The Reilly Method

There are many ways to construct a human figure, but two systems in particular are used by many different artists and help form the basis of the human form.

The first method looked at is the Reilly method. Frank Reilly used to be an illustrator and instructor in the 20^th century. He created a system of teaching that enabled students to quickly digest the problems of drawing and painting by giving an abstract view into concepts and defining schematics, building a noteworthy step-by-step course of action to figure drawings.

This system came from several sources, starting with Dean Cornwell and Frank Brangwyn and Frank Vincent DuMond. Reilly’s system became a fashionable method in most of his American art schools. His figure drawing approach is a linear one, starting with the structure of the figure before advancing on to the anatomy, then shading and finally detailing. He started this approach with the core of the figure: The Torso. Capturing the action of the pose is probably the most important concern. The actions begin with the head and then radiates through the spine into the limbs. To begin the drawing you need to make six lines; the head, the centre of the head, the shoulder line, the spine, the line relating the shoulders to the base of the pelvis and finally the line showing the neck and hip relationship. These lines design and define the core pose.

Arms and Legs

Once the core of the pose is established, the arms and legs are attached to complete the action. This simple construction creates the structure of the pose. The anatomy tis the depicted within the structure you have created.

Muscles are woven like a fabric to the skeleton, connected to the bones with tendons. The point when the tendon attaches to the bone is defined as the insertion point. The figure abstraction helps place the major muscle groups into an organised and fluid pattern, making it look relatively simple to invent complex, realistic figures.

Further Fundamentals   

Once you properly understand the figure those 6 basic lines will constantly change and be rearranged to suit every pose and every different situation. The standard set of lines that an artist can start with are just one set of possibilities, a stock that will constantly flex or grow as a new image is created.

All the systems used for drawing are designed for teaching and should be left once the basics are mastered. However too many followed rules can lead to pictorial sterility. It’s important to train and practise as much as possible until the basics become background noise, that way when you draw you can focus fully on the more important aspects of the image.