How to draw a human figure with a pencil step by step. Human figure proportions

Can you draw? Or maybe you want to try how this is done and learn the basics of this exciting activity? Don't know how to take the first step? It's not so easy, but if you want to try, then read on, and together we'll figure out how to draw a human figure. To work, we will need a sheet of thick, moderately sized paper, several pencils, soft and medium hard, and a white soft eraser for erasing erroneous lines.

General Considerations

The question of that occupies everyone who has picked up a pencil. It is not uncommon for a beginning artist to be disappointed when he looks at the results of his efforts. Usually they are very different from what we would like to achieve. Many people give up trying to learn to draw at this stage. But if you still have not abandoned your intention, you should change your approach to business. When asked about full height, should be answered on a systematic basis. First of all, consistency and phasing are important in drawing. For many this will sound unexpected, but before you draw something, you should think carefully. And this applies primarily to such a complex subject as the human figure.

How to draw a full-length person so that it looks convincing?

Any drawing begins with the correct layout, that is, placing the future image on a plane. This is done with light pencil strokes, indicating extreme points depicted figure. In any drawing, a certain semantic compositional center should be highlighted. One of the main rules of composition is that this compositional center should under no circumstances coincide with the geometric one. The image on the plane should occupy approximately three quarters of the surface, leaving free space around the edges. Further, in order for the answer to the question of how to draw a full-length person to look convincing, his figure must be built in compliance with the proportions and laws of anatomy. And just as important, she must stand firmly on her feet or sit on some kind of support - so that this does not violate the laws of balance. The proportions of the figure vary depending on age; in an adult, the head is about a seventh of the height.

We build a figure step by step

Professional artists have been working on this for many years. In art universities, it is studied in detail. The course is specially adapted for artists, and when studying it, they study in detail all the bones and muscles present in the human body, their articulation and interaction. This knowledge and skills are necessary for competent construction of the human figure. But when faced with the problem of how to draw a person in full height for the first time, it will be enough to correctly take the proportional relationships between individual parts of the body and the figure as a whole. And understand the general structural and muscular systems. When constructing the torso of the figure, we outline the axial lines, shoulder and hip girdle, and joints. When constructing a figure, first of all we remember balance. The figure must stand firmly on its feet. To ensure this requirement, artists have a proven technique - a vertical line from the jugular cavity (the depression between the collarbones under the chin), drawn onto the plane, should not extend beyond the plane of the feet. And then the most important thing - we carefully check the proportions of the limbs, torso and head, gradually building the entire figure.

Generalization of the drawing

When constructing and working out the details, it is very important to stop in time and observe the measure. From the analysis of individual details, one should gradually move on to a generalization of the figure as a whole. As a rule, this is done with wide, sweeping strokes. Nudity does not have to be depicted too often. But basic knowledge of plastic anatomy is necessary for the artist in any case. Without them, it is impossible to correctly figure out how to draw a dressed person. When drawing a figure from any spatial perspective, you need to see and imagine it through and through. Particular attention should be paid to the patterns in which folds form on clothing. This is a very essential element in the depiction of a figure. They can emphasize movement or stability. Having outlined general outlines, gradually giving all the details volume. We model the shape with chiaroscuro. When constructing, special attention should be paid to shading. The stroke is the most important element in the arsenal of a graphic artist. A lot depends on the force of its pressure, length and direction. The culture of shading is developed gradually, with practice.

Perspective

Correct construction on any plane spatial figure, in particular a person, is impossible without understanding the laws. You should understand it and understand that everything parallel lines and planes have a vanishing point at the horizon. IN human figure are missing but she easily fits into them. And in order to convincingly answer the question of how to draw a person in full growth, the perspective construction of the figure should be carried out only after its position in relation to the horizon is understood. The horizon line should be drawn first in the drawing.

Let's sum it up

Let's try to critically analyze our creativity. What happened in the end? It rarely happens that a novice artist is satisfied with the results of his labors. It is possible to achieve something worthwhile only if the correct conclusion is drawn from the almost inevitable first failure and the work is continued. With each new drawing there will be fewer and fewer errors. This is the process of gradual improvement. Everyone who has achieved anything in the art of drawing has passed it before you. You should also carefully and systematically study the heritage of recognized masters of drawing. At your disposal are albums of reproductions and many art sites on the Internet. And in addition to long staged drawings, short sketches should be performed. In them you should catch the movement of the figure and, without fixating on the little things, achieve maximum expressiveness of the lines.

