Figure Drawing with Virtual Models: Getting the Most Out of Poser Artists

193 Pages·2007·10.75 MB·English

Figure Drawing with
Virtual Models:
Getting the Most Out of
Poser® Figure Artist
Les Pardew
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✎
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
I
want to acknowledgeand thank all of the many people who have
helped me to create this book. My deepest thanks go to my family and
especially to my wife, who has put up with living with an artist and all of
the ups and downs that brings. I also want to thank the many mentors who
have taught me about art. Special thanks go to Laslo Vespremi and the team
from e frontier for all of their help with the book. They may never know how
much they have influenced my life. I also want to thank my editors, Cathleen
Snyder, Megan Belanger, and Stacy Hiquet, without whose help this book
would’ve been impossible.
A B O U T T H E A U T H O R
L
es Pardewis a video game and entertainment industry veteran with
more than 22 years of experience. His work in the industry includes
more than 120 video game titles, 12 books, and numerous illustrations
for magazines, books, and film. He began his career in film animation and
later moved to video games, where he has found a permanent home. He cur-
rently serves as president of Alpine Studios, which he founded with Ross
Wolfley in the fall of 2000.
Les is a prolific artist who loves to work on the computer and with traditional
media. On the computer he is an accomplished 3D artist, creating and ani-
mating characters for many video games. In traditional media, his first love is
drawing, followed closely by oil painting. His favorite subject is people. He
can often be seen drawing a portrait or designing a character for a game in his
sketchbook.
iii
C O N T E N T S
Introduction vi 4Hands, Feet, and Head 51
Hands 51
1The Human Figure 1
Anatomy of the Hand 52
Drawing People 2 The Foot 56
The Human Form 2 The Head 59
Photographic Reference 4 Anatomy of the Head 59
Copyright Laws 4 Proportions 60
Pornography and Art 4 Facial Features 67
Learning to Be a Figure Artist 5 Using Figure Artist 73
Physical 6
5Posing the Figure 75
Knowledge 6
Vision 8 What Pose? 76
Learning about the Figure 9 Balance and Weight 77
Basic Proportions of the Human Balance 77
Form 9 Weight 83
Body Language 86
2Figure Construction 17
Facial Expressions 88
Drawing from the Inside Out 17 Beauty 90
Gesture Drawing 21 Action Line 91
Creating the Manikin 27 Drawing Beauty 94
Drawing the Manikin 29
6Composition 99
3Figure Anatomy 33
The Picture Plane 100
The Skeleton 34 Purpose 100
The Muscles 40 Placement 102
Using Figure Artist 49 Points 102
Lines 102
Shapes 105
Form 110
Closer 113
iv
Contents
Balance 114 Figures 143
Formal Balance 115 Adjusting Shadows 144
Informal Balance 118 Opposing Lights 144
Focal Points 121 Light Location 145
Linear Focus 122 Emotion 146
Contrast Focus 123 Image-Based Lighting 146
Detail Focus 124 Shading a Figure 149
Color Focus 125 Designing Light 155
Action Focus 126
8Dynamic Figure Drawing 157
Pathways 127
Limitations of a Live Model 157
7Lighting the Figure 133
Posing the Dynamic Figure 160
Types of Light 134 Extreme Movement 160
Absorption, Reflection, and Pass The Action Line 161
Through 135 Posing Multiple Figures 163
Light and Shadow 136 Moving the Point of View 165
Highlight 137 Posing with Objects 167
Raking Light 137 Adding Clothing 169
Light Area 138 Ending Note 171
Shadow Area 138
Core Shadow 139 Index 172
Reflected Light 140
Cast Shadow 140
Front and Rim Lighting 142
Multiple Light Sources 142
v
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
Welcome to Figure Drawing with Virtual Models: Getting the Most Out of Poser Figure
Artist. This book is intended to be your guide to the use of virtual models as a ref-
erence tool for the creation of works of art. Recent advancements in technology
have made it possible for artists to have good-quality figure reference at their fin-
gertips almost anytime that they need it. This new technology offers great oppor-
tunity to study and learn about the human figure in ways that were never avail-
able before.
Figure drawing is an old, well-established aspect of art. It has been around for
centuries, dating all the way back to the earliest cave paintings. As art has
advanced over the ages, artists have spent countless hours trying to master the
drawing of the figure. Today, the demand for believable figure art has never been
stronger.
The very best way to learn how to draw the human figure is to draw from the real
thing, either by hiring a model or attending a life drawing class. However, having
a live model available every time an artist needs to draw or paint a picture is
impractical. Because of the limitations surrounding live models, artists have
resorted to using wooden manikins to help with proportions or to buying action
figures. Although these tools are okay, they really don’t have the detail that an
artist needs to understand the figure. Therefore, a better method of helping artists
was needed. Figure Artist is not the perfect substitute for a live model, but it may
be the best solution yet.
Figure Artist, in conjunction with solid art training, is a very good tool for explor-
ing the human form. This book is designed to help you learn how to use virtual
models as you work to gain mastery of the human figure. It covers many basic
figure-drawing aspects, so even if you are a beginner, you will be able to follow
the lessons and instructions on your path to better drawing.
vi
Introduction
Included with the book is a trial version of the soft- When I was first asked to write this book, I was very
ware so you can start working with it right away. excited about the possibilities virtual models open up
for artists. After working with the software for a few
The human figure is one of the most difficult and months, I began to see that I could improve my own
demanding subjects for any artist to tackle. It takes visualization abilities because now I had the power to
years of practice to begin to understand all of the set up models and work from any angle with any
complex anatomy that makes up our bodies. No soft- lighting that I wanted in just a few minutes. If I don’t
ware program will make you an instant figure artist, like the pose, I can change it. If I don’t like the light-
but if this software can help make the huge task of ing, I can change it. If I need multiple figures, I can
learning to draw the figure easier, it is well worth it. put them all in the scene. The possibilities are almost
endless.
vii
C H A P T E R 1
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T h e H u m a n F i g u r e
O
ne of thegreatest challenges to confront an artist is drawing the
human figure. Our bodies are infinitely complex yet intimately
familiar, giving rise to a subject that is difficult to depict accurately
yet judged incessantly.
The human figure is almost overwhelmingly complex for the artist to draw.
The human figure is an organic structure that defies geometric simplification.
It is composed of bones, muscles, and organs, all of which are covered by a
flexible layer of skin. The body has many moving parts that make it almost
impossible to define as a shape. Within its skeleton are more than 200 indi-
vidual bones. Attached to the skeleton and throughout the body are more
than 650 muscles.
Figure drawings are held to the highest standards. Because the body is very
familiar to us—we each have one of our own—we generally know a lot about
it. We admire its beauty and we recognize its flaws. Physical perfection is
sought by many, giving rise to such industries as cosmetics, plastic surgery,
and a plethora of diet programs. This basic familiarity can often become the
bane of the figure artist because his artwork is judged by a higher standard
than almost any other art form.
Any artist desiring to learn how to draw the figure needs all the help he can
get. Fortunately, in addition to books and other forms of instruction, a new
way to help artists with their figurative work is becoming available through
technology. This new technology gives the artist access to virtual figure mod-
els to use as references for figure drawing. Figure Artist, a new software pro-
gram, now brings the power of virtual models to everyone with access to a
computer. Figure 1.1 shows a screen shot of Figure Artist.
1