The Stick Figure Drawing You Were Never Taught Could that stick figure drawing you made in 3rd grade be the beginnings of greatness? YES! Even the most skilled artists out there started somewhere and stick figures are what they started with. They are great for story-boarding and getting down ideas quickly. Skillfully drawing them to show believable action and movement can take some practice but with some basic knowledge you will be drawing them like a pro in no time. "While a basic stick figure drawing may not be what you have in mind as great work, it is the foundation of figure drawing." Everything great starts off basic and elementary. This is why I always chant the motto Keep it Simple! In this case it could not be any closer to the truth. Obviously we will get into a more in depth version of the stick figure drawing however the basics to creating one still apply. The Warm Up 1. You must be comfortable with the tools you are using. If you are stiff and rigid, believe me, this exercise will be more difficult than you will want it to be. The key is to get a loose but firm enough grip on your pen or pencil to let the lines flow smoothly onto the paper. Shake your hands "loose". Let 'em flip and fly. "If you get too tight with these drawings you will get stiff rigid drawings that have no life or action." You can first start by drawing your basic stick man to warm up. It's like your basic "hangman" stick figure above. A simple circle for the head and a line for each limb. Easy enough. Now just take your pencil and move your hand across the paper and draw a few loose strokes. Let the movement of your your arm and wrist draw the line. A 2b or darker(pencil hardness is ideal for this exercise. 2. Get More Advanced As I said it is easy but there are some basics like how to draw a face that you will need to review or get comfortable with before attempting the steps below. It is not mandatory however it will help get a better idea of where this is going. You are learning to draw the skeleton of your figures. These stick figures can eventually be turned in to fully fleshed out figures. Once you get this down you will be well on your way to being able to draw any figure in any position with great skill and believability. Stick Figure Drawing Like A Pro I have come across some really great tips and examples after reading countless books on figure drawing and thru my own trial and error. What I have learned however is while explaining every aspect of the figure is useful, a picture is worth a thousand words. Below are some examples. Study them and practice drawing them often. "The key to drawing great figures is to keep them "springy." That means no 90 degree angles or straight lines. Follow that and you are already way ahead of most starting out. The human body typically does not contain any harsh angles on it. Keep the lines "curvy and springy". This not only makes it easier to show motion as the lines are more fluid; they also look more natural and animated. 3. Practice Practice Practice. Learning to draw the advanced stick figure drawing will help exponentially later on when you try to flesh out your figures. Get very familiar with this guy. Knowledge of him will be invaluable if you plan on creating your own comic book characters or any compositions or layouts where people are involved. Tip: When experimenting with positions draw them with a sense of Gravity. Think of an imaginary line running down the center of the figure that they are bound to. It is their own little world of gravity and you have control over where and how they move about it. Think of how weight is distributed when you shift your weight from your right leg to your left. Think of the positions that you assume and where your body's center of gravity is located. This will help you create more realistic and natural movements and poses. A stick figure drawing can take you all the way to drawing full on comic books, portraits or even professional graphic layouts. You just need to learn the basics and KEEP IT SIMPLE! . The Stick Figure Drawing You Were Never Taught Could that stick figure drawing you made in 3rd grade be the beginnings of greatness? YES! Even the most skilled artists out there. knowledge you will be drawing them like a pro in no time. "While a basic stick figure drawing may not be what you have in mind as great work, it is the foundation of figure drawing. ". movements and poses. A stick figure drawing can take you all the way to drawing full on comic books, portraits or even professional graphic layouts. You just need to learn the basics and KEEP