In this lesson I will try to tell you how to draw a full-length person step by step with a pencil. Drawing people is pretty difficult task, but it will be easier for you if you understand and remember the principle of constructing a human figure.

How to draw a person step by step

So, take a simple pencil, an eraser and a little patience - let's start the lesson how to draw a person step by step with a pencil.

I won’t tell you about the proportions of a person, because all this can be read in books on drawing. Reading about proportions is very boring, but believe me, it is very important! Required in free time read about human proportions.

First, let's build something like a skeleton. Circles in the figure indicate joints.

When you have built the skeleton, let's move on to the stage of outlining this very skeleton. Look carefully at the picture below and try to circle it as in the picture.

Draw circles where the joints are. They will help you later correctly outline the figure in places where the arms and legs are curved and the joints protrude. Just don’t press too hard on the pencil, because we will delete all these lines!

We got a resemblance to a human figure, only in the form of a doll. And now we need to give the figure human species. To do this, we will cover all parts of the body with “flesh”. This means that the muscles need to be given a more believable shape.

Note that all muscles narrow where they attach to the tendons and widen in the middle.

In the lesson on how to draw a person step by step with a pencil, we went through three stages. Next, you need to use an eraser to remove all the lines inside the shape. You should get a human figure - see the picture below.

All that remains is to dress her, draw her face and hair!

And again, use an eraser to remove all unnecessary lines after you have drawn the clothes.

In order to consolidate your knowledge, try to draw a person in different poses or, for example, with a raised leg or arm.

In addition to inspiration, high-quality paper and pencils, soft from 3B, you will need basic knowledge of how to draw a human figure. If you understand the proportions, then even a beginner can draw a human figure step by step. Let's consider the techniques and main points for successfully solving a creative problem.

Drawing stages

The drawing consists of several stages.

Layout on sheet

Any drawing begins with composition. Depending on the pose of the subject, a vertical or horizontal format is selected. Light lines create the movement and silhouette of the body.

A well-arranged figure is harmoniously placed on the margin of the sheet. Looking at finished work, there should be no desire to move what is drawn.

The image scale must be selected according to the format. Too much large drawing gives the impression of crampedness, requires adding space around. Small - creates the illusion of emptiness, you want to cut off the leaf.

Clarifying the position of the figure and proportions

Sketch lines outline the curvature of the spine, the rotation of the head, the axial shoulder girdle and hip joints. The direction of the shoulders, forearms, hips, legs, hands and feet is indicated linearly and schematically.

Body parts are measured and placed on a sheet in a simplified geometric form (head - oval-shaped, chest - flattened barrel, cup-shaped pelvis, cylindrical and conical - neck and limbs, prismatic - feet and hands). The relative position of the main paired joints (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle) is clarified.

Construction

At this stage, characteristic anatomical features are worked out. The principle is from the general to the specific. Details emerge only after construction large parts.

In essence, construction comes down to breaking large geometric shapes into smaller components. The goal is to achieve an anatomically correct cross-section of forms.

The human body is symmetrical, and the spine is used in construction as a natural axis of symmetry when laying out segments to the right and left.

The drawing is done gently, without pressing the pencil, in order to auxiliary lines the constructions could be freely deleted. At the same time, the boundary of light and shadow is outlined.

Black and white elaboration

Depending on the artistic task, chiaroscuro can be limited to light shading, or consist of complex multi-layer shading that conveys the features of the skin and the texture of the clothing material.

First of all, the own and falling shadows are completely covered. The main tone is concentrated on the shadow border. Then halftones and reflexes are worked out. At the same time, the density of the shadow increases. Lastly, work is done on the light. The illuminated areas are slightly muted with a light tone.

The final part is detailing. Highlighting highlights with an eraser, sharpening and emphasizing shapes with a stroke. Classic shading is done according to the shape of the object.

Pencil work for beginner artists

It is advisable to start drawing a person with short sketches from life. Daily practice will help you quickly develop your eye and acquire the necessary graphic skills.

