Human anatomy for drawing for beginners step by step: poses, head, anime, face, body

Drawing a person according to anatomical features - one of the examples of high artist's skill. For this you can use any materials, from pencils to watercolors.

Proportions of the human figure

For the image to be believable, the proportions of the human body and head should be taken into account, and for this you should know that:

• 1 unit is taken as the height of the head from the forehead to the lower part of the chin;
• the total body growth is approximately 7-8 units;
• The shoulder width is 2-3 units. The exact number depends on the gender of the character. A man has larger shoulders, so their width should be 3 units. For women, the shoulder width is 2 units.

Every artist drawing a person must also remember the following proportional relationships:

• the total height of the body and neck is no more than 3 units;
• arm length is 3 units;
• The length of the legs is 3.5 units.

Proportions are especially important in the depiction of body movements. The artist's main task is to convey the dynamics and pose of the figure. Each step taken when drawing a person is to create a single figure that has energy, even if it requires changing proportions or anatomy.

Human anatomy for drawing for beginners in painting divides the body into 8 main parts:

• Head.
• Upper chest.
• Lower chest.
• Pelvis.
• Upper thighs.
• Lower thighs.
• Calf muscles.
• Shin and foot.

Thanks to this conditional division, drawing is much easier.

Anatomical differences between male and female figures

The male and female bodies have different skeletons.

The main difference is the ratio of the width of the shoulders to the hips. Women have a wider pelvic bone and a narrower waist. In men, the widest part is the shoulders, but the waist and hips are almost the same thickness. In shape, the female silhouette is similar to an hourglass, while the male is a trapezoid.

Ethnic features

To add dynamism and realism to your work, it is necessary to know the ethnic differences between people, namely:

Representatives	Characteristics
Asians	high cheekbones; small nose; narrow eye slit.
African Americans	wide nose; full lips; body color – all shades of brown.
Europeans	wavy hair; protruding, not wide nose; thin lips.

Angles

When drawing human anatomical features, it is important for a beginning artist to learn to capture the correct angle.

For example:

• when depicting a face in profile it can be inscribed in a square and divided into 2 equal parts, where the ear will be the center;
• to depict a 3/4 angle, the following rules must be observed: the right side of the face appears larger, and the nose is located on the part of the face that is farthest from the viewer;
• one of the main features of the "look down" perspective - the ears should be positioned so that they appear higher than the eyes. The nose should cover the lips and mouth. The top of the head should appear larger;
• when looking up the lower part of the head appears larger. In this case, the chin and nostrils are clearly visible, and the ears seem to be located below the eyes.

Emotions and facial expressions

A person's emotions must be present in the drawing; without them, the faces will appear lifeless.

Of all the emotions and facial expressions, there are 6 main ones, knowledge of which will help artists in their work:

Emotion	Image characteristics
Astonishment	eyebrows raised; eyes wide open; lips separated; The inner corner of the eyebrows is raised, while the eyelids are relaxed.
Fear	The corners of the eyebrows are drawn together, causing the eyebrows to arch.
Disgust	the upper lip is raised; the nose is wrinkled; wrinkles have formed around the mouth.
Anger	eyebrows are lowered and drawn together; wrinkles appear between them.
Happiness	there is a smile or laughter on the face; cheeks raised; eyes are reduced in size.
Sadness	the inner corners of the eyebrows are drawn together and raised; the corners of the lips are turned down; lips seem to tremble.

How to draw a person with a pencil step by step for beginners

Drawing a full-length human figure, with or without clothing, consists of the following steps:

• Draw several light lines, simultaneously outlining the space that the figure will occupy on the canvas. It is important at this stage to determine the maximum height and width.
• Outline the main parts of the body - head, torso, arms, legs. It is important to take into account the relative proportions.
• Pay attention to the dynamics of the figure. Perhaps the person is simply standing motionless or his posture suggests that he is performing some action. All this needs to be displayed. It is important to pay attention to the angles and slopes that are present in the figure.

• Create contours by casting shadows and showing details that cannot be avoided.
• Delete all auxiliary lines.

