How to learn to draw a portrait:
Man in motion

Table of contents

Man in motion

Center of gravity offset

The weight of a stationary person is generally distributed equally on both legs to give the body maximum stability. When a person walks, bending his knees and bending his head and torso forward, the weight of the body moves from one leg to the other. Hands also move, acting as counterweights. In order to capture and capture the movement, you need to understand how the individual parts of the body move - individually and together. Perform quick sketches, taking some time for them, to build up the ability to draw with fast and smooth strokes that best convey the figure in motion.

Start your training by looking for a line of balance between your head and legs. Also, look at the lines of the shoulders, hips, and knees and the angles (if these lines are slanted). These lines express the main points of displacement of the center of gravity of the figure - they talk about its balance and the direction of the moment of motion.

Leisure image

Some types of leisure are easier to draw, others more difficult. So, guests dancing at a party are easier to portray than, say, football players during a match, because their movements contain more repetitions and are not so swift. But whatever the type of movement, try to mentally “freeze” it in a freeze frame, and then quickly sketch the resulting picture. Try to make as many sketches as possible so that you can then access them when you finish the composition.

Note the direction in which the body is tilted, the angles at which the joints are located, and how the lines of the shoulders and hips are inclined. And for the transmission of movement, one should understand the body language well.

clothing

Remember that loose clothing repeats movement like an echo. It swells up behind a moving person, flows in the direction of movement. If the body or some part of it sharply turns in the opposite direction, the clothes for a moment still retain the same direction of movement.

Push push

Tug of war is an excellent plot for multi-figure drawing, because the opposing teams freeze their arms, legs and entire body in a tense movement, as if they were racing at high speed. And the artist has time to capture all this, only work still has to be quickly to fully use the situation.

To begin, draw a horizontal line denoting the site - it will become your main reference point. Add a rope showing the angle at which it is pulled. Next, outline the shapes with fast smooth lines. Watch the corners of the lines showing the equilibrium points of different parts of the body. Ignore the details, but start adding volume to the shapes. Be careful with the joints - the force causes them to bend at incredible angles, but not at those that end up on the way to the hospital! Emphasize the contrast between the strained straight lines of the feet resting on the ground and their twins bent at the knees. Finally, draw in detail the muscle groups. If you still have time, try to capture the excitement on the faces of several participants.