The Playful Art of Perspective and Scale
Welcome back to Figurative Fridays, where we transform stick figures into stunning sketches and stiff poses into dynamic dances on paper!
I'm a little slow in posting this episode a day later this week, however let’s have some fun all the same by flipping our perspective—literally—and embracing the challenge of scale in human figure drawing. As always, we’ll keep things grounded in the Eight Limbs of SketchBooking, because what’s a creative journey without a solid foundation (and a bit of upside-down thinking)?
Scaling the Human Form: Shrinking Giants & Growing Thumbelinas
Ever tried fitting a 4’6” dancer onto a 17” sheet of paper without making her look like she’s been zapped by a shrink ray? Or maybe you’ve accidentally drawn a hand the size of a pizza? Welcome to the delightful game of scale! Mastering scale means learning how to shrink, stretch, and proportion your figures like a true artistic magician. Here’s how:
The Thumb Test: Hold up your thumb (or a pencil) at arm’s length and compare relative sizes—your magic wand for measuring figures!
The Invisible Grid: Mentally divide your paper into sections and place each body part accordingly—think of it like an artist’s treasure map.
The “Oops” Factor: If a limb looks too long, too short, or just plain weird, don’t stress! Every masterpiece started as a quirky sketch.
Observational Skills: Seeing with an Artist’s Third Eye
Perspective is all about seeing things from unexpected angles—literally and figuratively. Train yourself to see figures not as “people” but as playful shapes and volumes. Try these fun techniques:
The Sideways Stare: Flip your reference image upside down or sideways and draw what you actually see instead of what you think you see.
The Silhouette Challenge: Sketch just the outline of a figure and see how much you can capture without interior details.
The Blob Method: Start with big, blobby shapes and refine them into structured forms—because all great art begins as a potato-like shape!
Applying the Eight Limbs of SketchBooking—With a Twist!
Yama (Restraints): Resist the urge to erase too soon—let those awkward first strokes teach you something new!
Niyama (Positive Observances): Celebrate your small wins! That wobbly hand? That’s progress.
Asana (Posture & Structure): Strike a silly pose yourself—feel what it’s like to balance, bend, and twist before sketching.
Pranayama (Control of Energy): Breathe with your strokes—fast for gestures, slow for careful detailing.
Pratyahara (Withdrawal of Senses): Close your eyes and visualize the pose before you draw—can you sketch it from memory?
Dharana (Concentration): Challenge yourself with a timed sketch—can you capture a pose in 30 seconds?
Dhyana (Meditation): Lose yourself in the rhythm of sketching, letting the lines flow naturally.
Samadhi (Creative Unity): When you finish a sketch and everything just clicks—that’s your artistic enlightenment moment!
This Week’s Playful Practice
Try drawing a figure at three different scales—tiny, medium, and large—on the same page.
Create a character that’s defying gravity—a floating figure, an upside-down pose, or a wild perspective.
Sketch a stick figure with exaggerated proportions (giant hands? long spaghetti legs?) and refine it into a balanced human form.
Take your favorite drawing tool for a dance—quick, loose movements for dynamic sketches!
By embracing the fun side of scale and perspective, we unlock new levels of creativity and confidence in our drawing journey. Let’s keep playing, experimenting, and sketching this Figurative Friday—who knows what wonderful, weird, and wacky forms will emerge from our pages?
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