Now hold that measurement from the top of the pencil to the thumb and line it up with the bottom of your last measurement. Repeat this process and count how many head lengths make up the distance from the top of the head to the back of the heel. This will give you the overall length of the figure in relation to one head. The average human figure is between 6-8 heads high. This will vary from individual to individual, but is a good standard to use.
Figures also tend to be three heads width from shoulder to shoulder.
Questions or comments can be forwarded to Ralph Larmann at the University of Evansville . The image above is shows a method for visually measuring the figure. Most people are between 6-7 heads high. This model is almost 8 heads high because that looks more correct in a drawing.