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Figure Drawing with
Virtual Models:
Getting the Most Out of
Poser Figure Artist
®

Les Pardew
© 2007 Thomson Course Technology, a division of Thomson Learning Publisher and General Manager,
Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or Thomson Course Technology PTR:
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, Stacy L. Hiquet
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or Associate Director of Marketing:
retrieval system without written permission from Thomson Course Sarah O’Donnell
Technology PTR, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a
review. Manager of Editorial Services:
Heather Talbot
The Thomson Course Technology PTR logo and related trade dress are
trademarks of Thomson Course Technology, a division of Thomson Marketing Manager:
Learning Inc., and may not be used without written permission. Heather Hurley

Poser is a registered trademark of Curious Labs, Inc. and e frontier, Inc. Acquisitions Editor:
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Megan Belanger

Important: Thomson Course Technology PTR cannot provide software Marketing Coordinator:
support. Please contact the appropriate software manufacturer’s Adena Flitt
technical support line or Web site for assistance. Project Editor/Copy Editor:
Thomson Course Technology PTR and the author have attempted Cathleen D. Snyder
throughout this book to distinguish proprietary trademarks from Technical Reviewer:
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manufacturer. PTR Editorial Services
Information contained in this book has been obtained by Thomson Coordinator:
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However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by Interior Layout Tech:
our sources, Thomson Course Technology PTR, or others, the Bill Hartman
Publisher does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness
of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions Cover Art and Design:
or the results obtained from use of such information. Readers should Tobias C. Sugar
be particularly aware of the fact that the Internet is an ever-changing Cover Designer:
entity. Some facts may have changed since this book went to press. Mike Tanamachi
Educational facilities, companies, and organizations interested in Indexer:
multiple copies or licensing of this book should contact the Publisher Sharon Hilgenberg
for quantity discount information. Training manuals, CD-ROMs, and Proofreader:
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for specific needs.
ISBN-10: 1-59863-328-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-59863-328-3
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006906791
Printed in the United States of America
07 08 09 10 11 BU 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Thomson Course Technology PTR, a division of Thomson Learning Inc.

25 Thomson Place ■ Boston, MA 02210 ■ http://www.courseptr.com
 ✎

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I
want to acknowledge and thank all of the many people who have
helped me to create this book. My deepest thanks go to my family and
especially to my wife, who has put up with living with an artist and all of
the ups and downs that brings. I also want to thank the many mentors who
have taught me about art. Special thanks go to Laslo Vespremi and the team
from e frontier for all of their help with the book. They may never know how
much they have influenced my life. I also want to thank my editors, Cathleen
Snyder, Megan Belanger, and Stacy Hiquet, without whose help this book
would’ve been impossible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

L
es Pardew is a video game and entertainment industry veteran with
more than 22 years of experience. His work in the industry includes
more than 120 video game titles, 12 books, and numerous illustrations
for magazines, books, and film. He began his career in film animation and
later moved to video games, where he has found a permanent home. He cur-
rently serves as president of Alpine Studios, which he founded with Ross
Wolfley in the fall of 2000.

Les is a prolific artist who loves to work on the computer and with traditional
media. On the computer he is an accomplished 3D artist, creating and ani-
mating characters for many video games. In traditional media, his first love is
drawing, followed closely by oil painting. His favorite subject is people. He
can often be seen drawing a portrait or designing a character for a game in his
sketchbook.

iii
 C O N T E N T S

Introduction vi 4 Hands, Feet, and Head 51

Hands 51
1 The Human Figure 1 Anatomy of the Hand 52
Drawing People 2 The Foot 56
The Human Form 2 The Head 59
Photographic Reference 4 Anatomy of the Head 59
Copyright Laws 4 Proportions 60
Pornography and Art 4 Facial Features 67
Learning to Be a Figure Artist 5 Using Figure Artist 73
Physical 6
Knowledge 6 5 Posing the Figure 75
Vision 8 What Pose? 76
Learning about the Figure 9 Balance and Weight 77
Basic Proportions of the Human Balance 77
Form 9 Weight 83
Body Language 86
2 Figure Construction 17 Facial Expressions 88
Drawing from the Inside Out 17 Beauty 90
Gesture Drawing 21 Action Line 91
Creating the Manikin 27 Drawing Beauty 94
Drawing the Manikin 29
6 Composition 99
3 Figure Anatomy 33 The Picture Plane 100
The Skeleton 34 Purpose 100
The Muscles 40 Placement 102
Using Figure Artist 49 Points 102
Lines 102
Shapes 105
Form 110
Closer 113

iv
 Contents

Balance 114 Figures 143

Formal Balance 115 Adjusting Shadows 144
Informal Balance 118 Opposing Lights 144
Focal Points 121 Light Location 145
Linear Focus 122 Emotion 146
Contrast Focus 123 Image-Based Lighting 146
Detail Focus 124 Shading a Figure 149
Color Focus 125 Designing Light 155
Action Focus 126
Pathways 127 8 Dynamic Figure Drawing 157
Limitations of a Live Model 157
7 Lighting the Figure 133 Posing the Dynamic Figure 160
Types of Light 134 Extreme Movement 160
Absorption, Reflection, and Pass The Action Line 161
Through 135 Posing Multiple Figures 163
Light and Shadow 136 Moving the Point of View 165
Highlight 137 Posing with Objects 167
Raking Light 137 Adding Clothing 169
Light Area 138 Ending Note 171
Shadow Area 138
Core Shadow 139 Index 172
Reflected Light 140
Cast Shadow 140
Front and Rim Lighting 142
Multiple Light Sources 142

v
 ✎

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Figure Drawing with Virtual Models: Getting the Most Out of Poser Figure
Artist. This book is intended to be your guide to the use of virtual models as a ref-
erence tool for the creation of works of art. Recent advancements in technology
have made it possible for artists to have good-quality figure reference at their fin-
gertips almost anytime that they need it. This new technology offers great oppor-
tunity to study and learn about the human figure in ways that were never avail-
able before.

Figure drawing is an old, well-established aspect of art. It has been around for
centuries, dating all the way back to the earliest cave paintings. As art has
advanced over the ages, artists have spent countless hours trying to master the
drawing of the figure. Today, the demand for believable figure art has never been
stronger.

The very best way to learn how to draw the human figure is to draw from the real
thing, either by hiring a model or attending a life drawing class. However, having
a live model available every time an artist needs to draw or paint a picture is
impractical. Because of the limitations surrounding live models, artists have
resorted to using wooden manikins to help with proportions or to buying action
figures. Although these tools are okay, they really don’t have the detail that an
artist needs to understand the figure. Therefore, a better method of helping artists
was needed. Figure Artist is not the perfect substitute for a live model, but it may
be the best solution yet.

Figure Artist, in conjunction with solid art training, is a very good tool for explor-
ing the human form. This book is designed to help you learn how to use virtual
models as you work to gain mastery of the human figure. It covers many basic
figure-drawing aspects, so even if you are a beginner, you will be able to follow
the lessons and instructions on your path to better drawing.

vi
 Introduction

Included with the book is a trial version of the soft- When I was first asked to write this book, I was very
ware so you can start working with it right away. excited about the possibilities virtual models open up
for artists. After working with the software for a few
The human figure is one of the most difficult and months, I began to see that I could improve my own
demanding subjects for any artist to tackle. It takes visualization abilities because now I had the power to
years of practice to begin to understand all of the set up models and work from any angle with any
complex anatomy that makes up our bodies. No soft- lighting that I wanted in just a few minutes. If I don’t
ware program will make you an instant figure artist, like the pose, I can change it. If I don’t like the light-
but if this software can help make the huge task of ing, I can change it. If I need multiple figures, I can
learning to draw the figure easier, it is well worth it. put them all in the scene. The possibilities are almost
endless.

vii
C H A P T E R 1
 ✎

The Human Figure

O
ne of the greatest challenges to confront an artist is drawing the
human figure. Our bodies are infinitely complex yet intimately
familiar, giving rise to a subject that is difficult to depict accurately
yet judged incessantly.

The human figure is almost overwhelmingly complex for the artist to draw.
The human figure is an organic structure that defies geometric simplification.
It is composed of bones, muscles, and organs, all of which are covered by a
flexible layer of skin. The body has many moving parts that make it almost
impossible to define as a shape. Within its skeleton are more than 200 indi-
vidual bones. Attached to the skeleton and throughout the body are more
than 650 muscles.

Figure drawings are held to the highest standards. Because the body is very
familiar to us—we each have one of our own—we generally know a lot about
it. We admire its beauty and we recognize its flaws. Physical perfection is
sought by many, giving rise to such industries as cosmetics, plastic surgery,
and a plethora of diet programs. This basic familiarity can often become the
bane of the figure artist because his artwork is judged by a higher standard
than almost any other art form.

Any artist desiring to learn how to draw the figure needs all the help he can
get. Fortunately, in addition to books and other forms of instruction, a new
way to help artists with their figurative work is becoming available through
technology. This new technology gives the artist access to virtual figure mod-
els to use as references for figure drawing. Figure Artist, a new software pro-
gram, now brings the power of virtual models to everyone with access to a
computer. Figure 1.1 shows a screen shot of Figure Artist.

1
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

Although virtual models should and talk with one mouth. It is diffi- Drawing the human form is excit-
not take the place of human mod- cult to imagine any subject so simi- ing and rewarding. Although the
els, they do add a valuable resource lar yet so individual. task might seem daunting, the
for the artist when real models are rewards are great. Not only does
unavailable or the pose is unattain- There is a rich history of art cen- the study of figure drawing
able. Often artists are faced with tered on the human figure. The strengthen all of your art skills, it
needing to draw a figure with no human form transcends the history also enables you to express your-
time, money, or availability of a of art from the earliest cave paint- self in ways that would be difficult
model. Sometimes the pose needed ings to the present time. Great with any other subject. The very
for a drawing is something that masters such as Rembrandt, da fact that we ourselves are human
can’t be held by a model, such as Vinci, Michelangelo, Velasquez, allows us to appreciate the inspired
in the case of something requiring Rubens, David, Picasso, and more work of a figure artist.
dynamic motion in sports or other have all focused on the human fig-
extreme physical activity. In these ure in their work. One can scarcely
situations, artists in the past had to walk through a major art museum
without finding an abundance of
The Human
rely on their own visualization
abilities. Now, however, artists can work depicting the figure. The Form
set up models in Figure Artist and range is enormous, from breathtak-
ing realism to thought-provoking Drawing the human form is a chal-
use them as reference for their fig-
abstraction and everything in lenge that requires extensive study.
ure work. This book will help to
between. Any artist who wishes to master
explain how virtual models can be
the drawing of the human form
used to help artists improve their
One of the reasons for the abun- needs to spend extended time
figure drawing.
dance of figure art is the amazing studying the anatomy that makes
range of emotional potential with up the human body. Although
humans as subjects. Although some artists might gain the ability
Drawing People other animals may have emotion, to construct a believable figure
I find drawing people both fasci- no creature has the immediate from experience and knowledge
nating and challenging. People are emotional impact that a person without visual reference, this usu-
fascinating because we come in so does. In fact, we judge all emotion ally doesn’t happen until consider-
many shapes and sizes and have so based on our own human experi- able time has already been spent
many different characteristics, such ence. We cry. We smile. We laugh. drawing from reference. The best
as ethnic and cultural differences. We cheer. We quietly wait out our reference, of course, is to draw
Yet with all the differences, we are days. No other subject has the from life. This means that the artist
still very much alike. Most people potential for emotional diversity either hires a model or attends a
have two eyes, walk on two legs, that comes packaged in one life-drawing class.
person.

