Human history is replete with examples of figure drawings and paintings.
The human figure is one of the most difficult things to draw. Since ancient times, sculptors and painters have had to find ways to properly measure the correct proportions of the human body. One way to get good at this is to practice drawing a human figure from a photo or, ideally, a model. This gives you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the human anatomy, which is an essential step in becoming proficient in drawing the human form. Fortunately, there is a general rule of thumb that can greatly improve your chances of getting the proportions right.
Instructions
1. Prepare your drawing station at a table with enough room to place your reference image close to your drawing paper. Choose a standing figure as your first project. Make a mark to indicate the bottom of the feet and another mark 7 inches high to indicate the top of the head. Draw this line beside the figure you are going to draw. Mark the line at every inch so that you have a scale that you can easily refer to as you draw.
2. Draw the head as an oval shape and make it 1 inch high, which would be the top inch of your 7 inch scale. Indicate the neck and shoulders. The shoulders should be about 3 times the width of the head. Draw the arms at the sides of the body. The fingertips should be at the 3 inch mark, which is where the legs begin. The hip is one inch higher at the 4 inch mark. Continue to outline the legs and feet.
3. If the arm is away from the body, make the distance from the elbow to the fingertips 2 inches long. The distance from the fingertips to the wrist is one inch. Finish the outline using these measurements as a guide.
4. Refine the oval shape of the face to make it fit the body by referring to your image. Draw a horizontal line through the middle, which would be at 6.5 inches, using this example. This line is the plane along which you place the eyes. Then draw a line halfway between the eyes and the chin.which gives you the line for the upper lip. The mouth extends on each side as far as the center of the eyes above.
5. Complete the face with the remaining details such as the nose, eyes, mouth, ears and hair.Examine the results to see if this resembles your image. You may have to make some modifications as these are just rules of thumb. Use your eraser to make adjustments and re-draw the proportions if they are slightly different from the person in your reference image.
6. Add clothing and other accessories, now that you have established the right proportions for the human form.
