Saturday, December 18, 2010

Drawing Contour Cross Sections in Figure Drawing

Contour cross section lines superimposed on an image from a Postcard of Galathée by the French Sculptor Laurent-Honoré Marqueste in the Musée du Luxembourg. When doing your drawing pay attention to the curve of the form, but also to the perspective of the form and the what the plane of the cross section would be if a cross section was actually made.


Here is a diagram for an exercise in free-hand drawing of geometrical shapes from Free Hand Drawing, Light and Shade and Free Hand Perspective by Anson K. Cross that shows what cross sections of a column look like at different vantage points.

Pictured above are views of a cylinder illustrated by Langdon Shook Thompson in his book Manual of Drawing: to Prepare Students for the Regents' Examination in Drawing.

 
Note the attention to the perspective of the contour lines in this contour cross section drawing from Clifford Young's Figure Drawing Without a Model and an illustration from Drawing Figures by George Giusti showing the value of cross sectional contour drawing when drawing with charcoal.

The first drawing shows a sketch being developed by using contour cross section lines to define the form and perspective of the limbs, the sketch is from Intelligent Drawing by Edward L. Chase. The second is a fully developed drawing by Franz von Stuck published in Fritz Schider's Plastisch-Anatomischer Handatlas The drawing shows how cross hatched lines which follow the contours of the body can be used to create the illusion of three dimensional form.

These two prints also by Franz von Stuck from Fritz Schider's book show how engraved lines following the contours of the body enhance the form.

Here is a useful post from a teacher's lesson plan: Seeing Through Touch
William Berry's book is quoted in that post. Here are links to the book:
Drawing The Human Form: Methods, Sources, Concepts (2nd Edition) Drawing the Human Form: Method Sources Concepts


 
First image - Album de photographies des oeuvres achetées par l'Etat intitulé : "Direction des Beaux-Arts. Ouvrages commandés ou acquis par le Service des Beaux-Arts. Salon de 1884. Image on the right Laurent-Honoré Marqueste - Galathée





An Atlas of Anatomy for ArtistsDrawing Drapery from Head to Toe
 An Atlas of Anatomy for Artists



Fritz Schiders Plastisch - Amatomischer Handatlas Fur Akademien, Kunstsschulen und Zum Selbstunterricht.

An Atlas of Anatomy for Artists. 189 Plates From Leonardo, Rubens, Michelangelo, Muybridge, Vesalius, Et Al

Drawing Drapery from Head to Toe

Drawing Figures by George Giusti

INTELLIGENT DRAWING by Edward L. Chase


Franz von Stuck und die Munchner Akademie von Kandinsky bis Albers =: Franz von Stuck e l'Accademia di Monaco da Kandinsky ad Albers (German Edition) Franz von Stuck: Meisterwerke und Malerei (German Edition) 
Franz von Stuck und die Munchner Akademie von Kandinsky bis Albers =: Franz von Stuck e l'Accademia di Monaco da Kandinsky ad Albers (German Edition)

Franz von Stuck: Meisterwerke und Malerei (German Edition)

Zeichnungen von Franz von Stuck; (German Edition)

Franz von Stuck und seine Schuler: Gemalde und Zeichnungen : Villa Stuck Munchen (German Edition)

Franz von Stuck: Gemalde, Zeichnung, Plastik aus Privatbesitz : Ausstellung zum 130. Geburtstag : Museum Moderner Kunst Passau, Stiftung Worlen 19. Marz-27. Juni 1993 (German Edition)

Das Frauenbild bei Franz von Stuck (German Edition) Franz von Stuck und die Photographie: Inszenierung und Dokumentation (German Edition)
Das Frauenbild bei Franz von Stuck (German Edition)

Franz von Stuck und die Photographie: Inszenierung und Dokumentation (German Edition)


Franz von Stuck, 1863-1928: "A Prince of Art"

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