2
 The Human Figure

A life-drawing class allows the ✎ The study and drawing ✎ Artists who are profes-
artist to study the human form of the human form sional and dedicated to
from a live model. There is no sub- should always be kept their craft treat the
stitute for being able to see and professional and study of the human
draw an actual person. In a life- respectful. The model form as an essential
drawing class, the artist is con- is a person, not an step in depicting the
fronted with the reality of a living object, and should be power, beauty, and
human being in actual 3D space accorded the utmost grace of the physical
with specific lighting. Some life- respect. Anything that body. They are serious
drawing classes have clothed mod- would demean, and focused about their
els, but more often than not the degrade, or offend the work. They are not
model is nude. dignity of the model gawkers at a peep
has no place in a life- show; rather, they are
Some artists might feel uncomfort- drawing class. Any per- students trying to com-
able drawing from a nude model. son who would say, prehend an immensely
Often there are personal, social, act, or draw anything complicated subject.
and even religious pressures that that would demean,
can cause an artist to feel this way. degrade, or offend the In a perfect world, an artist would
I can understand these feelings. I dignity of the model always have a live model for refer-
had to deal with many of them has no place in a life- ence. In the reality of life, however,
myself over the years as I have drawing class. it is rare that the artist can always
worked to become an artist. Let me have a live model to work from.
share some observations that might
✎ The human form has a
Often the artist will need to work
divine, inherent beauty
help you. from other resources. These
that goes beyond
resources might include plaster
✎ It is impossible for an almost anything else in
casts, mannequins, books, online
artist to accurately the human experience.
courses, and other forms of art
draw something that is As figure artists, it is
instruction. Added to this list of
unknown or that he is our job to capture and
resources is Figure Artist. Figure
unfamiliar with. Like a express that beauty in
Artist might be as close as an artist
doctor who has to our work.
can get to a live model without
know the human body actually having a live model.
to practice his profes-
sion, the artist has to
understand anatomy,
proportions, and mus-
cle locomotion to
depict believable
human forms in his
work.

3
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

Photographic Copyright Laws Pornography

Reference When you draw a picture, you and Art
automatically own that picture.
Sometimes drawing from life is I feel it important to touch briefly
Your ownership is called a
impractical or impossible. A cam- on the subject of art and pornogra-
copyright. You can even register
era can be a great friend to the phy. Pornography is often in the
your picture with the government.
artist. A photograph is only a sin- eye of the viewer. What may be
In the US, copyright registration is
gle view of the world, but a single pornographic to one individual
with the Library of Congress. You
view is much better than no view. may not be to another. Regardless,
can download a copyright form
Many artists keep files, either on the intent and purpose of pornog-
from http://www.copyright.gov.
hard copies, such as prints or raphy are often very different from
slides, or digitally on computer Regardless of registration, you own that of art. While the artist is trying
files, a morgue. I don’t know where your own work. So does the pho- to express the qualities and wonder
the term “morgue” for reference tographer who takes a picture. of the human form, the pornogra-
photographs came from, but it is pher exploits the sexual aspects of
often used to describe a box of pic- When collecting pictures for your the body. The use of pornographic
tures used by an artist for refer- own morgue, you should be very images for artistic reference is a
ence. A large and well-organized careful of copyright laws. The law moral decision that every artist
morgue can be an invaluable tool states that every image has an should understand before they
for an artist. I started collecting owner. You should not use some- make that decision.
photographs for my morgue when one else’s photograph in your work
I first was studying art in college. without getting permission from Sometimes it is difficult for the
My collection of pictures is a real the owner first. If you don’t get artist who must study the human
timesaver. permission, you are in violation of form to avoid the temptation to use
copyright laws. Remember that the pornographic images for reference.
Figure Artist works much like a laws that give you ownership of Unfortunately, I have seen the
camera for taking pictures of your your art are the same laws that pro- addictive nature of pornography
digital models. In fact, the software hibit you from using someone else’s adversely affect many artists. If you
has several cameras. You can use property for your art reference. It is want to learn more about the
Figure Artist to pose your models, important for artists to respect each destructive nature of pornography
and then render the images to a other’s work. addictions, you can read more
digital file that can be printed or about it at these Web sites:
viewed on a computer screen. One
of the nice things about Figure ✎ www.family.org/
Artist is that you don’t have to cforum/fosi/
worry about copyright laws when pornography/
using images from it for your ✎ www.afa.net/
work. pornography/
✎ www.americande-
cency.org/porn.htm

4
 The Human Figure

I recommend that you not include on Commerce Science &

any pornographic images in your Transportation; they show the NOTE
morgue for four basic reasons. destructive nature of pornogra-
phy addiction:
Figure Artist uses virtual
1 ✎ http://commerce.senate.gov/ models that are anatomically
Most pornography is unrealistic. hearings/testimony.cfm?id=13 correct, including genitalia;
The models used are often 43&wit_id=3912 however, it also includes a
selected for qualities that have feature to remove genitals
very little to do with how most ✎ http://www.commerce. from the models. The default
people look, and the poses are senate.gov/hearings/
is off, showing no genitalia.
often blatantly sexual in nature. It testimony.cfm?id=1343&
wit_id=3911
The images in this book use
is easy to spot an artist who uses
the default setting.
pornographic material as refer-
ence because he usually has a
✎ http://www.commerce.
senate.gov/hearings/
distorted view of the human
testimony.cfm?id=1343&
form.
wit_id=3910
Learning to Be a
2 4 Figure Artist
Pornographic books, magazines,
The human form is a beautiful Good figure drawing is a conscious
and Web sites are usually copy-
and wonderful creation. It should
righted, and therefore it is against effort that takes time, patience, and
be treated with the utmost
the law for you to copy them in knowledge. I have often told my
respect and dignity. Pornography
your artwork. Like any other pho- students that art is more closely
exploits rather than dignifies the
tograph, you should only use related to an athletic event than it
human form.
what you have permission to use. is to an academic endeavor. I
Figure Artist helps to solve the believe that art instructors would
3 problem of art and pornography be better served to think of them-
Pornography addiction is because it is designed to be an selves as coaches than as teachers.
extremely dangerous. Not only anatomical reference tool that uses Like athletics, art takes very refined
can it rob time from your art, it virtual models rather than pictures. physical facility, adeptness, and
can completely monopolize your It was designed to help fill a need inspiration.
life. Studies have shown that for poseable anatomical reference.
pornography addictions can be
For those who want to seriously
harder to overcome than addic-
study the human form without the
tions to tobacco, cocaine, or
heroin. The following Web
pitfalls of pornography, Figure
addresses are for testimony Artist is a good solution.
before the US Senate Committee

5
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

Physical Knowledge Let me give a quick example. Often

one of the most glaring errors that
Art has a very tactile aspect to its Knowledge is key to creating great beginning artists make is to draw a
creation. It is a physical act that figure drawings. When talking person with the features of the face
requires immense dextral control about figure drawings, words such too high on the head. The artist
and extreme delicacy. This type of as anatomy, gesture, proportion, com- assumes that because there is so
control can only be learned position, perspective, line quality, much going on between the eyes
through long practice. Like the form, and lighting always seem to and the chin and so little between
athlete, an artist must spend count- crop up. Each of these words the eyes and the top of the head,
less hours practicing. The artist denotes specific knowledge that the features of the face should take
needs to learn control and han- the artist needs to have to consis- up most of the room on the head.
dling of the drawing instruments. tently create meaningful figure The fact is that a normal human
The artist must gain a feeling for drawings. In other words, just head has the eyes about halfway
the surface. being able to control a pencil is not between the top of the head and
enough—the artist also has to the bottom of the chin, as shown
Practicing drawing can create understand structure and compo- in Figure 1.2.
within an artist drawing skill. In nents of the figure and the drawing
other words, the artist can learn to itself.
make the pencil behave and do
what the artist wishes. An artist For the artist to use knowledge to
can learn to draw boldly and help with drawing, it must be
strongly or delicately and subtly. If accurate knowledge. Familiarity
you have ever watched a good cari- with himself both helps and hin-
cature artist at work, you know ders the artist in learning how to
what I mean. The drawing just draw people. It helps because the
seems to flow from his or her pen- artist already knows the subject. It
cil. It is almost a performing art. hinders because the artist assumes
But just learning to use a pencil an understanding of the subject
well does not make a person a and draws without really looking
good figure artist. The artist also at it.
needs to have knowledge. Figure 1.2 The eyes are only about
halfway up from the chin on the
average face.

6
 The Human Figure

Artists gain knowledge from many Close examination shows that even When teaching students how to
sources, but the greatest source of though the eye might resemble the draw eyes, I first have to unteach
knowledge comes from observa- shape of a football, it is much more the football shape and get them to
tion. This is especially true of the complicated. Look at Figure 1.4. really look at the eye. As long as
figure artist. Learning to see the The eye itself is actually a round they assume they know the shape
figure as it really appears will do sphere within the eye socket. The of the eye, they don’t really look at
more for increasing a person’s abil- upper and lower eyelids cover the it; they just draw footballs. Once
ity to draw the figure than almost ball of the eye, allowing only a they really start to look at the eye,
any other ability. small portion to be seen. Rarely they begin to understand how it
does the iris of the eye show com- really looks and can draw it with
Probably the most significant thing pletely below the upper eyelid. confidence (see Figure 1.5).
that I have learned through intent There is a tear duct on the side of
observation is to see how things the eye near the nose. And the eye-
really are instead of how I think lids have thickness, which is most
they should be. A big revelation for noticeable on the lower lid.
me when I started really learning
how to draw was how many
assumptions I made in life. Let me
give you an example. Take the
human eye, which many think is
shaped like a football. I have seen
Figure 1.5 It helps to know the
many beginning art students draw true nature of the eye to draw it
eyes similar to footballs, as shown well.
in Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.4 The shape of the eye is

more complex than a simple foot-
ball.

Figure 1.3 Beginning artists often

draw eyes in the shape of a foot-
ball.

7
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

Vision miss. What the artist sees might be Even mundane objects and places
the subtle shading from light to become interesting. Major art
In addition to drawing skill and dark across a surface, or it might museums are filled with paintings
knowledge, a good figure artist be the underlying personality of of mundane scenes made interest-
needs one more ingredient— the person he or she is drawing. It ing by the hand of great masters
vision. It doesn’t take vision to might be that the artist has a whose vision helped the rest of the
draw something well and accu- unique way of looking at social sit- world see wonder in the ordinary.
rately, but it does take vision to uations, as Norman Rockwell did,
create art. or it might be that the artist can see Artistic vision requires the artist to
the inner spirit of man, as focus and see what others might
Not long ago I was discussing with miss. It is difficult to say which ele-
Michelangelo did. The artist then
a friend his recent experiences in ments the artist might pick up that
takes that vision and infuses it into
taking a drawing class at a local others miss, but let me give you a
his work to give the world a mean-
university. He commented on simple example from my own
ingful work of art.
something I have often seen when work. While drawing a portrait
teaching my own students draw- A trained artist who has learned to one day, I noticed that the pupil of
ing. He told me that he was draw and paint realistically experi- the eye was set back from the lens.
amazed at all of the things he had ences life at a completely different Look at the drawing of the eye in
never noticed before—things such level than does a person who has Figure 1.6. Notice that the clear
as the way light defines objects and not had art training. The world lens of the eye has thickness, and
how reflected light makes objects becomes a rich and beautiful place both the iris and the pupil sit
look like they have dimension. He full of wonder and excitement. behind the lens.
spoke of colors and shading, of
textures and motion, of composi-
tion and perspective. He com-
mented that he really wasn’t a very
good artist, but that taking a draw-
ing class was teaching him how to
see. He stated, “I never knew how
much I was missing in life until I
took this art class.”

My friend was gaining more in his

drawing class than just the ability
to draw. He was gaining artistic
vision—the ability to see the world
in a truer, clearer way. In other
words, he was gaining the ability to
see and understand the world
around him in a deeper, more pro-
found manner. This ability enables Figure 1.6 The iris and pupil sit behind the clear lens of the eye.
the artist to see what most people

8
 The Human Figure

For me, this simple discovery was Basic Proportions James and Jessica are virtual mod-
meaningful because it changed the els and not real people; therefore,
way I thought of eyes, and I began of the Human they are not based on a single body
to recognize the inherent quality of Form type, but rather are designed to be
offsetting the iris and pupil from the ideal body types. Figure 1.8
the outer edge of the eyeball when As mentioned earlier, human bod- shows our models without clothing
the eyes are turned at an angle. ies come in a great variety of so you can better see their
This might sound like a little thing, shapes, sizes, and colors. It would anatomy.
but the little things sometimes be almost impossible to describe
make the biggest differences in an every variation while trying to give
artist’s work. you some basic guidelines for
drawing the figure. Instead, I will
attempt to give you some general
proportions based on an ideal
Learning about human body. The creators of
the Figure Figure Artist have been kind
enough to supply ideal male and
In this book I hope to help you to female virtual models that I will
develop all three aspects of figure use as references to show you the
art just mentioned. I will be giving proportions. Let me introduce
you practice exercises to help you them to you. Meet James and
develop your physical art abilities. Jessica, shown in Figure 1.7.
I will give instruction to help
increase your knowledge of figure
drawing. And last of all, I will give Figure 1.8 Without their clothing,
you creative challenges to help you you can better see the models’
unlock your artistic vision. Let’s body type.
start by going over some of the
basics of the figure. This will help
you to gain a foundation upon
which you can then learn how to
draw the human form.

Figure 1.7 James and Jessica are

our two virtual models.

9
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

When working from the ideal fig- doesn’t radically change dimen- Even though the female figure is
ure as reference, the artist needs to sions.) The ideal figure is about generally smaller than the male fig-
keep a couple things in mind. eight heads high, giving it a slightly ure, the proportions are the same
First, the ideal figure is an ideal, larger-than-life feel. Look at Figure because a person’s head is usually
not an average. For example, the 1.9, which shows the proportions proportional to their body. Thus,
average figure is about seven-and- of the ideal figure. taller people generally have larger
a-half heads high. (When measur- heads than shorter people do.
ing, the figure artist will often use The “eight heads high” rule applies
the model’s head as a standard unit to the female figure the same way it
of measurement because the head applies to the male, as shown in
Figure 1.10.

Figure 1.9 The ideal figure is eight heads high. Figure 1.10 The female figure is also eight heads
high.

10
 The Human Figure

I also included a few other lines ✎ The distance from the legs, the male figure is
over our male and female figures to center of the body to usually thicker than the
show some other interesting facts. the tip of the finger is female figure.
about half the height of ✎ The widest point of the
✎ The male figure is the model. Therefore, hips on a female is
about three head- the distance from fin- even with her crotch,
widths wide at the gertip to fingertip is while the widest point
shoulders and only equal to the model’s for the male is above
about two to two-and- height. his crotch.
a-half wide at the hips.
✎ If the body was divided ✎ If the male figure is
✎ The female figure is in height by four, the muscular, the upper leg
about two to two-and- bottom quarter line muscles will be wider
a-half head widths for would intersect the than the hips.
both the shoulders and knees, and the top
the hips. quarter line would be Figure 1.11 shows the male from
✎ The halfway point for just above the nipples. the front, side, and back. Notice
the height of the figure ✎ With the exception of that the lower leg is almost entirely
is just above the crotch the hips and upper to the right of the centerline in the
area of the model. side view.

Figure 1.11 Look how the proportions line up with the figure from front, side, and back views.

11
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

Figure 1.12 The female figure seen from the front, side, and back

Figure 1.12 shows the female from Figure 1.13 The two
the front, side, and back. models are walking and
wearing bathing suits.
You can use these general propor-
tions to help you set up your fig-
ures in your drawings. They create
a base for better understanding the
human form. Try sketching our
two models, shown in Figure 1.13.

For this drawing don’t worry too

much about getting a beautiful fig-
ure drawing. This is just an exer-
cise to show how to use the pro-
portions to set up a drawing.

12
 The Human Figure

S T E P - B Y- S T E P

Figure 1.14
Start with
two lines.

Figure 1.15
Make measure-
ment marks for
the head,
crotch, knees,
and feet.

1 2
Make two lines where you want to place your Now measure your lines and make marks
two figures. Make the lines about the height where the head, crotch, knees, and feet
you think the figures should be, as shown in should be, as shown in Figure 1.15.
Figure 1.14.

3
You can use linear perspec-
tive to check the relationship
between the two figures, as
shown in Figure 1.16. The
perspective does not need to
be exact because of differ-
ences in body types, but the
two figures need to look as if
they are in the right places
and they are the right sizes.
Figure 1.16 Use perspective lines to check your work.

13
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

4
Now fill in a rough skeletal structure for the
two figures, as shown in Figure 1.17.
Figure 1.17 Draw the skeletal structures for the
two figures.

5
Once things feel right, you can move forward
with blocking in your figures, as shown in
Figure 1.18.
Figure 1.18 Now block in your figures.

14
 The Human Figure

An eight-heads-high figure might high. Figure 1.19 shows the fash- This chapter has only touched
be the ideal height, but in some ion and heroic proportions next to briefly on some of the important
cases it might not be ideal enough. the ideal figure. Notice the differ- aspects of figure drawing. I hope
Fashion drawings, for example, ent feeling that each has. you have had a chance to pull out
may use a character that is closer the Figure Artist CD and experi-
to eight-and-a-half heads high, and You are in charge of your drawings. ment with it a little. In the next
if you are doing a superhuman fig- Once you know the basic propor- chapter, we will cover figure
ure, such as in a comic book, the tions of the human figure, you can anatomy and construction.
figure might even be nine heads adjust the proportions to get the
look you want.

Figure 1.19 Changing the number of heads-high a figure is changes the feeling of the figure.

15
 C H A P T E R 2

Figure 2.1 Use a simplified skeleton like the one shown here to start your drawing.
 ✎

Figure Construction

I
n this chapter I will cover how to construct the figure using some sim-
plified methods to make the process of drawing a little easier. I will start
by showing you how to build a simple structure as the basis for defining
dimension and proportion. This structure will become the foundation of your
figure drawings. You will then be able to use it to develop a finished figure
drawing.

Drawing from the Inside Out

At the beginning of every figure drawing, the artist is faced with a daunting task in
defining a subject that is painfully complex yet supremely organized. Without ini-
tially simplifying the figure, the artist may become overwhelmed.

It is very important in the initial stages of a figure drawing to be able to use some
kind of simple framework to define the dimensions and proportions of the figure
on the paper. The artist needs a simple and accurate system for starting the figure
on paper without getting bogged down in too much detail. One way of doing this
that works well for me is to go back to the foundation of the figure itself and draw
a simplified skeletal structure. Figure 2.1 shows a simplified skeleton; notice that
it isn’t too much more complex than a simple stick figure.

17
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

The simplified skeleton should be

proportionally correct, as shown in
Figure 2.2, where I have overlaid
the same proportion chart used in
Chapter 1.

This simplified figure is very useful

in roughing out figures and figur-
ing out compositions. It is easy to
draw and doesn’t get bogged down
in detail. Here is an example of
how you can use it in conjunction
with Figure Artist.

Figure 2.2 Make your skeleton the correct proportions.

18
 Figure Construction

S T E P - B Y- S T E P

1
Start by creating a pose in Figure Artist, simi-
lar to the one shown in Figure 2.3.

2
Using the posed figure for a reference, start
with the figure’s ribcage by drawing a simple
oval with a few lines to indicate the front of
the ribcage and the overlying pectoral mus-
cles, as shown in Figure 2.4.
Figure 2.3 Pose and render a figure from Figure
Artist.

3
Next draw a line for the spine and
attach another oval for the head, as
shown in Figure 2.5.

4
At the base of the spine, draw a
block for the hips, as shown in
Figure 2.6. The hips will usually be
rotated from the ribcage because the
back is flexible and the lower part of
the human torso usually counterbal-
ances the upper torso.
Figure 2.4 Start Figure 2.5 Add Figure 2.6 Draw
by drawing an the spine and the hips next.
oval for the head to your
ribcage. drawing.

19
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

5 7
Now draw lines indicating the shoulders and The last step is to draw simple shapes for the
arms across the top of the ribcage. hands, feet, and knees, as shown in Figure
2.8.
6
Draw the legs coming down from the hips, as
shown in Figure 2.7.

Figure 2.7 Draw the legs and arms of the figure. Figure 2.8 Draw in the hands, feet, and knees.

20
 Figure Construction

The skeleton that you just drew

should fit over the top of the fig-
Gesture Gesture drawing is the foundation
of good figure drawing. A gesture
ure, as shown in Figure 2.9. In Drawing drawing is a quick drawing of the
fact, a useful exercise for beginning figure focusing on just the figure’s
artists is to use a piece of tracing One of the most important aspects action. It doesn’t need to be accu-
paper and define the skeleton of of learning to draw the figure is rate, but it does need to get the
photographs from magazines and getting the feeling of life and action feeling of life and movement that is
other sources. in your drawings, as shown in inherent in any figure.
Figure 2.10. This is often referred
The nice part about drawing the to as capturing a gesture or gesture
skeleton first is that you can use it drawing.
to create a number of very expres-
sive figures in very little time.

