Introduction
8-Head Theory
When it comes to figure sketching, the human body is often divided into 8 equal parts, each of which is roughly the size of the head. This technique, known as 8 Head Croquis, is one of four common croquis used in fashion illustration and other forms of figure drawing. Compared to the other croquis types, the 8 heads figure is considered the most accurate in terms of proportion and is therefore widely used by artists and designers. In this step-by-step guide, we'll take a closer look at how to use 8 Head Croquis to create realistic and lifelike figure drawings.
What does “head” means in croquis drawing?
In croquis drawing, the term "head" doesn't just refer to the part of the body that sits atop your neck. Instead, it's a unit of measurement used to create accurate and proportionate figures. The height and width of the head serves as a guide for determining the size of the rest of the body.
When we talk about the 8 heads theory in croquis drawing, we're referring to a technique that divides the body into eight equal parts, starting from the top and working downward. Each of these parts is roughly the size of a single head, which helps to ensure that the proportions of your drawing remain true to life.
It's important to note that when we say "8 heads," we're excluding the feet from the equation.
What is the ideal size of a head?
There is no ideal or set size for the head. The size of the head can vary depending on the size of the paper or canvas you're working with, as well as your personal preferences as an artist.
If you're working on a small piece of paper, you might choose to make each head only a fraction of an inch tall. On the other hand, if you're working on a large canvas or sheet of paper, you might choose to make each head several inches tall.
However, if you're working on a standard A4 or A3 size paper, you might want to aim for a head size of 1 inch in height. This can provide a good starting point for creating figures that are proportional and realistic. However, keep in mind that the width of the head is entirely up to you, and can be adjusted to suit your artistic style and preferences.
Necessary tools to draw a croquis
Before you can start creating your own 8 Head Croquis drawings, you'll need a few basic supplies. These include a piece of paper, a pencil, an eraser, and a ruler.
When drawing your initial sketches, it's important to use light and gentle lines so that you can easily make adjustments and corrections as needed.
So, let’s start drawing 8 head croquis
- Step 1: Draw 1 straight line that is 8 inch long
- Step 2: Mark at 1 inch distance from top to bottom
- Step 3: Draw horizontal lines on the marks
- Step 4: Draw an oval for the head about 1” length
- Step 5: Add a dashed line at roughly 1 ½”
- Step 6: Draw 2 parallel vertical lines just below the head (for neck) and draw a horizontal line for the shoulders of 2” wide (1” wide in both sides of the 1st vertical line). Remember the neck and shoulder line should end at 1 ½” dashed line
- Step 7: Mark at ½” width on 3” height. (P.S. 1/2” wide in both sides from the 1st vertical line). This is waist line
- Step 8: Now join the shoulder and waist line in both sides
- Step 9: Mark at 1” width on 4”height (width- 1” in both sides from the 1st vertical line). This is hip line
- Step 10: Join the waist line and the hip line in both sides
- Step 11: Draw two small ovals for hip joint at this height
- Step 12: Give shape at hip for drawing upper legs
- Step 13: Draw two small ovals for knees at 6” height
- Step 14: Draw the upper legs as shown in the photo
- Step 15: Again draw two small ovals for feet joint at roughly 8” height
- Step 16: Draw the lower leg as shown in the photo
- Step 17: Now draw the feet of length as per your choice. (In this tutorial roughly 1/4” height is taken to draw the feet
- Step 18: Then draw small ovals on shoulder joint and other small ovals at roughly 3” height where the waistline was drawn (for elbow)
- Step 19: Draw the upper arms
- Step 20: Draw small ovals at 4” height for wrist joint and draw the lower arms
- Step 21: Now draw the fingers
P.S. This is a basic figure outline. You can edit the croquis as your choice, manipulating proportions as necessary.
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FAQs
When we talk about the 8 heads theory in croquis drawing, we're referring to a technique that divides the body into eight equal parts, starting from the top and working downward. Each of these parts is roughly the size of a single head, which helps to ensure that the proportions of your drawing remain true to life.
What is meant by the 8 head theory in figure drawing? ›
The whole body structure was lengthwise divided into eight equal parts, which is known as the eight head theory. This theory has become the foundation of all fashion drawing and for understanding the body shape and structure …show more content… This body is divided into 8 parts in which each part is 8 inches in length.
What is the relevance of the 8 head principle in human figure drawing? ›
An ideal figure, used for an impression of nobility or grace, is drawn at 8 heads tall. A heroic figure used in the depiction of gods and superheroes is eight-and-a-half heads tall. Most of the additional length comes from a bigger chest and longer legs.
What is an 8 head fashion figure? ›
1 | The eight heads figure.
As I mentioned, the eight heads figure is the one with closer proportions to the real human body. In the images below you can see an example of a fashion figure with an eight heads size, and also the equivalence between the eight heads figure and the human body.
What is the rule of 8 drawing? ›
Drawing a silhouette
Nowadays, more simply, we use head height as our unity of reference. Total body height is equal to eight times head height.
What is the 4 8 8 method of drawing? ›
5. Use the 4-8-8 method. Simplify your shape before putting in detail using one set of four lines and two sets of eight. The first four define the box and another eight cut away from it to fi nd the basic proportion and gesture lines of the subject.
How does Figure drawing work? ›
Figure drawing is the art of sketching the human figure, often done live with a nude model who is standing or sitting in a pose that emphasizes the figure. This process helps the artist capture the essence of the human body's musculature, texture, and postures.
How to make a croquis? ›
How To Draw a Croquis in 6 Steps
- Draw the balance line. Draw a vertical centerline for the figure's center of balance. ...
- Draw the pelvic area. Just below the middle of the balance line, draw a square to represent the pelvis. ...
- Draw torso and shoulders. ...
- Draw neck and head. ...
- Draw legs. ...
- Draw feet and arms.
Figure drawing is the art of sketching the human figure, often done live with a nude model who is standing or sitting in a pose that emphasize the figure. This process helps the artist capture the essence of the human body's musculature, texture and postures.
What is the theory of figure drawing? ›
This course approaches the study of the human figure from the structural point of view, utilizing anatomical landmarks to conceptualize and build the form from within — as well as the study of old master's drawings and artistic precedent to strengthen interpretive skills and design ability.
1. Understand Proportions of the Human Form. Proportions are how the height, width, and depth of each part of the human body relate to each other as a whole.
What is the 8 head theory of human figures? ›
It divides the total height into 8 equal parts known as heads and describes what each head represents from hair to foot. It then gives the standard body measurements for different parts of the body in terms of heads or other body parts.
What is the 8 head rule in art? ›
The eight head count is a method in which the size or length of the the head is used to measure the height and width of a figure. The most common usage of head count method is eight heads for height and three heads for width.
What is the 8 head measurement? ›
A grown up human body is divided into eight equal parts, which are equal in height to that of the head. So each part is known as the 'head'.
What is the method of head drawing? ›
The Loomis method of construction is a technique using simple forms and measured landmarks to construct the human head, in any angle. The method starts with a ball, breaks it into four equal sections with two lines and then uses the created measurements to place facial features.
What is the head rule for drawing? ›
The most common usage of head count method is eight heads for height and three heads for width. This method is great for beginners and for those who have problem drawing proper figure proportion.