Human anatomy for drawing for beginners helps to better perform the drawing. The skeleton can be depicted with lines that would show the pose. At the first stages, when there is still no great experience in drawing, you need to try to depict a simple form of the body, taking into account its main proportions.

Face

This part of the body is the most expressive. A portrait does not simply reproduce physical features in order to make a particular character recognizable.

A portrait using facial expressions tells about:

• human personality;
• his emotions;
• what he was thinking about.

Head

The head is drawn as follows:

• Draw an oval and inside it draw 2 lines intersecting at a right angle. The horizontal line will indicate the location of the eyes, and the vertical line marks the middle of the head.

• Measure the height of the head. To do this, place the ruler on the vertical line that marks the middle of the head. The dimensions of the other parts of the body depend on the height of the head.
• Determine where the auricles will be located. Their upper part should be on the axis of the eyes, and the lower part - at the level of the base of the nose. Their shape can be different, depending on the individual characteristics of the person. The location is always the same.

Torso and pelvis

To draw them you need:

• Draw 7 segments equal to the height of the head down. This will be the length of the body.
• Using the drawing as a guide, create a body skeleton. It is important to remember the proportions and anatomical features of male and female figures. The width of the shoulders of a man is equal to 3 heads, and for women – 2.

• Draw the chest, pelvic area, and upper and lower pairs of limbs. Draw simple circles in place of flexible joints.
• Remove the original lines that served as auxiliary elements. To do this, go over them with an eraser.
• Start drawing the collarbone, neck, shoulders, chest. The chest and pelvis on the sides should be connected by lines, while trying to repeat all the curves formed by the muscles.

Limbs, hands and feet

Working with the hands and feet is the most difficult, because these parts of the body are often more expressive than the face.

Their image includes the following stages:

1. Create a sketch. When doing it, you should take into account the angle and pose. It should be done quickly, but diligently.
2. Engage in geometrization. Giving the necessary shapes to the hands and feet, try to convey anatomical information.
3. Refine details and individual contours.

Human anatomy for drawing for beginners is studied in general terms.

When working with an image, consider the following recommendations:

• you need to try to draw your own hands and feet in different positions;
• During the learning process, it is necessary to use a mirror to help;
• pick up various objects in your hands;
• It is necessary to try to convey the dynamism and mood of gestures in the drawings.

Anime

Japanese manga comics and cartoons called anime are a broad layer of culture, despite the fact that they came to Europe recently. Today, anime characters are recognized by fans all over the world. Their drawing is practically no different from the image of any person.

To do this you need:

• Create a figure. The same principle applies here: the height of the body is approximately 8 heads. The rest of the body proportions of cartoon characters are identical to human proportions.
• From the frame made of lines and circles, move on to the general structure. At this stage, mark the muscles, and in places where parts of the arms and legs are articulated, put small ovals. The wrists, torso and lower legs should remain lines.
• Start forming the contours of the body. To do this, carefully draw slightly curved lines. They will completely form the image of the character.

It is important to make the lines smooth, because any angles will contribute to the creation of a mechanical effect and reduce naturalness.

• Use the eraser to remove all previously drawn auxiliary lines.

A man in full growth

Another way to draw a person in full growth can be as follows:

• Draw a rectangle whose sides are related as 3:4. The geometric figure should be positioned so that its long sides are vertical and its short sides are horizontal.

• In the center of the rectangle, draw a vertical line, which should be slightly longer than the longitudinal side.
• At the very top, from one corner of the rectangle to its other top corner, draw an arc. This will be the shoulder line. At the bottom, there should be a similar arc, but only a little longer. This will be the outline of light summer clothing, such as a T-shirt.
• Draw the body parts in full growth. This is done using ovals. They represent the head, shoulders, knees.
• Use 2 short lines running from the bottom of the head to the arched line above the rectangle to mark the neck.

• There is no need to try to carefully draw the ovals, they are only needed so that the artist can better navigate his drawing while working on it. When the work is finished, these ovals will have to be removed.
• The only oval that requires special attention is the head. Here it is important to consider the shape of the chin.
• Draw 2 more ovals to represent the elbows and 2 more ovals to represent the feet.
• Draw 2 curved lines running along the sides of the body. They should be connected to the contours of the knees.

