The figures to the right (12 13 14) show the male figure standing at attention, seen from the front, the side, and the back, proportioned according to the eight-head canon.

First note the overall proportions, comparing the height with the width, in fig.12 as seen from the front. You will see that it is eight heads high by two heads wide.

By drawing a rectangle which measures eight units long by two units wide, you will have a "box" that will enclose an ideally proportioned human figure. Now carefully study the following basic point which are automatically determined by the dividing lines or modules of the canon. Notice that the modules are numbered respectively from 1 to . In order to identify more rapidly the following dimensions and positions, note the following:

• The level of the shoulders coincides with subdivision "A", which is situated a third of the way down module 2.
• The nipples coincide exactly with the dividing line of module 2.
• The navel is just below dividing line 3.
• Both elbows are situated almost level with the waist, just above the navel.
• The pubis is in the exact center of the body, coinciding with the dividing line of module 4.
• The wrists are level with the pubis.
• The extended hand is the same length as the face.
• The total length of the arm from the top of the shoulder to the fingertips is equal to three and a half modules.
• The most prominent part of the knee, the kneecap (see fig.13, the figure in profile), is just above module 6.

Also observe the following relationships, which are equally important for correctly representing and proportioning the male figure:

• The space between the nipples is equal to one module (one head length).
• By joining points "B" and "C", we obtain:
  • The position of the nipples.
  • The position of the ends of the collar bone, or the most prominent part of the shoulder.

Finally, observe the male figure standing at attention in profile (fig.13). In that position, the calves project beyond the vertical line drawn from the shoulder blades to below the buttocks (points D, E, and F). The points above are of the utmost importance. Study them closely and assimilate them, since they provide information that will be indispensable when you come to do your own figure drawings.