You should definitely study plastic anatomy. Without basic knowledge of the body structure good results it will not be possible to achieve, the drawing will be reduced to copying what was seen. Wonderful teaching aid books by Gottfried Bammes may become.

Drawing will be a great help individual parts bodies in different positions with anatomical detailing.

To help beginning artists, there is a special measurement technique to determine the exact proportions of the body:

Extend your arm in front of you, holding a pencil in your hand perpendicular to your hand. With one eye closed, the top point of the body part being measured (for example, the head) is compared with the top end of the pencil. The lowest point of measurement (chin) is marked on a pencil thumb hands.
Now you can measure how many segments equal to the height of the head make up the height of the person. The top of the pencil is aligned with the 2nd measurement point (chin). Visually in nature, the lowest point is marked, coinciding with the thumb on a pencil (approximately at the level of the pectoral muscles).
The third and subsequent measurements will be from the pectoral muscles to the navel, and then down.

Body drawing in different positions

Let's try to draw a person in different poses.

Silhouette

Silhouette drawing can be used for life sketches, caricatures, illustrations, and creating cartoon characters. With this type of image, the proportions are often not preserved and are even deliberately distorted. The contour type of drawing is usually used by children. Any drawing of the human body also begins with a preparatory silhouette sketch.

standing figure

The proportional construction of a full-length figure is associated with its conditional division into parts. On the sheet, lines mark the vertical dimensions of the person depicted. The pubic fusion approximately divides the body of an adult in half, the head occupies 1/8 - 1/7 of the part. The child’s head, depending on age, is from 1/4 to 1/6.

The dimensions indicated on paper are divided into the required number of parts. The corresponding body contours fit into the resulting segments.

And some more proportions:

The arms, when lowered, reach the middle of the thigh, the elbows are located at waist level.
The distance formed by arms apart is equal to height.
The length of the hand of adults is comparable to the front part, the foot is approximately equal to the height of the head.
Another eye must be removed between the eye sockets. Forehead, nose, ear, the distance from the tip of the nose to the chin is approximately the same size.

Knowledge of these patterns greatly simplifies the task of the drawing artist.

To “put” a person on a sheet, you need to determine the center of gravity. To do this, draw a vertical line from the jugular fossa (at the base of the neck in the front center) down through the center of the pelvis. For a person standing with support on one leg, the vertical passes through the foot of the supporting leg. Wherein hip joint of this leg is higher, the pelvis is tilted down from the support, the shoulder girdle is in the opposite direction. If the sitter stands on two legs, or with his elbows, arms, shoulders, or back, the center of gravity is located between two supports.

In move

In order to draw a person in motion, anatomical analysis is necessary to accurately reproduce the dynamics:

Spinal position (bending forward when running, skiing, bending with straightening of the lumbar region when jumping forward, twisting when throwing, etc.)
Interaction of parts of the musculoskeletal system relative to the spinal column. For example, in a walking and running person, the pelvic bones and shoulder girdle work in opposition to each other. Shifting the weight to the right leg, the person moves his left shoulder forward and upward. Wherein left hand moves forward, the right one moves backward.
Tension of a certain muscle group in each movement.

The beginning of the drawing is always schematic: the movement of the ridge, the location of the axes of the shoulder and pelvic girdle with the designation of joints, the rotation of the skull, the direction of the bones of the limbs with the simultaneous determination of their length, the position of the feet and hands.

Seated nature

In drawing a sitting man important role the choice of angle plays a role. A position directly in front of nature is considered unsuccessful. In this case, when sitting on a chair, the hips are positioned in a sharp forward contraction. In a sitting position on the ground, the legs or torso contract, depending on the chosen horizon line. It is difficult to achieve a convincing image in such a position. The best angles for a seated subject are from the side, with the horizon line at head level, or slightly lower.

In a sitting position, the lumbar spine is straightened. The center of gravity is the center of support. Most of muscles are in a relaxed state. The gluteal muscles and others in contact with surfaces are subject to deformation.

Figure from the side

A profile picture allows you to most clearly convey characteristics body - posture, head and shoulder position.

It requires constructing the chest, shoulder girdle and pelvic bones in perspective. If the head is not in a clear profile, neither are the skulls. The limbs further away from the viewer will also be somewhat smaller.