Figure 2.9 The skeleton and figure should match up Figure 2.10 The skeleton can show action.
with each other.

21
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

The first step in doing a gesture are really not very precise. They are The entire process of creating a
drawing is to establish the action almost sloppy. That is okay. gesture drawing should take only
line of the figure. The action line is Sometimes a good scribble has about 30 to 60 seconds. It is very
a single line that shows the direc- more feeling than a well-planned important to set a time limit and
tion of the main movement of the line. push yourself when doing gesture
body. Figure 2.11 shows an action drawings. The time limit forces the
line for a figure. Once you have an idea of general artist to focus only on the main
proportions, you can draw the action and not on the detail. Figure
On top of the action line, the actual skeleton, as shown in Figure 2.14 shows a page of gesture draw-
skeleton can be roughed in quickly, 2.13. ings from a live model. Each draw-
as shown in Figure 2.12. You will ing was limited to 30 seconds.
notice that the construction lines

Figure 2.11 The action line estab- Figure 2.12 Quickly scribble in the Figure 2.13 The skeleton is drawn
lishes the action of the body. skeleton over the action line. in over the construction lines.

22
 Figure Construction

Figure 2.14 Try drawing several gesture drawings.

23
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

Beginning figure artists tend to then you might be just right for Now it is time to do a little practic-
draw stiff figures that have little or figure drawing. ing. Figures 2.16 through 2.21
no life in them. Your drawings will show examples of our virtual mod-
improve dramatically if they have a Think of the body as a series of els posed in some action poses.
good gesture drawing as their curves. Some of the curves have Time yourself and draw a gesture
foundation. The timed gesture sharper angles than others, but drawing with the simplified skele-
drawing focuses on the continuity they are all curves. There is a curve ton. Give yourself only about 30
in the figure, rather than the dis- that goes through every joint, seconds to do each drawing. You
continuity of the joints. including the elbow and knee might need to draw them more
joints. The limbs of the body than once to get a good gesture
Often a figure will seem stiff and should flow into each other, even if drawing in that short of a time, but
awkward because the artist will they are bent at extreme angles. hang in there until you have cap-
focus on the joints rather than the Take a look at the example in tured the action in each figure.
line that goes through the joints of Figure 2.15. The figure in this
the body, causing a stiff robotic example has his legs bent sharply, In Figure 2.16, the model is stand-
look. The human form is made up yet as you can see from the over- ing in a power position with his
of curves. There is really nothing laid lines, the joints can still flow feet spread and his arms to his
straight about it. If you complain into each other. sides. See whether you can capture
that you can’t draw a straight line, the power behind the stance.

Figure 2.16 Try to capture the power behind the

model’s stance.

Figure 2.15 The joints should flow into each other.

24
 Figure Construction

In Figure 2.17, the model has Can you capture the tension and Each of the poses I just used as
shifted his stance and is reaching drama of the pose in your draw- examples is part of the library of
up with his right arm. See whether ing? poses supplied with Figure Artist.
you can capture the weight and You can find them and many more
pressure in the model’s legs and his In Figure 2.20, the model is on the CD that came with this
arm straining in the action. crouching low, looking to spring book. Figure Artist is a great
into action. This pose might be resource for working with the
In Figure 2.18, the model has just more of a challenge because of the action of a figure and then drawing
completed a punch. His weight is overlapping limbs, but give it a try the result. You can use the sup-
supported on his left leg, but the and see whether you can capture plied poses or come up with some
power behind the punch came the coiled tension of the pose. of your own. In Chapter 5, we will
from the right leg. Notice the twist- cover posing the virtual models in
ing of the torso. In this last pose in Figure 2.21, the
more detail.
model is sagging as if she were very
In Figure 2.19, the model is in a tired. Maybe she was just hurt and
dramatic pose with both her arms is trying to get up. See whether
extended to the sides as if she were you can put these aspects of the
a sorceress casting a major spell. pose into your drawing.

Figure 2.17 The model moves into action. Figure 2.18 Look to which leg is supporting the
model’s weight.

25
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

Figure 2.19 Try to capture the drama of this pose. Figure 2.20 Try to draw the overlapping limbs in this
crouching pose.

Figure 2.21 This pose is more of a sagging, tired

pose.

26
 Figure Construction

Creating the add some flesh and muscle to your

drawings.
You will notice that in my manikin,
a lot of detail such as fingers, toes,
Manikin and facial features are omitted.
Figure 2.22 shows a male manikin. This is because the purpose of the
The next step in drawing figures is You can use this for an example of manikin is to establish the figure
to create a simplified manikin of how to draw your manikin. on the paper, not to deal with
the body. The manikin is like the detail. The detail will come later.
simplified skeleton in that it uses The manikin does not need to be
Artists use the manikin as a simpli-
only minimal detail, but unlike the very detailed to work well; it just
fied figure for working out compo-
skeleton that works mostly with needs to show the bulk and
sitions and for quickly sketching
inner structure of the body, the dimension of the figure. You can
their ideas and inspiration.
manikin deals more with surface simplify your manikin beyond
detail. Drawing simplified skele- what I have done here if it will When you draw the manikin, sim-
tons and gesture drawings is fine, make it easier to draw. plify the muscle groups. Think of
but at some point you will want to

Figure 2.22 The manikin adds surface detail to the beginning stages of the figure drawing.

27
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

them as lying over or around the across the chest are the pectoral press will work the pectoral mus-
bones of the skeleton. In Chapter muscles, and they pull the arms for- cles, and rowing will work the lats.
3, “Figure Anatomy,” we will cover ward. The large muscles of the Sometimes it is a good practice for
human anatomy in more detail, back are called the latissimus dorsi the artist to go to the gym and
but for now just do the best you muscles, or lats for short. They are work the different muscle groups
can with what you already know. used to pull the arms back. These to see how they affect movement.
are just three of the many muscles You will know which muscles you
The human body is made for used to move the arm. worked because they will be the
movement. The muscles are placed ones that ache the next morning.
so that they can contract and move If you do any weightlifting, you
various limbs or other body parts. know that lifting weight above Figure 2.23 shows the female
The muscles at the top of the your head will work your deltoid manikin. If you compare her to the
shoulders are called deltoids. They muscles and make those muscles male version, you can readily see
pull the arm up. The muscles more pronounced. The bench that she is very different than the
male.

Figure 2.23 The female manikin is different than the male manikin.

28
 Figure Construction

Although male and female bodies deeper than on the male. The male manikin. As you become
have many similarities, they are female waistline is higher than the more familiar with the male and
also very different. A single male’s. The female ribcage is female figures, you will notice
manikin will not work well for smaller and the shoulders are nar- other differences.
drawing both figures. You should rower. The female’s arms are gener-
develop your own manikins for ally more slender than the male’s,
both the male and female figures. but her upper thigh area is often Drawing the
Some of the main differences thicker. Her legs tend to have more
between the two manikins are in of an overall taper from the hip to Manikin
the pelvis. On the female, the hip the ankle. Her hands and feet are
Let’s take a look at drawing the
bones are higher, wider, and often smaller than those on the
manikin.

S T E P - B Y- S T E P

1
Start with the action line, as shown in
Figure 2.24.

2
Over the action line, draw the simpli-
fied skeleton of the figure. Make sure
you establish the gesture in your skele-
ton. Don’t worry about being exactly
accurate. The two things you are look-
ing to accomplish at this stage are cap-
turing the figure’s gestures and defin-
ing the general proportions of the
figure (see Figure 2.25).
Figure 2.24 The action Figure 2.25 Capture the
line establishes the gesture with the simpli-
dynamics of the figure. fied skeleton.

29
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

Figure 2.26 Draw the manikin over the top of

the skeleton.

3
Over the skeleton draw the manikin. Just like the action line is
a guide for drawing the skeleton, the skeleton is a guide for
drawing the manikin. Each step builds on the preceding one.
The manikin is shown in Figure 2.26.

NOTE

In this drawing exercise, I drew the action line and skeleton much darker than I would normally draw
them so that you could see them. Typically I draw the action line, skeleton, and manikin very lightly so I
can do a finished drawing over the top of them. You will notice that in Figure 2.26 the action line and
skeleton are much lighter. I went in with a kneaded eraser and pulled much of the graphite off the page
so that you could better see the manikin drawing. I usually don’t erase when I draw because it has a ten-
dency to disturb the paper fibers, causing unwanted textures. By drawing the initial stages very lightly, I
can establish my figures without needing to erase the construction lines, and I can still create delicate
drawings.

30
 Figure Construction

Draw the manikin a number of The manikin is a very useful tool Be aware that in learning to draw
times until you become comfort- for the figure artist. With it, you the manikin, you need to con-
able with it. Figure 2.27 shows the can quickly (and in most cases, stantly work on getting the overall
male and female manikin in some accurately) sketch and build up proportions right. If the propor-
action poses. ideas for your drawings. Working tions are off, the drawing will look
with a manikin helps you draw odd or awkward. As you draw,
Try filling your sketchbook with better from reference because it measure your drawing and com-
manikin figures drawn from your builds confidence in figure draw- pare it to the basic proportions of
imagination and from reference. ing. One of the reasons why begin- the body to keep it correct.
Figure Artist can be a valuable tool ning figure artists experience prob-
because you can set up the figure lems sketching the figure is that As you can see from this chapter,
in a number of poses and create they are afraid that they will draw the idea is to learn to draw the fig-
sketches of it. Try sketching the something wrong. By learning how ure from the inside out. You start
same pose from different angles. A to draw the manikin, the artist can with the action line and then build
big advantage that Figure Artist has overcome that fear and focus a gesture sketch using simplified
over photographs for figure refer- instead on learning to draw the fig- skeletons over the top of it. The
ence is that you can set up a figure ure well. skeleton establishes the gesture
and then look at it from any angle. and the proportions of the figure
without any surface detail. It can
be done in a matter of seconds.

On top of the skeleton you draw

the manikin, which adds flesh to
the bones. The manikin defines the
shape and mass of the body. Major
muscle groups are lightly defined
in the manikin, but most surface
detail, such as facial features and
fingers, are omitted. The manikin
can be used for drawing from ref-
erence and for developing figures
from your imagination.

Figure 2.27 Draw the manikin in action.

31
C H A P T E R 3
 ✎

Figure Anatomy

U
nderstanding human anatomy will help you achieve greater
expressive ability in figure drawing. By understanding the many dif-
ferent aspects of the human form, you can better grasp how the fig-
ure works as a whole. For example, if you feel along the bone on the lower
part of your jaw, you will notice that there is a small indentation about
halfway between the chin and the back of the jaw. This indentation is to allow
a blood vessel to pass under the jaw. The indentation helps to protect the ves-
sel. The significance of this little indentation is that it affects the curvature of
the jaw. The jawbone is actually concave here, rather than convex. A slender
person who has little fat around the jaw will show this distinct feature of the
jaw more clearly than a heavy person will. Knowing this little aspect of the
figure can help the artist who wishes to express a thin person.

