Landmark identification
Identify key points on a subject to place, align, and measure other parts of the drawing.
What it is
Landmarks are clear, repeatable points on a subject that guide placement and measurement. Examples include an eye corner, nose tip, ribcage width, wrist bone, bottle top, box corner, or the point where an ellipse meets a table edge.
Mark important landmarks lightly, then check other points against them. For a head, you might place the skull top, chin, jaw corners, and brow tilt before adding smaller shapes.
Relate landmarks through alignments, angles, and spacing. A block-in becomes a network of linked points that supports the subject’s size, tilt, and proportions.
Why it matters
Landmarks give parts of a drawing fixed relationships. Weak landmark placement can cause features, angles, and proportions to drift during refinement, leading to repeated erasing and adjustments.
You can check it when
- ✓You identify specific, repeatable points on the subject and place them first in the block-in.
- ✓You describe new points by their alignment, angle, or spacing relative to existing landmarks.
- ✓Your major features stay in proportion as you refine the drawing from simple shapes to more complex forms.
- ✓In a timed study, a few landmarks establish the subject’s size, tilt, and placement on the page.