• Per capita $4,097 (2008) 31.8 medium (2015) 0.759 high Currency (₼) () Time zone () right Azerbaijan (;: Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (: Azərbaycan Respublikası ), is a country in the region, situated at the crossroads of Southwest Asia and Southeastern Europe. It is bound by the to the east, to the north, to the northwest, to the west and to the south. The of is bound by to the north and east, to the south and west, and has an 11 km long border with in the north west.

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The proclaimed its independence in 1918 and became the first democratic state in the Muslim-oriented world. The country was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920 as the. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on 30 August 1991, prior to the official in December 1991. In September 1991, the Armenian majority of the disputed region seceded to form the. The region and became de facto independent with the end of the in 1994.

These regions are internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan pending a solution to the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh, found through negotiations facilitated by the. Azerbaijan is a. The country is a member state of the, the and the (PfP) program. It is one of six independent, an active member of the and the community. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 158 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations. It is one of the founding members of, the (CIS) and the. A member of the United Nations since 1992 after its independence, Azerbaijan was elected to membership in the newly established by the on 9 May 2006.

Its term of office began on 19 June 2006. Azerbaijan is also a member state of the, holds observer status in, and is a correspondent at the. The does not declare an official religion and all major political forces in the country are.

However, the majority of the population are of a Shiite Muslim background. Most Azerbaijanis, however, do not actively practice any religion, and the country has been seen to be one of the most countries in the Muslim world, with 53% stating religion has little to no importance in their lives, according to and polls.

Azerbaijan has a high level of which ranks on par with most Eastern European countries. It has a high rate of and, as well as a low rate of. However, the ruling party, the, has been accused of authoritarianism and human rights abuses.

Further information: and In 1918, the government of adopted the name 'Azerbaijan' for the new, which was proclaimed on 27 May 1918, for political reasons, even though the name of 'Azerbaijan' had always been used to refer to the. Thus, until 1918, when the Musavat regime decided to name the newly-independent state Azerbaijan, the designation had been used exclusively to identify the Iranian province of Azerbaijan. During Soviet rule, the country was also spelled in English from the Russian transliteration as 'Azerbaydzhan'. In dating back to the indicating a thriving culture. It is a UNESCO considered to be of 'outstanding universal value'. The earliest evidence of human settlement in the territory of Azerbaijan dates back to the late and is related to the of.

The and late cultures are attested in the caves of,,, Yataq-yeri and in the of Leylatepe and Saraytepe. Early settlements included the in the 9th century BC. Following the Scythians, Iranian came to dominate the area to the south of the.

The Medes forged a vast empire between 900–700 BC, which was integrated into the around 550 BC. The area was conquered by the Achaemenids leading to the spread of. Later it became part of 's and its successor, the. During this period, Zoroastrianism spread in the Caucasus and Atropatene., the original inhabitants of northeastern Azerbaijan, ruled that area from around the 4th century BC, and established an independent kingdom. From the Sasanid period to the Safavid period [ ].

The turned into a in 252, while King officially adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century. Despite Sassanid rule, Albania remained an entity in the region until the 9th century, while fully subordinate to Sassanid Iran, and retained its monarchy. Despite being one of the chief vassals of the Sasanian emperor, the Albanian king had only a semblance of authority, and the Sasanian (military governor) held most civil, religious, and military authority. In the first half of the 7th century, Caucasian Albania, as a vassal of the Sasanians, came under nominal Muslim rule due to the. The repulsed both the Sasanians and from and turned Caucasian Albania into a vassal state after Christian resistance led by King, was suppressed in 667. The power vacuum left by the decline of the was filled by numerous local dynasties such as the,, and. At the beginning of the 11th century, the territory was gradually seized by waves of from.

The first of these Turkic dynasties established was the, who entered the area now known as Azerbaijan by 1067. The pre-Turkic population that lived on the territory of modern Azerbaijan spoke several Indo-European and Caucasian languages, among them and an,, which was gradually replaced by a, the early precursor of the of today. Some linguists have also stated that the of and the Republic of Azerbaijan, like those spoken by the, are descended from Old Azeri. Locally, the possessions of the subsequent Seljuk Empire were ruled by, technically vassals of the Seljuk sultans, but sometimes de facto rulers themselves. Under the Seljuks, local poets such as and gave rise to a blossoming of on the territory of present-day Azerbaijan.

The local dynasty of the became a state of, and assisted him in his war with the ruler of the. Following Timur's death, two independent and rival states emerged: and. The Shirvanshahs returned, maintaining a high degree of autonomy as local rulers and vassals from 861, for numerous centuries to come.

In 1501, the of Iran subdued the Shirvanshahs, and gained its possessions. In the course of the next century, the Safavids, as they did with the population in what is modern-day Iran.

The Safavids allowed the Shirvanshahs to remain in power, under Safavid suzerainty, until 1538, when Safavid king (r. 1524–1576) completely deposed them, and made the area into the Safavid province of. The Sunni Ottomans briefly managed to occupy parts of present-day Azerbaijan as a result of the; by the early 17th century, they were ousted by Safavid Iranian ruler (r. In the wake of the demise of the Safavid Empire, Baku and its environs were briefly occupied by the Russians as a consequence of the. Despite brief intermissions such as these by Safavid Iran's neighboring rivals, the land of what is today Azerbaijan remained under Iranian rule from the earliest advent of the Safavids up to the course of the 19th century.

Contemporary history [ ]. Territories of the khanates (and sultanates) in the 18th–19th century After the, the area was ruled by the Iranian.

After the death of (r. 1736–1747), many of his former subjects capitalized on the eruption of instability. Numerous self-ruling with various forms of autonomy emerged in the area. These rulers of these khanates were directly related to the ruling dynasties of Iran, and were and of the Iranian shah.

The khanates exercised control over their affairs via international trade routes between Central Asia and the West. Thereafter, the area was under the successive rule of the Iranian and. From the late 18th century, Imperial Russia switched to a more aggressive geo-political stance towards its two neighbors and rivals to the south, namely Iran and the Ottoman Empire. Russia now actively tried to gain possession of the Caucasus region which was, for the most part, in the hands of Iran.

In 1804, the Russians, sparking the. Militarily superior, the Russians ended the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 with a victory.

During the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 by Russian forces under the leadership of General Following Qajar Iran's loss in the 1804–1813 war, it was forced to concede suzerainty over most of the khanates, along with Georgia and Dagestan to the, per the. The area to the north of the river, amongst which territory lies the contemporary Republic of Azerbaijan, was Iranian territory until it was occupied by Russia in the 19th century.

About a decade later, in violation of the Gulistan treaty, the Russians invaded Iran's. This sparked the final bout of hostilities between the two, the. The resulting, forced to cede sovereignty over the Erivan Khanate, the and the remainder of the, comprising the last parts of the soil of the contemporary Azerbaijani Republic that were still in Iranian hands. After incorporation of all Caucasian territories from Iran into Russia, the new border between the two was set at the, which, upon the Soviet Union's disintegration, subsequently became part of the border between Iran and the Azerbaijan Republic. Qajar Iran was forced to cede its Caucasian territories to Russia in the 19th century, which thus included the territory of the modern-day Azerbaijan Republic, while as a result of that cession, the is nowadays parted between two nations: Iran and Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, the number of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran far outnumber those in neighbouring Azerbaijan.

