Project - Measure Proportions

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

inDrawing Basics

3.6K

Assignments 324

Lesson Notes

Downloads 6

Project - Measure Proportions

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

in Drawing Basics

3.6K

Assignments 324

Lesson Notes

Downloads 6

Deadline: Submit your assignment by 07/25/2023 for a chance to be featured in the next critique video!

Use the reference photo and all the measuring methods you learned in the previous lesson to practice drawing a portrait with accurate proportion.

Keep in mind that your layin will get harder as you move from big shapes to smaller details. Don't draw too small, otherwise the shapes of the features will be too small and harder to draw accurate. Keep the photo next to or in front of your paper to avoid distortion.

Expect a careful layin to take about an hour. Don't rush. Worry about accuracy, not time.

Remember - big to small, use straight lines, measure units, double check, find plumb lines, judge angles. Try to have fun!

Level 2, you're doing the same thing for this one. This exercise doesn't change no matter what your experience level is.

The Musketeer photo reference is from the Musketeer Model Pack by Grafit Studio

Lolo

11d

I’m glad I figured out how to overlay because at first I was very pleased with how the musketeer came out but I can see I was way off on the width because I eyeballed that part. and I did the demo with Stan and that was a disaster so I tried again with another portrait and I’m getting better but I need to measure more and drop more plumb lines and look for more relations. I’m going to keep practicing these, they are annoying but fun in a sick way.

Osman Perez

12d

Bernt Bigton

12d

I struggled so much with the pencil measuring method, so at the end I gave up (for now) and moved on to the eyeballing proportions instead. I think that was easier by drawing and erasing until it started to look right.

Peter Bajzek

14d

Bewoot

14d

Ama B

15d

My first attempt at the proportion exercise. I did the overlay and noticed that the features were not aligning with the tilt of the person's head. I'll definitely use more horizontal lines for measuring.

Nikita

16d

Tried to eyeball a lot because I do kind of the same thing in art school with measuring from real object, not the best result ahah, but some things pretty close ( I tried to do photoshop feedback thing but I don't understand how Stand adjusts contrasts with layers, I have a hard edge that covers half the picture if I try to reproduce the steps )

jarmiger

23d

I don't have a printer so I measured proportions by holding my arm straight out. I'm not sure if I captured the likeness of the guy very well but I do like how the portrait turned out.

daniellee

23d

The reference looks weird because my printer was running out of ink. Some things I found useful: -I found the center of the reference and in my sketchbook, them worked out from there. You don't have to do this but it helps. -My reference is on 8.5 X 11 but sketchbook is 12 x 18 so I cropped the top and bottom enough to keep the same aspect ratio.

Francesca Puccio

25d

This took me too long to complete, and the overlay was very eye opening. I definitely need a lot more practice.

czarek

25d

Here is mine and my attempt at overlaying it over the original

Sarah NP

25d

Late but here is my Musketeer.

Katie

27d

I'm super late on submitting this one. I did some other portraits. They take so much erasing, it's like I erase more than I draw (technically not possible but it feels like it) by the time I'm getting close.

rinaknguyen

29d

this is my attempt. is there someone please help me to check on Ps? all critiques will be welcomed. Thank you

Sita Rabeling

28d

Well I still have to learn more about Procreate, so someone else can help you much better with this image, but here’s what I could do. Followed Stan’s instructions. Hope it helps. It’s not Ps, but it’s something 🤓

Jacob Cousino

1mo

I really wanted to focus on getting Face proportions down, so I attempted a second one with David Bowie! I really enjoyed this project and I'm definitely going to practice this a bunch. I tried to go at a decent pace but I know there's areas I missed and messed up on. That's the benefit of coming back to it later though!

Thomas Adams

1mo

Gabe Golden

1mo

Posting to keep myself honest and knock my ego down a peg; especially after I over-layed it on the original image and saw the sizable discrepancies (looking at you eyes and right-most nostril :) ). Other things I noticed are that I could've done a better job laying in the intermediate medium shapes. I have some constructive lines for them, but gave in to the temptation to noodle on the details too early. Point of pride though is that I felt something was off with the placement of the eyes and had the patience to wipe the slate clean on them and measure again rather than fudging it to make it work.

jasonj33

1mo

Martha Muniz

1mo

Hi! I noticed you included lines to measure and reference horizontally across, but it would also help to include some vertical plumb lines. This will help your drawing avoid any stretching out horizontally, and keep proportions in check in both directions.

zan

1mo

Long behind on this project, catching up - I'd definitely love critique on this, though of course I can see the main stuff that's off, which should improve a little after doing this more. I think the biggest issue is just how to set up my work space. The image is on my monitor in front of me, but my paper is on my desk, flat, and I wonder how much that very small change in angle contributes. anyhow, any pointers would be great! thanks

ericknunez

1mo

This is my drawing of the musketeer. I took extensive amounts of measurements and would constantly compare my drawing with the photo. But when it came time to overlay my drawing on the photo I realized that everything was thrown off. The hat didn’t have the proper proportions and I had also placed it a little bit lowered than it needed. As a result, it threw off the entire drawing by causing the face and shoulder details to be placed lower than they should have been and skewing towards the left side. This made me realize that before I move on to adding details, it’s a good idea to walk away from my drawing for a bit and come back with fresh eyes so I can retake measurements and compare my drawing to the photo to see if I can spot areas that may look or feel wrong and adjust them accordingly.

Stan Prokopenko

1mo

"before I move on to adding details, it’s a good idea to walk away from my drawing for a bit" A great lesson to learn!

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Stan Prokopenko

Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.