In a way, the study of anatomy increases your figure drawing arsenal. By

studying the underlying structure, you can develop a greater feel for the sur-
face, expanding creative possibilities. In essence, the human form is made up
of soft and hard tissue held together by tendons and ligaments. The bones
form the underlying structure of the body and in some cases act as protection
for delicate internal organs. Around and over the bones are muscles that are
used to drive movement. The whole system is controlled by an extensive
nervous system.

The human form is capable of extreme movement and flexibility. The muscles
that power body movement expand and contract, causing surface changes to
appear. Take a look at your arm. Hold it out in front of you with the palm
down. Now twist your arm so the palm is facing up. Notice how the muscle
beneath the skin move as the arm rotates. As the arm rotates, some muscles in
the forearm will expand and twist, while others will contract to cause the

33
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

movement. Now bend your arm The human skeleton contains more bone on the lower part
up at the elbow. The muscles of than 200 individual bones. of the head. It is hinged
the upper arm will bunch to pull Although it might not be essential to the rest of the skull
the arm up. These muscles are for you to learn the names of all up near the ears. It is
the biceps, so named because 200 bones, you should become important to note
there are two muscles. familiar with some of the major where the bone is
bones listed here. hinged because that
Drawing from life, an artist is controls the bone
often confronted with a number ✎ Skull. The skull is the movement.
bony framework upon
of organic surfaces. It is helpful if
which the head is built.
✎ Clavicle. The clavicle is
the artist understands not only located on the upper
It is composed of eight
why the surface changes in front of the chest near
cranial and 14 facial
movement, but also what the the neck. It is a very
bones. The cranial
underlying structure is doing pronounced bone near
bones are the dome-
during those changes. This will shaped bones that
the surface, connecting
help the artist to recognize the the arms to the chest.
cover the top of your
subtle aspects of the figure that There are two clavicle
head. They are very
might go unnoticed if the artist bones—one on each
near the surface. If you
didn’t have the proper instruc- side of the body. The
press on the top of
tion in anatomy. clavicle’s flexible move-
your head, you can feel
ment allows for the
the hard surface of the
variety of movement in
bone just below the
The Skeleton skin. The shape of the
the shoulder.
cranium pretty much ✎ Scapula. The scapula is
In Chapter 2 you created a simpli- determines the shape a plate-like triangular
fied skeletal structure to use as a of the head. The facial bone located on the
base for drawing the figure. We bones make up the right and left side of
called it drawing from the inside bones of the front of the upper back. It is
out. Now you will have the oppor- the head and con- sometimes called the
tunity to better understand the tribute greatly to how a shoulder blade. It has
actual skeletal structure of the person looks. quite a range of move-
human body. Figure 3.1 shows the ment under the skin
male skeleton. This skeleton comes
✎ Mandible. The
and is more pro-
mandible, sometimes
with Figure Artist’s bigger cousin, nounced in a slender
referred to as the jaw-
Poser, and is available as additional person. It will also pro-
bone, is actually one of
content for Figure Artist. trude more in a person
the facial bones of the
with poor posture.
skull. It is the moveable

34
 Figure Anatomy

Figure 3.1 The skeleton forms the structure upon which the body is built.

35
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

✎ Ribcage. The ribs are the structure that holds spinal column, and it
actually a group of the upper body erect. also protects many of
bones that surround There are 33 separate the delicate organs of
the chest cavity and irregularly shaped the lower body. The
serve as protection for bones called vertebrae pelvis on a female is
the delicate organs in the spinal column. wider, and the central
housed in that area. All The top bone of the opening is larger than
together, the ribs form spinal column is called on a male. This differ-
a somewhat egg- the Atlas, and the next ence helps the female
shaped structure that is is called the Axis. The to support a baby dur-
open at the bottom and shape of the Atlas ing pregnancy. The
more closed at the top. allows the head to nod wider opening allows
The ribcage also acts yes, and the shape of for the baby to be born
as an anchor for many the Axis allows the because the baby must
of the muscles of the head to shake no. The pass through the
upper back and chest. vertebrae at the top of mother’s pelvis.
✎ Sternum. The sternum the spinal column are ✎ Sacrum. The sacrum is
is located in the center smaller than those near a V-shaped bone that is
of the chest and con- the bottom. They con- actually several verte-
nects the ribs of the left nect the ribcage in the brae fused together as
and right sides by way back and support most a person reaches adult-
of cartilage, which of the major muscles of hood. This bone
gives the chest the flex- the back. They can be attaches the spinal col-
ibility to expand and seen as a row of ridges umn to the pelvis
shrink with breathing. when a person bends bones.
The sternum has a dis- forward.
✎ Femur. The femur is
tinctive dagger shape ✎ Pelvis. The pelvis is the large bone that
and is sometimes located in the lower runs from the hip to the
referred to as the body and forms your knee. It would be the
breastbone. hips. There are actually largest bone in the
✎ Spine. The spine is a two pelvic bones—one body except that there
column of bones that on either side of the are two of them, and
extends from the skull body. They are joined since they are usually
to the pelvis. The spine together in the back by the same size, they
is a very flexible com- the sacrum and in the both share that honor.
bination of bones and front by a muscle The femurs are the
cartilage that encloses called the pubic sym- largest, longest, and
and protects the spinal physis. The pelvis strongest bones in the
cord. The spine is also serves to support the body. They support the
body by anchoring the massive thigh muscles

36
 Figure Anatomy

and are mostly sur- ✎ Foot bones. There are ulnar nerve causes a
rounded by those mus- 26 bones in each foot tingling sensation,
cles so that the bone is from the ankle to the leading the humerus to
not very close to the joints of the toes. The sometimes be called
surface, except near largest bone is the cal- the funny bone.
the knee and around caneus or heel bone. ✎ Ulna. The ulna is the
the hip. The tarsal bones form longer of the two
✎ Patella. The patella is the ankle and are com- lower-arm bones and is
the small bone that fits posed of seven sepa- more firmly connected
over the knee and is rate bones. They are to the humerus near
sometimes called the near the surface and the back of the elbow.
kneecap. It protects the protrude outward on The ulna is near the
knee joint and strength- either side of the leg, surface, and if you run
ens the tendons of that forming the knobs we your hand from the
area. It is very near the call ankles. The inside back of the elbow to
surface and is quite dis- knob is slightly higher your wrist, you can feel
tinctive in the leg. than the outside knob. the hard surface of this
The bones of the foot bone.
✎ Tibia. The tibia is the are closer to the sur-
bone that connects the face on the top of the ✎ Radius. The radius is
knee to the foot and is foot and toes than on also connected to the
the larger of the two the bottom, which is humerus, but not as
lower-leg bones. It is covered by thick firmly as the ulna. It is
sometimes referred to padding. also more responsible
as the shinbone. It is for the movement of
near the surface on the ✎ Humerus. The humerus the wrist.
front of the leg, and its is the largest and
strongest of the arm ✎ Hand bones. There are
curve is very evident 27 bones in the hand
when you are viewing bones and runs from
the shoulder to the and fingers, running
the leg from the front. from the wrist to the
elbow. It connects to
✎ Fibula. The fibula is the the scapula at the tips of the fingers. The
smaller of the two shoulder and the ulna underside of the hand
lower-leg bones and is and radius at the is covered with
primarily used for mus- elbow. It is covered by padding and muscle
cle support in that area. muscles and only nears tissue, and the bones
It is located on the out- the surface at the are not as close to the
side of the body and is elbow, where it pro- surface as they are on
mostly covered with tects the ulnar nerve. the back of the hand,
muscle, so it is less evi- Sometimes when the where they can be very
dent than the tibia. elbow is struck the distinctive.

37
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

Try to learn how these bones look Figure 3.3 shows the female skele- look at how the bones are built
and function even if you don’t ton. You can see from the skeleton and the muscles, you will see that
remember all their names. If you that there are many differences the male is more massive. The
can make sketches of each individ- between the male and female bones are thicker, and the muscle
ual bone, such as the humerus in skeletons even though they are groups are bulkier. On the female
Figure 3.2, you will gain a better made up of the same number and the bones are smaller and more
understanding of how the bones types of bones. slender. The muscles are less bulky,
affect the shape of the body. almost strap-like, except for the
In the female, the pelvis is more area around the hip and thigh,
If you look closely at the skeleton, open and proportionally larger where the female tends to be more
you will notice that there are no than in the male skeleton. The bulky than the male does.
straight bones. Every bone is male ribcage is proportionally
curved. In fact, every bone is made larger, giving the male skeleton A good example of how the two
up of many curves. If you draw the wider shoulders and narrower skeletons differ is in the elbow
bones of the body as straight, you hips. They also give the female fig- joint. The male elbow is a fairly
will end up with a stiff, robotic- ure wider hips, a higher waistline, direct joint, whereas the female
looking drawing. Your drawings and lower buttocks than the male. joint tends to have the lower arm
will look better if you understand flare out. Take a look at your own
the direction of the curves of the In general, the female skeleton is arm. Hold it out with the palm fac-
bones and emphasize those curves smaller and more delicate than the ing up. If you are male, the arm
in your figures. male skeleton. The male skeleton is should remain fairly direct. If you
build for power and lifting. If you are female you will notice that the

Figure 3.2 Sketch individual bones of the skeleton.

38
 Figure Anatomy

Figure 3.3 The female skeleton is different than the male skeleton.

39
Figure Drawing with Virtual Models

arm curves at the joint, and the

lower arm is attached at an angle.
hips. Some women are taught to
accentuate this angle in charm
The Muscles
There is actually a good reason for school or training for fashion mod- There are more than 600 muscles
this difference between the male eling by walking with their feet in the body, and they fall into three
and female forms. The male arm is placed in a line directly in front of groups—skeletal, smooth, and car-
built for power and lifting heavy each other. Walking in this fashion diac. The smooth and cardiac mus-
objects, therefore it needs a more tends to accentuate the curves of cles deal primarily with internal
direct joint. The female arm is bet- the hip and thigh. organs and are not evident in sur-
ter suited to holding and carrying. face anatomy. Skeletal muscles, on
A female can carry an infant longer In general, the female skeleton is
the other hand, make up a large
without fatigue than a male can, relatively smaller in most of the
portion of tissue that is next to the
based on the curvature of the arm. joints, especially around the wrist
skin on an ideal figure, and they
and ankles. The hand and feet of
play a large part in how the human
An interesting side note to the dif- the female figure are smaller and
body looks and moves. Figure 3.4
ferences in the arms between males more delicate, and the feet are
shows the male figure with many
and females is that the slight curve more arched. The neck is more
of the important muscle groups
in the female arm tends to give the slender, and the facial features are
shown.
female form a greater sense of usually smaller and more delicate.
grace. This greater sense of grace is Many of the skeletal muscles of the
very evident in dance. If you notice It is important that the artist real-
body are close to the surface and
the arm movements of accom- izes the many differences between
have dramatic influence on how a
plished dancers, the female can the male and female skeletons.
human form looks. There are also
achieve a greater feeling of grace Although there are many similari-
many muscles that are deeper in
than the more directly jointed ties, the more you study the differ-
the body and have little direct
male. This subtle difference can ences, the more you will realize
visual impact on it. Memorizing all
have a huge impact on your figure that the male and female skeletons
of the muscles might help the artist
drawings if you are aware of it. are very different. Learning the dif-
understand the body, but under-
ferences in addition to learning the
standing the main muscles of the
Another aspect of the female form component parts of the skeleton
body is essential to good figure
that tends to give it a greater feel- will help you to better express the
drawing.
ing of grace and beauty is the angle male and female figures in your
of the legs. The female leg tends to drawings.
be more oblique than the male
because of her relatively wider

40
 Figure Anatomy

Figure 3.4 Many muscles are near the surface.

