Oil Pastel Wooden Figures

Proportion is a Principle of Design. Proportion is about the size of one object in relation to another object. It's often used in the context of drawing people. For example, you have to know the proportion of the arm size relative to the body size. 

One way to practice people when you're first getting started is to use wooden mannequins!

Note: If you are completing this assignment at home, you could use colored pencils or paint instead of oil pastels. You just need to have at least 3 different colors.

 

Step 1: Pose a wooden mannequin or find a photo of one online.

Make sure you can see the shadows clearly, like in this picture.

Step 2: Sketch what you see in pencil. You can draw the whole body, or just the top half.

Pay attention to proportions: for example, the torso is bigger than the head, and the hands are down by the thighs.

 

Step 3: Choose three colors – one light/white, one medium, and one dark/black.

For this drawing, the light is a light yellow, the medium is a dark yellow, and the dark is red.

 

Wherever you see light clearly shining on the wooden mannequin, fill in those areas with your light color.

Fill in the rest of the body with your medium color.

Add your dark color wherever you see shadows.

 

Step 4: Background. This step is only mandatory If you are using oil pastels, because your background will probably be very smudged and dirty at this point.

Fill in the background however you’d like – solid color, pattern, or a more detailed scene. Make sure to use a contrasting color so your mannequin doesn’t blend into the background.

Success Criteria:

1. Draw at least half of a wooden mannequin using correct proportions
2. Color using three values (light, medium, and dark)
3. Fill in your background with contrasting colors

Review Book Success Criteria:

• Draw a person or a wooden mannequin using correct proportions