The female silhouette is a popular drawing sketch created by both professional and novice artists. Not requiring clear drawing of facial features and breast shape, it allows you to depict the silhouette of a walking or standing girl with her back to the ground with long or short hair using minimal technical means and professional skills.
Drawing tools
Before starting a drawing lesson, professionals advise novice artists to purchase the materials they need for their work:
| Materials for drawing | Characteristic |
| Graphite pencils of varying degrees of hardness | Pencils are a basic tool, differentiated depending on the degree of softness into: · H – a hard pencil designed to create the outline and auxiliary lines of a drawing; · HB – medium-hard lead used for shading; · 2B – a soft pencil used for outlining the main lines of the sketch. |
| Sharpener or stationery knife | They help to achieve the sharpness of the pencil lead and should be made of sharp and durable materials. |
| Eraser | To draw, you will need a regular office eraser and a kneaded eraser. Unlike a regular eraser, you do not erase the pencil with a kneaded eraser, but rather lightly press it against those parts of the drawing that you want to lighten, as a result, particles of graphic material stick to the kneaded eraser without smearing the drawing. |
| Paper | Special drawing paper or a sheet of Whatman paper of size A4 or A3 that is strong enough to create a drawing. It is not recommended to use office paper for pencil sketching. |
Drawing supplies can be purchased at any stationery or art store.
Experts recommend using the following for creating pencil sketches:
- A set of slate pencils from popular brands "KOH-I-NOOR", "VISTA-ARTISTA", "FABER CASTELL". The products are made of high-quality materials, have high-quality and soft wood for sharpening and are ideal for drawing. Each set contains pencils of varying degrees of hardness, sold at a price of 150 rubles.
- Special drawing paper from the manufacturers "VISTA-ARTISTA", "TEENAGERS" or "PALAZZO". Thick sheets of paper are placed in a special album, have a high density and are suitable for drawing not only with a pencil, but also with charcoal, liner and ink. The cost of the album is about 450 rubles.
- A kneaded eraser made of special easily creased cleaning rubber, which has a dough-like consistency and high adsorbing properties. The eraser size is 4.5 x 3.5 x 1 cm and is produced by the companies "VISTA-ARTISTA", "KOH-I-NOOR HARDTMUTH" and "CRETA COLOR" at a price of 106 rubles.
Maintaining body parameters
The silhouette of a girl from the back should be depicted in strict accordance with the proportions of the human body.
The unit of measurement in this case is the human head:
- When determining the parameters of growth, it is necessary to start from the height of the woman's head, and then multiply this value by 9. Also, when depicting a person, it is necessary to remember that his height is divided in half at the point of the pubic symphysis.
- The width of the shoulders in the drawing should be 1.5 times the height of the head.
- The size of the pelvic bones of the depicted girl is directly proportional to the width of the shoulder, and the height of the hips should be located slightly lower than the height of the head.
- The waist measurement in the figure should be equal to the head width value.
- The distance between the base of the sternum and the hip joint is equal to 1/2 the height of the head.
The main task when depicting a female silhouette, according to professionals, is the correct depiction of the pelvis shape. In women, it is slightly wider than in men and is turned at a greater angle. The female rib cage in the drawing should be slightly tilted back, and the stomach should be located between it and the pelvic area.
When choosing a method of conveying the female body, experts advise beginning artists to remember that:
- the lines in the drawing should be smooth;
- The body shape needs to be rounded with slight muscle definition.
Proportions
A full-length depiction of a female silhouette is impossible without observing the following proportions:
- The central axis in the drawing should depict the spine and is drawn straight or at a slight angle (depending on the position of the silhouette).
- The female torso is schematically depicted as an inverted triangle, slightly elongated towards the pelvic area. Experts do not recommend depicting it very short or massive to add elegance to the female image.
- The hip area in the drawing is depicted using a circle or an inverted triangle, with crossed lines (legs) coming out of it. When depicting the pelvic area in the form of a circle, it should go beyond the bottom of the upper triangle, which denotes the torso.
After distributing the indicated landmarks on the sheet, they need to be carefully connected with smooth, rounded lines, allowing the figure created on the sheet to acquire the features of a female body. At the next stage, you need to start creating the limbs, making them so that the length of the arms is below the groin area.