For a correct image, you need to find the vanishing point on the horizon line (at eye level) and collect all the center lines at it. Auxiliary lines should also be drawn through paired points (for example: pectoral muscles, anterior superior iliac spines, eyebrows, corners of the lips) to maintain the symmetry of the body.

Reclining nature

Features of a lying person are relaxation of muscles and sagging of soft tissues under the force of gravity. The muscles in contact with the surface are flattened.

The difficulty in drawing a reclining body lies in the perspective reduction of proportions. The most difficult angles of a lying figure are from the side of the head and feet. In such positions, the contraction of the body is maximum and construction is problematic.

In the perspective depiction of body parts, the method of constructing geometric bodies in perspective is used.

Drawing from the back

The sitter standing with his back is painted in the same sequence as the sitter facing. Proportional divisions are transferred to the back of the body. So, half of the height is at the level of the sacrum. The chin is located in the center cervical region spine, the next mark is in the middle part of the shoulder blades, etc. The task is simplified by the absence of the need to draw the face.

Anatomical forms are subject to geometrization. You should avoid direct lighting, which makes it difficult to understand the shape.

Female figure

Drawing a female figure

Figure in clothes

Drawing a clothed person comes down to constructing nudity followed by modeling of draperies on top of the structure. When depicting clothes, you need to make out in which parts the fabric follows the relief of the body, and where it has its own volume. For example: on a woman’s body, the blouse fits to the body from the collarbones to the middle of the chest in the front, from the hood muscles to the top of the shoulder blades in the back. Below this border the fabric drapes freely.

Rigid wardrobe items (some hats, shoes) have their own geometry.

When developing chiaroscuro, it is taken into account that fabrics have inherent own tone and texture. A common mistake is to work more carefully on the details and folds of the material than on the faces of nature, as a result of which the clothes begin to play main role in the drawing.

Nude

The female figure has a number of proportional differences from the male figure. The shoulders are somewhat narrower, the chest is smaller in volume, the pelvic bones are wider, the legs are shorter than those of men. In men, the lower legs are longer, and the brow ridges are more developed on the skull.

An important point when drawing a woman: for women, the center of gravity is lower than for men. A shift in the center of gravity occurs when wearing shoes with heels and in pregnant women. This is most noticeable from the side and is expressed by changes in deflection in the lumbar region. You need to draw a female body taking this feature into account.

Thanks to the even distribution subcutaneous fat, the muscles are hidden, have a calm relief. This requires smooth drawing lines and subtle light and shadow modeling.

Drawing different poses

Having mastered drawing from life, using the knowledge gained about anatomy, you can draw the body in different positions by submission. Whatever the intended pose - natural or acrobatic, it is important to understand the system of the skeleton and muscles in each specific case. The idea of the female body as a geometric constructor will help to correctly simulate chiaroscuro from an imaginary light source.

Drawing a group of people

Drawing several characters is a composite task from those already discussed. Additionally, the compositional component and the problem of remoteness of people in the future are solved.

Except linear perspective, the group drawing uses air. Figures in the foreground are drawn more specifically and with more contrast than those in the background. The light and shadow elaboration of the central moments of the composition is the most meticulous. If necessary, the background plan is summarized with a light, broad stroke.

Drawing a person is not only a difficult task, but also very interesting. Having learned to draw a body, you always want more - to convey the character of the character and your attitude towards him.

Hello, dear friends!

Today we will continue the topic of drawing the human figure, and in this lesson we will study proportions. In this lesson we will learn how to learn to draw a person step by step with a full-length pencil. In order for the following information to really be useful to you, I suggest you prepare a sheet of paper and a pencil and immediately draw with me.

First of all, it is necessary to clarify: we will consider, and also learn how to build and draw a figure tall man with ideal academic proportions. The figures of most people have their own characteristics, sometimes very far from the standard ones, nevertheless, they are all interesting and beautiful in their own way. In order to learn how to correctly display in a drawing the characteristic features of each person’s figure individually, you first need to remember the ratios and proportions in their ideal version.

If you've never drawn full-length people, start simple:

First, try to build several proportional skeletons, so that the arms, legs, palms, pelvis, knees and other parts are in place.
Next, put the human body on these frames, perhaps in a very simplified version, without muscle relief. You can dress your character in simple clothes.
From such a skeleton you can make a man or a woman, a fat or thin person, everything will be in place. Train!
If everything works out well, try showing the muscles of your arms, legs, and torso.

