Teach Yourself Visually Drawing

Draw a Plaster Cast chapter 10

This Roman statue shows a contrapposto—first used by the
Greeks and so called because the weight of the whole figure
is supported by one leg, which makes the hip move out-
wards—which is somewhat demanding to draw. In order to
understand this pose, when you are drawing, make sure the
hip of the body is placed correctly. You need to make sure
that your measurements are exact. It is a very subtle pose
and demands careful observation and restraint. In this
example, the artist has drawn a line to conform, as near as
possible, to the curvature of the sculpted body. This is an
important exercise to practice, if you want to draw an object
accurately rather than in a general manner.

Here, the artist has sought to capture the simplicity and

beauty of this classical portrait—a head of a Roman athlete—

with a simple, fairly crisp line and a minimal amount of shad-

ing. The tip of the nose was broken off, but instead of

detracting from the beauty of the face, it only seemed to add

to it.

Copy after a Roman statue, by J. S. Robinson Copy after a Roman statue, by Dean Fisher

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