Hercules' Foot: First Step

My cast drawing or sight-size drawing for the spring semester was Hercules Foot. One of the first steps in doing the cast drawing is to drop a plumb line. This plumb line is used for measuring. The student stands 6 feet from the cast and notes a prominent feature on the cast the she drops the plumb line in front of. From there on that is where she drops it and uses it for measuring the outline of the cast as well as prominent shapes within the cast. I chose to hang my plumb line from the ceiling so that it would be stable. In the past, when I held the plumbline, I invariably moved my arm throwing off the measurment. Even a tiny shake can throw off the measurement. And believe me when I say, that it is virtually impossible not to shake when holding the plumb line.