are foreshortened (because they point toward us), whereas his fingers are not.
FORESHORTENING SIMPLIFIED
Fingers Straight Up Hold your hand in front of a mirror, palm forward. Notice that your fingers are the right length in relation to your palm. Nothing is foreshortened here.
Fingers Angled Toward You Now tip your hand a little, and see how the length of the fingers and the palm appears shortened. This is subtle foreshortening. Of course, your fingers didn't really get shorter; it just looks that way!
Fingers Pointing Front Now point them straight at you. This is the most extreme fore· shortened view; the fingers appear to be mere stubs. Notice the shape of the fingernails as they curve over the cylindrical fingers.
Fingers Angled Down The fingers appear longer now but still not full length, yet the fingertips are still visible. This pose shows some foreshortening; the fingers seem too long and thick in relation to the back of the hand.
Fingers Pointing Straight Down No fore· shortening is at work in this position-another frontal view. The tips of the fingers cannot be seen, and the length of the fingers and hand are not distorted at all.
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