Foreshortening in art: essential advice

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Foreshortening in art is a very difficult technique to master. In this article, we're going to walk you through exactly what foreshortening is, and show you how to create believably foreshortened images. It's a technique that every artist has struggled with since its first reported use by Florentine artist Fillipo Brunelleshi, back in 1415, so if you're having trouble with foreshortening then you’re in good company. 

Luckily, there are a few easy steps to follow that will help you get to grips with the basic principals of foreshortening. We'll go through these in this article. We'll also show you a few drawing techniques that will help you ‘sculpt’ your subject’s dimensions using pencil or brush. At the backbone of foreshortening is perspective –take a look at our article on one-point perspective for more information on that.

To hone your skills further, check out out guide to the art techniques you need to know or our roundup of how to draw tutorials.

What is foreshortening in art?

If you’re having trouble portraying depth in your drawings and paintings then chances are you’re struggling with something called foreshortening. Foreshortening is all about realistically conveying three dimensions in a 2D medium by showing objects moving away from the viewer. Being able to accurately draw objects receding in space will make your drawings and paintings more realistic and help pull your viewer in to the scene you want to set.

Figure drawing is a common place to encounter foreshortening problems

We’re going to look at foreshortening in the environment most people first come across it: the life drawing class. We'll focus on a figure reclining in strong foreshortening to really push this theory, but the same techniques can be used whatever your subject might be.

Foreshortening techniques to try

In the next steps we'll outline a couple of techniques to help you bring flesh to the bones of your construction drawings. Experiment and see what works best for you. As long as you have a strong foundation to build upon you shouldn’t go far wrong. If you do find things are looking wrong, go back to your main large shapes and make sure they’re 100 per cent accurate.

Whichever technique you go for, a good working knowledge of human anatomy can really come in helpful. Take a look at our anatomy masterclass to help you get started. We'd also recommend investing in a good anatomy book like Anatomy for the Artist by Sarah Simblet or Gray’s Anatomy (take a look at our guide to the best figure drawing books for more options). The greater your understanding of how the human form is constructed the easier you’ll find foreshortening.

01. The geometry technique

Break the form into simple geometric shapes

Breaking the human form down into simple geometric shapes can be really helpful when you’re trying to get your head around anatomy, especially in a foreshortened perspective. Image the limbs are tapering cylinders and the torso is a selection of cuboids. Also try and imagine how these geometric shapes fit together and fit accordingly. Once you have these simple shapes in place and the proportions are working it can be a simple matter of knocking off the edges to reveal your human form underneath.

02. The coil (or spiral) technique

The lines of the spiral should follow your figure's contours

The coil (or spiral), technique is all about building three dimensions by drawing form through the application of concentric eclipses, or spirals, that follow the contours of your subject. It's definitely best to use a pencil quite lightly when applying this technique as it can become rather messy and you’ll need to do a fair bit of rubbing out. 

When describing form that is vertical or horizontal the coils will appear almost flat, or as simple lines. As soon as the form moves away from you or towards you then the coils open up, morphing from lines into eclipses and on into near circles before flattening off again when the form changes direction. It's a great technique for feeling out your form.

Read more:

• How to draw a figure 
• The best pencils for colouring, drawing and sketching
• The best drawing apps for iPad

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