Figure Drawing

Victorian Sketches

2012-01-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

New Book - this is a rediscovered sketchbook by an unknown artist who drew and painted these sketches between 1892 and 1898. More pictures from the book at Figure-Drawings.com.

View sample pages or get the eBook at Google Books.

Victorian Sketches: A Victorian Sketchbook by an Unknown Artist - Buy the Book at Amazon.com

John Marshall - Anatomy for Artists

2012-01-14T17:16:00.000-08:00

John Marshall wrote a book called Anatomy for Artists and published it in the 1800s, the prints shown are from the third edition published in 1890. The drawings are by J. S. Cuthbert.

You can see a copy at Google eBooks.

Anatomy for Artists Original Edition by John Marshall

Anatomy for Artists reprint

Other Anatomy for Artists books at Amazon

Walter Tyndale

2012-01-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Walter Tyndale was an Engish painter, and illustrator. Shown is an illustration of 3 Egyptian women paying instruments derived from an image from the tomb of Nacht at Luxox, Egypt. Wikipedia article.

An Artist in Italy: Written and Painted by Walter Tyndale, R. I. [1913 ]

Below the cataracts, written and illustrated with sixty plates in colour

An artist in Egypt

The print is for sale on Ebay

Cartooning for Profit by David Rand

2012-01-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

One of the home instruction schools popular in the 1940s was David Rand's Cartooning for profit. Shown is an example of Blocking Out the Figure with Simple Shapes.

"Pay close attention to each part of the figure," he writes, "as you read its description here. Starting with Figure 1A, Lesson 10, the head ...has been constructed by the two circle method.
"Figure B represents the neck and shoulder muscles. Try to visualize the shape of the neck as a stovepipe of cylinder which is bound from the shoulders on either side by a triangle representing the shoulder muscles. This shape seldom varies.
"Now refer to Figure C. Notice how the arm can be simply described by means of two tapering cylinders of equal length. A more detailed description of the arm will be given little later in this lesson, but you should study the position and points of movement at the present time.
"Next Figures E and F represent the torso or trunk of the body. The upper position is a wedge-like keystone shape, which is about twice as wide in the front as in the side. The top of this keystone shape represents the span of the shoulders from where the lines taper downward and outward.
"The hips and surrounding portion of the torso may be represented by a cup-like shape, Figure F, or as a section cut fro a ball. The flat part of these cup shape forms the front of the body. The curved surface represents the back. In a direct front view the shape varies according to the angle of vision...
"Figure D, which represents the breast of the female figure, may be likened to a small cup which in convex These forms should be place about halfway in the Figure E, keystone shape.
"Figure G, representing the leg, may be divided into two tapering cylinder shapes, similar to the arms, but much larger and tapering..."

Cartooning for Profit a Complete 34 Lesson Course in Cartooning & Art - Complete Set of 7 Books Sections 1-7, Lessons 1-34 By David Rand - 1968 - Cartoonists' Exchange

Drawing People for Fun

2012-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Roger Vernam wrote and illustrated a book called Drawing People for Fun and published it in 1943. He really does make the process engaging and fun through the use of simple techniques to develop your skill.

The illustrations shown give several of his building blocks to drawing the figure.

Plate III - Learn to think of the torso in terms of two separate block forms that move independently of one another.

Plate IV - Action of the torso: look immediately for the curve of the spinal column, the slant of the shoulders and hips, the rotation of the body due to the twisting of the vertebrae.

Plate XVIII - Life class studies: notice the frequent recourse to the block form convention.

Another blog with more illustrations is at The Pictorial Arts.

You can buy a copy of Drawing people for fun at Amazon.com

He illustrated a number of books for children you can see some here: Roger Vernam's books at Amazon.com, for instance Antelope: A Navaho Indian Boy [My Indian Library].

Proportions of the Female Figure

2011-12-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

These illustrations of female proportions are from an article by Adrian Brewer in a 1927 art instruction book titled Modern Illustrating Including Cartooning published by Federal Schools, Inc. The Federal Schools later became Art Instruction Schools (The Draw Me school of match book cover fame), which now offers course online.

Modern Illustrating Including Cartooning Division 1

Modern Illustrating Including Cartooning; Division 2.

Modern Illustrating Including Cartooning: Division 3

Modern Illustrating and Cartooning at Amazon.com

Antonio Francesco Gori

2011-12-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

Antonio Francesco Gori (1691 – 1757) started work on the Museum Florentinum, a comprehensive visual record of the Medici and other collections in Florence of antiquities of all kinds; the project eventually extended to twelve folio volumes, published 1731-1766. Pictured are front and back views of Dei Praestitis Signumex Aere.

