25 Days to Better Drawings: Figure Drawing
Lesson Description
Lesson 23 of the 25 Days to Better Drawings course introduces students to the fundamentals of figure drawing. Learning to draw the human figure accurately and confidently is a core skill for any artist, as it strengthens observational ability, understanding of proportions, and dynamic composition. In this lesson, Matt presents a simple, structured approach to drawing the figure in four steps, making the process approachable for beginners while providing a strong foundation for more advanced figure drawing in the future.
The lesson emphasizes that figure drawing is not only about replicating what is seen but also about understanding the underlying structure and movement of the human body. By breaking the figure into manageable steps, students can focus on proportion, alignment, and gesture without feeling overwhelmed by detail.
Step One: Establishing the Gesture
Matt begins by introducing the first step in his four-step approach: capturing the gesture of the figure. Gesture drawing focuses on the overall movement, flow, and energy of the body rather than fine details. Using light graphite pencil lines, students create simple, fluid marks that indicate the posture and action of the figure.
This step encourages students to observe the body as a collection of dynamic lines and curves, helping to convey a sense of life and movement. Matt demonstrates how to quickly map out the main action line from head to toe, using sweeping strokes to capture the essence of the pose. Gesture drawing lays the foundation for the figure, ensuring that the proportions and flow are consistent before moving on to more precise structural elements.
Step Two: Constructing the Basic Shapes
In the second step, Matt shows students how to build the figure using basic geometric shapes. He explains that breaking the body into simple forms—such as cylinders for limbs, ovals for the torso, and spheres for the joints—helps establish proper proportions and alignment. This approach reduces the complexity of the figure and allows students to see the underlying structure.
Using photo references, students practice sketching these basic shapes lightly over their gesture lines. Matt emphasizes the importance of proportion at this stage, noting the relative lengths of the limbs, the size of the torso, and the alignment of the head and pelvis. By constructing the figure with these foundational shapes, students can more easily maintain accuracy as they refine the drawing.
Step Three: Refining the Figure
Once the basic structure is established, the third step focuses on refining the figure. Matt demonstrates how to connect the geometric shapes and gesture lines to form a coherent, more realistic body. The limbs are adjusted to show natural curves, and the torso and head are shaped to reflect the human form more accurately.
During this stage, students also begin adding subtle details such as the joints, hands, and feet. Matt encourages careful observation of the reference images, noting how each part of the body interacts with the rest. By refining the figure in this way, students can transition from simple shapes to a fully recognizable human form while maintaining proportion and alignment.
Step Four: Finalizing the Drawing
The fourth and final step of Matt’s approach is to finalize the figure by enhancing the outlines, defining key features, and adding shading to suggest volume and depth. Using graphite pencils, students darken the primary lines, smooth transitions between forms, and carefully indicate areas of shadow and light to create three-dimensionality.
Matt demonstrates how to maintain accuracy while adding these finishing touches, ensuring that the figure retains its dynamic posture and correct proportions. Students practice this step on several photo references, drawing figures in different poses to develop versatility and confidence. The combination of gesture, structure, refinement, and finishing details allows for a complete figure drawing process that is systematic yet flexible.
Practical Application and Skill Development
By the end of Lesson 23, students gain a clear understanding of how to approach figure drawing with a methodical four-step process. Through repeated practice using photo references, they develop skills in gesture, proportion, structure, and refinement, all of which are critical for drawing accurate, dynamic human figures. Matt emphasizes that consistent practice is key to mastering figure drawing, and the four-step method serves as a reliable framework for continued improvement.
This lesson builds foundational skills that will support more advanced topics in human anatomy, perspective, and expressive figure drawing in future lessons. Students leave with the ability to confidently construct figures in a variety of poses, reinforcing both technical proficiency and observational awareness, essential components for any aspiring artist.
Lesson Materials
2B graphite pencil, kneaded eraser, and white drawing paper.
Lesson Resources
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Reference Images (Poses 1-4)
Reference Images (Poses 5-8)
Course Curriculum
Founder of The Virtual Instructor, artist and teacher. Matt makes learning art easy to understand and enjoyable.
what should be d ideal gap between the shoulder line and the waist line
Hi Sapna,
There’s no formula for this measurement, but I would say in most circumstances, it is approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of “head” down from the shape of the head. So this would mean that is around 1 and 1/2 or 1 and 1/3 “heads” from the top line.
thnx a lot sir.
my sketches are not looking proportionate like yours.