41
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
 “Never doubt the brave continentals here, colonel,” I replied,
“they are only four hundred, but we shall teach yon braggarts a
lesson, before to-day is over, which they shall not soon forget.”
“Bravo, my gallant young friend! With my twenty-six eighteen
and twenty four pounders, plenty of powder, and a few hundred fire-
eaters like yourself I would blow the whole fleet out of water. But
after all,” said he with good-humored raillery, “though you’ll not glory
in rescuing Miss Derwent to-day, you’ll fight not a whit the worse for
knowing that she is in Charleston, eh! But, come, don’t blush—you
must be my aid—I shall want you, depend upon it, before the day is
over. If those red-coats here, behind us, attempt to take us in the
rear, we shall have hot work,—for by my hopes of eternal salvation,
I’ll drive them back, man and officer, in spite of Gen. Lee’s fears that
I cannot. But ha! there comes the first bomb.”
Looking upward as he spoke, I beheld a large, dark body flying
through the air; and in the next instant, amidst a cheer from our
men, it splashed into the morass behind us, simmered, and went
out.
“Well sent, old Thunderer,” ejaculated the imperturbable colonel,
“but, faith, many another good bomb will you throw away on the
swamps and palmetto logs you sneer at. Open upon them, my brave
fellows, as they come around, and teach them what Carolinians can
do. Remember, you fight to-day for your wives, your children, and
your liberties. The Continental Congress forever against the minions
of a tyrannical court.”
The battle was now begun. One by one the British men-of-war,
coming gallantly into their respective stations, and dropping their
anchors with masterly coolness, opened their batteries upon us,
firing with a rapidity and precision that displayed their skill. The odds
against which we had to contend were indeed formidable. Directly in
front of us, with springs on their cables, and supported by two
frigates, were anchored a couple of two-deckers; while the three
other men-of-war were working up to starboard, and endeavoring to
get a position between us and the town, so as to cut off our
communications with Haddrell’s Point.
 “Keep it up—run her out again,” shouted the captain of a gun
beside me, who was firing deliberately, but with murderous
precision, every shot of his piece telling on the hull of one of the
British cruizers, “huzza for Carolina!”
“Here comes the broadside of Sir Peter’s two-decker,” shouted
another one, “make way for the British iron among the palmetto
logs. Ha! old yellow breeches how d’ye like that?” he continued as
the shot from his piece, struck the quarter of the flag-ship, knocking
the splinters high into the air, and cutting transversely through and
through her crowded decks.
Meanwhile the three men-of-war attempting to cut off our
communications, had got entangled among the shoals to our right,
and now lay utterly helpless, engaged in attempting to get afloat,
and unable to fire a gun. Directly two of them ran afoul, carrying
away the bowsprit of the smaller one.
“Huzza!” shouted the old bruiser again, squinting a moment in
that direction, “they’re smashing each other to pieces there without
our help, and so here goes at smashing their messmates in front
here—what the devil,” he continued, turning smartly around to cuff a
powder boy, “what are you gaping up stream for, when you should
be waiting on me?—take that you varmint, and see if you can do as
neat a thing as this when you’re old enough to point a gun. By the
Lord Harry I’ve cut away that fore-top-mast as clean as a whistle.”
Meantime the conflict waxed hotter and hotter, and through the
long summer afternoon, except during an interval when we
slackened it for want of powder, our brave fellows, with the coolness
of veterans, and the enthusiasm of youth, kept up their fire. A
patriotic ardor burned along our lines, which only became more
resistless, as the wounded were carried past in the arms of their
comrades. The contest was at its height when General Lee arrived
from the mainland to offer to remove us if we wished to abandon
our perilous position.
“Abandon our position, General!” said Colonel Moultrie, “will your
excellency but visit the guns, and ask the men whether they will give
up the fort? No, we will die or conquer here.”
The eye of the Commander-in-Chief flashed proudly at this reply,
and stepping out upon the plain, he approached a party who were
firing with terrible precision upon the British fleet. This fearless
exposure of his person called forth a cheer from the men; but
without giving him time to remain long in so dangerous a position,
Colonel Moultrie exclaimed,
“My brave fellows, the general has come off to offer to remove
you to the main if you are tired of your post. Shall it be?”
There was a universal negative, every man declaring he would
sooner die at his gun. It was a noble sight. Their eyes flashing; their
chests dilated; their brawny arms bared and covered with smoke,
they stood there, determined, to a man, to save their native soil at
every cost, from invasion. At this moment a group appeared,
carrying a poor fellow, whom it could be seen at a glance was
mortally wounded. His lips were blue; his countenance ghastly; and
his dim eye rolled uneasily about. He breathed heavily. But as he
approached us, the shouts of his fellow soldiers falling on his ear,
aroused his dying faculties, and lifting himself heavily up, his eye,
after wandering inquiringly about, caught the sight of his general.
“God bless you! my poor fellow,” said Lee, compassionately, “you
are, I fear, seriously hurt.”
The dying man looked at him as if not comprehending his
remark, and then fixing his eye upon his general, said faintly,
“Did not some one talk of abandoning the fort?”
“Yes,” answered Lee, “I offered to remove you or let you fight it
out—but I see you brave fellows would rather die than retreat.”
“Die!” said the wounded man, raising himself half upright, with
sudden strength, while his eye gleamed with a brighter lustre than
even in health. “I thank my God that I am dying, if we can only beat
the British back. Die! I have no family, and my life is well given for
the freedom of my country. No, my men, never retreat,” he
continued, turning to his fellow soldiers, and waving his arm around
his head, “huzza for li—i—ber—ty—huz—za—a—a,” and as the word
died away, quivering in his throat, he fell back, a twitch passed over
his face, and he was dead.
Need I detail the rest of that bloody day? For nine hours, without
intermission, the cannonade was continued with a rapidity on the
part of our foes, and a murderous precision on that of ourselves,
such as I have never since seen equalled. Night did not terminate
the conflict. The long afternoon wore away; the sun went down; the
twilight came and vanished; darkness reigned over the distant
shores around us, yet the flash of the guns, and the roar of the
explosions did not cease. As the evening grew more obscure the
whole horizon became illuminated by the fire of our batteries, and
the long, meteor-like tracks of the shells through the sky. The crash
of spars; the shouts of the men; and the thunder of the cannonade
formed meanwhile a discord as terrible as it was exciting; while the
lights flashing along the bay, and twinkling from our encampment at
Haddrell’s Point, made the scene even picturesque.
Long was the conflict, and desperately did our enemies struggle
to maintain their posts. Even when the cable of the flag-ship had
been cut away, and swinging around with her stern toward us, every
shot from our battery was enabled to traverse the whole length of
her decks, amid terrific slaughter, she did not display a sign of fear,
but doggedly maintained her position, keeping up a straggling fire
upon us, for some time, from such of her guns as could be brought
to bear. At length, however, a new cable was rigged upon her, and
swinging around broadside on, she resumed her fire. But it was in
vain. Had they fought till doomsday they could not have overcome
the indomitable courage of men warring for their lives and liberties;
and finding that our fire only grew more deadly at every discharge,
Sir Peter Parker at length made the signal to retire. One of the
frigates farther in the bay had grounded, however, so firmly on the
shoals that she could not be got off; and when she was abandoned
and fired next morning, our brave fellows, despite the flames
wreathing already around her, boarded her, and fired at the
retreating squadron until it was out of range. They had not finally
deserted her more than a quarter of an hour before she blew up
with a stunning shock.
The rejoicing among the inhabitants after this signal victory were
long and joyous. We were thanked; feted; and became lions at once.
The tory families, among which was that of Mr. Rochester,
maintained, however, a sullen silence. The suspicion which such
conduct created made it scarcely advisable that I should become a
constant visitor at his mansion, even if the cold civility of his family
had not, as I have stated before, furnished other obstacles to my
seeing Beatrice. Mr. Rochester, it is true, had thanked me for the
services I had rendered his ward, but he had done so in a manner
frigid and reserved to the last degree, closing his expression of
gratitude with an offer of pecuniary recompense, which not only
made the blood tingle in my veins, but detracted from the value of
what little he had said.
A fortnight had now elapsed since I had seen Beatrice, and I was
still delayed at Charleston, waiting for a passage to the north, and
arranging the proceeds of our prize, when I received an invitation to
a ball at the house of one of the leaders of ton, who affecting a
neutrality in politics, issued cards indiscriminately to both parties.
Feeling a presentiment that Beatrice would be there, and doubtless
unaccompanied by her uncle or cousin, I determined to go, and seek
an opportunity to bid her farewell, unobserved, before my departure.
The rooms were crowded to excess. All that taste could suggest,
or wealth afford, had been called into requisition to increase the
splendor of the fete. Rich chandeliers; sumptuous ottomans; flowers
of every hue; and an array of loveliness such as I have rarely seen
equalled, made the lofty apartments almost a fairy palace. But amid
that throng of beauty there was but one form which attracted my
eye. It was that of Beatrice. She was surrounded by a crowd of
admirers, and I felt a pang of almost jealousy, when I saw her, as I
thought, smiling as gaily as the most thoughtless beauty present.
But as I drew nearer I noticed that, amid all her affected gaiety, a
sadness would momentarily steal over her fine countenance, like a
cloud flitting over a sunny summer landscape. As I edged toward her
through the crowd, her eye caught mine, and in an instant lighted
up with a joyousness that was no longer assumed. I felt repaid,
amply repaid by that one glance, for all the doubts I had suffered
during the past fortnight; but the formalities of etiquette prevented
me from doing aught except to return an answering glance, and
solicit the hand of Beatrice.
“Oh! why have you been absent so long?” said the dear girl, after
the dance had been concluded, and we had sauntered together, as if
involuntarily, into a conservatory behind the ball room, “every one is
talking of your conduct at the fort—do you know I too am a rebel—
and do you then sail for the north?”
“Yes, dearest,” I replied, “and I have sought you to-night to bid
you adieu for months—it may be for years. God only knows,
Beatrice,” and I pressed her hand against my heart, “when we shall
meet again. Perhaps you may not even hear from me; the war will
doubtless cut off the communications; and sweet one, say will you
still love me, though others may be willing to say that I have
forgotten you?”
“Oh! how can you ask me? But you—will—write—won’t you?” and
she lifted those deep, dark, liquid eyes to mine, gazing confidingly
upon me, until my soul swam in ecstacy. My best answer was a
renewed pressure of that small, fair hand.
“And Beatrice,” said I, venturing upon a topic, to which I had
never yet alluded, “if they seek to wed you to another will you—you
still be mine only?”
“How can you ask so cruel a question?” was the answer, in a tone
so low and sweet, yet half reproachful, that no ear but that of a
lover could have heard it. “Oh! you know better—you know,” she
added, with energy, “that they have already planned a marriage
between me and my cousin; but never, never can I consent to wed
where my heart goes not with my hand. And now you know all,” she
said tearfully, “and though they may forbid me to think of you, yet I
can never forget the past. No, believe me, Beatrice Derwent where
once she has plighted her faith, will never afterward betray it,” and
overcome by her emotions, the fair girl leaned upon my shoulder
and wept long and freely.
But I will not protract the scene. Anew we exchanged our
protestations of love, and after waiting until Beatrice had grown
composed we returned to the ball room. Under the plea of illness I
saw her soon depart, nor was I long in following. No one, however,
had noticed our absence. Her haughty uncle, in his luxurious library,
little suspected the scene that had that night occurred. But his
conduct, I felt, had exonerated me from every obligation to him, and
I determined to win his ward, if fortune favored me, in despite of his
opposition. My honor was no longer concerned against me: I felt
free to act as I chose.
The British fleet meanwhile, having been seen no more upon the
coast, the communication with the north, by sea, became easy
again. New York, however, was in the possession of the enemy, and
a squadron was daily expected at the mouth of Delaware Bay. To
neither of these ports, consequently, could I obtain a passage. Nor
indeed did I wish it. There was no possibility that the Fire-Fly would
enter, either, to re-victual, and as I was anxious to join her, it was
useless to waste time in a port where she could not enter. Newport
held out the only chance to me for rejoining my vessel. It was but a
day’s travel from thence to Boston, and at one or the other of these
places I felt confident the Fire-Fly would appear before winter.
The very day, however, after seeing Beatrice, I obtained a
passage in a brig, which had been bound to another port, but whose
destination the owners had changed to Newport, almost on the eve
of sailing. I instantly made arrangements for embarking in her,
having already disposed of our prize, and invested the money in a
manner which I knew would allow it to be distributed among the
crew of the Fire-Fly at the earliest opportunity. My parting with Col.
Moultrie was like parting from a father. He gave me his blessing; I
carried my kit on board; and before forty-eight hours I was once
more at sea.
 THE DREAM OF THE DELAWARE.
“Sleep hath its own world,
And a wide realm of wild reality,
And dreams in their development have breath,
And tears, and tortures, and the touch of joy.”

