Figure Drawing

This is an unusually complete book on drawing the figure from the beginning of the last century. In his time he was one of the most prolific authorities on the art of drawing. Other books he pubished included "Figure Composition" which will be a future offering on this site, "Design" and "Perspective for Art Students."

"Figure Drawing" is well organized and proceeds from an overview about drawing to specifics of anatomy, the head and neck, the trunk, the upper limb, the lower limb and drapery.

The writing is clear and offers tips about the differentiation between male and female and the illustrations are pertinent to the text so that from one subject to the next Hatton builds a body of knowledge so complete that the student would hardly need another reference book.

Figure Drawing by Richard G. Hatton "This is the book on figure drawing from which Robert Hale says he got many of his ideas. The most practical book on this list, full of little tips and tricks students particularly appreciate. Very uneven drawings ‹ some good, some appalling. Deals with application of anatomy to drawing."
Gary Faigin

I stopped practicing for awhile, I guess i better get back to it. Anyone have any book recommendations. I have a bluebook called Figure drawing by Richard G. Hatton. Really helped me get passed the simple elementary style drawings i did (in other words extremely bad) if only by alittle bit. I can do certain body parts fairly good like the trunk, the arms, the legs, but when i reach the head, arms and feet things get complicated to say the least.
Leonidas
forum.kungfumagazine.com

"...I am recommending your site to all of my colleagues. We do special effects for motion pictures and t.v. and extensively use anatomical reference for our work. The newer anatomy books just don't have the same qualities..."
-David Beneke
http://www.davidbeneke.com/

FROM THE PREFACE

THE artist studies anatomy in order that he may the better understand what the form of the figure is. Not infrequently he finds, however, that his anatomy has not helped him very much. He finds that it asserts itself in a manner which does not improve his work. He feels overborne by the mass of ìoriginsî and ìinsertions,î and endeavours to learn by heart lists of muscles and bones, and fears the disgrace of not knowing, like a school-bay, all the facts exhibited in the book he happens to be studying, if he grows interested he finds; after a while, that he has been occupying himself with a great many things which, in a sense, do not matte at all, and probably begins to decry anatomical study as so much wasted labour.

The reason for such a verdict is that the study, instead of being directed to the correction and development of the ideas already present in the mind concerning the form of the figure, is dissipated among a multitude of accurate little statements. The very accuracy of the statements tends to rob them of their utility to the artist. Often a student will labour to remember the location (and even the accurate anatomical description of the location) of the insertions of a muscle, and will all the time omit to notice the general character of the muscle, and its form. He, too, soon gets to deceive himself with the idea that a knowledge of names and of insertions amounts to the knowledge of anatomy.

CONTENTS

METHOD AND PROPORTION

1. The Study of Form
2. Drawing in Line
3. Drawing by Planes
4. Drawing by Contour
5. Drawing in Thick Lines
6. Drawing based upon Rounded Forms
7. Drawing with Colour
8. Some Hints on Drawing the Figure from the Model
8. The Proportions of the Figure

THE HEAD AND NECK

10. The First Lines of the Front View
11. The Head in Full View; its Chief Lines
12. The Head in Full View; Further Considetation of the General Form
13. The Head in Profile
14. The Head in Three-quarter View
15. The Proportions of the Head
16. The Proportions of the Face
I7. The Form of the Cranium
18. The Bony Structure of the Face
19. The Zygomatic Arch
20. The Influence of the Bones upon the Form of the Head
21. The Muscles of the Face
22. The Eye and its Neighbourhood
23. The Nose
24. The Mouth and Chin
25. The Ear
26. The Wrinkles of the Face
27. Facial Expression
28. The Bones of the Neck
29. The Sterno-cleido-mastoideus
30. The Throat
31. Some Subordinate Muscles of the Neck
32. The Trapezius Muscle
33. Proportions of the Neck and Shoulders to the Head
34. The Form of the Neck
35. The Head and Neck of a Child

THE TRUNK

36. Chief Characteristics
37. The Bony Mass of the Chestóthe Thorax
38. The Pectoral Muscles
39. The Chest
40. The Breast
41. The Pose based upon the Pelvis
42. The Pelvis
43. The Exteral Oblique and Rectus Abdominis Muscles
44. The Abdomen
45. The Abdomen in Woman
46. The Whole Trunk in Woman. Front View
47. The Whole Trunk in Man. Front View
48. The Vertebral Column
49. The Range of Movement in the Vertebral Column
50. The Erector Spine and Sacro-lumbalis Muscles, and their Effect on the Sacrum
51. The Latissimus Dorsi Muscle
52. The Shoulder-blade and Shoulder
53. Some General Remarks upon the Back
54. The Proportions of the Trunk

THE UPPER LIMB

55. The First Lines in a Drawing of the Arm
56. The Bones of the Upper Limb
57. The Triceps Muscle
58. The Brachialis Anticus, Coraco-brachialis, and Biceps Cubiti Muscles
59. The Order of Arrangement of the Muscles about the Arm-pit
60. The Muscles of the Fore-arm .,.
61. General Characteristics of the Arm
62. Some further Instances of Form in the Arm
63. Movements of the Wrist and Hand
64. Details of the Form of the Wrist
65. Tendons at the Wrist
66. The Hand
67. The Form of the Fingers
68. The Thumb
69. The Proportions of the Upper Limb
70. The Bones of the Hip and Lower Limb
71. The Muscles of the Lower Limb
72. Remarks upon the Muscles of the Lower Limb
73. The Hip
74. The Thigh
75. The Knee
76. Drawing the Leg
77. The Ankle and Foot
78. General Remarks upon the Lower Limb
79. The Effect of Gravitation on the Flesh
80. Obliquity of Certain Details of Form
81. Pose and Gesture
82. The Gracefulness of Woman
83. The Hair

DRAPERY

84. Points and Surfaces of Support
85. The Summits or Cords of the Drapery
86. Various Kinds of Drapery