Tutorial: Proportions by Cataclysm-X

As promised, because I love you people:

My proportions tutorial!

Since every drawing is unique, I explained the techniques I used. It's up to you to practice them, yay!

You know... sometimes it makes me wonder why I keep posting tutorials since there are still a couple of people out there who say "I give people false hope" or "everything's fake anyway".

But when I read all the comments of fellow artists, e-mails of art students or people who just happened to come across my gallery and private notes of people who are happy to see my tutorials and find them really useful, I just melt!

And you know what? Even some art teachers are using my tutorials for school assignments after they've asked for my permission, lol!

What a strange world we live in.

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It's a shame I just don't have the time to publish my art book yet, but someday I will...

Have fun everyone and keep up the good work!
If there are any questions left, please feel free to note me about it!

Watch my other tutorials here!
1. Eye tutorial
2. Nose tutorial
3. Hair tutorial
4. Shading & Blending tutorial
5. Drawing Progress tutorial
6. Detailed Hair part 1
7. Detailed Hair part 2
8. Editing Drawings <-- got a Daily Deviation!
9. Drawing Materials
10. Male Lips tutorial
11. Female Lips Tutorial

RWright6532 Featured By Owner Jan 3, 2018 Student General Artist

Pleaaase don’t stop tutorials. You are amazing for ding this. Tytyty!!!

OneFromNorthKarelia Featured By Owner May 25, 2015

I've understood, that Leonardo da Vinci would have used grids and shapes when he designed Mona Lisa and his other paintings

fireytika Featured By Owner Mar 30, 2015 Professional General Artist

Thank you so much~!!^^

AlmaUralt Featured By Owner Sep 28, 2014

Thank your so much for this! I tried out the mirror and the shapes technique and they've been incredibly helpful!

Griffinchef Featured By Owner Oct 29, 2013 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

I believe talent (in art) is only the ability to enjoy the long processes involved in making art. Your work is beautiful and your tutorials are incredibly helpful. Thank you so much for your time and patience, you have a passion that is contagious.

NicoleLaneArt Featured By Owner Oct 23, 2013 Professional Traditional Artist

I am musing to myself about your tutorials and how even here people think you are talented. I say I use Free hand and lining, but I also use one similar to the shape method you describe and one other that isnt on here, and that is called Boxing in.
Maybe we could swap Ideas sometime. I really enjoy your drawings.
Anyways, Even with a proven method and practice people still refer to your hard work as talent. Do we call a doctor talented when s/he learns to keep a steady hand and has spent years learning his/her craft? I sure hope not because my life may well be in his/her hands. But with artist, I keep getting told its a talent...I wonder why that is?

MorningMacchiato Featured By Owner Sep 15, 2013

They didn't teach this in art class. ;D

D-Shot247 Featured By Owner Aug 17, 2013

Take no notice of those who say its a False hope?.. Hope, self belief, and a love to draw and create drives us and lessons from someone with your talent is inspiring which gives us new hope and a desire to perfect and aspire to your level to create something as to be proud of we may never get to your level but we will get better and be able to be proud of our improvement

ShakeyPaul Featured By Owner Jul 27, 2013 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

Great tutorial

thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and skills.

Teebag180 Featured By Owner Jul 3, 2013 Hobbyist General Artist

I find your tutorials very interesting. Sorry to read your note that people leave bad comments. These type of drawings take commitment, patience, effort and practice.

You also don't claim they people can draw such brilliant pictures straight away. so that is NOT false hope.

I expect those that say you offer false hope are just not trying hard enough and give up straight away! And are more committed to putting others down than practicing your tutorials

They also have the option to leave your page and search elsewhere.

Please don't give up! I'm positive many, many, many, MANY more people will support you and I hope this message gives you some hope that people out there do appreciate your efforts!!!!

sujithadr Featured By Owner May 28, 2013 Student Artisan Crafter

great tutorial

UtsukushiiAhiru Featured By Owner Apr 21, 2013 Student Filmographer

you are so amazingly talented and helpful! thank you so much!

startraveller776 Featured By Owner Apr 13, 2013 Hobbyist General Artist

This is great. Thank you so much!

jazmocamp Featured By Owner Mar 5, 2013 Professional General Artist

Nicolien, I was checking out some of David Desbois work and it was a tutorial on shading and proportion (all that color and layers! don't know how he does it!) I'll stick with my pencils for another decade or so. Anyway, he refereced your tutorial with a link, which I thought was really cool and besides I spent a day downloading and faving all of your tutorials awhile back. Studying every one and of course overloading my brain with too much info! Some how, I missed this one! This is so great! I love how you discussed these five techniques together. I had seen the grid idea mentioned and used it on a few drawings and after kinda altering that technique to save time I always wondered, am I doing things correctly? I love your tips at the bottom, they are so valuable and this now gives me a complete set of Tutorials by you! Thank you so much for giving to others.

Riemea Featured By Owner Feb 14, 2013 Hobbyist General Artist

Thanks for making this! I featured this very helpful tutorial here

plastic-geektastic Featured By Owner Jan 22, 2013

This is a lot of help thanks so much!

Dj94 Featured By Owner Jan 18, 2013 Student General Artist

I usually hate using guides and such, but this one was extremely useful! I almost gave up on a portrait of a friend... thank you very much! ♥

dreamerboyfreak Featured By Owner Jan 6, 2013 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

i do it too! the mirroring i mean...

thanks for sharing!

Painirl Featured By Owner Jan 6, 2013 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

Thank you, you are very kind and very generous indeed.

aqvavitae Featured By Owner Dec 24, 2012

Cool!

EldalinSkywalker Featured By Owner Dec 9, 2012 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

This is very interesting! Personally I have never used anything but the freehand technique. I am self taught, perhaps that's the reason. I tried using a grid two years ago, but found it impossible to work with, erased it and finished the drawing freehand haha. I never start with the eyes though. In fact, they're the last thing I draw. I start with the jaw, then mouth, nose, eyesbrows, hair and then eyes (outlines only on all of those). But most people do start with the eyes, I think. Anyway, thanks for sharing!

wolfgirl17946 Featured By Owner Oct 28, 2012 Hobbyist Artist

"My Katie drawing doesn't look okay anymore after it's mirrored"
Yeah, and I'm not a human being. If I could draw your mirrored Katie, I would have accomplished my goal in life.

Theres-is Featured By Owner Oct 10, 2012 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

I my old days I am allowed to learn drawing - thank's to you! It is so fun to look at your humorous descriptions! Thanks so much![link]

jessicassketchbook Featured By Owner Sep 26, 2012 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

I'm really happy I happened upon this tutorial. I knew the grid technique, but I never had much patience to draw straight lines. At first I was just doing freehand, but I never was totally happy with the proportions. Then I started doing a mix of lines (2) and shapes (3), and now I know that those are actual techniques. I do a lot of measuring with my pencil (or whatever I'm using), too, to compare the reference with my drawing.

YaZaynab Featured By Owner Sep 25, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Thanks. Great tutorials!

Mellime Featured By Owner Sep 16, 2012 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

this is incredibly helpful. I'm giving my first shot at non-free-hand drawing and I'm loving the results. I used the gridding technique, took so little time to get everything right! A realistic drawing was never so fast. Here is the W.I.P: [link]

THANK YOU!

sebastien-baillou Featured By Owner Sep 15, 2012

very strange world^^ you are awesome !

ChinoDT Featured By Owner Sep 4, 2012

Thanks a lot!!!!

great tutorial!!!

LaBelleMelange Featured By Owner Aug 21, 2012 Student General Artist

these are great, thanks

aswell as great techniques and tips there, loving the little inspirational comments

armandoartist Featured By Owner Aug 10, 2012 Professional Traditional Artist

for over 20 years i have drawn with nothing but FREE HAND! i get extremely frustrated and i'm glad there are plenty of better ways and i won't be considered a cheater. In my mind i always felt bad about doing it that way. i can't explain it at this moment. But i will be using all these techniques going forward and many others i see online. thanks for posting this. I see a myself entering a new level.

