Lesson 3: Back View of Your Invention

Having successfully bolted the front-view structure of the human figure into your brain, it is time to flip the model entirely. Lesson 3 takes the exact same principles of invention we just mastered and applies them to the complex machinery of the back view.

The proportions remain exactly the same: bisecting lines to locate the crotch and knees.

Translating the Front to the Back

The beauty of the Structure of Man curriculum is that it builds upon itself. Once you know the width of the shoulders and the drop of the pelvis from the front, establishing the back becomes a matter of logic, not guesswork. We utilize the exact same markers: the height of the figure, the crotch line, the knee line, and the bottom of the pectoral muscles.

We establish the top structure quickly by using a simple ball shape for the back of the head.

The Chest Cavity and Rear Pelvis Structure

When drawing the back, the mind initially doesn't know what to do because it cannot see the familiar front landmarks like the clavicle or pectorals. To help the mind understand, we map out the chest cavity based on the invisible front markers. The chest cavity curves smoothly, accommodating the angle where the neck connects to the spine.

Mapping the chest cavity volume cleanly from the rear.

For the pelvis area from the back, we use a similar trick to the front. We take the space between the navel line and the crotch line and divide it into three sections. The topmost section reveals where the "love handles" merge, and the bottom sections perfectly align to anchor the ball joints of the femurs. We don't need complex anatomy yet; we just need reliable anchors.

Using the rule of thirds to place the hip joints accurately on the back plane.

A Seamless Transition

Many artists struggle to connect a front-facing drawing to a character looking away. By mastering the back-view blueprints immediately after the front, you ensure your characters always feel like solid, 3D objects residing in real space. You complete the sketch with the pendulum-like arms and basic rigid structures for the legs.

The completed back-view structural framework.