Hi Sapna,
Hang in there and keep practicing. The more that you practice this approach, the more natural it will feel to you and the more accurate your drawings will become.
just curious: Figs 1-4, the indentation for the waist is considerably higher than where you put the waist line. Is this because (Fig 3 & 4) that is where you and this guy think his waist is; a gender proportion thing; or something else?
I’m not sure if this is just my internet connection, but around the 36 minute mark (during the fourth gesture drawing) your voice from the beginning is speaking during the sections where you are quietly drawing the figure. It happens on and off through that segment.
I enjoyed the challenge of this lesson.
Hi Brandy,
It looks like an error in the video. We’ll have to fix that. Thanks for letting me know!
We got that weird gibberish out of the video now. Thanks for letting us know, Brandy!
I realize that practice practice practice is the order of the day, however when I do the gesture drawing it looks SO out of proportion. I have even cut out figure 1 (yeah I made a paper doll) and had it right there beside what I was drawing and the drawing still looks alien. Torso way to long compared to legs. I am not giving up though.
Hi Matt….
Another truly well written course! Like your Secrets To Drawing Course, this course organized all bits of information into one cohesive whole making it easier to improve my drawing skills.
That being said,I am having a really difficult time with this figure drawing lesson. My proportions seem very out of wack. When you say shoulder line, it appears you are actually referring to the collar bone. But I can’t seem to figure out which part of the body you are referring to when you say waist. Do you mean the area just below the rib cage near the solar plexus or lower by the hip? Also, are men’s waist higher or lower than a females waist? I am not sure and I think it is because I am not understanding what I should be looking for.
Thank you for your help with this.
Georgiana,
Thanks for your question. Perhaps you are overthinking things a little. Using this method, the shoulder and waist lines are really just observed points that help you begin drawing the figure. You really could pick any feature or location that you like. The general location of the shoulder and the waist however, can be recorded initially using a line – which of course is helpful. The line that I look for to describe the shoulder line extends straight from the top corner of each shoulder across the middle of the top of the chest. This line would indeed cross over the collar bone. The waist line that I record is typically located across the top of the pelvis. Describing this area as the “hips” would be accurate.
As for men vs. women – every figure that you observe will have slightly different proportions. There is no body type that is specific for men compared to women. (Of course there are clear differences in the body shapes – women have wider hips, etc.) For example, some men have very long “legs” while some have very short ones. The same is true for women. Since every body type is different, it may actually be a hinderance to assume a specific set of rules (or a formula) for a man vs. a woman when it comes to proportion. We shouldn’t assume, for example, that all women have longer legs, arms, etc. because this isn’t true. Clearly, women have a different body shape than a man. But beyond this, there is isn’t a standard that applies to ALL women and ALL men.
Thank you, Matt, for your quick reply to my question. I love gesture drawing, but am so very bad at it. I probably am over thinking it. In the studio, I can take my time and use various methods and tools to measure my subjects to (eventually) get a fairly accurate rendering of the subject. But out in the field where time is of the essence, well, I just have a very hard time of it and my proportions are never right.
Do you have any suggestions or ideas (or perhaps a mindset) that I can do or think before I start sketching to help me loosen up or not over think this? I really would like to improve this facit of my drawing.
Thank you again for your help.
I focused on drawing loosely and not stress out. Good Class.
When I have studied other art teacher’s approach to gesture drawing, they often times talk about an action line, particularly in “radical” movements and poses. How would you define the action line? Is it the one that always goes from the neck through the torso to the feet – or could it also be just an arm or from a leg to an arm?
This was by far the most challenging lesson. The figure will not look good at all if you don’t get the initial proportions right between the top (head), shoulder, waist, all within the chosen area within the five minute lesson especially as a newbie.
Yes yes ! So pleased with this lesson will keep practicing as I know it’s what improves both speed & accuracy in drawing figures! I am getting that now ! Your lessons are in great digestible chunks which is fab ! Even my older brain matter is working with them .
Thank you Matt
When I did figure 2 it came out terribly.
I learned a lot thank you 🤢🤮jk
Hi Matt. I was always afraid to draw faces and figure drawings. I followed yir instructions and surprised.myself. Appreciate yur instructions. Practice, practice, practice. Thanks. Jane B
I’ve always found figure drawing difficult, Trying this 4 step approach helped, but I found in using it my proportions were was off on my initial “stick” lines. As I started to add volume and shape to the figure I needed to use comparisons to make corrections.. The first line was most helpful in determining the acton line of the figure , so I’m going to try the additional references provided, starting with that and then begin to add shapes and volume.
This is by far the most difficult lesson so far. Whilst thoroughly enjoyable I find that my proportions are completely out each time and the later figures look barely human!! Thanks for the lessons Matt.