Dynamics

Moving on from the previous basics of volume and solidity, I have decided to look more into the dynamics of the human body, which is the stress that applies to the body like surface, clothing, or simply the muscles. Studying this will help me figure out what I need to emphasize and keep in terms of details, as suggested in the guide. "... good drawing is fundamentally about editing; about finding out what is important about your subject, selecting it, and de-emphasizing or discarding what is unimportant" (Raynes 53). So in order to start off I decided to focus on the balance of the human body and keeping the proportions in the right size.

Even though a figure is bending, the body is still
able to keep its balance. "The contact of the feet on the
floor means the head must be thrusted forward to compensate the weight of the lower body and legs" (Raynes 55). 

My little sister posing on a stool, she's putting all her
weight on it so I have to keep in mind to
make sure it doesn't look like she's floating!

Drawn with charcoal, the end result of drawing my little sister.

The red line is a guide to help me remember the
form of the pose and keeping the proportions in line.

Here is the original picture I was using as a
reference.

I have learned that it's super important to establish a sort of center of line when positioning someone because it allowed me to dictate what proportions of the body will look like in terms of bending. Also by identifying the form and pose of the figure it will give the effect of contact or gravity that brings the picture to life even more. "Above all, try to reveal in your drawing all the evidence of the pull of gravity that you can identify" (Raynes 62). By identifying the stress (basic components of weight and gravity) it will give the drawing more of a realism feel, no matter the style one chooses. 

Hopefully the next lesson I will do will focus more on the tension of the limbs and muscles as that will also influence the realism in my drawings.

What are some basic skills you have learned that have definitely let you see the "bigger picture"?

Citation: 

Raynes, John, and Jody Raynes. How to Draw the Human Figure: A Complete Guide. Bath: Parragon, 2000. Print.