The female figure

Almost all artists have an eye for a beautiful body. But not many beginners have the opportunity, or perhaps the confidence, to attend a life drawing class to learn the skills.

There are many ways of learning how to sketch the human figure. The female form is the one most used, published, drawn or painted. The male frame, in comparison is rather plain and not nearly as curvaceous. Stone age artists depicted their women folk as having huge backs.

We believe that this was the way they actually were. Modern woman has evolved to own narrower hips, a deeper, flatter tummy and generally quite pronounced rounded breasts.

There's more to drawing the female figure than there is to drawing that of a man. The female structure and back, for example, often seem heavier, in size, than their male counterparts, due to the layer of fatty tissue women carry.

Figure 1 gives the basic structure of a front pose and the back.

The human spine is curved. The neck line moves from the upper trunk at a distant angle. Notice too, the mass of muscle in back and hips, and how the belly curves gently out.

These are all important points to remember when you are drawing people.

Figure 2 shows a girl's back with her hips tilted, and this makes the back shape slightly different from the previous example. The basic construction lines show the subtle changes.

This is why an accurate outline sketch is so vital. The female belly is more rounded than a man's. A structure can be short fat, or thin; a waist may be high, low or average. You can use yourself as a model with the aid of a full-length or large mirror.

Figure 3 (clothed figures) shows how material can be drawn to give the viewer an idea of the form beneath it.

Creases and folds usually help to do this. Lots of practice is needed before moving on to draw a complete figure.