Y8 Human Form Manga, Japanese ‘Ukiyo-e’ prints and the human form.

Proportions of the body – ‘Vitruvian Man’ – Leonardo da Vinci Da Vinci used ‘Vitruvian Man’ as a symbol to represent the height and width of the human body using the head length as a suitable measurement. We can use this artistic diagram to help us get our drawings of the human body in proportion today

Male/female/child proportions

Using head lengths to help you draw a real human! The ‘average human’ is around 7 head lengths tall, although many artists use 8 head lengths to make people look more ‘regal’ or statuesque. If this were the case, your ‘average’ human would be 7 feet tall!

Life Drawing Using one of your group of 4 as a model draw the following poses: Full body – standing straight up Sitting on the edge of a table Leaning on a table. Swap the roles of ‘model’ and artist, so that everyone poses and everyone has a chance to draw. Aims: Draw the figure in proportion using ‘head lengths’ to help you Try to get the sizes and shapes and positions of the limbs (arms and legs right). Use your biro to check the angles of the limbs. Don’t be worried about making mistakes, your sketchiness will add to the exciting visual quality of your work. By the end of the lesson you should have 3 short sketches in your booklet

Homework Take a picture of a figure in movement e.g. in an action pose for your next lesson. You can bring it in on a USB and print it off in school, or it to yourself. Try to do this before the lesson to save time. Make sure the image is clear as we are going to be drawing from it.

The figure in movement As figures rarely stand still, unless they pose for us, artists often represent them in movement or in action

Drawing a figure in an action pose Sketch out the basic outline, notice where the ‘weight’ of the figure is e.g. Are they leaning, weight on one arm or leg? Add tonal shading using directional mark-making to show the form of the body

Edweard Muybridge – Capturing the figure in motion via photography &feature=related Muybridge - Walking figure Muybridge - Movement

Marcel Duchamp – ‘Nude descending a staircase’ Unless we ‘freeze frame’ the figure, we would have to paint to show the figure in movement, or motion.

Drawing a figure in ‘motion’

The figure in movement Using the sheets and split pins, make a poseable card mannequin. Put your mannequin in a ‘starting’ pose and use as a template to draw around in a ‘motion’ pose. Move the figure around slightly and draw again, slightly overlapping the first. Keep doing this until you have a complete action e.g. Kicking a football. Use oil pastels in 3 colours to show the form of the figure, blend to make subtle gradations of colour. Try to make

Japanese ‘Ukiyo-e’/’Surimono’ prints (‘Pictures of the Floating World’/’A printed thing’) Find and print off a suitable image:

Produce a careful watercolour of a Japanese figure Carefully pencil out the outline of your chosen figure. Get the proportions right. Check the angles with your pencil of the limbs. Wet the background ONLY, leave the figure dry. Using ‘wet on wet’ (wet paper, wet paint) apply a subtle wash to the background to create a Japanese ‘ombre’ (shadow painted) effect. Now carefully paint the figure. Using tracing paper to get the shapes right, add elements of the Japanese patterned paper to give your figure an Oriental feel. Choose a colour to contrast/clash/match with you chosen colour scheme.

Manga/Anime: How does this art form reference traditional Japanese prints? Homework: Find an image of a Manga/Anime character you like. This will help you design your own character for your Japanese influenced press print.

Design an action figure/character Using the images of contemporary Manga figures e.g. Facial features, hairstyles and costumes and your own ‘action’ photos, design a manga character. You can also reference traditional Japanese ukiyo-e if you’d prefer. This will be the figure in your final print, so consider how it will look carefully. Don’t make it too small as you will be tracing it to provide the basis of a print. Use two colours + black to shade your figure. Black will form the basis of the outline, as the traditional woodblock prints were created and this will be added last.

Japanese prints have subtle tonality about them You are going to print some backgrounds with foam board and printing inks which show careful colour blending using rollers. These will be the backdrop for your figure.

In groups of four, you are going to print some backgrounds for your figure. You will need to do AT LEAST 8 prints. Carefully roller the inks onto your foamboard tile. Where you want the second colour, carefully blend with a third roller. Make sure the rollers stay in their own ink tray. Wash the roller you have used to blend the colours after using. Put your prints on the drying rack, taking care not to overlap them or they will stick together. Each person should have TWO prints. Put your name and form on them.

Printing using wooden blocks Each colour is added, from the background to the foreground as a layer. As the print dries, another layer is added onto of the first.

Using reduction printing You first print should be the lightest of the three you have chosen. Treat this as a background colour on your figure, which you will build up the other colour + black. You may just want to carefully cut out your figure with a scalpel/scissors and print the whole figure in your choice of lightest colour. Carefully decide where you want to position your figure on your background and ink your foamboard plate. When you have your prints, leave them to dry taking care not to overlap them on the drying rack. Wash your tile carefully, dry it and then press in using a biro all the bits you want to stay the lightest colour.

Do the same with the other colours... Mount your two prints onto paper. Use the guillotine to get rid of the edges Collage/draw into the least successful print, keeping your better one to show the process. Homework Write a short evaluation of how you made the prints, your inspiration for making them and how well they turned out. What would you change about it if you did it again? What were you inspired by?