Which bits of the body do you draw first?

[Tiplodocus]

As I embark on pulling down the ceiling of our family room, Tiny Tips is drawing dragons.

They are big things and he was wondering:

When drawing a complicated figure, some of which will be obscured in the final image, do you work from back to front or front to back?

(We are talking pencil and paper here)

[CrazyFoxMachine]

Face. Always start with the face.

[mygrimmbrother]

What CFM said. Sometimes I loosely sketch out the shape of the whole head first, other times I leap right in and just start with the eyes.

[Darren Stephens]

I allways start with a rough head shape, then a sort of wire frame body/arms n legs, just to get the proportions looking correct. Then back up to do the face! 

[davethomson]

I start with the torso because Burne Hogarths book told me to.

[uncle fester]

Start with whatever bit is telling 'the story' the most.

[House of Usher]

Tits

[NeilFord]

An old pro once told me to start with the feet. Seems to work, whenever I actually remember to do it. Otherwise, the eyes, which i generally have to go back and correct in anycase... so I really should give the feet thing a proper go.

[flip-r mk2]

I rough out the figure starting with the head and then start penciling the facial features,finish the head and work down the way.



filip

[Buttonman]

A big fat hairy spunking cock on someone's chemistry book is where my anatomic drawing began.

[uncle fester]

Ah but did you start with the balls?

[Kerrin]

...or the eye?

[Dark Jimbo]

Eyes for me, then the face around them, then pretty much working downward.

[Tiplodocus]

Bang goes any chance i had of showing this thread to a ten year old.

[Lee Bates]

Bang goes any chance i had of showing this thread to a ten year old.

To be fair, your sig is inviting trouble.

If I've got a definite composition in mind, I usually rough out the whole image in big geometric shapes, then gradually add more and more detail.

If I'm just sketching or messing about I usually start with eyes.