Lying, Knees UpPose Reference

Both knees point at the ceiling with the feet flat and roughly hip-width apart, so the thighs and shins build two tall triangles above a flat torso. The back, shoulders and head lie fully on the floor; the head is only 10 cm up and the centre of mass about 15 cm. One arm folds up past the head with the hand tucked behind it, so that elbow opens out to the side, while the other forearm crosses the body to rest its hand on the stomach. A small turn of the head toward one side breaks the symmetry and makes the figure look at ease rather than set up for an exercise.

Seen from the feet, the front view turns the two shins into columns that hide most of the torso, with the knees as the nearest, tallest forms. The side view from the figure's left explains the leg triangles and shows how low everything else sits. From above the head the back view puts the face closest to you and the knees in the distance, and the high angle is the friendliest for illustration because both arms read clearly.