• Draw the upper limbs using the shoulder and elbow ovals.
  Similarly, draw the lower limbs using the knee and foot ovals. At this stage, make sure that the limbs and body are in the correct proportions.
• Take an eraser and carefully remove all unnecessary elements.
  After removing unnecessary auxiliary details, add the outline of the T-shirt and the bottom line of the trousers.
• Draw a face.

• Draw clothes. It is important not to forget: there should be folds and shadows on it. The location of the latter depends on which side of the person the light source is located.

Poses

To be able to draw people in different poses means to be able to make them “come to life” on paper. For example, you can depict a person throwing a spear or dancing.

It is important to pay attention to the position of the head and body, as well as how the limbs are bent. You can start with schematic drawings. This will make it easier to navigate. When drawing a character, it is important to remember the center of gravity.

Portrait

Before you start drawing a portrait, it is better to make several sketches. This will be a good training for your hand. This way, your brush will get used to drawing curved lines, which will make the work easier in the future.

After some practice, you can proceed directly to creating a portrait, and to do this:

• Draw an oval. It should be located in the center of the sheet. It is important to pay attention to the shape of the chin. It is recommended to hold the pencil at an angle of 45°.
• Once the oval with a pronounced chin shape is drawn, outline the neck with a couple of curved lines.
• Draw auxiliary lines. First of all, the face should be divided into 3 equal parts. This is done with the help of 2 horizontal lines. The upper line marks the position of the eyebrows, and the lower line marks the line of the nose.
• Make sure the 3 parts of the face are equal in height. This has a significant impact on the proportions.

• Draw 1 vertical line that will intersect both horizontal ones. It should go through the center. This will be the axis of symmetry; without this line, the face will be crooked.
• Work on the hair. It is depicted with smooth contours. At the same time, it is necessary to make it so that the hair slightly overlaps the face.
• Work on the important details of the face. First, draw the eyebrows. They are located slightly above the upper horizontal line. They can be any width. The main thing is that it looks believable.
• Proceed to drawing the lips. First draw the line where they meet, then outline both lips. It is important to consider the following feature: the lower lip should be slightly larger than the upper one.
• Draw the nose. It is located just above the lower horizontal line. It is necessary to outline its wings and inscribe the nostrils.

• Draw the most expressive part of the face – the eyes. To do this, outline a curved line running under the eyebrows. This is the axis on which the eyes will be located.
• Determine the location of the inner corners of the eyes. To do this, draw vertical lines upwards from the wings of the nose. Having reached the curved axis, they will show where on the face the inner corners of the eyes will be located.
• Draw the eyes themselves. It is important to pay attention to the shape of the visual organs, which are similar to plant leaves. Their outer corners should also be located on a curved axis.
• Delete all auxiliary lines. For this, use a regular eraser.
• Having got rid of the lines, it is necessary to move on to detailed drawing. Continue working with the eyes. It is necessary to draw the eyelids at the top and bottom of each eye.
• Draw the iris and pupils. There should be small highlights inside each pupil.

• Work with light and shadow. You should start with shading the pupils. They should become dark.
• Fill in the eyebrows with short strokes. There should be shadows under the eyelids.
• Add volume to the lips. To do this, simply apply strokes to each of them. Leave some space on the lower lip for a highlight.
• Apply shadows to the nose. They should be present on the sides, and the nostrils should be densely shaded.
• Work on the volume of the face. To do this, apply shadows to the cheeks. They should also be present under the eyebrows and under the chin.
• Move on to working with the hair. Shade the hair, trying to give it volume.

Rules for drawing a person in anime style

Anyone who wants to learn how to draw anime characters correctly should remember the distinctive features of the body structure of women and men in manga.

For example, a woman should have:

• wide hips;
• pronounced chest;
• narrow shoulders;
• slender neck;
• legs to emphasize the hourglass shape;
• The cheekbones of the face are depicted with thin lines of small size. They are not given much attention.

For beginners and professional artists, characters do not necessarily have to be realistic and correspond to natural anatomy. Hair can be of different colors. Ears may not be human, but, for example, cat's. When drawing clothes, there is also no limit to imagination.

Video about drawing a person

Human anatomy for drawing: