Sketching-People

ALIGNMENTS | POSITIVE & NEGATIVE SHAPES
One problem with only using the point-to-point technique
is that any error will be compounded as the drawing progresses.
Point-to-point requires you to be extremely accurate
in recording and measuring. If something is out of proportion
or at the wrong angle, anything that is added that connects
with those edges will also be off. To mitigate this problem,
use tangents to help you align contours and shapes that
don’t actually touch.
If you were to actually draw these alignments, as I have
on the drawing here, the lines will not only show you how
parts line up, but also that the empty area has a distinct formation.
These negative areas have a shape and an edge just
like the object itself does. It helps to break down the total
object into smaller parts and acts as a check to the accuracy
of your observational skills. Remember, observational
drawing is about translating what you see into shapes,
edges and plane changes, so it doesn’t matter if you
are drawing an object that has volume or the shape
of the void that borders the subject.
PLANNING YOUR SKETCH
In this drawing of a statue, the bottom left edge of
the shield lines up with the outside of the forearm.
The top left angle of the shield roughly lines up
with the right side of the face. Of course, these
alignments would change from a different
vantage point, but they help to plot out the
drawing by connecting parts that are not right
next to each other.