Master classes
Professionals advise depicting a girl's silhouette from the back using smooth lines, without sharp strokes and with strict adherence to the proportions of the female figure.
In a dress
- At the first stage of the image of a girl standing with her back to the ground with long hair, barefoot and in a light summer dress, you should draw the skeleton - the basis of the drawing. The head is depicted here using a circle, and the upper and lower parts of the body - inverted, pointed triangles. At the bottom of the upper (chest) triangle in the drawing there will be arms, which allows you to depict it without a pointed base. The head should be connected to the chest triangle with an inclined line (spine). Upon completion of the lower (pelvic triangle), 2 small, pointed triangles are drawn to form the legs.
- Having created the silhouette of the girl, you can begin to gradually draw the details. Having divided the circumference of the head in half, one of its parts should be divided by a strip separating the forehead area from the nose and lips, and then, using pointed lines, you should draw the contours of the face in profile: the nose area, lips and chin. Above the dividing line on the face, you need to draw an eyebrow, and below - an eye resembling a triangle in its shape. Finish working with the face by adjusting the shape of the mouth, nose and eyebrows. Depending on the artist's work, the girl's face will acquire a smiling, thoughtful or mysterious look that does not express any emotions.
- The next stage is drawing the woman's hairstyle. Moving from the base of the face, the novice artist should draw the girl's long hair and part of the shoulders covering it with clear lines. Using strokes of different lengths, strands are created along the entire length of the hair, adding volume and realism to the hairstyle.
- Next comes the design of the upper (chest) part of the drawing, which consists of drawing the shoulders, neck, arms and back of the girl. She keeps her hands closed, so they need to be designed in the form of small triangles. Around the silhouette of the girl, you need to draw a dress with pointed, straight lines, and use hatching to draw folds on it. Smooth lines around the pointed part of the lower (pelvic) triangle draw the girl's legs.
- The heels and toes are drawn with strokes. Using a kneaded eraser, erase all auxiliary lines and outline the main parts of the female silhouette with a soft pencil (2B).
- If desired, the picture can be decorated with paints or colored pencils.
In shorts
The silhouette of a girl from the back is created using smooth lines with the obligatory observance of the slope of the chest:
- Using a circle and curved lines, you need to create the basis of the girl's face and chest.
- Using a hard (H) pencil, you need to draw the girl's shoulders, neck and buttocks on the silhouette. In the area between the chest and pelvis, the woman's slightly convex belly is formed in the drawing.
- The head circumference needs to be divided into 2 parts, drawing the area of the ears and chin, and also adding part of the forearm to the female silhouette.
- After drawing the silhouette, you need to start creating the girl’s clothes, drawing lines for the top, shorts and headscarf.
- On the female silhouette, the girl’s arms and back are drawn with small strokes, and then the artist begins to draw her face: the mouth, eyes, and lips of the character.
- At the final stage of the work, the already drawn contours are processed with strokes, and then the drawing is outlined with a pencil with a soft lead (2B). All auxiliary lines are erased with a kneaded eraser.
In jeans
- The silhouette of a girl from the back must be correctly placed on a piece of paper with straight lines indicating the contours of the female body (the spine, shoulders, and arms of the girl).
- The girl depicted in the picture moves slowly, wears trousers and has long hair, and to create her image it is necessary to draw a female silhouette with smooth lines, draw hair, a semicircle of arms and legs.
- On the resulting sketch, you need to apply the silhouette details, drawing the waist, buttocks and arms of the character being depicted.
- Using strokes, you need to design the girl's clothes, strands of hair, and folds that form on the T-shirt when she walks.
At the ballet barre
The silhouette of a girl from the back, standing at a ballet barre, should be made with strict observance of the body proportions, with special attention to the details of the drawing:
- At the first stage of the work, you need to draw parts of the future silhouette of the girl: circles will indicate the girl's head and hair; lines are used to draw the character's shoulders, arms and legs, with the obligatory indication of the joint area with dots; the triangle demonstrates the pelvic area in the drawing.
- Straight lines should be used to connect the parts of the drawing, creating a sketch of the girl's body. Particular attention should be paid to the waist area, as well as the size of the pelvic area and shoulders.
