THE 8 HEAD COUNT.The eight head count is a method in which the size or length of the the head is used to measure the

height and width of a figure.The most common usage of head count method is eight heads for height and three heads for width.This method is great for beginners and for those who have problem drawing proper figure proportion.The head count method is more suited for studying the basic human figure proportion or create profile of characters you want to include in you comic.

Drawing the human figure proportion requires you to be consistent, realistic and also artistic. Therefore, having an understanding of basic proportion and bone structure is essential.Here we cover the head count method which is best used for training on basic human proportion and also the difference between male and female proportion as well as children and infant proportion.

In the following section we will discover the use of height and width of the front view of the model's head to figure out how the height and width of the figure. We will also explain how to use head count for different ages.

People at various ages have different height and with that different head counts:

First head count always starts from the top - Example: Drawing an average male starts from the top of 8-heads, while drawing children starts from the top of the 5-6-head.

MALE PROPORTION (BASIC PROPORTION)The male proportion is actually used as the basis of many humanoid form. Fantasy creatures and aliens that has similar physical figure can use this proportion with a little tweak.For example; a normal male figure measures around eight head tall and three head wide.You can create a different form by merely changing the height and width measurement of the figure.Add other distinctive characteristics to show some difference when compared to.

1st Head count - starts from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin.2nd Head count - ends under the armpit, usually includes the shoulder and the neck in this.3rd Head count - ends at the navel area, under the ribcage.4th Head count - ends at the crotch/groin area.5th Head count - ends at the tip of the fingers if the hands are place straight down or near the hip.If not , draw two lines all the way under the knees (this includes the 6th head count).6th Head count - ends under the knees.7th Head count - ends slightly in the middle of the shin, under the calf muscles.8th Head Count - calves muscles - ends at the feet.FEMALE PROPORTION

Using head countAverage Male/Female - 7½ - 8 HeadsTeens - 6 - 7 HeadsChildren - 5½ - 6 HeadsToddler - 4 - 5½ HeadsInfant - 3 - 4 Heads

The female proportion can be used in the same manner as the male proportion but there are some features that need you need to include in order to make the figure more feminine.

Neck should be narrower and longer. Shoulders are narrower. 2nd head count can either end at the armpit or at the nipple line (depends on the breast size) Slightly narrow arms, rounder and more slender hands/fingers. Rib cage is narrower. Wider and rounder hips. Legs are more rounder and wider at the top (upper legs).

INFANT AND CHILD PROPORTIONInfant-The infant head length start at the same width as the shoulder.-The first head count starts at the top of the head and finishes at the end of the chin.2nd Head count - stops above the navel.3rd Head count - ends at the knees.4th Head count - the last head count finishes where the feet meets the ground.Child Proportion1st Head count - begins at the top of the head and stops at the end of the chin.2nd Head count - ends below the sternum of the rib cage.3rd Head count - finishes at the crotch.4th Head count - ends at the knee.5th Head count - stops at the ankles.6th Head count - the final head count (or half) ends as the feet meets the ground.

As this this a theory-based principle, not all figures you draw will have this 8 head count. We encourage you to use the guideline to have a proper proportion of a figure and not ultimately rely on this theory ....at least not forever.Why not? Because this theory is used basically to improve on your accuracy and hone your observation skill on drawing proportion. School teachers commonly used this method to train and help students mostly in still life art or figure drawing.Therefore it is best for newbie comics artist and beginners in comic art for training and getting the grasp of basic human proportion but is not advisable to rely on them because comics includes a lot of action, movement, gestures and poses and along with personalized style, it is best to practice base on practicing and sharpening your skill.ATTENTION!!: According to Albrecht Durer, a painter and print-maker who made extensive research in understanding the human proportion in his work titled The Four Books On Human Proportion (1528), he concludes that over-analyzing the human figure can make a person lose its artistic purpose and relations to its practice.Many beginning students enter a figure-drawing /anatomy class wanting to measure every square inch of the human figure to make a mark on the paper. Although such approach is commendable, the main reason we decide to include this is because in comic art it isn't all about photo-realistic, perfection of human figure. If this is your first time drawing , do not become overly attach to having a perfect (or near perfect) measurement of the body part because people who do as such tends to draw figures rather stiff and off balance.In comics, when drawing human figure mostly, comic artist are known to exaggerate the

human figure be it male of female. We also found out that the head count theory is less suited for figures in motion or poses which is commonly used in today's comic, try using the stick figure method instead.

USING STICK FIGURES.

Drawing with stick figures is an effective way to draw if you are new to drawing human figure in motion or action.Regardless of whether you are new to drawing the human figure or not, using stick figures as the form or basis of your figure proves to be an effective method of drawing proper body proportion.The stick figure technique helps you simplify the bone structure of the body and can add more versatility when drawing the human figure in action , which is essential in comic art.In this page, we will go through how to use stick figures in your drawing, and why we recommend this method.We also include some basic poses that is pretty common in today's comics.