After the collapse of the Russian Empire during, the short-lived was declared, constituting what are the present-day republics of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. It was followed by the massacres that took place between 30 March and 2 April 1918 in the city of and adjacent areas of the of the.

When the republic dissolved in May 1918, the leading party declared independence as the (ADR), adopting the name of 'Azerbaijan' for the new republic; a name that prior to the proclamation of the ADR was solely used to refer to the adjacent. The ADR was the first modern in the Muslim world.

Among the important accomplishments of the Parliament was the extension of suffrage to women, making Azerbaijan the first Muslim nation to grant women equal political rights with men. Another important accomplishment of ADR was the establishment of, which was the first modern-type university founded in the Muslim East. Map presented by the delegation of Azerbaijan in the By March 1920, it was obvious that Soviet Russia would attack Baku.

Said that the invasion was justified as could not survive without Baku's. Independent Azerbaijan lasted only 23 months until the invaded it, establishing the on 28 April 1920.

Although the bulk of the newly formed Azerbaijani army was engaged in putting down an Armenian revolt that had just broken out in, Azerbaijanis did not surrender their brief independence of 1918–20 quickly or easily. As many as 20,000 Azerbaijani soldiers died resisting what was effectively a Russian reconquest.

On 13 October 1921, the Soviet republics of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia signed an agreement with Turkey known as the. The previously independent would also become the within the Azerbaijan SSR by the treaty of Kars. On the other hand, Armenia was awarded the region of and Turkey agreed to return (then known as Alexandropol). During, Azerbaijan played a crucial role in the strategic energy policy of the Soviet Union, with 80 percent of the Soviet Union's oil on the being supplied by Baku. By the Decree of the in February 1942, the commitment of more than 500 workers and employees of the of Azerbaijan were awarded orders and medals. Carried out by the German targeted Baku because of its importance as the energy (petroleum) dynamo of the USSR. A fifth of all Azerbaijanis fought in the Second World War from 1941 to 1945.

Approximately 681,000 people with over 100,000 of them women went to the front, while the total population of Azerbaijan was 3.4 million at the time. Some 250,000 people from Azerbaijan were killed on the front. More than 130 Azerbaijanis were named. Azerbaijani Major-General was twice awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union. Independence [ ]. During the tragedy in 1990 Following the politics of, initiated by, civil unrest and ethnic strife grew in various regions of the Soviet Union, including, an autonomous region of the Azerbaijan SSR. The disturbances in Azerbaijan, in response to Moscow's indifference to an already heated conflict, resulted in calls for independence and secession, which culminated in the events in Baku.

Later in 1990, the dropped the words 'Soviet Socialist' from the title, adopted the 'Declaration of Sovereignty of the Azerbaijan Republic' and restored the flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic as the state flag. As a consequence of the, on 18 October 1991, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan adopted a Declaration of Independence which was affirmed by a nationwide referendum in December 1991, while the Soviet Union officially ceased to exist on 26 December 1991.

The early years of independence were overshadowed by the with the ethnic Armenian majority of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by Armenia. By the end of the hostilities in 1994, Armenians controlled up to 14–16 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh itself. During the war many atrocities were committed including the at, the Garadaghly massacre, the Agdaban and the. Furthermore, an estimated 30,000 people have been killed and more than a million people have been displaced. Four Resolutions (,,, and ) demand for 'the immediate withdrawal of all Armenian forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan.'

Many Russians and Armenians left Azerbaijan during the 1990s. According to the 1970 census, there were 510,000 ethnic and 484,000 Armenians in Azerbaijan. In 1993, democratically elected president was overthrown by a military insurrection led by Colonel, which resulted in the rise to power of the former leader of,.

In 1994, Surat Huseynov, by that time the prime minister, attempted another military coup against Heydar Aliyev, but he was arrested and charged with treason. A year later, in 1995, another was attempted against Aliyev, this time by the commander of the special unit,. The coup was averted, resulting in the killing of the latter and disbanding of Azerbaijan's OMON units. At the same time, the country was tainted by rampant corruption in the governing bureaucracy. In October 1998, Aliyev was reelected for a second term.

Despite the much improved economy, particularly with the exploitations of and, Aliyev's presidency was criticized due to suspected election frauds and corruption., Heydar Aliyev's son, became chairman of the as well as of Azerbaijan when his father died in 2003. He was as president in October 2013. Geography [ ]. In northern Azerbaijan Geographically Azerbaijan is located in the region of, straddling and Eastern Europe. It lies between latitudes and, and longitudes and.

The total length of Azerbaijan's is 2,648 km (1,645 mi), of which 1,007 kilometers are with Armenia, 756 kilometers with Iran, 480 kilometers with Georgia, 390 kilometers with Russia and 15 kilometers with Turkey. The stretches for 800 km (497 mi), and the length of the widest area of the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea is 456 km (283 mi). The territory of Azerbaijan extends 400 km (249 mi) from north to south, and 500 km (311 mi) from west to east. Three physical features dominate Azerbaijan: the Caspian Sea, whose shoreline forms a natural boundary to the east; the mountain range to the north; and the extensive flatlands at the country's center. There are also three mountain ranges, the Greater and, and the, together covering approximately 40% of the country. The highest peak of Azerbaijan is mount (4,466 m), while the lowest point lies in the Caspian Sea (−28 m). Nearly half of all the on Earth are concentrated in Azerbaijan, were also among nominees for the.

The main water sources are surface waters. However, only 24 of the 8,350 rivers are greater than 100 km (62 mi) in length. All the rivers drain into the Caspian Sea in the east of the country. The largest lake is (67 km²), and the longest river is (1,515 km), which is with. Azerbaijan's four main islands in the Caspian Sea have a combined area of over thirty square kilometers.

Since the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991, the has taken drastic measures to preserve the environment of Azerbaijan. But national protection of the environment started to truly improve after 2001 when the state budget increased due to new revenues provided by the. Within four years protected areas doubled and now make up eight percent of the country's territory. Since 2001 the government has set up seven large reserves and almost doubled the sector of the budget earmarked for environmental protection. Landscape [ ]. Is the highest in the. Rivers and lakes form the principal part of the water systems of Azerbaijan, they were formed over a long geological timeframe and changed significantly throughout that period.

This is particularly evidenced by remnants of ancient rivers found throughout the country. The country's water systems are continually changing under the influence of natural forces and human introduced industrial activities. Artificial rivers (canals) and ponds are a part of Azerbaijan's water systems.

In terms of water supply, Azerbaijan is below the average in the world with approximately 100,000 cubic metres (3,531,467 cubic feet) per year of water per square kilometer. All big are built on Kur.

The hydrography of Azerbaijan basically belongs to the. There are 8,350 rivers of various lengths within Azerbaijan. Only 24 rivers are over 100 kilometers long. The and are the major rivers in Azerbaijan, they run through the. The rivers that directly flow into the Caspian Sea, originate mainly from the north-eastern slope of the Major Caucasus and and run along the Samur–Devechi and Lankaran lowlands., translated as 'burning mountain', is a natural gas fire which blazes continuously on a hillside on the on the near, which itself is known as the 'land of fire.'

Flames jet out into the air from a thin, porous sandstone layer. It is a tourist attraction to visitors to the Baku area. Biodiversity [ ]. The is the national animal of Azerbaijan. The first reports on the richness and diversity of animal life in Azerbaijan can be found in travel notes of Eastern travelers. Animal carvings on architectural monuments, ancient rocks and stones survived up to the present times. The first information on the flora and fauna of Azerbaijan was collected during the visits of naturalists to Azerbaijan in the 17th century.

There are 106 species of mammals, 97 species of fish, 363 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians and 52 species of reptiles which have been recorded and classified in Azerbaijan. The national animal of Azerbaijan is the, a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse endemic to Azerbaijan. The Karabakh horse has a reputation for its good temper, speed, elegance and intelligence.

It is one of the oldest breeds, with ancestry dating to the ancient world. However, today the horse is an endangered species. Azerbaijan's flora consists of more than 4,500 species of. Due to the unique climate in Azerbaijan, the flora is much richer in the number of species than the flora of the other republics of the South Caucasus. About 67 percent of the species growing in the whole can be found in Azerbaijan. Politics [ ]. The son of former President,, succeeded his father and has remained in power since 2003.

The structural formation of Azerbaijan's political system was completed by the adoption of the new on 12 November 1995. According to Article 23 of the Constitution, the of the Azerbaijan Republic are the, the, and the. The state power in Azerbaijan is limited only by law for internal issues, but for international affairs is additionally limited by the provisions of international agreements. The government of Azerbaijan is based on the among the, executive, and branches.

The legislative power is held by the and the Supreme National Assembly in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Parliamentary elections are held every five years, on the first Sunday of November. The, and independents loyal to the ruling government, currently hold almost all of the Parliament's 125 seats. During the, the opposition parties, and, failed to win a single seat. European observers in the run-up to the election and. The executive power is held by the, who is elected for a seven-year term by direct elections, and the. The president is authorized to form the Cabinet, a collective executive body, accountable to both the President and the National Assembly.

The Cabinet of Azerbaijan consists primarily of the prime minister, his deputies, and ministers. The president does not have the right to dissolve the National Assembly, but has the right to veto its decisions. To override the presidential veto, the parliament must have a majority of 95 votes. The judicial power is vested in the,, and the. The president nominates the judges in these courts.

The (CEPEJ) report refers to the Azerbaijani justice model on the selection of new judges as best practice that reflects the particular features and the course of development towards ensuring the independence and quality of the judiciary in a new democracy. The Security Council is the deliberative body under the president, and he organizes it according to the Constitution. It was established on 10 April 1997. The administrative department is not a part of the president's office but manages the financial, technical and pecuniary activities of both the president and his office. Although Azerbaijan has held several elections since regaining its independence and it has many of the formal institutions of democracy, it remains classified as 'not free' (on border with 'partly free'). In recent years, large numbers of Azerbaijani journalists, bloggers, lawyers, and human rights activists have been rounded up and jailed for their criticism of President Aliyev and government authorities.

A resolution adopted by the European Parliament in September 2015 described Azerbaijan as 'having suffered the greatest decline in democratic governance in all of Eurasia over the past ten years,' noting as well that its dialogue with the country on human rights has 'not made any substantial progress.' On 17 March 2016, the President of Azerbaijan signed a decree pardoning more than a dozen of the persons regarded as political prisoners by some NGOs. This decree was welcomed as a positive step by the US State Department. On 16 March 2017 another pardon decree was signed, which led to the release of additional persons regarded as political prisoners. Azerbaijan has been harshly criticized for bribing foreign officials and diplomats in order to promote its causes abroad and legitimize its elections at home, a practice which has been termed as. However, on 6 March 2017, (European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center) published a report called “The Armenian Connection” where it attacked human rights NGOs and research organisations criticising human rights violations and corruption in Azerbaijan. In that report asserted that 'Caviar diplomacy' report elaborated by ESI aimed to create climate of suspicion based on slander to form a network of MPs that would engage in a political war against Azerbaijan, and that the network composed of European PMs, Armenian officials and some NGOs: Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, 'Human Rights House Foundation', 'Open Dialog, European Stability Initiative, and Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, was financed by the Soros Foundation.

According to Robert Coalson (Radio Free Europe), ESISC is a part of Baku's lobbying efforts to extend to the use of front think tanks to shift public opinion. Freedom Files Analytical Centre said that 'The report is written in the worst traditions of authoritarian propaganda'.

Foreign relations [ ]. In Azerbaijan in August 2013 The short-lived Azerbaijan Democratic Republic succeeded in establishing diplomatic relations with six countries, sending diplomatic representatives to Germany and Finland.

The process of international recognition of Azerbaijan's independence from the collapsing Soviet Union lasted roughly one year. The most recent country to recognize Azerbaijan was Bahrain, on 6 November 1996.

Full diplomatic relations, including mutual exchanges of missions, were first established with Turkey, Pakistan, the United States, Iran and Israel. Azerbaijan has placed a particular emphasis on its ' with Turkey.

Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 158 countries so far and holds membership in 38 international organizations. It holds observer status in the and and is a correspondent at the. On 9 May 2006 Azerbaijan was elected to membership in the newly established by the. The term of office began on 19 June 2006. Azerbaijan for the first time elected as a non-permanent member of the with the support of 155 countries.

Attends the Caspian Sea Summit in, Russia, 29 September 2014. Azerbaijani Special Forces during military parade The history of the modern Azerbaijan army dates back to in 1918, when the National Army of the newly formed Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was created on 26 June 1918. When Azerbaijan gained independence after the, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan were created according to the Law on the Armed Forces of 9 October 1991. The original date of the establishment of the short-lived National Army is celebrated as Army Day (26 June) in today's Azerbaijan. As of 2002, Azerbaijan had 95,000 active personnel in its armed forces.

There are also 17,000 paramilitary troops. The armed forces have three branches: the, the and the. Additionally the armed forces embrace several military sub-groups that can be involved in state defense when needed. These are the of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the, which includes the as well. The is a further paramilitary force.

It operates as a semi-independent entity of the Special State Protection Service, an agency subordinate to the President. Contingent from the Azerbaijani military during the, 9 May 2015 Azerbaijan adheres to the and has signed all major international arms and weapons treaties. Azerbaijan closely cooperates with in programs such as and. Azerbaijan has deployed 151 of its Peacekeeping Forces in Iraq and another 184 in Afghanistan. The defense budget of Azerbaijan for 2011 was set at US$3.1 billion.

In addition to that, $1.36 billion was planned to be used for the needs of the, which bring up the total military budget to 4.6 billion. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on 26 June 2011 that the defence spending reached $3.3 billion that year. Azerbaijan's defense budget for 2013 is $3.7 billion. Azerbaijani defense industry manufactures small arms, artillery systems, tanks, armors and, aviation bombs, pilotless vehicles, various military vehicles and military planes and helicopters. Main article: After gaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan became a member of the, the, the, the and the.

The banking system of Azerbaijan consists of the, and non-banking credit organizations. The National (now Central) Bank was created in 1992 based on the Azerbaijan State Savings Bank, an affiliate of the former State Savings Bank of the USSR.

The Central Bank serves as Azerbaijan's central bank, empowered to issue the national currency, the, and to supervise all commercial banks. Two major commercial banks are and the state-owned, run. Pushed up by spending and demand growth, the 2007 inflation rate reached 16.6%.

Nominal incomes and monthly wages climbed 29% and 25% respectively against this figure, but price increases in non-oil industry encouraged inflation. Azerbaijan shows some signs of the so-called ' because of its fast-growing energy sector, which causes inflation and makes non-energy exports more expensive. In the early 2000s the chronically high inflation was brought under control. This led to the launch of a new currency, the new Azerbaijani manat, on 1 January 2006, to cement the economic reforms and erase the vestiges of an unstable economy. In 2008, Azerbaijan was cited as one of the top 10 reformers by the World Bank's. Azerbaijan led the world as the top reformer in 2007/08, with improvements on seven out of 10 indicators of regulatory reform.

Azerbaijan started operating a one-stop shop in January 2008 that halved the time, cost and number of procedures to start a business. Business registrations increased by 40% in the first six months. Azerbaijan also eliminated the minimum loan cutoff of $1,100, more than doubling the number of borrowers covered by the credit registry.

Also, taxpayers can now file forms and pay their taxes online. Azerbaijan's extensive reforms moved it far up the ranks, from 97 to 33 in the overall ease of doing business.

Azerbaijan is also ranked 57th in the for 2010–2011, above other CIS countries. By 2012 the of Azerbaijan had increased 20-fold from to its 1995 level. A for the mechanical extraction of oil on the outskirts of Baku Two-thirds of Azerbaijan is rich in oil and natural gas.

The history of the oil industry of Azerbaijan dates back to the ancient period. Arabian historian and traveler Ahmed Al-Belaruri mentioned about the economics of Absheron peninsula in the ancient times, oil lands, also, white and black oil in Absheron. The region of the accounts for most of the country's gold, silver, iron, copper,,,,,, complex and. In September 1994, a 30-year contract was signed between the (SOCAR) and 13 oil companies, among them,,, and. As Western oil companies are able to tap deepwater untouched by the Soviet exploitation, Azerbaijan is considered one of the most important spots in the world for and development. Meanwhile, the was established as an extra-budgetary fund to ensure stability, transparency in the management of oil revenue, and safeguarding of resources for future generations.

Azeriqaz, a sub-company of SOCAR, intends to ensure full gasification of the country by 2021. Azerbaijan is one of the sponsors of the East–West and North–South energy transport corridors. Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway line will connect the Caspian region with Turkey, is expected to be completed in July 2017. The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will deliver natural gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz gas to Turkey and Europe. Azerbaijan extended the agreement on development of until 2050 according to the amended signed on 14 September 2017 by and co-venturers (,,,,,, ITOCHU and ). Agriculture [ ].

Main article: Azerbaijan has the largest agricultural basin in the region. About 54.9 percent of Azerbaijan is agricultural land. At the beginning of 2007 there were 4,755,100 hectares of utilized agricultural area.

In the same year the total wood resources counted 136 million m³. Azerbaijan's agricultural scientific research institutes are focused on meadows and pastures, horticulture and crops, green vegetables, and, cotton growing and. In some areas it is profitable to grow grain, potatoes,, cotton and tobacco.

Livestock, dairy products, and wine and are also important farm products. The Caspian concentrates on the dwindling stocks of and.

In 2002 the Azerbaijani had 54 ships. Some products previously imported from abroad have begun to be produced locally. Among them are Coca-Cola by Coca-Cola Bottlers LTD, beer by Baki-Kastel, parquet by Nehir and oil pipes by EUPEC Pipe Coating Azerbaijan.

Is the country's largest winter resort. Tourism is an important part of the. The country was a well-known tourist spot in the 1980s. However, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the Nagorno-Karabakh War during the 1990s, damaged the tourist industry and the image of Azerbaijan as a tourist destination. It was not until the 2000s that the tourism industry began to recover, and the country has since experienced a high rate of growth in the number of tourist visits and overnight stays.

In the recent years, Azerbaijan has also become a popular destination for religious, spa, and health care tourism. During winter, the offers skiing with state of the art facilities. The has set the development of Azerbaijan as an elite tourist destination as a top priority. It is a national strategy to make tourism a major, if not the single largest, contributor to the Azerbaijani economy. These activities are regulated by the. There are 63 countries which have visa-free score.

E-visa – for a visit of foreigners of visa-required countries to the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 of the World Economic Forum Azerbaijan holds 84th place. Azerbaijan placed among top ten countries due to the strongest growth in visitor exports in years of 2010–2016 according to the report prepared by the World Travel and Tourism Council. As well as, Azerbaijan is at the first place (46.1%) among the countries which have the fastest developing travel and tourism economies in addition with strong inbound international visitor spending last year. Transportation [ ]. Main articles: and The convenient location of Azerbaijan on the crossroad of major international traffic arteries, such as the and the south–north corridor, highlights the strategic importance of transportation sector for the country's economy.

The transport sector in the country includes roads, railways, aviation, and maritime transport. Azerbaijan is also an important economic hub in the transportation of raw materials. The (BTC) became operational in May 2006 and extends more than 1,774 kilometers through the territories of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The BTC is designed to transport up to 50 million tons of crude oil annually and carries oil from the Caspian Sea oilfields to global markets.

The, also stretching through the territory of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, became operational at the end of 2006 and offers additional gas supplies to the European market from the. Shah Deniz is expected to produce up to 296 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. Azerbaijan also plays a major role in the EU-sponsored Silk Road Project. In 2002, the Azerbaijani government established the Ministry of Transport with a broad range of policy and regulatory functions. In the same year, the country became a member of the. The highest priority being; upgrading the transport network and transforming transportation services into one of the key comparative advantages of the country, as this would be highly conducive to the development of other sectors of the economy.

In 2012, the construction of expected to provide transportation between Asia and Europe through connecting the railways of China and Kazakhstan in the east with Turkey's to the European railway system in the west. Railways in 2010 stretched for 2,918 km (1,813 mi) and electrified railways numbered 1,278 km (794 mi).

By 2010, there were 35 airports and one. Science and technology [ ]. In the 21st century, a new oil and gas boom helped to improve the situation in Azerbaijan's science and technology sectors, and the government launched a campaign aimed at modernization and. The government estimates that profits from the information technology and communication industry will grow and become comparable with those from oil production. Azerbaijan has a large and steadily growing Internet sector, mostly uninfluenced by the; rapid growth is forecast for at least five more years. The country has also been making progress in developing its telecoms sector.

The Ministry of Communications & Information Technologies (MCIT), as well as being an operator through its role in Aztelekom, is both a policy-maker and regulator. Public pay phones are available for local calls and require the purchase of a token from the telephone exchange or some shops and kiosks. Tokens allow a call of indefinite duration. As of 2009, there were 1,397,000 main telephone lines and 1,485,000 internet users. There are four providers:,, Azerfon (), mobile network operators and one. In the 21st century a number of prominent Azerbaijani and scientists, inspired by the fundamental works of and others, designed hundreds of earthquake prediction stations and earthquake-resistant buildings that now constitute the bulk of The Republican Center of Seismic Service.

The launched its first satellite into orbit on 7 February 2013 from in French Guiana at orbital positions 46° East. The satellite will cover Europe and significant part of Asian countries and Africa and will have transmission for TV, radio broadcasting and the internet. The launch of its own satellite on orbit is Azerbaijan's first action in realizing prospective projects to turn itself into a country with a space industry. Demographics [ ]. Further information: From the total population of 9.705. 600 people as of the beginning of 2016, nearly 53,1% was, the remaining 46,9% was the rural population.

50,2% of the total population were female.The for total population in that year was therefore 0.99 males per female. The 2011 population growth-rate was 0.85%, compared to 1.09% worldwide. A significant factor restricting the population growth is a high level of migration.

In 2011 Azerbaijan saw migration of −1.14/1,000 people. The is found in 42 countries and in turn there are many centers for ethnic minorities inside Azerbaijan, including the German cultural society 'Karelhaus', cultural center, Azerbaijani-Israeli community, cultural center, International Association, national center 'Samur', Azerbaijani- community, society, etc. Ethnic groups [ ] Ethnic composition (2009) 91.60% 2.02% 1.35% 1.34% 1.26% Other nations 2.43% The ethnic composition of the population according to the 2009 population census: 91.60%, 2.02%, 1.35% (almost all Armenians live in the break-away region of ), 1.34%, 1.26%, 0.56%, 0.43%, 0.29%, 0.28%, 0.24%, 0.14%, 0.11%, 0.10%, 0.07%, other 0.21%. Are by far the largest minority in Iran. The number of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran furthermore far outnumber those in neighboring Azerbaijan. The CIA World Factbook estimates Iranian Azerbaijanis as comprising at least 16% of Iran's population.

Urbanization [ ]. Main article: The official language is (), which is spoken by approximately 92% of the population as a. It belongs to the.

Russian and (only in Nagorno-Karabakh) are also spoken, and each are the mother tongue of around 1.5% of the population respectively. Russian and English play significant roles as second or third languages of education and communication.

[ ] There are a dozen other minority languages spoken natively in the country.,,,,,,,,,,, and are all spoken by small minorities. Some of these language communities are very small and their numbers are decreasing. Armenian is almost exclusively spoken in the break-away Nagorno-Karabakh region. Religion [ ]. The before its destruction by the in 1936. The mosque was built over the tomb of a descendant of. Around 98% of the population are Muslims.

85% of the Muslims are and 15%, and the Republic of Azerbaijan has the second highest Shia population percentage in the world. Other faiths are practised by the country's various ethnic groups. Under article 48 of its, Azerbaijan is a and ensures religious freedom. In a 2006–2008 poll, only 21% of respondents from Azerbaijan stated that religion is an important part of their daily lives. This makes Azerbaijan the least religious Muslim-majority country in the world. Of the nation's religious minorities, Christians who estimated 280,000 (3.1%) are mostly and and (almost all Armenians live in the break-away region of Nagorno-Karabakh). In 2003, there were 250.

Other Christian denominations as of 2002 include, and. There is also a small community.

Azerbaijan also has an ancient population with a 2,500-year history; Jewish organizations estimate that 10,000–20,000 Jews remain in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan also is home to members of the, and communities, as well as adherents of the other religious communities. Some religious communities have been. A report on the matter mentions detention of members of certain Muslim and Christian groups, and many groups have difficulty registering with the SCWRA. Education [ ].

Classroom in A relatively high percentage of Azerbaijanis have obtained some form of higher education, most notably in scientific and technical subjects. In the Soviet era, literacy and average education levels rose dramatically from their very low starting point, despite two changes in the standard alphabet, from to in the 1920s and from Roman to in the 1930s. According to Soviet data, 100 percent of males and females (ages nine to forty-nine) were literate in 1970. According to the Report 2009, the literacy rate in Azerbaijan is 99.5 percent. Since independence, one of the first laws that Azerbaijan's Parliament passed to disassociate itself from the Soviet Union was to adopt a to replace Cyrillic. Other than that the Azerbaijani system has undergone little structural change.

Initial alterations have included the reestablishment of religious education (banned during the Soviet period) and curriculum changes that have reemphasized the use of the Azerbaijani language and have eliminated ideological content. In addition to elementary schools, the education institutions include thousands of preschools, general secondary schools, and, including specialized secondary schools and technical schools. Does Texas Have Enhanced Drivers Licenses.

Education through the eighth grade is compulsory. See also: The culture of Azerbaijan has developed as a result of many influences. Today, national traditions are well preserved in the country despite Western influences, including consumer culture. Some of the main elements of the Azerbaijani culture are: music, literature, folk dances and art, cuisine, architecture, cinematography and. The latter is derived from the traditional celebration of the New Year in the ancient Iranian religion of. Novruz is a family holiday. The profile of Azerbaijan's population consists, as stated above, of Azerbaijanis, as well as other nationalities or ethnic groups, compactly living in various areas of the country.

Azerbaijani national and traditional dresses are the and. There are radio broadcasts in Russian,,, and languages, which are financed from the state budget. Some local radio stations in and organize broadcasts in and. In Baku several newspapers are published in Russian, Kurdish ( Dengi Kurd), Lezgian ( Samur) and Talysh languages.

Jewish society 'Sokhnut' publishes the newspaper Aziz. Music and folk dances [ ]. Merged traditional with Western styles in the early 20th century. Music of Azerbaijan builds on that reach back nearly a thousand years. For centuries Azerbaijani music has evolved under the badge of, producing rhythmically diverse melodies. Azerbaijani music has a branchy system, where of is of great importance. Among national musical instruments there are 14, eight percussion instruments and six wind instruments.

According to, 'in terms of ethnicity, culture and religion the Azerbaijani are musically much closer to Iran than Turkey.' The, a 16th-century miniature of 's tragic romance, and are among the many musical traditions of Azerbaijan. Mugham is usually a suite with poetry and instrumental interludes. When performing mugham, the singers have to transform their emotions into singing and music. In contrast to the mugham traditions of Central Asian countries, Azerbaijani mugham is more free-form and less rigid; it is often compared to the improvised field of. Proclaimed the Azerbaijani mugham tradition a on 7 November 2003.

Meykhana is a kind of traditional Azerbaijani distinctive folk unaccompanied song, usually performed by several people improvising on a particular subject. Ashiq combines poetry, storytelling, dance and vocal and instrumental music into a traditional performance art that stands as a symbol of Azerbaijani culture.

It is a mystic troubadour or traveling bard who sings and plays the. This tradition has its origin in the beliefs of ancient. Ashiqs' songs are semi-improvised around common bases.

Azerbaijan's ashiq art was included in the list of by the UNESCO on 30 September 2009. Since the mid-1960s, Western-influenced, in its various forms, that has been growing in popularity in Azerbaijan, while genres such as and are widely produced and enjoyed. Azerbaijani pop and arose with the international popularity of performers like,,,, and. Azerbaijan is an enthusiastic participant in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Azerbaijan made its debut appearance at the 2008. The country's gained third place in 2009 and fifth the following year. Won the first place at the with the song ', entitling Azerbaijan to host the contest in, in Baku. They have never missed a Grand Final. There are dozens of Azerbaijani. They are performed at formal celebrations and the dancers wear national clothes like the, which is well-preserved within the national dances.

Most dances have a very fast rhythm. The national dance shows the characteristics of the Azerbaijani nation. Literature [ ]. Traditional Azerbaijani clothing and musical instruments Azerbaijanis have a rich and distinctive culture, a major part of which is and. This form of art is represented by a wide range of handicrafts, such as chasing, jeweler, engraving in metal, carving in wood, stone and bone, carpet-making, lasing, pattern weaving and printing, knitting and embroidery. Each of these types of decorative art, evidence of the endowments of the Azerbaijan nation, is very much in favor here. Many interesting facts pertaining to the development of arts and crafts in Azerbaijan were reported by numerous merchants, travelers and diplomats who had visited these places at different times.

The is a traditional handmade textile of various sizes, with dense texture and a pile or pile-less surface, whose patterns are characteristic of Azerbaijan's many carpet-making regions. In November 2010 the Azerbaijani carpet was proclaimed a. Handwork coppery in Azerbaijan has been since the ancient times known as a center of a large variety of crafts.

The archeological dig on the territory of Azerbaijan testifies to the well developed agriculture, stock raising, metal working, pottery, ceramics, and carpet-weaving that date as far back as to the 2nd millennium BC. Archeological sites in Dashbulaq, Hasansu, Zayamchai, and Tovuzchai uncovered from the BTC pipeline have revealed early Iron Age artifacts. Azerbaijani carpets can be categorized under several large groups and a multitude of subgroups. Scientific research of the Azerbaijani carpet is connected with the name of, a prominent scientist and artist. It was his classification that related the four large groups of carpets with the four geographical zones of Azerbaijan, Guba-Shirvan, Ganja-Kazakh, Karabakh and Tabriz. Pakhlava and Badambura are traditional desserts, usually eaten with tea.

The traditional cuisine is famous for an abundance of vegetables and greens used seasonally in the dishes. Fresh herbs, including mint, cilantro (coriander), dill, basil, parsley, tarragon, leeks, chives, thyme, marjoram, green onion, and watercress, are very popular and often accompany main dishes on the table. Climatic diversity and fertility of the land are reflected in the national dishes, which are based on fish from the, local meat (mainly mutton and beef), and an abundance of seasonal vegetables and greens. Saffron-rice is the flagship food in Azerbaijan and is the national beverage. Azerbaijanis often use traditional (pear-shaped) glass as they have very strong.

Popular traditional dishes include bozbash (lamb soup that exists in several regional varieties with the addition of different vegetables), (fried turnover with a filling of greens or minced meat) and (sort of dumplings of dough filled with ground meat and flavor). Architecture [ ]. In built in the 12th century Azerbaijani architecture typically combines elements of and.

Azerbaijiani architecture has heavy influences from Persian architecture. Many ancient architectural treasures such as the and in the survive in modern Azerbaijan. Entries submitted on the tentative list include the,,,,,,,, and the. Among other architectural treasures are in, in, a number of bridges spanning the Aras River, and several mausoleums. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, little monumental architecture was created, but distinctive residences were built in Baku and elsewhere.

Among the most recent architectural monuments, the are noted for their lavish decor. The task for modern Azerbaijani architecture is diverse application of modern aesthetics, the search for an architect's own artistic style and inclusion of the existing historico-cultural environment. Major projects such as,,, and have transformed the country's skyline and promotes its contemporary identity. Visual art [ ]. A of a battle scene on the walls of the, 18th century, Azerbaijani art includes one of the oldest art objects in the world, which were discovered as in the territory of are dated back to the 1st to 4th centuries BC.

About 1500 dislodged and carved rock paintings with images of deer, goats, bulls, dogs, snakes, birds, fantastic beings and also people, carriages and various symbols had been found out on basalt rocks. Norwegian and adventurer was convinced that people from the area went to in about 100 AD and took their boat building skills with them, and transmuted them into the Viking boats in Northern Europe. Over the centuries, Azerbaijani art has gone through many stylistic changes. Azerbaijani painting is traditionally characterized by a warmth of colour and light, as exemplified in the works of and, and a preoccupation with religious figures and cultural motifs. Azerbaijani painting enjoyed preeminence in Caucasus for hundreds of years, from the and periods, and through the and periods, the latter two of which saw fruition in Azerbaijan.

Other notable artists who fall within these periods include,,,,, and. Main articles:,, and The film industry in Azerbaijan dates back to 1898. In fact, Azerbaijan was among the first countries involved in. Therefore, it's not surprising that this apparatus soon showed up in – at the start of the 20th century, this bay town on the was producing more than 50 percent of the world's supply of oil.

Just like today, the oil industry attracted foreigners eager to invest and to work. In 1919, during the, a documentary The Celebration of the Anniversary of Azerbaijani Independence was filmed on Azerbaijan's independence day, 27 May, and premiered in June 1919 at several theatres in Baku. After the Soviet power was established in 1920, Nariman Narimanov, Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee of Azerbaijan, signed a decree nationalizing Azerbaijan's cinema.

This also influenced the creation of. In 1991, after Azerbaijan gained its independence from the Soviet Union, the first Baku International Film Festival East-West was held in Baku. In December 2000, the former President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, signed a decree proclaiming 2 August to be the professional holiday of filmmakers of Azerbaijan. Today Azerbaijani filmmakers are again dealing with issues similar to those faced by cinematographers prior to the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1920. Once again, both choice of content and sponsorship of films are largely left up to the initiative of the filmmaker.

Media and media freedom [ ]. Main article: The claims to guarantee freedom of speech, but this is denied in practice. After several years of decline in press and media freedom, in 2014 the media environment in Azerbaijan deteriorated fast under a governmental campaign to silence any opposition and criticism, even while the country led the Committee of Ministers of the (May–November 2014). Spurious legal charges and impunity in violence against journalists have remained the norm. All foreign broadcasts are banned in the country. According to the 2013, Azerbaijan's press freedom status is 'not free,' and Azerbaijan ranks 177th out of 196 countries.

And are banned in Azerbaijan. During the last few years, three journalists were killed and several prosecuted in trials described as unfair by international human rights organizations. Azerbaijan has the biggest number of journalists imprisoned in Europe and Central Asia in 2015, according to the, and is the 5th most censored country in the world, ahead of Iran and China. A report by an researcher in October 2015 points to '.the severe deterioration of human rights in Azerbaijan over the past few years.

Sadly Azerbaijan has been allowed to get away with unprecedented levels of repression and in the process almost wipe out its civil society'. Amnesty's 2015/16 annual report on the country stated '. Persecution of political dissent continued. Human rights organizations remained unable to resume their work. At least 18 prisoners of conscience remained in detention at the end of the year. Reprisals against independent journalists and activists persisted both in the country and abroad, while their family members also faced harassment and arrests. International human rights monitors were barred and expelled from the country.

Reports of torture and other ill-treatment persisted.' The Guardian reported 9–4–17: 'Azerbaijan’s ruling elite operated a secret $2.9bn (£2.2bn) scheme to pay prominent Europeans, buy luxury goods and launder money through a network of opaque British companies, an investigation by the Guardian reveals. Leaked data shows that the Azerbaijani leadership, accused of serial human rights abuses, systemic corruption and rigging elections, made more than 16,000 covert payments from 2012 to 2014. Some of this money went to politicians and journalists, as part of an international lobbying operation to deflect criticism of Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, and to promote a positive image of his oil-rich country. There is no suggestion that all the recipients were aware of the original source of the money. It arrived via a disguised route.'

Was used for the first in June 2015. Azerbaijan is one of the leading volleyball countries in the world and its is one of strongest women leagues in world. Its women's national team came fourth at the. Over the last years, clubs like and achieved great success at European cups. Azerbaijani volleyball players include likes of,,, and. Other well-known Azerbaijani athletes are,,,, and in,,, and in judo, in, and in, in, in, in kickboxing, and fighter. Azerbaijan has a and the country hosted its first on 19 June 2016.

Other annual sporting events held in the country are the tennis tournament and the cycling race. Azerbaijan hosted several major sport competitions since the late 2000s, including the,,,,,,,. On 8 December 2012, was selected to host the, the first to be held in competition's history. Baku is also set to host the fourth in 2017.

I recently took part in Robert Chang's 'Becoming a Better Artist' workshop here on CGSociety. It was an extraordinary workshop and experience. One of the books suggested to me was Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm. I am currently going through the book to sketch copies and do the exercises to better retain the information.

There are a few life studies, drawing from imagination, etc. I agree w/ AbuAmir- your construction and line-work are really strong, and the next step is pushing the lights and darks.

Have you ever seen anyone use a 'value guide' type of tool, where they will draw a few boxes (as few as 3 or as many as 10) and shade them in to make a scale from black to white? This can be a helpful reference for trying to get a full value range in your drawings. Here are a couple of posts that I quickly dug up that show this: An example from one of redpandafire's posts: Something from Rebeccak's recommended shading tutorial (I have this problem a lot too.with me, a lot of my work gets stuck near the mid values.

You've got a great foundation to build upon:) Keep it coming. I greatly dislike drawing dark values in a sketchbook due to how it smudges onto the facing page when I close it. Are there ways to prevent this? One thing that I like to do a lot is to use a colored pencil instead of a graphite pencil.

Use a black, dark gray, brown, etc. Colored pencil from a quality manufacturer (Prismacolor or similar.Crayola won't give you the best results!) and you'll find that it is basically the same as drawing with a regular pencil, yet no smudging!:) Works for me, at least. Over the weekend I bought a pastel pencil and was surprised to find that it was very similar. I would have expected it to smudge, but it didn't. These are usually the same price as any drawing pencil: certainly more than regular writing pencils, but at about a buck a pop, I think it's worth it.

A lot of people have recommended spray fixative to me as well, but I've never really tried it. Your drawings are looking great!

The male torso one post up is fantastic! I don't know if you're looking for critiques or not, but my only comment is that the unfinished head on the top left female torso is a bit big. But in general these are all looking really nice!:applause. I think at this point rendering and style should be of the least important elements in your work. What you really want to do now is to knock out thousands of drawings of your subject of choice (which seems to be the human figure).

Here are things I think you should work on: 1. 3-Dimensionality - Stop drawing outlines and countours and concentrate on drawing completely through the forms as if they were made of glass. Use simplified forms like boxes, spheres, and cones as your mass conceptions and only after you have a gesture drawings on the first layer, a completely conciving 3D simplified model on top of that should you attempt to work the smaller forms and apply your anatomical knowledge.

Anatomy - I like that you have done some anatomical studies but you need to spend some serious time doing it. I don't know what your anatomy sources are but I recommend Artistic Anatomy by Richer and Bridgman's series published cheaply now by Dover. Source - Try to work 1/3 from the masters, 1/3 from life, and 1/3 from imagination.

Overall, I think you're work is good but you're concentrating on the finish line where you should be focusing on fundamentals. Jabuhrer - I never thought of Prismacolors! I actually have some in my closet. Critiques are always great to receive. Joshua - Thank you for the help! I was taught that being able to copy something to the point that you cannot tell the copy from the source material would be a basic skill that I would need. Having not done this much, I planned to do it for 4-5 photographs while I looked for a life drawing class or friends to model for me for gesture drawing or something.

So the reason for the higher rendered images was to test how well I could copy. Aside from the diagrams in the Hamm book, the anatomy sources I have are the internet and a book I bought almost a decade ago called Anatomy for the Artist published by Barron's. After referring to it for some of the studies, I'm suspecting it's not a very good book. I eventually dug up my old high school anatomy and physiology course book. I'll look into that book and try your suggestions.

@Ember - Yes, I am familiar with that idea. I think that it is a most misguided falsehood (along with many of the ideas taught in art education today). The truth is that a subject as infinitely complex as the human figure cannot be learned by memorizing its infinite variations and aspects. There simply isn't enough time in our lifespans to do that. The key is to be able to simplify. Eg: treat the pelvis as a box mass conception and indicate it's important points relative to that simple form in perspective. You can spend the rest of your life refining these simplifications but the difference is that you'll be able to draw these forms in any position that you wish.

There's nothing wrong with the occasional 'observational' or schematic drawing but I think that it is much more important to learn how to simplify and then reconstruct the forms of the human body than it is to memorize detailed and often orthographic schematics. As as addendum to my last comment I want to share this translation (by Richer) of Leonardo Da Vinci: Those who are in love with practice without knowledge are like the sailor who gets into a ship without rudder or compass and who never can be certain whether he is going. Practice must always be founded on sound theory, and to this Perspective is the guide and gateway; and without this nothing can be done well in the matter of drawing. The painter who draws merely by practice and by eye, without any reason, is like a mirror which copies every thing placed in front of it without being conscious of their existence. Didn't read the whole thread, but jjacobo's advice is solid and his work proves it. Though I must add that 'copying' is a bad idea in itself, BUT it doesn't mean you won't learn things from it.

At first you must not be copying every study you do, you should learn how to build the model from bone to skin, and understand the fundamentals. If you can afford it, Glen Vilppu has been a phenominal teacher for me. I haven't completely studied his videos, but check them out, they are top notch.

