JAKESPICER’Snewfive-partserieson thebuildingblocksoflifedrawingcontinues
withafocusuponhowto showtensionthroughmusculature- Muscle
& Tension
FIGURE DRAWINGH
uman beings are creatures of action
and our bodies are powerful tools.
Our hands are capable of delicate
and dextrous articulation, our legs are
muscular trunks that can propel us forward
at speed. Even the act of standing on two
feet is an impressive show of muscular power
and control. Next time you get up from your
chair, think about all of the muscles that you
used to bring you to a standing position, not
to mention the adjustments required to keep
you there, balanced on the relatively tiny
platforms of your feet. We’re like marionettes,
albeit with our own “strings” held inside us.This month, we will be looking at the
musculature of the body and touching
upon the ways in which you can use your
understanding of these dynamic masses to
improve your drawings. Just as our muscles
articulate the structure of our skeletons to
facilitate movement, so your observations
of the muscles beneath the skin should give
your drawings expression and dynamism.
As I said last month, you do not need a
developed understanding of anatomy to be
able to draw the fi gure well – observation
should always come fi rst. As part of my own
training, I spent fi ve years of drawing fromlife for three hours a day before I got to the
stage where I felt it would be helpful to learn
more about the body. However, a well-timed
anatomy course helped me to clarify the
observations I had already made.
Once you have been drawing from the
fi gure long enough to notice the shapes
beneath the surface of the skin, let your own
curiosity lead you to fi nd out more about
what is going on inside. It is only with the
observational and experiential knowledge
that comes from drawing that you will be
able to make the best use of the knowledge
that comes from furtherresearch.