BYU-I: Figure Drawing

5 min readApr 6, 2023

Key points

This article will give you a better idea of what you would learn and practice if you take Introduction to Intro to Robotics as of Winter 2023. I will also share my research on what you should study and know if you are taking this class because you are interested in animation.

The human figure is not a one measurement fits all kind of deal. Understanding general rules can be restrictive if treated religiously. If treated as a general idea it can be helpful to understand rules like how the face is proportioned, the 7,8,9 head tall model rules so when you are drawing you can know what to check. Learn when to use methods like the Loomis, Reily, Steve Houston, Michael Hamton. More important is to focus on big shapes, leading lines, triangles and whistles, simplified 3D features, note how people applied different methods, asking why. Practice to become better at overserving and recreating accurate anatomy.

Use Croquis/Gesture drawings help you quickly warm up. Rapid gesture drawings will also do more to help you early on with improving your abilities than long studies.

Picking reference images

Review hands, feet, arms, torsos, etc individually
muscle and skeletal structure references
master drawings
dynamic and interesting poses ie sports, dance

Do not start with the head. Instead start with placing lines for the top of the head, the heel, and the waist. Then create your line of action.

Hold your pencil differently based on what you are trying to do. Hold your pencil from the end to help speed up your initial proportion process and allow you to draw lightly. Later on you will want to hold the pencil closer to the tip to give you more control. Hold your charcoal sideways when you need to cover large areas with value.

Do not start with the outline of the person. Instead use rectangles, ovals, or whatever shape fits the reference best. Pay attention to the s curves of the figure. Make corrections to the proportions in this early phase. Step back from your drawing every once in a while to make see how its coming together. This can help you see value and proportional issues that are hard to notice when you are close to your artwork.

Remember the principles of design when you are creating your composition. While you are drawing the figure, also draw the background so that they naturally work together. As with other drawings pay attention to the value scale and MAPP ratios. I like to print out the reference so I can draw lines to help with this.

Use thicker lines to help differentiate what is in front and what is in shadow to add line variety. Clarifying edges as soft or hard will help strengthen your drawing. Use shading as a tool around the figure to add high contrast around the edge of the figure. Ensure a full range of values. If you struggle to understand detail start by creating block shapes for areas with similar value. To get more detail accuracy zoom in on the digital reference and add to it bit by bit.

Modeling tools — skelly, lineofaction

Tutorials — Chommang_drawing — YouTube, Proko — YouTube

Notes on Animation

How To Be an Animator in 2021: Skills To Have, and Steps To Take (virtualtilt.com)

Summary —

Observing and incorporating the real world, adjusting to large changes in the plan, sketching, anatomy, color theory, and perspective are some of the key skills in animation. Fill up sketchbooks, contribute to short films, and freelance to gain more experience. Attend events, join groups, and make genuine friendships.

Expect your first job to be something smaller like working on a netflix-only animation. Los Angeles has headquarters for Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Illumination, and other film studios. New York, Atlanta, London, Hong Kong, Toyko, Mumbai, and Toronto are some other less prominent possibilities depending on what kind of work you are creating. It takes 5 to 10 years to make start getting significant income from animation and gigs usually do not last more than a year.