© SECOND EDITION by Sheldon Borenstein, DNPPREFACE To me figure drawing is a passion. I think about it all the time and I constantly study the different shapes and sizes of the people around me. In my opinion the study of the human figure has beginning and no end. The more you study the more you will realize what you do not know. This is a subject that I can talk about for many hours non-stop and I have done so on several occasions. “From a long winded teacher comes a book with few words.” How to use this book: SEE IT ~ Study each page FEEL JT — -Look for flat shapes and solid forms TRACE IT - Trace each drawing many, many times DRAW IT — -Try to draw the drawing on your own Repeat this procedure over and over againImportant Tools GESTURE... is the life force of the person that you are drawing, Gesture will also establish the direction, weight and balance. It is important that you ask the following questions 1) Who is the person? 2) What are they doing? 3) Why are they doing it? CONSTRUCTION. is the “fitting together” of the three basic shapes to form everything that we draw ‘These shapes are 1) Oplinder 2) Box 3) Sphere The challenge is to learn to see these shapes in all that surrounds us, ANATOMY... is very important to the artist because we can not draw what we do not know. It is really only necessary to learn the surface anatomy of the figure, as well as of animals, trees, plant life, machinery or anything that we wish to draw well Again remember “We ean not draw what we do not know!" TECHNIQUE... is what we apply to-the drawing after all of the above has been successfully executed. Some popular techniques are charcoal, graphite pencil, colored pencil, and my personal favorite fountain pen and ink with dash of water for a wash effect. Technique is what makes drawing fun, but please remember “Applying a beautiful technique on a bad drawing is equivalent to building a beautiful home in quicksand.”