is a common practice among artists. Even though everyone's proportions are slightly different

it's very useful to have a guide - something to keep your drawing from looking wrong. Knowing

the average proportions gives you something to measure from.

Dr. Paul Riche, a pioneer in human anatomy says there are two reasons why artists study

human proportions 1. We try to find harmony, a reason why we

are the way we are. The Greeks tried to find that perfect model of beauty.

2. We want a method to help us during the drawing process. We want an easy way to make

our figure drawings proportionally accurate and a guide to fall back on when our drawings

feel wrong. These guides are useful when we observe the model, but especially when we

draw from imagination. When familiar with a system, we can choose to deviate from it

in whichever way we want. After all, we are artists.

"Proper proportions lie not in pages of statistics, nor in the dogma of scientists, but in the

mind of the individual artist. Proportions are entirely his responsibility, his decision."

Robert Beverly Hale

The Pitfalls

The most obvious drawback of any proportion system is that it works only when the figure

is not foreshortened. These systems work great when a person is standing up straight, but

not so well in other poses.

"drawing the ideal average results in a drawing without character. Also the figure must be

eye level, upright and rigid. Bending of the body changes the proportions visually, but

not actually" Bridgman p.17

So in the end, it's just a guide. It won't solve all our problems. We have to combine

it with careful observation and frequent study from live models. Doing so will help you to

visualize the proportions of the masses in 3D, to sense when a body part is too large

or small in relation to the whole. Also helps to study perspective and construction to develop

the ability to turn the forms while retaining the dimensions.

With that said, let's take a look at a few of the commonly used systems of proportion.

Richer System - 7.5 Heads

Dr. Paul Richer's "Artistic Anatomy" presents a scientific system for an average European

male as measured by Anthropologists.

He uses the height of the head as 1 unit and says that the average person is 7.5 heads

tall. The head and torso together make up 4 units. The leg, from the top of the femur

to the ground, is another 4 units. The top and bottom overlap by half a unit, creating

a total of 7.5. The halfway point is at about the pubic bone.

When the arms are extended to the side, the width between the fingertips is just a smidgen

longer than the height - about 4% longer. It's an insignificant amount, so for practical

purposes we can just consider them equal.

From the chin, down one head unit are the nipples. The next unit down is at the navel,

which is the top of the glutes in the back. The next head unit down is at the bottom of

the glutes and crotch.

Another useful measurement in the back is 1 head length from the 7th cervical vertebra

to the bottom of the scapula. And 2 units to the PSIS.

Similarly, from the acromion process down to the ASIS measures 2 head units. The same

for the width of the shoulders including deltoids. So this section of the body fits into a nice

square. However, on a female the shoulders are narrower. About 1 ? head heights.

On a female, there's 1.5 heads between the two greater trochanters. The hips on a male

are slightly narrower.

The Femur measures 2 head units. Or, in the back you can remember that from the bottom

of the glutes to the bottom of the femur is 1.5 units.

The length of the lower leg, including the foot is also 2 head units.

The middle of these 4 head units is at the connection of the femur and the tibia. Remember

that when the leg is extended, this connection is at the bottom of the patella. When the

leg flexes it gets more complicated. So, study the bony protrusions of the knee area so that

you can identify the bottom of the femur and top of the tibia.

Richer points out that the distance from the ASIS to middle of Patella is equal to the

distance from patella to the ground. And the foot is a bit longer than the head.

Finally let's move on to the arms

The length of the arm, from the armpit is 3 head units. The top point is somewhere below

the shoulder joint. The second one is above the olecranon and the third above the wrist.

Because these units don't align well with the anatomy of the arm, Richer prefers another

method. From the acromion to the epicondyles is equal to epicondyles to the knuckles.

Alrighty! That's the first Proportion System I'll be covering. In the next video I'll go

over Robert Beverly Hale's System, based on the cranial mass instead of the height of

the head.

I've created a downloadable diagram that you can print out for your reference. Find the

link in the description below. And I have posters available for purchase at proko.com/store.

What's in the premium section this week? The premium section has a third system of proportions

based on Loomis's idealized 8 Heads tall figure. These proportions are widely used in fine

art and illustration. If you want to see that video and other premium videos from the figure

drawing fundamentals series, visit proko.com/figure.

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