Only after learning from him will you understand the difference between copying and analyzing the model. Hi Heather:) I just went through your sketchbook.GREAT START.:thumbsup: DYNAMIC FIGURE DRAWING by Burne Hogarth is a book that can be very useful to you, if you read it and absorb what he is saying and then go about applying it in your own works,,,alot of principals for doing the figure correctly in deep space using forshortening with rythm/flow, interlaceing of forms ect.really useful stuff for getting a sense of life and motion into your figures. Along with what you are already doing in the way of study, which is all great and a great way to learn, his book will help further your understanding of how to build and describe the human figure correctly and will also allow you to use and take that knowlage you have gained so far concening the human form/figure even further.

You can get his book/books on the internet.Great teacher and books. Looking forward to seeing your progress in here.:thumbsup: TAKE CARE Glenn. I'm currently recovering from surgery. Feeling much better.

It seems that my trick for ending up bed-ridden is to set any kind of drawing goals, as they've coincided for months. Well, before all that I did a couple quick photograph studies. My husband had agreed to sit for me every night for half an hour or so and I drew him a few times. I tried out Posemaniacs (for gesture drawing, set to something around a minute per image. I did a Caravaggio study of a detail (from The Calling of Saint Matthew. I also have a question for anybody interested. My husband is my only current real life study material (aside from myself and my daughter).

He has an unusually large skull. While I still think he's gorgeous, I'm almost afraid of getting in the habit of drawing heads too large. Is it possible to develop a habit that way? Should I consciously attempt to draw it smaller or not worry about it? I'd love to study a variety of live bodies, but that just won't be the case for a while.

I also have a question for anybody interested. My husband is my only current real life study material (aside from myself and my daughter). He has an unusually large skull. While I still think he's gorgeous, I'm almost afraid of getting in the habit of drawing heads too large. Is it possible to develop a habit that way? Should I consciously attempt to draw it smaller or not worry about it? I'd love to study a variety of live bodies, but that just won't be the case for a while.

First off, I'm glad to hear your surgery went well. And I love your anatomy studies. The one on legs is beautiful. The torso studies could benefit from the in-depth research like you did on the legs. For a construction dummy, it is sometimes easier to use boxes rather than ovoids.

Have you ever given that a try? As for the head questions, I've tackled this for months now myself. I'm not a teacher or an experienced artist, but here is what I've learned on my own: Head size will vary with geography and race. Head structure generally stays the same, I find. So in the construction phase it may seem like your subject has a large skull.

But depending on how you finish, and whatever racial look you may be going for, it could be just right. For the ideal proportions, you could always look to photographs and use the sight-size method for measuring the width of the skull versus the width of the shoulder versus the width of the hips. After dozens of drawings, your mind's eye will begin to associate patterns and generalizations as to what is an ideal head size. I find that when I'm out of practice, I draw the heads too small and the torso too large (and i generally don't post those studies online:p). For a rough estimate, I try to draw the head with flat sides and kind of long'ish. Then I try to make sure that there is one head of space on each side of the shoulder, and then for women, roughly the same for hips.

Then I divide the line of the leg into two halves where each half is roughly two heads long/high. And that's my ideal setup at the gesture phase. Anyways I wouldn't stress over head size yet. Draw the shape and size you naturally see, and worry less about calculating the perfect fit. Hope that helps somewhat.

Forgive me if this reply is too long. Here are a couple suggestions for figure drawing: -Vilppu Drawing Manual by Glenn Vilppu -Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm - This is a book I wish I had when I was a beginner. It seems like it would have been easy for me to digest at that level.

It's easy but useful. The criticism I've seen for this book is that the people look 'retro.' The book is from the 60's. Any Loomis books are common suggestions, but you're already getting that.

You may or may not like Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth. It's more advanced, so perhaps you can look it up at a later date. When I come across opinions on it, they are very polarised. If you get it, do not try learning realistic anatomy or proportions from it. It can be very exaggerated. I still mention it because I haven't come across anything else that helped me understand more advanced ideas like foreshortening, overlapping forms, and picturing the figure in perspective and space as well as it did. Some common suggestions I've repeatedly seen that I unfortunately don't have experience with are the anatomy books by George Bridgman and Eliot Goldfinger.

I'm posting a link to a PDF of a ton of anatomy plates by a man named Dr. They were published in 1890, so I believe the French version should be in the public domain by now (it lists a 70 year wait on Wikipedia.). So unfortunately. What I have here is in French. However, it's not too problematic figuring out what most the labels are despite not knowing the language thanks to Google. I'm under the impression that they are very accurate, and the images near the end depicting how muscles change as they work are particularly useful. There are English translations for purchase under the title Artistic Anatomy that contain more than just the images.

There's also a PDF concerning his female anatomy, since it's imperative to learn that as well. I can't tell you what a single word means (again, it's in French), but there are images comparing the female and male bodies. Anatomie Artistique images (Morphologie La Femme (This is the orginal source (for the Richer images. I can try to answer your question about lines, but realise I am highly untrained: 1. Your hand will not make the lines you have in your head until you train it to obey you. Be aware of line weight. If the lines are the same value and thickness, it's very boring.

Observe where the good artists place different thicknesses, light/dark lines, and tapering. Try different pencil grips and types of arm control I'm surprised you even asked me about lines, because I'm a chicken scratch artist that very timidly approaches lines and seems to form half of them by erasing. My shading can be too tight. When I try making smooth, sweeping strokes, they are far more wiggly and shaky than I intend. I recently found they will smooth out drastically when I try drawing as if I were playing the cello.

When you move a cello bow across the strings, you don't do it by bending at the elbow and moving your forearm back and forth as if you were waving. Nor does your hand flop back and forth by bending at the wrist.

You 'push' the bow past the strings by using the muscles in your upper arm. You 'push' and 'pull' back, and the rest of your arm just follows after it. In fact, I was surprised to learn that in academic drawing it's common to see the use of an 'overhand grip.' While it's not exactly the same, it still looks very similar to a cello or violin bow grip: There are some other grips explained in that link as well if you would like to try them. Try drawing from the shoulder (I read people making this suggestion a lot).

Use your upper arm and let the rest just follow it. Then try it from the elbow.

Then use just your wrist. They may have different feels and uses to you. Perhaps one is better at smoothness while another is better at control and tight spaces. Draw some pages of just lines and hatching/shading to experiment and learn what feels comfortable to you and your body. There's also a tutorial on shading in this forum you can look at: There's this site as well: http://www.portrait-artist.org/basics/techniques.html. Krispee, thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement.:) My husband's work has been preventing him from sitting for me.:hmm: I chose to study a photograph with a highly unnatural pose and fabric preventing me from discerning the back leg very well mainly because the arm and front leg were situated in a way that I did not have any muscle diagrams that matched. I wanted to try figuring out where they would be located.

When I drew the gesture, I drew the overlaps in the upper arms backwards because I didn't understand how the deltoid insertion moves with the arm. I also noticed one of my previous studies looks like I connected the iliotibial band to the femur instead of the tibia. Lots to learn.