The height from the top of the head to the line of the nose is equal to the size of the palm. This is a very important measurement, mark it for yourself, it will come in handy more than once today.

Torso and pelvis

In order to find important key points of the chest and pelvis, we need to note the size of the palm height somewhere in the corner of the drawing; now we especially need it.

Hands

In order to correctly draw the human figure, it is important to understand the proportions of the arms, elbows, forearm, collarbone and hand.

These are guidelines that almost always coincide with everyone.

Scheme

If it is still too difficult to cope with these measurements and proportions, try printing this image with ready-made markings and practice drawing a person according to this scheme.

I hope this makes things easier and helps you.

Video

In this lesson we figured out the basic proportions human body and after some practice you will be able to draw a full-length human figure without preliminary markings, marking only the main landmarks.

Learn to draw a woman in clothes proportionally and beautifully in a static pose or in motion.

If you want to improve your drawing skills and learn how to draw the female body, figure, arms and legs of a woman, be sure to read this article! Master classes have been selected for you with step by step photos different levels difficulties.

How to beautifully draw a human figure of a woman in full-length clothes step by step with a pencil for beginners and children?

A woman is often the first thing someone tries to draw Small child. He wants to portray his mother! Children's drawing is only schematic. On it the body is an oval, the head is a circle, the arms and legs are “sticks” or “sausages”, and the hair is a simple hatching. Of course, such drawings are touching. But if your child has reached school age and clearly shows interest in drawing, try with him to learn how to draw a full-length woman, no longer schematically, but in compliance with proportions and technique.

IMPORTANT: If you want you or your child to really draw women beautifully, you cannot do without studying anatomy. It must be remembered that the drawing will be proportional if we take the head as the unit of measurement. So, a woman’s height should be equal to 7-8 heads. And so that the bends female body were smooth and beautiful, you should carefully study the woman’s skeleton and her naked body.

Draw with junior schoolboy? Then, of course, everything will be simpler; there will be no need to go into anatomical details.
Let the child draw an oval, tapering downwards. This will be a blank for the head. From the center of the oval you need to draw a straight line two heads long - the axis of the body.

Since the woman in the drawing will be wearing clothes, more precisely, a dress, there is no need to draw hips and legs. Draw a quarter circle divided into three segments.

Focusing on the axis, draw a trapezoid with a smaller base downwards, this will be the torso. On both sides of the larger base, draw semicircles - blanks for the sleeves of the dress.

Detail the drawing - draw the woman’s hairstyle.

Draw the woman's hands. The length of the forearms should be equal to one and a half heads, the hands - 1 head.

Add legs to the woman's drawing and detail her dress.

Remove the auxiliary lines. Draw in facial features as desired.

How to draw a woman's body in clothes with a pencil?

When starting to draw a woman’s body, do not be lazy to study her skeleton and nude images. Try to mentally or on a piece of paper divide the body into basic shapes, mainly triangles.
Imagine your torso in the form of two triangles, connected at the waist level by their vertices. These triangles can be the same since, basically, the width of a woman's hips is equal to the width of her shoulders.

Afterwards, the female figure should be streamlined, since, unlike the male figure, it has more smooth curves.

The next possible difficulty is drawing a woman's breast. Imagine that you are sculpting from plasticine. Stick two identical semicircles to the torso of your figure, smooth them out on top. It will turn out something like the picture below.

Draw female breast it can be difficult.

Convey the movements of the female body by moving the axis line.

Now try to draw a portrait of a woman from the waist up.
Draw an oval - a blank for the head, as well as straight lines - the axis of the body, the axes of the arms and legs. Try to maintain proportions. Use small circles to mark the places where the joints will be.

Woman's torso in pencil: step 1.

Draw the contours of the woman's body and hairstyle.

In the picture, the woman will be wearing a tight-fitting dress; mark its boundaries. Add some jewelry to the woman - a bracelet on her wrist. Draw the hair, let it be a little messy, as if it were blowing in the wind.

Draw the woman's face, detail her dress. Add shadows using shading. Erase the auxiliary lines.

VIDEO: How to draw a female body?

How to draw a woman's hands in clothes with a pencil?

