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Part II · Anatomy · Chapter 20 of 31

Anatomy VIII: Movement and foreshortening

Movement is anatomy in action. Foreshortening is what happens when a form points towards or away from you — and it is the hardest and most rewarding part of figure drawing.

Foreshortening: cylinders at three angles and overlapping formsSide onTiltedPointing at youOverlapnear → farAs a limb points toward you it gets shorter and its end ellipses getrounder. Near forms overlap far ones.
Line of action: contrapposto, C-curve and S-curveContrapposto: shouldersC-curveS-curveand hips tilt oppositeRed: line of action. Start every figure with one long, simple curve.

Drawing motion

Start every pose with the line of action, then the three masses, then the limbs as cylinders. Exaggerate the gesture slightly — a drawing that is accurate but stiff looks less alive than one that pushes the pose.

Look for balance. A figure is stable when its centre of gravity (roughly the pit of the neck down to the ground) falls over the supporting foot or between both feet. A figure in motion is caught off balance.

Foreshortening

When a limb points at you it gets shorter, its far end hides behind its near end and the ellipses of its cross-sections get rounder. Draw it as a series of overlapping forms: the near shape in front, the next one partly hidden behind it.

Trust what you see, not what you know. Measure the foreshortened length with your pencil — it will look 'too short', and that's correct. Use overlaps, bigger near forms and stronger contrast near the viewer to sell the depth.

Reference table

ClueWhat it does
OverlapNear forms cut in front of far ones
Size changeNear parts are larger
Rounder ellipsesShow a form turning towards you
ContrastNear forms get crisper edges and stronger values
Line of actionKeeps the pose alive while you deal with depth

Historic plates

Public-domain plates from Vesalius (1543), Leonardo's anatomical notebooks and Gray's Anatomy (1918). Tap to zoom into the detail.

First plate of the muscles (De humani corporis fabrica) by Andreas Vesalius
First plate of the muscles (De humani corporis fabrica), Andreas Vesalius (1543). Plate / drawing. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Master studies

Dancer Onstage by Edgar Degas
Dancer Onstage, Edgar Degas (ca. 1877). Gouache over graphite underdrawing on thin wove commercially coated yellow paper, laid down on board. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 (Met Open Access)
Man with a Spade by Jean-François Millet
Man with a Spade, Jean-François Millet (ca. 1855–58). Conté crayon. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 (Met Open Access)
Five Nude Infants in Various Poses by Raphael
Five Nude Infants in Various Poses, Raphael (ca. 1500). Metalpoint, traces of charcoal or black chalk, on pale pinkish gray prepared paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 (Met Open Access)
Study of a Horse by Eugène Delacroix
Study of a Horse, Eugène Delacroix (ca. 1824–29). Brush and brown and black wash over graphite. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 (Met Open Access)
Practice
  • Draw your own hand pointing at you in a mirror using only overlapping shapes.
  • Do 20 one-minute poses focusing on the line of action, then 2 five-minute poses adding cylinders.

Watch

THIS Improves Your Gesture Drawing · Proko

The 16 Line Gesture Method · Proko

Extreme Foreshortening Techniques · Proko

How to Draw Crazy Perspective · Proko

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