Term
Foreshortening
Meaning
Foreshortening is the visual compression of a form that points toward or away from the viewer, so that its length looks much shorter than it really is. A forearm reaching straight at you, or a foot seen from the toes, are typical cases. Standing proportions and head-unit charts stop working here, so artists compare overlapping shapes instead, asking how big the hand looks next to the head. Clear overlaps and cross-sections that change size help the form recede convincingly. See also: Head unit, Sight-sizing, Contour line and the guide "Human Proportions for Artists: Rules of Thumb and Their Limits".