Link to the home page of the seller, the engravings are for sale on Ebay

More links

Le Museum De Florence: Ou, Collection Des Pierres Gravées, Statues, Médailles Et Peintures, Qui Se Trouvent À Florence, Principalement Dans Le Cabinet ... De Toscane, Volumes 5-6... (French Edition)

Le Museum De Florence: Ou, Collection Des Pierres Gravées, Statues, Médailles Et Peintures, Qui Se Trouvent À Florence, Principalement Dans Le Cabinet ... Duc De Toscane, Volume 8... (French Edition)

A book titled Callimachus Hymns and Epigrams published in 1755 included three engraved illustrations of statues all of which were copied in reverse from Antonio Francisco Gori’s Museum Florentinum.

Gori's Museum Etruscum and Museum Florentinum are both listed at rarebooksandautographs.com

Another page of plates from the book, the George Glazer Gallery.

Figure Drawing for Fashion Design

2011-12-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

Drawing of proportions of a figure for fashion design from Figure Drawing for Fashion Design by Elisabetta Drudi.

Figure Drawing for Fashion Design (Pepin Press Design Books)

Wrap & Drape Fashion

Dibujo de Figurines Para El Diseno De Moda Masculina

Trude Schiebl

2011-12-25T16:19:00.000-08:00

The drawing is available on Ebay. 1910 drawing by an Austrian Artist.

Joseph Mattersberger

2011-12-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

Grundregeln der Proportion des Menschen was comprised of 11 plates published by Joseph Mattersberger in 1805. Wikipedia entry. Small thumbnails at Peter Gerlach's site. He was a sculptor and published his work on proportions while he was teaching in Breslau.

Corrupt Legislation by Elihu Vedder

2011-12-17T18:56:00.000-08:00

Here's some info about this painting in the Library of Congress. Wikipedia link

Studies for the figures:

Elihu Vedder: American Visionary Artist in Rome

Il Costume Antico e Moderno di tutti I Popoli Della Terra

2011-12-17T14:48:00.000-08:00

Giullio Ferrario: "Il Costume Antico e Moderno di tutti I Popoli Della Terra " published in Milano between 1816 - 1827. Shown ia an original aquatint by Paolo Fumagalli. Combat of the Botocudos, South American Indians of Eastern Brazil, also known as Aimorés.

The print is available on Ebay.

Il Costume Antico e Moderno di tutti I Popoli Della Terra Volume 1

Il Costume Antico e Moderno di tutti I Popoli Della Terra Volume 2

Il Costume Antico e Moderno di tutti I Popoli Della Terra Volume 5

Il Costume Antico e Moderno di tutti I Popoli Della Terra Volume 7 Part 1

Il Costume Antico e Moderno di tutti I Popoli Della Terra Volume 9 Part 2

Recueil de Planches sur les Sciences, les Arts Libéraux, et les Arts Méchaniques, avec leur explication

2011-12-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Denis Diderot, and Jean Le Rond D'Alembert wrote an encyclopedia titled Recueil de Planches sur les Sciences, les Arts Libéraux, et les Arts Méchaniques, avec leur explication, A Paris, Chez Le Breton, Imprimeur du Roy, 1763. The work included many illustrations which were engravings after other artists. One section illustrated drawings from which an aspiring artist could learn to draw. The plate shown is the general proportions of a man.

The print is available on Ebay.

Diderot Pictorial Encyclopedia of Trades and Industry, Vol. 2 (Dover Pictorial Archives)

Human Figure Construction by Michael Gillen

2011-12-11T13:09:00.001-08:00

Michael Gillen, Herbert Kallem and Henry Kallem published a book titled Drawing, Painting and Sculpture from Models in 1951. These images are from Michael Gillen's section on basic figure construction. He suggests drawing a line 2 inches long. He calls this the unit. For the height of the figure he suggests drawing a 7 inch line. Divide it into 3 and a half units. The top division is the head, the next the thorax, the next the knee, the last the ankle. A half unit placed at the thorax is the hips. At the top of the thorax another half unit with a sixth unit attached at each end forms the shoulders.

Drawing, Painting and Sculpture from Models

F. Cayley Robinson

2011-12-10T11:11:00.001-08:00

The Book of Genesis, Published by Philip Lee Warner, Publisher to The Medici Society Ltd, London 1914. The drawings are on Ebay.

The Earthly Paradise: F. Cayley Robinson, R. L. Griggs and the Painter-Craftsmen of The Birmingham Group

The Blue Bird : a Fairy Play in Six Acts

Hans Kohl

2011-12-03T11:10:00.001-08:00

The German painter and graphic artist Hans Kohl was born in 1897 in Mainz and died in 1990. He studied at the academy in Munich between 1915 and 1923.

