Week 4: Foreshortening and Oblique Angles- Finished Sketch

This drawing is a 30 minute finished pencil sketch of a skeleton set-up to signify foreshortening and oblique angles. A low vantage point was chosen to establish perspective as the skeleton foreshortens from the hips to the skull. The main focus was on how it foreshortens within oblique angles, particularly emphasised within the rib-cage area. The vantage point also creates and interesting line for the viewer to follow up the skeleton. The spine also contains an interesting curve which balances the tonal values and the depth of each bone as they become foreshortened the closer to the skull they are.

The shading in this drawing, particularly around the skull and rib-cage, helps represent the direction of the light in the room and how this develops foreshortening further. It really helps define the difference in distance by signifying to the viewer where the light is hitting and where it isn't. It also helps shape the skeleton, especially on the skull where indents are slightly visible due to the lighting.

The skeletons lack of legs represents bad practice as this loses some of the foreshortening the rest of the skeleton would have introduced. With overcompensating on the rest of the upper body the legs would have been out of proportion, and were left out which may have slightly degraded the image.