D R AW I N G P R O G R A M

Figure Drawing Phase I:

Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

OVERVIEW
In this exercise, you will begin to use a variety of approaches derived from studying the previous three
mannequins. This mannequin is more heavily derived from anatomical landmarks and is a nice intro-
duction to breaking down the figure for quick sketch, figure invention, etc... Spend a fair amount of
time sketching from the material provided. I know this will be a bit advanced if you have not gone
through at least basic anatomy. You will want to cross reference your anatomy as you start that dis-
cipline to see where and how it has been embellished in design of this mannequin.
Good luck and concentrate, stay present and enjoy.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 1
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

MATERIALS
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charcoal pencil
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charcoal-friendly paper
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SETTING UP
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Suggested Reading:
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‡How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way
Stan Lee, John Buscema
‡Figure Drawing Design and Invention
Michael Hampton
‡The Best of Wizard Basic Training
How to Draw: Character Creation
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Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 2
1
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

ASSIGNMENT 6: ADVANCED MANNEQUIN—SPIDERMAN

This assignment introduces you to the fourth and last mannequin you will study in this course.
This is more heavily designed around anatomy, so stay focused.

Part 1: Watch the video demonstrations.

Part 2: Copy the various poses provided starting with the one on the video.

1) I would suggest first using the Conte charcoal pencil to do these various poses.

2) Next, try them in pencil on vellum or a similar surface and then ballpoint pen.

3) Once you have tackled these poses, attempt to try some memory work.

Part 3: Try these additional exercises:

1) Place tracing paper over good, nude photo reference, and try to create this mannequin
over them.

2) Take poses from comic artists like Frank Frazetta, John Buscema, Alex Ross to
mention a few, and repeat the above.

3) Try to create various dynamic poses from memory!

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

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 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

- TIP -
When drawing this man-
nequin, notice how I draw
through the forms and not
around them. Use a very
light, thin line when doing
the lay-in. Don’t commit
value, keep it light and thin.
Try not to get caught up in
needless information. Relax
your arm, use your whole
arm. You may need to try
this several times before
really getting the pose, the
distribution of weight, and
the subtle nuances. Notice
mine is not literal but rather
a very accurate interpre-
tation. Take note of where I
alter things. I have included
numerous other breakdowns,
the others done with grap-
hite. Start by doing them all
in charcoal before going into
graphite!

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 4
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

- TIP -
Here we are approaching the
back of the advanced spider-
man mannequin. Pay attention
to how the geometric forms
lock together. This takes us
back to the simplified geomet-
ric exercises we explored in
the first workbook. It is not a
bad idea to go back and review
this section. The nice thing
about these mannequin
drawings is the fact that you
are getting additional practice
with spheres, ellipses, cones,
cylinders, box forms while
drawing a very dynamic figure.
This should be a lot more
enjoyable. Remember to let
your arm relax, no death grip
on the pencil, and work from
your wrist, elbow, and shoul-
der. As you add more advanced
concepts such as the abstrac-
tion, you will be able to merge
these various methods.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 5
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

- TIP -
With this straight-on view,
you can really see the propor-
tional relationships. Reflect
back on this section of your
workbooks to refresh your
memory. In time, you will
develop an intuitive under-
standing of the various length
and width relationships of one
part of the body to another.
As you are probably starting
to observe, we are constantly
cross-referencing all of the
previous concepts as we move
forward. This will always be
the case. Although sometimes
it is hard to see this, it is why
it’s so important that you do
not skip sections if at all
possible. While some sections
will be more engaging than
others, try to find enjoyment
in all of them.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 6
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

- TIP -
You may find the action poses
more challenging than the
more upright front and back
poses. As you venture into a
system of drawing navigation,
in a few lessons you can start
to incorporate this. The key to
all of this is dotting your “I”s
and crossing your “T”s as the
old expression goes. Many
times you will discover a new
piece of information I intro-
duce you to only to wonder
why I didn’t expose you to it
earlier. This will always be the
difficulty in learning some-
thing like drawing and,
ultimately, painting. You can’t
get everything to you instan-
taneously. So, as a result you
must cultivate a great deal of
patience. I have spent the
better part of my life trying to
streamline this process. Be
patient, you are in good hands.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 7
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 8
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 9
1
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 10
1
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 11
1
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Figure Drawing Phase I:
Basic Figure Construction—
Advanced Mannequin—Spiderman

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 12
1