The Figure Occupies Space

Defining the space on your page, which the figure will occupy, is an early and important step towards making a good drawing.



You don't have to create a perfect outline, with accurate contours, but you do need to consider where the figure will be located on your page and how much of the page it will take up. For the majority of the semester (particularly for Life Drawing I students), you need to find ways to fit the entire figure on the page, making the figure take up as much of the page as possible without running off the edge.



Looking at the model, imagine an outline that touches all the outer-most points, creating a boundary in which the figure will fit. Sometimes the best first step is defining the highest point of the figure (usually the head, but if anything goes above the head then you must consider that might be the highest point), then defining the lowest point on the figure. Do the same thing from side to side. How wide is the figure? Include all parts and see what is protruding the furthest to the left and to the right.