S-Curve StancePose Reference

The right leg stands almost vertical and carries nearly all the weight. The pelvis slides out past it, so the right hip becomes the highest, widest point of the lower body. The left knee bends and turns inward, and that foot rests on its toes slightly forward, adding balance but very little support. Above the waist the direction reverses: the shoulder girdle slopes down toward the raised hip, the right hand sits on that hip with the elbow pointing out, and the left hand rests on top of the head with its elbow lifted high. Treat head, ribcage and pelvis as three blocks tilted alternately and the S curve pose appears without exaggerating any single contour.

Begin with two short lines, one through the hip joints and one across the shoulders, and let them converge on the figure's right side. Then drop a plumb line from the pit of the neck; in the front view it lands near the inner edge of the right foot, which is why the stance looks stable. The three-quarter view separates the turned-in left knee from the standing thigh. The side view, taken from the figure's left, shows how little forward lean is involved, because the shift is almost entirely sideways. From the back, the raised elbow and the hand on the hip frame two triangles of empty space around the head and waist.