Women's hands are especially difficult to draw. They need to be smooth and graceful, with long, thin fingers.

IMPORTANT: If you depict a woman in clothes, it will be easier for you - you will only have to draw the hands and parts of the forearms. The rest you will hide under the sleeves of your clothes.

Try to depict the woman's hands in several positions at once.

Schematically outline the hands in the form of ovals, and the forearms in the form of straight lines.
Starting from the ovals, draw the fingers. Remember that a woman's middle finger is the longest.
Detail the contours of the hands. No straight lines!
Draw the nail plates and folds of skin in the areas where the phalanges meet.
Delete the auxiliary lines.
Make the shadows with very abrupt shading; they should not be too dark.
If you are drawing a woman's hands with the backs facing forward, pay special attention to the fingertips. They can be rounded or slightly elongated. Draw the nails with a sharp pencil, and with thicker lines draw the folds of the skin in the areas where the phalanges of the fingers meet.
Using the same principle, draw female hands in other positions.

Woman's hands with pencil: step 1.

Woman's hands with pencil: step 2.

Woman's hands with pencil: step 3.

Woman's hands with pencil: step 4.

Woman's hands with pencil: step 5.

Woman's hands in pencil: step 6.

Woman's hands in pencil: step 7.

Woman's hands in pencil: step 8.

Woman's hands in pencil: step 9.

Woman's hands in pencil: step 10.

Woman's hands in pencil: step 11.

How to draw a woman's legs in clothes with a pencil?

A woman's legs are also more rounded than a man's. To draw them:

draw her hips in the form of a triangle lying on the base
draw dots in the corners of the triangle - a schematic representation of the hip joints
from these points, draw straight lines, the axes of the legs (they should not be parallel, make them a little closer at the bottom)
Divide the lines roughly in half, draw dots to mark the kneecaps
outline the contours of the legs, remembering that a woman’s thighs are denser than her lower legs
draw the kneecaps
designate the feet as trapezoids with large bases at the bottom (if the feet are turned straight)
detail the feet and draw the toes

How to draw a person, a woman in clothes, in motion with a pencil?

When you have practiced a little and feel more confident, start drawing female figure in clothes in a static position or in motion.
In the first picture, a woman will be standing in a dress.

Draw an oval for the head. Divide the oval into jagged left and right halves with a vertical line to determine the center of the face. Separate the oval in the upper and lower halves with a horizontal line to maintain the proportions of the face. Draw horizontal line for the hair line. Divide the area below this into three equal parts. The first line below the hairline is for the eyebrows, and the next line shows the position of the tip of the nose. The ears will be located on either side of the head between the eyebrows and nose.
Draw two small ovals - sketches of the ears. Use curved lines above and below the ears to outline the hairstyle. Add ovals for a hat sketch. Extend the curved lines below the hat for the neck and shoulders. Draw straight lines for the bodice. Use short ones smooth lines to shape the chin, right elbow, wrist and ankles. Draw curved and wavy lines to outline the skirt.
Draw the hair using shading. Add a slightly curved line below the edge of the hat. Outline the ears, eyes, mouth. Draw a V-shape for the neckline. Draw the straps of the sundress using straight lines. Detail the sundress - draw the bodice and folds on the skirt. Draw the woman's legs and the shoes on them. Draw bracelets on one or both of the woman's hands.
Draw the eyes, mouth and nose. Detail the dress, add shadows. Erase the auxiliary lines.

Woman in full-length clothing: steps 1-2.

Woman in full-length clothing: steps 3-4.

Woman in full length clothes in pencil.

Now draw a woman in pantsuit in move.

Draw a straight line, divide it into 8 identical segments - this makes it easier to maintain the proportions of the body. The head will be equal to the length of one of these segments.
Draw an oval for the head, make markings on it for correct location eyes, nose and mouth.
Draw the frame of the female body using straight lines, triangles and circles. Give him the desired pose.
Using smooth lines, draw the contours of the woman’s body.
Move on to drawing the clothes. Since it fits the figure, there is no need to add much volume.
Draw the woman's face and hair.
Draw a scarf on the woman’s neck.
Detail the clothes. Draw folds and shadows on it.
Draw shoes - sandals with heels. If desired, draw the woman's accessories, such as a bag.
Erase all unnecessary lines with an eraser.