Getting Started With Figure Drawing – 3 Essential Steps

by Anna Sok
Published: July 30, 2017
Updated: December 15, 2023

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Are you struggling with figure drawing? Can’t seem to get the right proportions, or they are missing realism and life in them? I’m here to help 🙂

To master figure drawing one must learn the theory from books, watch videos of masters who know what they are doing and PRACTICE – and these are your three steps to success!

There are a couple of ways you can go about it – try to figure it all out by yourself, or take a shortcut and learn from people who have been where you are right now! Why invent the wheel that was already invented?

BOOKS

For those who LOVE to read, and learn better this way – there are MANY books out there that are ready to help you no matter what level you are right now.

Here is my list of 4 Best Figure Drawing Books for Beginners:

(My original list consists of 14 figure drawing books. You can read a short summary of all of them if you are not sure which one is right for you)

Sale

Figure Drawing for All It's Worth

Sale

Drawing the Head and Figure: A How-To Handbook...

Sale

Figure Drawing: Design and Invention

Sale

Anatomy for the Artist

All of them are a great addition to your home library, and are a valuable asset for any artist!

Course

For those of you who enjoy videos more – there are plenty out there that are great for learning! However, I do believe that everyone should do ALL THREE – books, video and practice – in order to succeed!

That’s the reason why I’m in love with the “Secret Of Figure Drawing” course by Ethan (founder of mydrawingtutorials.com) and Michael (co-founder of this course) that together created such valuable step-by-step lessons for artists!

In the course, one gets 6 full training modules, filled with 29+ video lessons for a total of over 7 hours of materials.

And you’ll be able to watch these videos anytime from any place:

Module 1: Human Proportion Made Easy

How to draw the human figure from different sides, different types of human proportions, tricks to measure right, common mistakes beginners make and much much more!

Module 2: Drawing The Figure In Perspective

Basic perspective rules, step-by-step instructions, how perspective affects your figure – so you can later draw from your head the most complex poses realistically, and more!

Module 3: Drawing Gesture & The Manikin Figure

Simplifying human form, gesture drawing, manikin in different poses, the secret to drawing from imagination, and more!

Module 4: Drawing Realistic Anatomy

The importance of anatomy, easy way to transform your manikin into a realistic human figure, step-by-step how to draw different parts of the body from different angles, flexing body, and more!

Module 5: Secrets Of Realistic Shading

Proper pencil grips, best types of pencils for your desired shading, making your figure look life-like, and more!

Module 6: Drawing A Complete Figure From Start To Finish

Step by step from start to finish, giving your figure depth and dimension through shading, a list of all the details you need to add in order to make it look realistic and with proper skin tones, and much more!

Sounds impressive, right?

Also, I noticed that right now they are giving out free bonuses (I don’t know how long it will last for) that would cost you 70$ altogether ( and the course itself is way cheaper than that)!!!

You are getting a course on “How To Draw Hands” (Value – $27), “How To Draw The Feet” (Value – $27) and a beautiful “Shortcut Secrets Of Figure Drawing” E-book (Value – $14.95).

You can also check out what is included in the book in the video down below. You can purchase the book separately, I believe, or get for free with the course!

I hope it lasts long enough for all of you to be able to get all of them since they are truly helpful! 🙂

Practice

Getting Started With Figure Drawing - 3 Essential Steps — You Can Pin Me! 🙂

The last piece of this puzzle is to go ahead and practice, practice and practice! The more you do something – the better you get. And the books and the video course will help you achieve your goals faster! 🙂

Figure drawing can be practiced by:

going to a nearby figure drawing meeting with a live model (highly recommended)
drawing from photographs of your friends or relatives
or visiting a figure drawing website.

Here are some resources to help you practice:

I hope this short blog post was useful to you, and now you know where to start!

If you have any tips you would like to share with fellow readers, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section 🙂

Good luck on your figure drawing learning,

– Anna 😉

Anna Sok

Anna Sok is an illustrator and a blogger. In 2020, she graduated from OCAD University with a BA in Design / Illustration. In 2017, Anna started a blog for artists, youartartpath.com, which she continues to run today. Anna Sok is an illustrator and a blogger. In 2020, she graduated from OCAD University with a BA in Design / Illustration. In 2017, Anna started a blog for artists, youartartpath.com, which she continues to run today. Anna loves all things creative - drawing, painting, art history, coloring books, digital art, illustration, 3D sculpting, 2D animation, writing, and singing. She doesn't have the time to fit all her hobbies into one month, let alone a single day! Above all, Anna loves trying new things and sharing her knowledge and ideas with others.