How to Draw Fat Art

The Fat Art movement strives to eliminate negative stereotypes concerning the idea of obesity and what the public perceives as "fat." Art--painting, media graphics, film and television--often perpetuates the stereotype of "fat" as "ugly" or "unhealthy." Fat Art represents an attempt to transform the public consciousness while allowing those who are obese to view themselves with more compassion.

Instructions

1. Determine that you will rid yourself of the notion that, to draw a handsome man or a beautiful woman, that you have to draw them thin or muscular. Open your mind to the various notions of what the human body can look like, and the reality of body differences from person to person and culture to culture.

2. Loosen up your drawing and let go of previous perceptions about the ideal model of the human figure. It isn't about changing your own personal preference for a body type; it's about realizing that beauty comes in many shapes and sizes, and an artist's job is to represent that beauty as best she or he can.

3. Study the work of "fat" artists such as Fernando Botero, a prime example of how to create beauty around the image of large people. There are many ways to express your art along these lines.

4. Sit in a place where large numbers of people congregate and do dozens of quick sketches of the larger people you see. Notice the way the body moves this way and that, and how the muscles and lines of the body change with every movement.

5. Accept that it is just as wonderful drawing fat people as it is drawing muscular superhero types or long-legged model types. Use rounder strokes, a looser movement of your pencil and a freer feeling to all the lines you put to paper as you draw Fat Art.

Resources

• A central site devoted to the concept of Fat Art
• Many links to people and organizations involved in promoting Fat Art