Human Figure and Anatomy Drawing
What this domain tests
Figure questions test proportion, balance and structure in a pose - standing, walking, carrying, sitting. The examiner reads your figure for correct head counts, believable joints and a pose that could actually stand up.
Core rules
- Start with the line of action, a single curve through the body that carries the weight and movement.
- Use the head as your unit. An adult is about seven and a half to eight heads tall; the pubic bone falls at the halfway mark; shoulders are roughly two heads wide; the elbow sits near the waist, the wrist near the crotch, the knee halfway between hip and heel.
- Block the masses - ribcage and pelvis as two tilted boxes joined by a flexible spine, limbs as tapering cylinders.
- Check the landmarks: pit of the neck, acromion, clavicle, iliac crest, patella, ankle bone. They keep the joints honest.
- Balance the pose. In a relaxed stance the weight-bearing leg is straight under the body, its hip rises, and the shoulders tilt the opposite way.
Worked example
A standing woman carrying a pot on her head. Draw the line of action as a gentle S. Mark eight head lengths; the raised arms lift the shoulder line, so the ribcage tilts back and the pelvis pushes forward to balance the load. Keep the supporting leg vertical beneath the hip, the free leg relaxed, and check that the hands reach above head height.
Traps that cost marks
Legs too short because the halfway point is placed too low; tiny hands and feet; a long thin neck; both shoulders perfectly level in a relaxed pose; elbows and wrists at impossible heights; and an outline drawn before any structure underneath.