- Using an eraser, you need to remove all the auxiliary lines on the drawing, and outline its contour with a pencil with a medium-hard lead (HB). After depicting the silhouette, you need to schematically depict a ballet barre with rectangular lines.
- After creating the silhouette, you can begin drawing the details of the drawing. Particular attention should be paid here when depicting the hairstyle, which requires using strokes to depict the hanging curls and the girl's hair gathered on the crown.
- The girl standing at the ballet barre is dressed in a short T-shirt, shorts and socks, created with light, sharp, elbow-length strokes.
- At the final stage, all auxiliary details of the drawing should be removed with an eraser, and the contours of the drawing should be highlighted with a pencil with a soft (2B) lead.
Ready.
Hair image
The silhouette of a girl from the back requires from the beginning artist special skill in conveying the beauty of hair falling on the shoulders or flowing.
When drawing hair, you need to consider:
- How exactly they are illuminated. In most cases, the roots of the hair are in shadow and shaded by a highlight located at some distance from them. To indicate this, the hatching located along the edges is used in the drawing.
- How the hair is arranged. Small strands in the drawing need to be combined into larger ones, and then their lighting depicted. Also, when drawing hair with a soft pencil, darker, shadow areas are highlighted, allowing you to give the drawing volume and realism.
- Their structure, volume and smoothness, as well as the direction of hair growth, which allows you to make the drawing more realistic.
When drawing hair, you should not draw every strand.
Experts recommend that when depicting a woman's hairstyle, only show its general texture, and use pencils of different hardness for shading:
- hard ones are needed to indicate hair reflected by highlights in the light parts of the hairstyle;
- Soft leads are used to darken hair.
Experts recommend drawing strands with long and clear strokes, for which the beginning artist should rest his hand with a pencil on the elbow while drawing.
Long
When drawing long hair you need to:
- Depict them in motion (as if they were blown up by the wind). This technique will add volume and dynamism to a woman's hairstyle.
- Pay close attention to how exactly the hair is styled depending on its structure. Curly hair is depicted as more voluminous and stiff. Straight hair should flow smoothly around the female body in the drawing.
- To complete the look, long hair is divided into separate strands using strokes.
Short
Short hair in the picture:
- individual hairs or strands may stick out from the hairstyle;
- It is necessary to shade around the roots or face, giving them additional volume.
Shoulder line image
The silhouette of a girl from the back assumes full or partial closure of the head shape and maximum highlighting of the shoulder line. In order to determine its location, it is necessary to start from the visible line created by the clavicle bones, below which is the triangular outline of the shoulders created by the trapezius muscle. Since the muscles lie on top of the human skeleton in the drawing, it is recommended to first indicate the clavicle line, and then complement it with the trapezius muscle.
When drawing a figure from the back, you should start from the point where the collarbone meets the acromial process of the scapula. In some people, the shoulder angle can straighten significantly in this area, making it easier to find the shoulder line. In order to find the shoulder line, these points must be connected on both shoulders using a straight line or an arc.
What to consider when drawing
The silhouette of a girl from the back is considered by artists to be an easier version of the depiction of the female body, which does not require careful drawing of facial features, chest and hair.
When working on an image, a novice artist should take into account some nuances:
- The drawing should indicate the width of the girl's shoulders and back, and the overall shape of the body should resemble an elongated triangle. Neglecting this rule can lead to the creation of an overly massive female body.
- In the central part of the back there is a vertical spine, drawn with a solid line or several strokes.
- On the back, at the level of the arms, the shoulder blades should be drawn in strokes. Depending on the constitution of the girl being depicted, they should stand out strongly or barely noticeably on her body.
- The girl's back and shoulders can be covered by curls scattered over her shoulders, requiring careful drawing with strokes.
The silhouette of a girl standing with her back turned is a popular pencil sketch that requires artists to strictly adhere to the proportions of the female body. Considered by fine art professionals to be an easier version of depicting the female body, the drawing does not require the need for precise drawing of facial features and is done with light, elbow strokes, smooth, rounded lines that allow one to convey the grace and features of the female body structure.
Video on how to draw a silhouette of a girl from the back
How to draw a girl from the back: