Chapter 1 | GROWN OR SHRUNK?

A draftsman can work magic with proportions: he/she can make something or someone seem gigantic by drawing the world around it relatively small or vice versa. The result can be funny, dreamy or creepy.

In the following examples I have chosen the combination of an animal and a human figure. The frog, the ant and the snail have grown enormously or the human figure has shrunk incredibly.

Exercise: Draw two figures/objects next to each other (animals, people, objects, buildings). One of the two has grown or shrunk gigantically. Use one of these simplified animals if you want.

Suggestion: This lesson can also be done in the collage technique. See the lesson Collage, level 3. Instead of drawing everything, you work with cut-out photos.

Creating an environment

In my previous examples, the animals and the human figure are each time drawn next to each other. In the following example, a whole environment has been created: parts of the rabbit are hidden/overlapped by a car, a ladder and a house. The skyscraper on the left is half behind the rabbit. This gives the drawing depth.

In my last example I first drew the basic shape of a turtle as lightly as possible. Then I drew the mountains in front of and behind. I erased the lines of the turtle that were still visible behind the mountains. The added buildings and the boat emphasize the gigantic size of the turtle. Perhaps this turtle was on its way to the sea and has finally arrived.

EXTRA: draw an animal that appears incredibly huge because of an environment that you draw not only next to it but also in front of and behind it.