Figure Proportions

The human figure is the subject artists study most, and the one viewers judge most harshly: everyone knows what a person looks like, so small errors jump out. The first tool for drawing people convincingly is a simple system of proportions measured in heads.

Measuring the body in heads

Artists use the height of the head (from the top of the skull to the chin) as a unit. An average adult is about 7 to 7.5 heads tall. Many artists draw an idealized figure of 8 heads, which is easy to divide and looks slightly elegant.

Explore the canons below and change the number of heads:

The 8-head landmarks

In an 8-head figure, each head unit lands on a useful landmark:

1. Top of the head to the chin.
2. Chin to the nipples (chest).
3. Chest to the navel (and the elbows).
4. Navel to the crotch: the middle of the figure. The wrists are here too.
5. Crotch to mid-thigh (fingertips).
6. Mid-thigh to just below the knees.
7. Knees to mid-shin.
8. Mid-shin to the feet.

Widths

• Adult shoulders are about 2 heads wide in men, a little less in women.
• Hips are about 1.5 heads wide; often wider than the shoulders in women.
• The arms hanging down reach the middle of the thigh. Elbows line up with the waist; wrists with the crotch.
• A hand is about as long as the face (chin to hairline).
• A foot is about as long as the forearm, or slightly longer than a head.

Children and stylization

Children have bigger heads relative to their bodies: a toddler is about 4 heads tall, a child of 6–8 years about 6 heads. The middle of a child's body is near the navel, not the crotch. Stylized characters bend these rules on purpose: heroes are 8.5–9 heads with broad shoulders, cute characters 2–3 heads.