How to Draw Foreshortened Images

This article will describe a simple process that I use to draw foreshortened images. 

An example of a foreshortened image is one where the subject is pointing at you or you are looking down at someone from above. When I first started drawing I wasn’t very good at drawing foreshortened images but once I learned the secret to drawing them it became very easy. The secret to drawing foreshortened images, I learned, is to draw what you see and not what you think you see. That might sound like advice right out of the Matrix but if you read the paragraphs below I think you’ll understand that I’m being very literal when I ask you to “draw what you see.”

Finding a Subject

As I’ve said in other articles, finding a subject to draw is the first of several simple steps. I consider these steps my intermediate work flow. One thing about work flows; they allow you to repeat a process over and over again quickly and consistently. This will increase your effectiveness and boost your productivity. Something that takes 10 hours one time may take only one hour the next.

Finding someone or something to draw is easy. I used to draw things because I was bored. For example, if I was at a boring meeting I would draw cartoon caricatures of the people who were at the meeting. Not everyone of course, just the people who were in my line of sight. Naturally, I tended to find a seat in the back of the room or in some isolated corner. One day, I was drawing a very pretty lady across the conference table from me. I was drawing her on the back of a report I was planning to share with the group. When I was called on I raised the report to eye level and began to read.

I heard giggles and then the young lady across the room asked in amazement, “Is that me?” I was a little embarrassed and a little proud at the same time. Do I need to mention that I was watched very closely at subsequent meetings?

Now I draw because I have a reason to draw. I have to draw to supplement these articles. At the same time I have to draw to supplement several other projects. 

For example, I am writing a story about a girl who wakes up in a mental institution believing that the plastic doll she is cradling is the daughter that she lost in real life. 

Check it out here: Alone in Her Own Bed 

As the story progresses I conjure up images in my mind that I feel will go well with the story. Then I find photos that resemble the image in my mind or I take pictures that represent that image. Then I store that image on my computer until it is time to use it. I have hundreds of photos slated for projects that I have not yet drawn. I no longer have to wait until I’m bored to draw something.

Preparing the Subject

Drawing foreshortened images is simple but if rush you’ll end up with poor results. If you take your time and let yourself enjoy the process your results will be superb. You will be so proud of yourself that you will want to find a way to share your creation with everyone else. If you’re humble (or shy) like me you may try to do it as serendipitously as possible.

For most drawings I employ a 2 or 3 step process that guarantees excellent results. When drawing foreshortened images I employ a 4 step process;

1. Frame the subject and the drawing paper with an outer frame

2. Overlay the subject photo with a clear sheet upon which a grid has been drawn

3. Draw the same grid onto the drawing paper

4. Trace the key points of the original onto the drawing paper

Tracing the key points of the original is not tracing the actual image itself. You’re basically giving yourself reference marks that will keep you on track. Turn here, stop here, etc. You can work without these reference marks (eventually you won’t need them at all) but it helps tremendously to use them in the beginning. You can apply these marks using a lightbox or by placing the image and the drawing paper against a window with adequate daylight coming through.

Drawing the Picture

As you are drawing you will find it necessary to stop from time to time to check your work just to be sure that you’re on track. Drawing foreshortened images takes longer than drawing other images. You don’t want to reach the end of the project to discover that you made a wrong turn somewhere along the way. So, place your drawing over the original image and look at it through a lightbox or a well lit window. You’ll get immediate feedback in terms of how you’re coming along. If I’m taking my time and following the guidelines I’m usually very much in sync with the original image. It’s never 100% perfect, but I’m generally satisfied with how it’s progressing. You’ll probably be amazed at yourself as you discover that you really can draw! So stop and check your work often.

Editing and Coloring

Chances are, if done with due diligence, you will not want or need to edit and/or color your foreshortened images. You’ll be so proud of your foreshortened image that to alter it will seem like blasphemy to you. It is proof that you are an artist. It was a labor of love, it is something you created, it is something that came from within you. You want to remember it just the way it is. So scan that puppy and put it away for safe keeping.

Conclusion

So there you have it a simple, straight forward process you can use to draw foreshortened images.

“Of all the images you draw, you will be proudest of these!” Yanob