Expressive Figure Drawing Techniques

See demo on how to create figure drawings that are expressive, lively and dynamic in charcoal. Explained is specific techniques on how to physically work your drawing to get past tight, conservative ways of drawing. Demo with Art Prof Clara Lieu. Video Walkthrough Art Supplies Reference Photos As a free educational source, Art Prof uses […]

Why the Line of Action Doesn’t Work for Figure Drawing

See the reasons the line of action can make figure drawing more difficult and misleading, especially in terms of anatomical structure and getting a true understanding of what a gesture drawing entails. Discussion with Art Prof Clara Lieu. Video Walkthrough As a free educational source, Art Prof uses Amazon affiliate links (found in this page) […]

Figure in Water Mixable Oils

See how to begin a figure painting with water mixable oils. Explained is a reductive underpainting technique where the painting surface is covered with one color, and the highlights are removed with a cotton rag. Demo by Art Prof Clara Lieu. Video Walkthrough Art Supplies Reference Photos As a free educational source, Art Prof uses […]

Drawing a Male Torso & Portrait in Soft Pastel

See step by step how to draw a male portrait in soft pastel and quick torso drawings with Clip Studio Paint. Techniques covered include how to block on the beginning of the drawing, how to emphasize lighting, and how to address color. Demo by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Jordan McCracken-Foster. Video Walkthrough […]

Expressive Drawing TRACK: Lesson 1, Moving Figures

Prompt Inspiration Prof Lieu Start Examples Taru Kortelainen, Nyree B., Manette Eaton, Helen Cook, Yulia S, Truc-Ha Duong Objectives Observe yourself Recommended Videos You draw from any video you like that shows movement in slow motion. Or, you can use these videos below. These videos were selected because the figures are not cropped and the […]

How to Draw Baby Hands in Soft Pastel & Photoshop

See a drawing demo on how to draw baby hands. They are tricky to draw. Their anatomy is totally different from an adult’s hand! Tips for how to capture the volume and form of a baby hand, as well as how to articulate the lighting on the hand are explained. Demo by Art Prof Clara […]

Artistic Anatomy Lecture: Foreshortening

Get essential tips on how to draw a foreshortened human figure. Learn to identify key points on the figure that will make foreshortening clear and concrete. Foreshortening is when an object appears to be shorter than it actually physically is, creating a point of view that is dramatic and challenging to portray in drawing. Lecture […]

How to Draw Arms in Charcoal & Photoshop

Get concrete tips and anatomy advice on how to draw arms in a convincing way. Arms have a complex structure of bones, ligaments, and muscles that can be challenging to figure out. This drawing tutorial provides specific landmarks to identify and how to put all the parts together to create a fluid drawing. Demo by […]

Anatomy TRACK: Lesson 6, Lighting on a Torso

Prompt Do a sustained drawing of a torso that focuses on lighting as a means of emphasizing the volume and form. Use any drawing style you want, this video uses smudging to create soft shadows, whereas this video uses cross-hatching to build the shadows. tips Keep on eye on what the centerline is doing; it’s […]

Anatomy TRACK: Lesson 5, Foreshortened Figures

Prompt Draw 6 hours of 5-20 min. gesture drawings of poses that show foreshortening. Emphasize bony landmarks, especially the joints in the arms and legs. Foreshortening can be extremely dramatic, or it can be very subtle, sometimes it’s barely there! Aim to bring out the foreshortening anywhere you can. Tips Search for overlaps in the […]

Anatomy TRACK: Lesson 4, Tonal Figure Drawings

Prompt Draw 6 hours of 5-20 min. gesture drawings of full figures that emphasize tone to show the volume and form of the human figure. Think about the process as if you were sculpting a figure in 3D. Muscles are rarely confined to a single point of view, many “wrap” around the figure from one […]

Anatomy TRACK: Lesson 2, Hands & Feet Gesture Drawings

Prompt Do 6 hours of gesture drawings of hands and feet. We recommend making the hands and feet in your drawings at least life size or larger. Reference Images Inspiration Käthe Kollwitz, Egon Schiele, Albrecht Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci timed drawing videos Our timed drawing exercises videos make drawing even easier: each video plays 2 […]

