Examples of Foreshortening.
This beautifully fluid drawing, copied after Tiepolo, illustrates a
human figure seen from below. As a consequence, the whole
body is foreshortened. Being a beginner, you may actually find
this quite difficult to do, especially when you do not see a limb
or the body face on. Your brain may tell you that you could not
possibly draw the chest so near to the chin, as Tiepolo has
done. This is where you have to believe your eyes and draw
exactly what you see in front of you. Do not draw with pre-
conceived ideas of what something should look like.
Tiepolo has successfully conveyed the illusion of a figure
sitting above the viewer through the use of measuring. Vertical
and horizontal lines are useful and necessary for aligning parts
of the body, when drawing a figure that is foreshortened. In
these examples, measuring the distance between certain parts
of the body becomes crucial. Take a tool and measure out this
figure in the following way. See how the body, from the chin
to the top of the thigh, is the same length as one head. The
chest cavity and the torso must fit into this length. The thigh to
the middle of the knee is also more or less one length of the
head. The distance from the middle of the knee of the left leg
to just below the calf muscle is also one head in length. The
bent right leg, from the top of the knee to the small toe, cov-
ers a distance of two head lengths. The right leg is nearer to
the viewer, and so it appears larger.
Try to think in very simple terms and remember that the object
nearest to you will always be larger than objects that are far-
ther away.
Foreshortening the Torso
Foreshorteningis a term artists use to
describe the drawing of the human body in
perspective. That is to say, parts of the
body are shortened or drawn smaller, in
order to create the illusion of a limb pro-
jecting into space. With this technique, the
artist can create a sense of depth and space
when working with the human figure. The
following examples all display a mastery of
foreshortening. Measuring and alignment,
as described in the previous section, are
your keys to be able to do this successfully.Copy after Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s
Two Bacchantes,by J. S. Robinson