Figure.
Humans are at the heart of illustration. No matter which stories we tell, it almost always involves a creature with a body, two legs, two arms & a head.
But figures are complex things - with legs, hands elbows & more besides.
How can we accurately & reliably draw humans?
Gesture.
The movement of the body may be captured by a single simplified rhythm.
Hands on a clock.
[ Visualization ]
Think about the body & limbs as simple, flat, 2D angles, like hands on a clock.
Wireframe.
[ Process - Sketch ]
Draw this collection of lines first to find the pose of the figure.
Proportions.
[ Concept ]
The size of an object relative to the size of another object.
Halfway Point.
[ Rule of Thumb ]
The legs are long. On average, the halfway point of the body is at the hips.
Head Unit.
[ Rule of Thumb ]
The head is small. On average, adult humans are around 8 heads tall.
Tapering.
[ Rule of Thumb ]
Humans are wider at the shoulders & more narrow at the ankles. Each limb also begins wider & progressively narrows.
Negative Shapes.
[ Visualization ]
Think about the background area of the object as a 2D shape to help you find the positive shapes.