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/ˈblɒk ɪn/

Block-in

noun (also verb) · drawing pedagogy

The first stage of a drawing or painting where the subject is reduced to a polygonal envelope of straight lines. The measurable foundation that curves are built on.

What it is

A block-in plots a few major points on the subject (top, bottom, widest left, widest right) and connects them with straight lines to produce a polygonal outline that contains the entire subject. Curves and details come only after the block-in is verified. Straight lines are measurable in a way that curves are not — the block-in converts the unmeasurable "is this curve correct" into the measurable "is this polygon correct."

How it works

In the Bargue tradition: plot 6–8 points by sight measurement, connect them with straight lines, verify the polygon's vertices and angles by re-measuring, then begin drawing curves only inside the verified polygon. In atelier teaching, an instructor will often refuse to look at a curve drawing until the block-in beneath it is signed off — the curve is wasted effort if the block-in is wrong.

See also: Sight measurement · Bargue pillar

References

  1. Ryder, Anthony. The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing. Watson-Guptill (1999). ISBN 0-8230-0303-3. pp. 78–95 on the block-in stage.
  2. Aristides, Juliette. Classical Drawing Atelier. Watson-Guptill (2006). ISBN 0-8230-0657-1.

Sarah Chen

Founder of Grid Maker Pro. Classical portrait painter (BA Fine Arts). Writes about composition, drawing methods, and the art-history claims that don't survive measurement.

Updated · Methodology