On Alligewi’s[1] mountain height

An Indian hunter lay reclining,
Gazing upon the sunset light
In all its loveliest grace declining.
Onward the chase he had since dawn
Pursued, with swift-winged step, o’er lawn,
And pine-clad steep, and winding dell,
And deep ravine, and covert nook
Wherein the red-deer loves to dwell,
And silent cove, and brawling brook;
Yet not till twilight’s mists descending,
Had dimmed the wooded vales below,
Did he, his homeward pathway wending,
Droop ’neath his spoil, with footsteps slow.
Then, as he breathless paused, and faint,
The shout of joy that pealed on high
As broke that landscape on his eye,
Imaginings alone can paint.

Down on the granite brow, his prey,

In all its antlered glory lay.
His plumage flowed above the spoil—
His quiver, and the slackened bow,
Companions of his ceaseless toil,
Lay careless at its side below.
Oh! who might gaze, and not grow brighter,
More pure, more holy, and serene;
Who might not feel existence lighter
Beneath the power of such a scene?
Marking the blush of light ascending
From where the sun had set afar,
Tinting each fleecy cloud, and blending
With the pale azure; while each star
Came smiling forth ’mid roseate hue,
And deepened into brighter lustre
As Night, with shadowy fingers threw
Her dusky mantle round each cluster.
Purple, and floods of gold, were streaming
Around the sunset’s crimson way,
And all the impassioned west was gleaming
With the rich flush of dying day.
Far, far below the wandering sight,
Seen through the gath’ring gloom of night,
A mighty river rushing on,
Seemed dwindled to a fairy’s zone.
No bark upon its wave was seen,
Or if ’twas there, it glided by
As viewless forms, that once have been,
Will flit, half-seen, before the eye.
Long gazed the hunter on that sight,
’Till twilight darkened into night,
Dim and more dim the landscape grew,
And duskier was the empyrean blue;
Glittered a thousand stars on high,
And wailed the night-wind sadly by;
And slowly fading, one by one,
Cliff, cloud, ravine, and mountain pass
Grew darker still, and yet more dun,
’Till deep’ning to a shadowy mass,
They seemed to mingle, earth and sky,
In one wild, weird-like canopy.

Yet lo! that hunter starts, and one

Whom it were heaven to gaze upon,
A beauteous girl,—as ’twere a fawn,
So playful, wild, and gentle too,—
Came bounding o’er the shadowy lawn,
With step as light, and love as true.
It was Echucha! she, his bride,
Dearer than all of earth beside,—
For she had left her sire’s far home,
The woodland depths with him to roam
Who was that sire’s embittered foe!
And there, in loveliness alone,
With him her opening beauty shone.
But even while he gazed, that form,
As fades the lightning in the storm,
Passed quickly from his sight.
He looked again, no one was there,
No voice was on the stilly air,
No step upon the greensward fair,
But all around was night.
She past, but thro’ that hunter’s mind,
What wild’ring memories are rushing,
As harps, beneath a summer wind,
With wild, mysterious lays are gushing.

Fast came rememb’rance of that eve,

Whose first wild throb of earthly bliss
Was but to gaze, and to receive
The boon of hope so vast as this—
To clasp that being as his own,
To win her from her native bowers;
And form a spirit-land, alone
With her amid perennial flowers.
And as he thought, that dark, deep eye,
Seemed hovering as ’twas wont to bless,
When the soft hand would on him lie,
And sooth his soul to happiness.

Like the far-off stream, in its murmurings low,

Like the first warm breath of spring,
Like the Wickolis in its plaintive flow,
Or the ring-dove’s fluttering wing,
Came swelling along the balmy air,
As if a spirit itself was there,
So sweet, so soft, so rich a strain,
It might not bless the ear again,
Now breathed afar, now swelling near,
It gushed on the enraptured ear;—
And hark! was it her well-known tone?
No—naught is heard but the voice alone.
“Warrior of the Lenape race,
Thou of the oak that cannot bend,
Of noble brow and stately grace,
And agile step, of the Tamenend,
Arise—come thou with me!

Echucha waits in silent glade,

Her eyes the eagle’s gaze assume,
As daylight’s golden glories fade,
To catch afar her hunter’s plume,—
But naught, naught can she see.

Her hair is decked with ocean shell,

The vermeil bright is on her brow,
The peag zone enclasps her well,
Her heart is sad beneath it now,
She weeps, and weeps for thee.

With early dawn thou hiedst away,

In reckless sports the hours to while,
Oh! sweet as flowers, in moonlit ray,
Shall be thy look, thy voice, thy smile,
When again she looks on thee!
Oh! come, come then with me.”
Scarce ceased the strain, when silence deep,
As broods o’er an unbroken sleep,
Seemed hovering round; then slowly came
A glow athwart the darkling night,
Bursting at length to mid-day flame,
And bathing hill and vale in light.
While suddenly a form flits by
With step as fleet, as through the sky
The morning songster skims along
Preceded by his matchless song.
So glided she; yet not unseen
Her graceful gait, her brow serene,
Her finely modelled limbs so round,
Her raven tresses all unbound,
That flashing out, and hidden now,
Waved darkly on each snowy shoulder,—
As springing from the mountain’s brow,
Eager and wild that one to know,
The hunter hurried to behold her.
On, on the beauteous phantom glides
Beneath the sombre, giant pines
That stud the steep and rugged sides
Of pendant cliffs, and deep ravines;
Down many a wild descent and dell
O’ergrown with twisted lichens rude;
Yet where she passed a halo fell
To guide the footsteps that pursued,—
Like that fell wonder of the sky
That flashes o’er the starry space,
And leaves its glitt’ring wake on high,
For man portentous truths to trace.
And onward, onward still that light
Was all which beamed upon the sight.
Of figure he could naught descry,
Invisible it seemed to fly;
Alluring on with magic art
That half disclosing, hid in part.

Bright, beautiful, resistless Fate!

Oh! what is like thy magic will,
Which men in blind obedience wait,
Yet deem themselves unfettered still!
By thee impelled that hunter sped
Through shadowy wood, o’er flowery bed;
When angels else, beneath his eye,
Had passed unseen, unnoticed by.
The Indian brave! that stoic wild,
Philosophy’s untutored child,
A being, such as wisdom’s torch
Enkindled ’neath the attic porch,
Where the Phoenician stern and eld,
His wise man[2] to the world revealing,
Divined not western wildness held
Untutored ones less swayed by feeling;
Whose firm endurance fire nor stake
Nor torture’s fiercest pangs might shake.
Yes! matter, mind, the eternal whole,
In apprehension revelling free,
Evolved that fearlessness of soul
Which Greece[3] saw but in theory.

Still on that beauteous phantom fled,

And still behind the hunter sped.
Nor turned she ’till where many a rock
Lay rent as by an earthquake’s shock,
And through the midst a stream its way
Held on ’mid showers of falling spray,
Marking by one long line of foam
Its passage from its mountain home.
But now, amid the light mist glancing
Like elf or water-nymph, the maid
With ravishment of form entrancing
The spell-bound gazer, stood displayed.
So looked that Grecian maiden’s face,
So every grace and movement shone,
When ’neath the sculptor’s wild embrace,
Life, love, and rapture flushed from stone.
She paused, as if her path to trace
Through the thick mist that boiled on high,
Then turning full her unseen face,
There, there, the same, that lustrous eye,
So fawn-like in its glance and hue
As when he first had met its ray,
Echucha’s self, revealed to view—
She smiled, and shadowy sank away.
Again ’twas dawn: that hunter’s gaze
Was wand’ring o’er a wide expanse
Of inland lake, half hid in haze
That waved beneath the morning’s glance.
The circling wood, so still and deep
Its sombre hush, seemed yet asleep;
Save when at intervals from tree
A lone bird woke its minstrelsy,
Or flitting off from spray to spray
’Mid glittering dew pursued its way.
When lo! upon the list’ning ear
The rustling of a distant tread,
That pausing oft drew ever near
A causeless apprehension spread.
And from a nook, a snow-white Hind
Came bounding—beauteous of its kind!—
Seeking the silver pebbled strand
Within the tide her feet to lave,
E’re noonday’s sun should wave his wand
Of fire across the burnished wave.

