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  • Before we move on to applying structure and proportion to our figure drawings we need

  • to learn the landmarks of the body.

  • The early stages of a figure drawing usually involve careful measuring and identifying the gesture.

  • To help us with this, the human body is filled with landmarks that give us clues to the gesture

  • and points from which to measure the proportions.

  • These points are bony areas that show at the surface. Bones are good landmarks because

  • they don't change much between different body types. The skeleton structure of a thin, muscular

  • and overweight person stays roughly the same, with some variation of course. It's the muscle

  • and fat tissue that shows the most dramatic changes.

  • As I point out the landmarks, try to identify them on your own body. Or if youre watching

  • this with a friend, feel the bony landmarks on your friend�s bodyAwkwaaard...

  • We can use the fleshy points like the belly button and nipples to measure distances and

  • angles while remembering that these points will vary a lot more between body types.

  • So, let�s go over all these landmarks.

  • Centerline of the Front

  • Identifying the core gesture of the torso requires finding the landmarks along the center

  • of the body. At the top we start with the pit of the neck between the clavicles. You'll

  • see a little indentation right above the manubrium. Work our way down to the bottom of the sternum,

  • which combined with the manubrium looks like a neck tie. Below that is the belly button

  • and finally the pubic bone. These points can be connected with a C or S curve. This usually

  • influences the gesture of the rest of the pose.

  • Centerline of the Back

  • In the back identifying the centerline is much simpler. The length of the spine gives

  • you the shape of the centerline, from the top of the neck down to the tailbone.

  • It's a common misconception that each vertebra has the same range of motion and can be connected

  • with a simple curve. While you can and should do this to establish the gesture it's not

  • accurate to keep it that way during the structure stage and when adding the anatomy. The three

  • sections of the spine have different limits to their rotation, flexion, extension, and

  • lateral motion.

  • Lateral landmarks of the Front

  • Next I can use the landmarks across the body to identify the twisting and curving of the

  • torso. Reaching from the back are the bony protrusions of the acromion process which

  • tell you the angle of the shoulders. You can feel the bony area on your shoulders between

  • the deltoid and trapezius. Connecting the points of the acromion are the clavicles,

  • shaped like bicycle handlebars.

  • While finding the points across the shoulders keep in mind that these points can also move

  • independently from the ribcage. If someone raises one shoulder, the clavicle will rotate

  • from the pit of the neck, changing the angle of the shoulders while keeping the same angle

  • of the rib cage.

  • The front corners of the iliac crest tell you the angle of the pelvis. These points

  • are called the anterior superior iliac spine, or ASIS for short. As you'll see next week,

  • these points are great for identifying the box of the hips.

  • The other points that I frequently use on the front torso are the armpits. I look for

  • the distance from the top of the shoulders and the width of the arms compared to the

  • width of the torso.

  • Lateral landmarks of the Back

  • The back of the body also has some landmarks we can use to find the angles, although some

  • can be trickier to find on softer or overweight body types. An average or muscular back has

  • a lot of bumps and is always a challenge for artists. To create order out of all the chaos,

  • the bony landmarks of the scapula are very helpful. First, the Spine of the Scapula is

  • this diagonal ridge from the acromion process to this corner called the triangular expansion.

  • Like the clavicles in the front, these also resemble handlebars. From the corner the ridge

  • takes a sharp turn downward along the medial edge. These edges are not covered by muscles,

  • so you will see hints of them on the surface.

  • The 7th cervical vertebra is another commonly used landmark.

  • Moving down to the hip region, we have a major landmark at the sacrum. A triangular shape

  • that connects the tail bone and the two dimples at the Posterior Superior Iliac Spine. Or

  • PSIS..

  • The Limbs

  • In the arms and legs, the landmarks are basically the joints.

  • On the sides of the elbow are the epicondyles of the humerus. When the arm is extended these

  • 3 points are aligned in a straight line. When the elbow is bent, the olecranon (a fancy

  • word fortip of the elbow�) moves down and forms a triangle.

  • Follow the ulna down the arm to the wrist. At the wrist, the radius and ulna bones create

  • flat top and bottom plane that are great for showing the rotation of the wrist.

  • The knee is very complex, so I�ll go over it in a lot more detail during the anatomy

  • series, but to try to simplify it I remember that there are 7 bumps. Two for the condyles

  • of the femur and two more for the condyles of the tibia. A little one on the side at

  • the head of the fibula. One bump for the patella and another below it caused by a combination

  • of the tibia, a ligament and a fat pad.

  • When the knee bends the tendon will pull the kneecap down and under the femur.

  • The curve of the tibia is very prominent and an important part of the gesture of the leg.

  • At the ankle, the tibia and fibula form a wrench shape that hugs the foot. The angle

  • between them goes downward toward the outside.

  • And finally, the Greater trochanter! A bony protrusion on the side of the hip. All the

  • muscles of the gluteus wrap around it like a donut. I made this reference, just so that

  • I could eat a donut..

  • So, those are all the landmarks of the body. The best way to learn them is to draw from

  • life or from photos and try to identify them. Use them in the construction of your drawing.

  • If you want to see me draw this figure while applying the landmarks, go to proko.com/figure

  • and get the premium access to the entire Figure Drawing Fundamentals Series. In there youll

  • also find a downloadable diagram of the landmarks to use as reference, a lot of example videos

  • from previous lessons and expanded version of each lesson.

  • Alright that�s it, I�ll see you next time. Thanks for watching!

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Before we move on to applying structure and proportion to our figure drawings we need

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