PROPORTIONS OF THE FIGURE.
A few conventional rules for the general proportions of the face and figure may be found useful to the student in drawing from life, and are regulated according to the standard of beauty as determined by the Greek statues. Such proportions will naturally vary in individual cases, yet are valuable as a foundation, which may be modified when necessary.
The height of a well developed man is eight heads or eight times the length of his own head.
The height of a woman, seven heads.
The human figure may be divided into four parts of equal length, viz.: from the top of the head to the arm-pit, thence to the middle of the body, thence to the knees, thence to the soles of the feet.
The arms extended straight out at right angles to the body will measure from finger-tip to finger-tip the length of the figure from crown of head to sole of foot.
The face may be divided into three parts. From the top of the forehead to the root of the nose; from there to the bottom of the nose, thence to the bottom of the chin. The ear is the length of the nose, and its general direction is parallel to it.
From the top of the shoulder to the elbow measures twice the length of the face, or one head and a half.
From the elbow to the wrist one head.
The hand measures three-quarters of a head from the tip of the middle finger to the wrist.
The foot measures one-sixth of the whole length of the body.