Art Information Center

In this webpage I would like to give you some tips about drawing figures. Take in consideration that figures means not only humans but also animals. Unlike other subjects, figures are generally in movement, and can look very differently in different positions.

So just to begin, when we are drawing figures it is very important to give our attention to the figure’s position and how does it influence to overall look of the figure. For instance, there are human proportions (the page about human drawing deals with it more in detail), but when we draw a man with his legs raised in a running movement, this proportions may not be fully manifested.

While drawing figures we should understand the anatomy of the figure, so that we can draw the figure accurately. We should know what the range of movements that each limb can have is, we should learn how the muscles changes when the body moves to different positions. Of course for drawing figures we don’t have to have a university course in anatomy, it will be enough to observe a large amount of photos (even online) of the figures we draw just to understand better the mechanism.

Another important thing to be attentive to while drawing figures is different perspectives. The basic visible shape of some parts of the body changes completely from different directions, or perspectives. For instance think of the difference between looking at your foot from the side, and looking at the same foot from the front. Perspective in drawing figures and in general also means the supposed distance of the observer from different parts of the body. When we draw 2 legs, while one is close and other is more distant, naturally the distant leg will look smaller, because perspective in real life is expressed in our sight in this way.

drawing figures

In  order to have a general understanding of the figure, drawing figures starts with drawing a few lines that represent the figure’s position. Have the line at the center of the future figure and build the figure around it. This is a good way to build your figures while drawing figures.

Another aspect is shading. Light is an important artistic issue in general, but it is particularly important for drawing figures, because every change in the figure’s movement will change the way that the light falls on the figure. Therefore it will be wise to give it extra attention.

At last! You can draw or paint any subject with ease…. Even if you have never drawn or painted before!