Never hath mortal eye e’er seen

Such fair proportion blent with grace;
A creature with so sweet a mien
Might only find its flitting place
In that bright land far, far away
Where Indian hunters, legends say,
Pursue the all-enduring chase.
The beautifully tapered head,
The slender ear, the eye so bright,
The curving neck, the agile tread,
The strength, the eloquence, the flight
Of limbs tenuitively small,
Seemed imaged forth, a thing of light
Springing at Nature’s magic call.
The sparkling surge broke at her feet,
Rippling upon the pebbly brink,
As gracefully its waters sweet
She curved her glossy neck to drink.
Yet scarce she tasted, ere she gazed
Wildly around like one amazed,
With head erect, and eye of fear,
And trembling, quick-extended ear.

Still as the serpent’s hushed advance,

The hunter, with unmoving glance,
Wound on to where a beech-tree lay
Half buried in the snowy sand:
He crouches ’neath its sapless spray
To nerve his never-failing hand.
A whiz—a start—her rolling eye
Hath caught the danger lurking nigh.
She flies, but only for a space;
Then turns with sad reproachful face;
Then rallying forth her wonted strength,
She backward threw her matchless head,
Flung on the wind her tap’ring length,
And onward swift and swifter sped,—
O’er sward, and plain, and snowy strand,
By mossy rocks, through forests grand,
Which there for centuries had stood
Rustling in their wild solitude.
On, on, in that unwearied chase
With tireless speed imbued,
Went sweeping with an eldrich pace
Pursuing and pursued!
’Till, as the sinking orb of day,
Glowed brighter with each dying ray,
The fleetness of that form was lost,
Dark drops of blood her pathway crost,
And faint and fainter drooped that head,—
She falters—sinks—one effort more—
’Tis vain—her noontide strength has fled—
She falls upon the shore.
One eager bound—the Hunter’s knife
Sank deep to end her struggling life;
Yet, e’en as flashed the murd’rous blade,
There came a shrill and plaintive cry:
The Hind was not—a beauteous maid
Lay gasping with upbraiding eye.
The glossy head and neck were gone,
The snowy furs that clasped her round;
And in their place the peag zone,
And raven hair that all unbound
Upon her heaving bosom lies
And mingles with the rushing gore,
The sandaled foot, the fawn-like eyes;
All, all are there—he needs no more—
“Echucha—ha!” The dream hath passed;
Cold clammy drops were thick and fast
Upon the awakened warrior’s brow,
And the wild eye that flashed around
To penetrate the dark profound,
Seemed fired with Frenzy’s glow.
Yet all was still, while far above,
Nestling in calm and holy love,
The watchful stars intensely bright
Gleamed meekly through the moonless night.

The Hunter gazed,—and from his brow

Passed slowly off that fevered glow,
For what the troubled soul can bless
Like such a scene of loveliness?
He raised his quiver from his side,
And downward with his antlered prey,
To meet his lone Ojibway bride,
He gaily took his joyous way.
A. F. H.
[1] The Alleghany.
[2] Zeno imagined his wise man, not only free from all
sense of pleasure, but void of all passions, and
emotions capable of being happy in the midst of
torture.
[3] The stoics were philosophers, rather in words than
in deeds.
 MY GRANDMOTHER’S TANKARD.
———
BY JESSE E. DOW.
———

My grandmother was one of the old school. She was a fine, portly
built old lady, with a smart laced cap. She hated snuff and
spectacles, and never lost her scissors, because she always kept
them fastened to her side by a silver chain. As for scandal she never
indulged in its use, believing, as she said, that truth was stranger
than fiction and twice as cutting.
My grandmother had a penchant for old times and old things, she
delighted to dwell upon the history of the past, and once a year on
the day of thanksgiving and prayer, she appeared in all the glories of
a departed age. Her head bore an enormous cushion—her waist was
doubly fortified with a stomacher of whale-bone and brocade. Her
skirt spread out its ample folds of brocade and embroidery below,
flanked by two enormous pockets. Her well-turned ankles were
covered with blue worsted stockings, with scarlet clocks, and her
underpinning was completed by a pair of high quartered russet
shoes mounted upon a couple of extravagant red heels. When the
hour for service drew near, she added a high bonnet of antique
form, made of black satin, and a long red cloak of narrow
dimensions. Thus clothed, as she ascended the long slope that led to
the old Presbyterian meeting house, she appeared like a British
grenadier with his arms shot off, going to the pay office for his
pension.
Her memory improved by age, for she doubtless recollected
some things which never happened, and her powers of description
were equal to those of Sir Walter Scott’s old crone, whose wild
legends awoke the master’s mind to a sense of its own high powers.
 My grandmother came through the revolution a buxom dame,
and her legends of cow boys and tories, of white washed chimnies
and tar and featherings, of battles by sea, and of “skrimmages,” as
she termed them, by land, would have filled a volume as large as
Fox’s book of the Martyrs, and made in the language of the day a far
more readable work.
I was her pet—her auditor: I knew when to smile, and when to
look grave—when to approach her, and when to retire from her
presence; her pocket was my paradise, and her old cup-board my
seventh heaven.
Many a red streaked apple and twisted doughnut have I
munched from the former,—and many a Pisgah glimpse have I had
of the bright pewter and brighter silver that garnished the latter.
Among the old lady’s silver was a venerable massive tankard that
had come down from the early settlers of Quinapiack, and she prized
it far above many weightier and more useful vessels. This relic
always attracted my notice—a coat of arms was pictured upon one
side of it, and underneath it the family name in old English letters,
stood out like letters upon an iron sign. It was of London
manufacture, and must have been in use long before the Pilgrims
sailed for Plymouth. It had, doubtless, been drained by cavaliers and
roundheads in the sea girt isle,

“Ere the May flower lay

In the stormy bay,
And rocked by a barren shore.”

The history of this venerable relic was my grandmother’s hobby,

and as she is no longer with us to relate the story herself, I will hand
it down in print, that posterity, if so disposed, may know something
also of

MY GRANDMOTHER’S TANKARD.
 In the year 1636, a company of fighting men from the
Massachusetts colony, pursued a party of Pequots to the borders of
a swamp in the present county of Fairfield, in Connecticut, and
destroyed them by fire.
The soldiers on their return to the colony spoke in rapture of a
goodly land through which they passed in the south country,
bordering upon a river and bay, called by the Indians Quinapiack,
and by the Dutch the Vale of the Red Rocks.
In the year 1637, the New Haven company, beaten out by the
toils and privations of a long and boisterous voyage across the
Atlantic, landed at the mouth of the Charles River, and continued for
a season inactive in the pleasant tabernacles of the early pilgrims.
Hearing of the fair and goodly land beyond the Connectiquet, or
Long River, and disliking the sterile shores of Massachusetts bay, the
newly arrived company sent spies into the land to view the second
Canaan, and bring them a true report.
In 1638, having received a favorable account from the pioneers,
the company embarked, and sailed for that fair land, and at the
close of the tenth day the Red Rocks appeared frowning grimly
against the western horizon, and the Quinapiack spread out its silver
bosom to receive them. The vessel that brought the colony, landed
them on the eastern shore of a little creek now filled up and called
the meadows, about twenty rods from the corner of College and
George streets, in New Haven, and directly opposite to the famous
old oak, under whose broad branches Mr. Davenport preached his
first sermon to the settlers, “Upon the Temptations of the
Wilderness.” Time, that rude old gentleman, has wrought many
changes in the harbor of Quinapiack since the days of the pilgrims;
and a regiment of purple cabbages are now growing where the
adventurers’ bark rested her wave-worn keel.
In 1638, having laid out a city of nine squares, the company met
in Newman’s barn, and formed their constitution. At this meeting it
was ordered that the laws of Moses should govern the colony until
the elders had time to make better ones.
 Theophilus Eaton, Esq. was chosen the first governor: and the
whole power of the people was vested in the governor, Mr.
Davenport, the minister, his deacon, and the seven pillars of the
church of Quinapiack. Here was church and state with a vengeance,
and the pilgrims who sought freedom to worship God found freedom
to worship him as they pleased, provided they worshipped him as
Mr. Davenport directed.
The seven pillars of the church were wealthy laymen, and were
its principal support; among the number I find the names of those
staunch old colonists, Matthew Gilbert and John Panderson.
Governor Eaton was an eminent merchant in London, and when
he arrived at Quinapiack, his ledger was transformed into a book of
records for the colony. It is now to be seen with his accounts in one
end of it, and the records in the other. The principal settlers of New
Haven were rich London merchants. They brought with them great
wealth, and calculated in the new world to engage in commerce,
free from the trammels that clogged them in England. They could
not be contented with the old colony location. They now found a
beautiful harbor—a fine country—and a broad river: but no trade.
Where all were sellers there could be no buyers. They had stores but
no customers: ships but no Wapping: and they soon began to sigh
for merry England, and the wharves of crowded marts. In three
years after landing at New Haven, a large number of these settlers
determined to return to their native land.
Accordingly a vessel was purchased in Rhode Island, a crazy old
tub of a thing that bade fair to sail as fast broadside on as any way,
whose sails were rotten with age, and whose timbers were pierced
by the worms of years. Having brought the vessel round to New
Haven, the colonists, under the direction of the old ship master
Lamberton, repaired and fitted her for sea.
The day before Captain Lamberton intended to sail, Eugene
Foster, the son of a wealthy merchant in London, and Grace Gilman,
the daughter of one of the wealthy worthies of Quinapiack,
wandered out of the settlement and ascended the East Rock.
 Grace Gilman was the niece of my great, great grandmother.
Possessing a brilliant mind, a lovely countenance, and a form of
perfect symmetry, she occupied no small share of every single
gentleman’s mind asleep or awake, in the colony. Her dark hair hung
in ringlets about a neck of alabaster, and sheltered with smaller curls
a cheek where the lily and the rose held sweet communion together.
Foster had followed the object of his love to her western home,
and having gained Elder Gilman’s consent to his union with the
flower of Quinapiack, he was now ready to return in the vessel to his
native land, for the purpose of preparing for a speedy settlement in
the colony.
Eugene Foster was a noble, spirited youth, of high literary
attainments. Besides his frequent excursions with the scouts, had
made him an experienced woodman and hunter. His countenance
was pleasant; his eye possessed the fire of genius; and his form was
tall and commanding.
It was a glorious morning in autumn. The whole space around
the settlement was one vast forest, and the frost had tipped the
leaves of the trees with russet crimson and gold. The bare sumac
lifted its red core on high, and the crab apple hung its bright fruit
over every crag. The maple shook its blood-colored leaves around,
and the chesnut and walnut came pattering down from their lofty
heights, like hail from a summer cloud. The heath hens sate
drumming the morning away upon the mouldering trunks, whose
tops had waved above the giants of the forest in former ages. The
grey squirrel sprang from limb to limb. The flying squirrel sailed from
tree to tree in his downward flight; and the growling wild cat glided
swiftly down the vistas of the wood with her shrieking prey.
The blue jay piped all hands from the deep woods—and the
hawk, as he sailed over the partridge’s brood, shrieked the wild
death cry of the air. A haze rested upon the distant heights, and a
cloud of mellow light rolled over the little settlement, and faded into
silver upon the broad sound that stretched out before it.
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