Artist Q&A

How to paint icy caverns, female pirates, heavy rain, landscapes (fungal or otherwise), creatures and more.

Answer

Houston replies Drawing figures with correct proportions boils down to memorising a few key measurement comparisons and body part alignments. Using the height of the head as a standard unit of measurement is the most useful, and most universally used, way to maintain proportions when creating figures.

The standard human height is measured at about eight heads tall. The landmark breakdown of the torso – starting from the top of the head and moving downwards – is as follows: top of head to bottom of chin; chin to nipples; nipples to belly button; belly button to pubic bone. From there, we move down two heads to the bottom of the knee, and finally two heads more to the soles of the feet.

This is the most basic of breakdowns, but there are many others that are useful when you’re inventing your own figures. Studying anatomy books and photos of models in standard standing poses is the best way to learn all of the size comparisons and alignments throughout the body.

Using the head as a unit of measurement and comparing natural alignment points throughout the body, we can create a figure that is proportioned correctly.