Editing Figure drawing (section)

==Approaches==
[[File:Holzpuppe.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|An [[artist's mannequin]] is often used to train beginner artists on a standard set of proportions while developing their use of [[perspective (art)|perspective]] and [[Body posture|posture]]]]
Artists take a variety of approaches to drawing the human figure. They may draw from live models or from photographs,<ref>{{Cite book |author= Maureen Johnson & Douglas Johnson 
  | title = Art Models: Life Nudes for Drawing, Painting, and Sculpting
  | isbn=978-0976457329|year=2006|publisher=Live Model Books}}</ref> from [[mannequin]] puppets, or from memory and imagination. Most instruction focuses on the use of models in "life drawing" courses. The use of photographic reference—although common since the development of [[photography]]—is often criticized or discouraged for its tendency to produce "flat" images that fail to capture the dynamic aspects of the subject. Drawing from imagination is often lauded for the expressiveness it encourages, and criticized for the inaccuracies introduced by the artist's lack of knowledge or limited memory in visualizing the human figure; the experience of the artist with other methods has a large influence on the effectiveness of this approach.

In developing the image, some artists focus on the shapes created by the interplay of light and dark values on the surfaces of the body.  Others take an anatomical approach, beginning by approximating the internal [[skeleton]] of the figure, overlaying the internal organs and [[muscle|musculature]], and covering those shapes with the skin, and finally (if applicable) clothing; the study of human internal anatomy is usually involved in this technique.  Another approach is to loosely construct the body out of [[geometry|geometric]] shapes, e.g., a sphere for the cranium, a cylinder for the torso, etc. Then refine those shapes to more closely resemble the human form.

For those working without visual reference (or as a means of checking one's work), [[body proportions#Basics of human proportions|proportions commonly recommended]] in figure drawing are:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.makingcomics.com/2014/01/19/standard-proportions-human-body/ | title = Standard proportions of the human body | website= makingcomics.com| author = Devin Larsen | date=January 19, 2014 | access-date= September 6, 2020}}</ref>
* An average person is generally 7-and-a-half heads tall (including the head). This can be illustrated to students in the classroom using paper plates to visually demonstrate the length of their bodies.
* An ideal figure, used for an impression of nobility or grace, is drawn at 8 heads tall.
* A heroic figure used in the depiction of gods and superheroes is eight-and-a-half heads tall.  Most of the additional length comes from a bigger chest and longer legs.
These proportions are most useful for a standing model.  Poses which introduce [[foreshortening]] of various body parts will cause them to differ.