Civilized-Monster Featured By Owner Aug 8, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

Thank you so much for this, I'll definitely be using this tutorial to improve myself!

George-anims Featured By Owner Jun 29, 2012 Student Filmographer

Awesome! I wonder why my drawings are off, I'm beginner and i free=hand. XD

Devilsbutterfly Featured By Owner Jun 26, 2012 Hobbyist Artist

A M A Z I N G

Pyrovampiress Featured By Owner Jun 3, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Real People are Asymmetrical. Just personal opinion, (I think your a fantastic artist!Way better than me!) I see what you're going for with the mirroring, but I think it's a bad idea. I actually enjoyed your "Normal Katie" better....

artofuldis Featured By Owner May 8, 2012

Mirroring is always useful gives fresh look, so you can see mistakes right away! But for proportions.
I think the easiest way is to use Human Proportion Calculator I am using android App

SPisharam Featured By Owner May 2, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Your Gallery is mindblowing!! Love realistic drawings and you are as close to perfect as I have seen! Your attention to detail is impeccable! All the very best to you for a creative lifetime ahead!
Your tutorials are all amazing! Thanks a lot for sharing! I am trying to get back into drawing full time after a really long hiatus and you give me impetus to want to try harder

Thank You!!

sweetpie2 Featured By Owner Apr 22, 2012 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

Thanks, this will help me alot.

Printed-Shadows Featured By Owner Apr 11, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Wonderful tutorial! Been trying to work on my people for a while now.. that way I don't look like a total people noob in art class next year.

_{Nice car by the way....}

AlexWinterstorm Featured By Owner Feb 19, 2012 Student Traditional Artist

Oh, this is so useful, thank you so much!
I have never had any teacher, i only knew about freehand from... since i got bored at school for the first time and started drawing

And it was frustrating until i saw that it's not cheating if you use some help and this (your tut) is exactly what i needed. Thank you!

Chezzie-B Featured By Owner Feb 6, 2012

Thank you, your tutorials are a great help and your work is exquisite!

gabyta7 Featured By Owner Jan 16, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

thank you a lot, this helps me a lot, right now Im trying to draw a portrait of a baby and his mother as accurately as I can but it is really hard...I just did the sketch and then I went damn how do I continue.

MikolasShadows Featured By Owner Jan 11, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Oh i have so many problems with proportions this will be so helpful. Thanks for creating it.

Gristof Featured By Owner Jan 4, 2012

thanks !

Klatte Featured By Owner Dec 30, 2011 Hobbyist Digital Artist

I have trouble mirroring the drawings

when I use the hand mirror I barely can see the flaws... so I have to flip my drawing and put it to a window with a lot of light to see them

its a bit frustrating ...

tosaanime Featured By Owner Dec 8, 2011 Student Digital Artist

Thank so much, I just start to learn drawing so this help much

thafreeradikal Featured By Owner Nov 14, 2011

Thanks for sharing your knowledge... Now my drawings are going to improve!

katanaswordfish Featured By Owner Nov 7, 2011 General Artist

Thank you for this tutorial! (And all the other great tutorials, also!)

Your work is beautiful and very inspiring.
Even though I've been trying to learn digital painting, looking at your tutorials and your super-refined pencil artwork has been significantly helpful to me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to make and post tutorials. I bet many people who have reached your level of skill wouldn't bother taking the huge amount of time that it takes to help others. So I have to say I really appreciate it!

LoudSkies Featured By Owner Sep 11, 2011 Student Traditional Artist

These tutorials are extremely helpful. It didn't cross my mind that someone might complain. That's just silly. You're not giving false hope, but tools to make us better artists.
Unlike some tutorials, you don't skip any steps, and provide with enough information to follow them. Thank you