Notice the difference between the two picture (above). On your left is the

original stick figure or the "hangman" stick figure, which is what most would think of when the word "stick figure" is mentioned.The picture on the right is how a stick figure (some called "stick mannequin" ) will look like when you draw them for comic art. It is quite similar to the "hangman" figure but with an added line for shoulder and pelvis line.With the stick figure, it is best to add upon or form shapes that represent major bone structures/muscles,which is a lot more easier to work with.

The idea in this method is to "build up" the figure with the stick figure acting as a frame.With circles representing the joints and facial features with either a cross or lines, the stick figure should be easy and quick to draw.Remember to draw the stick figures lightly(with light and thin strokes) as it will be easier to erase later.After you have finished drawing the basic stick figure form, you can start to add up simple shape to the stick figure form starting from top to bottom.Rectangle and square like shapes are great for the torso, neck and pelvis.Cylinder-like shapes is can be used for longer parts of the body like arms and legs.

After you are done with the shapes, you can see that you have roughly made a basic "mannequin" figure just by adding form to the stick figures.The male and female human figure have different proportion and features.It is vital that you understand the difference between the two to avoid confusion and mistakes in your drawing.

The next step is to outline the shape of the body.This is where you can define the shape of the body with dark and thin strokes.Remember to keep your drawing clean in this process.Start drawing the outlines of the body on top of the shapes on each body part.

Once it is finished,you can start to include aspect of the clothing or costume to your character.In this case it is a costume.Costumes are easier to draw when compared to normal clothing/attire mainly because most costumes are tight fitting which has less fold or creases. For more on clothing and armor click HERE.

ALMOST DONE!Now for some finishing touches.You can now focus on facial features/hair to the head. Add details to

the costume and start to work on the shading to give it a more realistic and three dimensional look and feel.Note that when drawing poses, you must remember that the spine/backbone or any part of the human body is never straight even when the figure is standing straight.Drawing a straight spine/backbone is one of the most common mistake made by beginners. Another thing to take into consideration is the versatility or fluidity of the human body.Here are some poses you see in most comics these days.Stick figures are used instead of a fully drawn figure so that you can see these poses in its most basic form.Afterwords, once you have gotten more familiar with this technique, you can improve on it however you like.Stick figure works well with most proportion.

DRAWING A HUMAN FIGURE:

Anyone can learn to draw with the correct instruction. It is the personal style that emerges afterwards that makes drawing human body stances comical, dramatic or

active. If you are intrigued with pursuing a career in drawing or just as a hobby, sharpen your pencil and get ready for your first lesson. Having a professional artist at your side will also help and give great tips in the areas of balance, lines and shading. An excellent book by Giovanni Civardi titled Drawing Human Anatomy is a great reference book to have on hand. Now let's get started. This lesson will involve the head and the upper torso.

DRAWING THE HEAD: Being able to draw a face naturally is a skill that most comic artist have, and it is also something that beginners should learn to do.Drawing faces isn't all about drawing it as realistic or believable as possible, but you must also be able to draw the face consistently so that other will recognize it every time you create them. Be sure to do a standard character development or basic profiling of the character you are about to draw.This will not only act as an objective for your drawing but also helps you avoid straying from what you are planning to draw. Similar to drawing the body figure, the head also has its own proportion called - facial proportion.The reason is that the facial proportion is to help you with the facial feature placement and avoid the mistake (or habit) of making the eyes too close or the nose too big.Understanding the basic of facial construction and proportion can help you achieve realism when drawing the head.

The Head Structure: The most important part of the head structure is the feature placement.Once you have drawn the outline of the head, you must first determine the center of the face.Draw a straight line vertically (from top to bottom).This is to make sure that the facial feature is aligned properly in the middle.You can now start placing line to indicate where the facial feature should begin.This starts from the top which is the hairline, the eyes, the ears, the nose, and the mouth.

When you are done with the placement, you can begin to sketch out the facial features using soft strokes.The top of the ears should be at the same level with the top of the eyes.As with the eyes, it should be one eye apart from each other.The nostrils can start at the same level of the end of the ears with the mouth just slightly below it.

The Loomis Method.This method is a great way to understand the basic

form of the head and especially those who have trouble when drawing the head at different angle.We recommend the Loomis method for beginners because it is a very easy and simple way to construct the the structure all the way to the facial features.It can be quite difficult to draw the head structure when you are trying to draw them through all the details and even more complicated, trying to draw them in in different angle.Andrew Loomis created a method (some

called the Loomis Method) that simplifies the head structure in basic form.The first is a sphere for the cranium and the second, a block that represent the jaw and cheek bones.Check out the videos below on the process of using the Loomis method.

The Cranium (Sphere)The cranium is the main structure of the skull.The cranium protects the brain and holds most of the facial structure like the eyes, eyebrow, nose, and the ears.To put it simply, the skull without the mandible (jaw bone) is a cranium.In the Loomis method, it is put in a simple for which is a sphere.But because the side of the head is flat, the sides of the sphere is cut off to represent this.The area that was cut will still look like a full circle in profile (side view) but at any other angle, it will look more oval-shaped with the sides that has been cut being less visible and is viewed from different perspective.Divide the oval area into quadrants.The horizontal line indicates the the brow line, while hairline is set at the top line of the oval and the nose at the bottom end of the oval. See

image for example.Mandible (Block)The mandible provides structure for the chin and teeth.The mandible completes the skull when put together with the cranium.Facial structure that the mandible holds include the mouth, cheek, chin, and the jaw line.A block is now used to represent the mandible and is attached to the sphere.The top end of the block is

attach to the brow line of the sphere.See image.Different Angles.The angle of the head should be determined at the beginning of drawing the sphere. Here are some of the axis that affects the angles that you are going for.

Dividing The Face.After you have established the angle of the sphere

(cranium) and added the block (mandible),it is time to divide the face into three section.First is from the the hairline down to the eye brow.You will notice that the hairline is aligned with the top of the oval.Second is from the eyebrow, which is aligned to the middle of the oval, to the nose just under the ears and the third is from the end of the nose down to the chin(which is about the same length of the other two section).See image for example.

The most common mistake beginners make with using this method is to make the third section which is around the jaw/chin section longer that it should be.The length of the third section that ends at the chin is similar to the length of half the oval shape.The length changes depending on the perspective you are doing.Now that you have the proper head structure established, it is easier to add the facial features to the head.

Play with the pressure to leave marks: sometimes the line is smooth, then it goes smoother and after that you can push hard and see the result: some nice thick lines, very powerful.This exercise will help you be flexible when drawing. Now that you got the movement and the “balet” of the hand, try to change the angle of your curved lines: verticals, horizontals, diagonals: ascendent and descendent diagonals.

After this exercise, take in consideration the following 3 main situations when we use modulated line in our fashion drawings.

1. When having in consideration the light and shadow: for example: if the light comes from left upper side, then all the lines that are closer to left side are smoother and thinner than the lines traced on the right side of the drawing – those are in shadow, and they will be darker, heavier and bold.

2. When drawing the human body, we have to have in view the axes and the position of the body. In the drawing below it is obvious that all the weight of the model is sustained by the leg in the right ( meaning her left leg ). So this rule says: the leg that

supports all the weight of the body must be drawn bolder than the other.

3. The last rule says that where angle changes, you must add more pressure to your line. When line goes straight, it can be equal. When the line changes its shape and direction you must underline this by using pressure. Do this exercise and keep in mind the 3 situations. Enjoy my next post and observe how I used the line.

Now that you learned how to find human poses, How to draw the human body in 3 stages and how to draw fashion sketches in 3 steps, it is the time to see some detail models and practice some fashion poses.I draw some simple fashion poses that you can use in your fashion illustrations. First drawing underlines the axes so that you can see them better. I used red marker to underline the shoulder, hip and knee axes and also the line of the muscles. Zoom on each of the drawings and start analyzing my drawings: you already know about the stages, the steps and how to draw the human body. But this time, please observe also the lines used. In the next post I will write about how the lines change in 3 situations.

Tips on how to find human poses

You did all the exercises already presented in my previous posts. And you will ask yourself: ” Now, what’s next? I did all the exercises and I have no poses left to get inspiration from”. Well this post is about this: how to find human poses. And I will give you some examples in the following drawings that I just scanned:) Now that you are aware of the 3 stages of how to draw the human body, here are just some axes of the possible poses of the human body.

Start drawing fashion sketches after them and you will be more flexible when thinking of a new position. To double the poses, just flip rotate them in a graphic program and make some fashion drawings after.

In the next image I did like this: I took the same croquis and transformed it into many other sketches. All the weight of the human body is sustained by the leg from right side ( left leg if we thing of the model’s point of view). Change the position of the hands, left side leg, the inclination and balance of the axes and here they are: about 7 different positions.

Flip rotate them so that the weight is sustained now by the other leg and obtain 14 poses of the human body. Change the position of the axes like in the third sketch ( where axes of the shoulder and hip are parallel) and also change the position of the human parts to obtain even more positions. Got it?

How to draw the human body in 3 stages

First of all make sure you leave an invisible frame around the human poses. This will help you center the 3 images and also it is a guideline that will tell you which is the area where your human figures should appear. The frame should be one finger thick and not more. Then, split the area in 3 equal parts and start to draw the AXIS of the human body.

First drawing:

Draw the vertical line – this is the center of the human body and the symmetry line. Then add the two lines: theshoulder axis and the hip axis. When one is up, the other one is down. When the hip axis goes down, the knee axis follows it. In this first phase pf the drawing, all you will have to do is to sketch the position of the human body through axes.

Second drawing:

Once the axes are drawn, you will go to the next step: basic, primary shapes around those axes you’ve just traced. Try to simplify the shapes into primary shapes: spheres, cones, cubes, cylinders or secondary shapes.

Third drawing:

In this part, all you will have to do is to just smoothly connect the primary shapes: imagine a surface that covers the whole body and connect all the primary and secondary shapes.

I added 3 different poses, just to make sure you will have enough human figures to draw.