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How to Figure Draw

3,682 views · Published 15 July 2010 · 2:07 · Indexed 23 September 2026

Channel: Howcast · 2010 · Howto & Style

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Figure drawing is one of the artist's essential skills you can by learn using basic shapes and applying an understanding of human proportions.

Step 1: Arrange subject
Arrange your subject in a simple pose, or place the photograph upright in front of you.

Step 2: Draw body
Draw the body frame from geometric shapes, sketching cylinders for arms and legs and placing circles at joints. Pay attention to the model's proportion.

Tip
A human figure is usually about 8 heads tall, measuring four heads from the hips to toes and two heads from the collarbone to naval.

Step 3: Round shapes and define contour
Round the shapes and define the body's contour, paying attention to the effect of the underlying skeletal structure and muscles.

Tip
The male body tends to be more angular than the curvy female body.

Step 4: Erase guidelines
Erase the shape guidelines you drew to construct the frame.

Step 5: Add facial features and hair
Add eyes, centering them between the top of the head and chin. Then add nose, mouth, ears, and frame the face with hair, suggesting texture and flow. 

Tip
Use more forceful strokes when drawing a male figure to create masculine energy. Lighten pressure on the pencil when sketching females.

Step 6: Add shading
Add shading by highlighting areas closest to the light source, darkening areas opposite the light source, and creating cast shadows typically found near protruding features.

Step 7: Focus on a feature
If intrigued by a feature, such as your subject's weathered hands or expressive eyes, feel free to further explore them in a detailed sketch on the same paper. 

Did You Know?
Did you know? The human adult skeletal system contains 206 long, short, flat, and irregular-shaped bones.

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