I'm working on a drawing now && I really need to learn how to foreshorten things, particularly hands! I think a lesson on foreshortening would be EXTREMELY beneficial, I've always wanted to learn & it's a crucial skill. What do you guys think?

fore·short·en (fôr-shôr'tn, fōr-)
tr.v. fore·short·ened, fore·short·en·ing, fore·short·ens

1.To shorten the lines of (an object) in a drawing or other representation so as to produce an illusion of projection or extension in space.
2.To reduce the length of; curtail or abridge.


In other words, foreshortening is when you look at the end of something, like if the person in the drawing is pointing at you rather than having her hand down, you would have to forshorten her hand. You wouldn't see her whole hand, would you? You would have to draw it how it looks but it's harder than it sounds, or at least it is for me.
Happy drawing

Foreshortening isn't really a technique in art, its more a matter of observation and drawing what you see, as opposed to what you think you see.

when you start to draw an object that is foreshortened your logical side of your brain kicks in and tries to tell you that it is wrong and wants you to draw what it knows the object looks like. You need to be able to over ride that left brain function and let the right side, the creative side, take over and draw exactly what you see.

It takes practice to perfect any drawing technique and the more that you draw the more easy it will become to draw any object and to accept foreshortened objects without skipping a beat.

Do you have a specific image that you're having problems with staciarain? Perhaps if you post it here , I can help you with it.

Either way, it's definitely something I have trouble with. I'm nearly finished with the sketch I was having trouble with - I just skipped having her hand out, but my problem was the feet. They turned out so-so but I'm planning on fixing them. Any tips?

By the way, our scanner sucks - sorry lol

The sketch looks good to me. I think the feet could be a little bigger to balance her more.

Thank you!

By the way I've seen some of your drawings && I love them. Amazing!

staciarain I'm an absolute novice so I can't even pretend to advise you. However I read somewhere that you should be looking at negative spaces - what is not in your picture rather than what is. That way you can be more accurate since the logical side of the brain that Jeanette mentioned would be overruled.


Of course that all sounds easy... when I know it totally isn't.