Anatomy TRACK: Lesson 1, Gesture Drawings of Figures

Prompt Complete six hours in total of gesture drawings of figures. A huge part of figure drawing is simply logging the “pencil mileage” and developing the muscle memory. Examples Artworks by Tent, Pat, Toaster, Steen Where do I draw first? It doesn’t matter whether an arm is well drawn, the most important thing is that […]

Anatomy & Figure Drawing TRACK

Learn the fundamentals of drawing the human figure by developing a base knowledge of human anatomy. Lesson 1 • Lesson 2 • Lesson 3Lesson 4 • Lesson 5 • Lesson 6 You’ll have the option to draw with either digital or traditional drawing media to explore the structures of the human figure, while developing skills in both quick […]

Drawing a Skeleton Inside a Figure

A great exercise for learning anatomy as an artist is drawing a skeleton inside a figure drawing. By drawing the skeleton as you draw the human figure, you are able to see the connections between the figure. Explained are the various bony landmarks, providing a fundamental understanding of how the skeletal structure in a figure […]

Drawing a Female Back Torso with Graphite Powder

See a drawing demo which explains the anatomy of the back while also showing pencil drawing techniques to achieve a convincing sense of realistic form. Anatomical landmarks shown include the scapula, pelvis, centerline, the Posterior Superior Iliac Spine, and more. Techniques for creating tone are shown using graphite powder, a white plastic eraser, a kneaded […]

Drawing Foreshortened Legs in Procreate & Photoshop

This video demos how you can draw convincing foreshortening in your figure drawings, focusing on legs. Techniques for how to draw foreshortening are explained as well as what anatomical landmarks to look for. This demo shows techniques in Photoshop and a Wacom Cintiq 22, and also Procreate with an iPad. Demo by Art Prof Clara […]

Proportions for Figure Drawing

This video explains & demonstrates how to draw convincing proportions when drawing the human figure. Demo by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Cat Huang. Techniques for figuring out proportions in the drawing process are explained in detail, as well as the basic anatomical relationships of the largest parts of the human figure. Video […]

Drawing Basics TRACK: Lesson 2, 6 Hours of Figure Drawing

Prompt Examples Toaster, Tent, Steen, Pat McIlroy Timed Drawing Videos Our videos makes drawing practice easy: get your drawing supplies and follow along as each pose plays with a timer. See all our timed drawing videos. Reference images Recommended media Sketchbook that is around 9″ x 12,” pencil, colored pencil, Caran d’Ache Neocolor I Crayon […]

Sculpting a Foot in Oil Based Clay 2

Part 2: This video demonstrates how to sculpt a small scale foot using plastilene, an oil based clay that is flexible and safe for home art studios. Working from custom reference photos for the sculpture, techniques such as how to build up the base and structure of the sculpture and articulate the skeletal structure are […]

2500 Drawing Challenge

This is the art challenge if you want to level up your figure drawing skills! The 2500 Drawing Challenge consist of drawing 1000 heads, 500 arms (including hands), 500 legs (including feet), 250 hands, and 250 feet. This video provides tips for how to complete the challenge, and the many benefits and skills you will […]

Sculpting a Foot in Oil Based Clay

This two part series demonstrates from beginning to end how to sculpt a small scale foot without using a wire armature. The clay used in this series is plastilene, an oil based clay that is flexible and safe for home art studios.  Working from custom reference photos that were shot specifically for the sculpture from […]

Top 5 Figure Drawing Mistakes!

Avoid these mistakes when drawing the human figure: tracing the outline, drawing too dark too soon, leaving the hands and feet to the last minute and more. See these mistakes demonstrated, and followed up with more effective and efficient techniques for drawing the figure. using stills from Eadweard Muybridge’s book The Human Figure in Action. […]

Sculpting a Foot in Oil Based Clay 1

This video demonstrates how to sculpt a small scale foot using plastilene, an oil based clay that is flexible and safe for home art studios. Working from custom reference photos for the sculpture, techniques such as how to build up the base and structure of the sculpture and articulate the skeletal structure are explained. Demonstration […]

2 minute Figure Gesture Drawings in Pencil

Art Prof Clara Lieu demonstrates 2 minute gesture drawings using stills from Eadweard Muybridge’s book The Human Figure in Action. Prof Lieu explains how to capture the most essential masses and forms of the human figure within 2 minutes.  Video Walkthrough Art Supplies Reference Photos Books mentioned As a free educational source, Art Prof uses […]