Life Drawing

Figure drawing, also known as "life drawing," is an exercise in drawing the human body in its various shapes and positions. It is arguably the most difficult subject an artist commonly encounters. For this reason, it is often taught separately from other forms of art.

Figure drawing can be done very simply (with pencil, for example), or in more detail, by pencil or using other forms of drawing tools. If paint is used, the process (but not the finished work) is called "figure painting." The 3D form of figure drawing is known as (human) sculpture.

In the typical classroom, the students sit around a model either in a semi-circle (usually preferred), or a full circle. No two students have exactly the same view, thus their drawing will reflect the perspective of the artist's unique location relative to the model. Since the purpose is to learn how to draw humans of all different shapes, ages, and ethnicities, there are no limitations on who the model can be. (The main exception being children who are too young to pose.)

For classroom figure drawing, one should not always expect to have beautiful or handsome models, as this is not the main objective.

Depending of the type of pose, props are sometimes used, either near the model, or the model actually holding or touching them. These are to be included in the drawing, assuming the artist has an unobstructed view. (Even with a partially obstructed view, they are drawn as seen with whatever obstruction in front.) The proportions used in figure drawing are:

An average person, is generally 7-and-a-half heads tall (including the head).

An ideal figure, used for an impression of nobility or grace, is drawn at 8 heads tall.

An heroic figure, used in the heroic for 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.

Note that these proportions are for a standing model. Changes in pose may cause them to differ.

Figure painting

Figure painting is a form of art in which the artist uses a live model as the subject matter of a two-dimensional piece of artwork.

In most cases the live model is nude and the painting is a representation of the full body of the model.

The term is mostly used in the context of art instruction to describe a class in which the student artist will spend the class painting a representation of a nude model posing for the entire class. The teacher will often teach students about such anatomical subjects as skeletal and muscular features that an artist should know about in order to better represent the live human model in a two dimensional space.

Outside of the classroom, 'figure painting' usually refers to an artist's work in progress. It is rarely, if ever, used to refer to an artist's finished work. More specific terms such as 'nudes', portraits, or even figure studies are used to describe the actual works of art that an artist produced while figure painting.

Some artists very well known for figure painting are Rubens, Degas, and Manet.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Pet Portraits by Melanie

Traditional Hand Painted Pet Portraits by Pet Portrait Artist Melanie Phillips

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Life Drawing