Figure Drawing: A Complete Guide (Dover Art Instruction)

One of the few available guidebooks of its kind, this manual approaches figure drawing from the draftsman's point of view. With a clear focus on surface lines and prominences, step-by-step instructions and over 300 illustrations guide artists in accurately sketching all aspects of the human form in lively action and repose.
Beginning with method and proportion, the author discusses the drawing of lines, contours, planes, masses, and rounded forms. Moving on to the individual parts of the body, simple principles of anatomy are applied to demonstrate techniques for sketching the head and neck, the trunk, the upper and lower limbs, and the digits. Expertly rendered figures are shown in various positions and movements, and from all angles, for the most thorough, concise instruction. Brimming with the basic elements necessary for creating quality works of art, Figure Drawing also includes guidance for drawing drapery, revealing the main points of support on the body and the proper way to sketch the folds and forms of garments. Immensely practical and highly readable, it is a manual that artists of every level will turn to again and again.