The drawing is on Ebay.

Link to more images.

Zippora Brenner

2011-11-24T18:54:00.001-08:00

Zippora Brenner was born in Russia in 1917, immigrated to Israel in 1923, traveled in the USA, Paris Italy and Spain. The black and white drawing is on Ebay

Santos Balmori Picazo

2011-11-19T18:26:00.001-08:00

Santos Balmori Picazo was born in 1898 in Mexico City. The drawings shown are on Ebay

Link to more paintings and drawings.

Mural Painting and Social Revolution in Mexico, 1920-1940: Art of the New Order

Rooty Toot Toot (John Hubley, UPA, 1951)

2011-11-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

Found this on Gavin Hill's blog.

Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America Columbia Pictures Cartoons Volume 4 / Animated [VHS] Animators of Film and Television: Nineteen Artists, Writers, Producers and Others

Frank V. Martin - Hollywood Drawings

2011-11-12T16:13:00.001-08:00

Frank V. Martin drawing of Linda Darnell on the left and Ruby Keeler on the right. His website. The drawing of Linda Darnell is on Ebay.

Link to the Meridien Gallery Blog with additional pictures. Also paintings at the Meridien Gallery Blog.

Rolf Armstrong Portraits

2011-11-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

Rolf Armstring was a popular illustrator of advertising, sheet music and pin-ups in the first half of the twentieth century. He specialized in drawing a lot of expression in his subjects, particularly the portraits.

Pictured are The Live Wire, The Innocent Girl, The Brunette and The Pensive Girl

This photograph of Rolf Armstrong drawing at a party is available on Ebay.

This sheet music for the song What a Wonderful Girl You Are is available on Ebay, as is the sheet music for My Sunshine Rose.

Rolf Armstrong: The Dream Girls (Vignettes)

Pin up Dreams: The Glamour Art of Rolf Armstrong

Lee Woodward Ziegler

2011-10-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

Nude by the Water

Lee Woodward Ziegler studied at the Maryland Institute of Art, he painted portraits and allegorical figures oftern for commissioned murals. The drawing is available on Ebay. summary of his papers at the Archives of American Art. Worldcat entries.

Male Study, Figure Study, Allegorical Figure Study.

Shepherd and Nymph

The Lion's Whelp. Illus. by Lee Woodward Ziegler.

THYRA VARRICK : A Love Story illustrations by Lee Woodward Ziegler

Skeletons for Halloween

2011-10-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Die Knochen - the bones from Naturgeschichte des Thier-, Pflanzen- & Mineralreichs in colorirten Bildern nebsterläuterndem Text.', with introductions by G.H. von Schubert, published in Esslingen, Germany by J.F. Schreiber, c. 1878. Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert (1780-1860) was a German physician and naturalist. The print is available on Ebay.

Thomas Nast cartoons: On the Red Danube-Bless You My Children, King Death's Distribution of Prizes, A Dead Failure. The prints are available on Ebay.

Skeletons from 'Anatomia Corporum Humanorum' by William Cowper, 1739. The major source of this work was the Dutch anotomist Goverd Bidloo and his landmark work titled: 'Anatomia Humani Corporis' (1685). What started as an English translation of Bidloo's work first published in 1698 ended in a court fought battle over plagiatism by Cowper. Cowper did not even mention Bidloo in his work. The famous plates in this work (by Gerard de Lairesse) are identical to the ones from Bidloo's work and actually even bought from Bidloo and The Brockhaus Encyclopedia, and the Dictionaire Universal D’Historie Naturelle, 1849.

The Anatomy and Biology of the Human Skeleton

Vita di Milano - Figure Paintings

2011-10-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

Vita di Milano paints contemporary women in a classical manner. Website.

Jean Marc Bourgery - Complete Treatise of Human Anatomy

2011-10-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

These prints come from: 'Traite complet de l'anatomie de l'homme, comprenant la medicine operatoire.', by Jean Marc Bourgery, published in Paris by C.A. Delaunay, 1831-54. Author: Jean Baptiste Marc Bourgery (1797-1849). The artist who directed the massive program of prosection, and who was responsible for 512 of the spectacular illustrations, was Nicholas-Henri Jacob (1782-1871) a student of the neo-classical painter of the French Revolution, Jacques-Louis David. Wikipedia entry. Auction result. Youtube description of a republished edition. The prints are available on Ebay. Link to one of the colored illustrations.

Nicolas Henri Jacob - Proportions of the male and female bodies

Atlas of Human Anatomy and Surgery