Reilly rhythms are a kind of shorthand notation for the anatomy of the head. They are very useful as way of remembering the anatomy and proportions, and as a map to head drawing.

I’m having a break from the human figure and doing some perspective and abstract paintings. Mostly this is watercolours; I tend to do mixed media painting in watercolour and pastels, and underdrawing in charcoal or soft graphite pencil, or Sakura fineliners.

There is no such thing as “correct” human proportions and there are many different systems; The statistical average for male and female is also different.

My version is something of a idealized figure. The legs are exactly 1/2 of body height which is the proportion of Leondardo’s Vitruvian Man.