NDA Art Critique Message Boards

I've been drawing dragons so long, I've never thought about drawing people. I tried today, and I can't do faces at all. The shape of the jawline, and all the features mess me up.
I also have human anatomy all wrong. I end up making the head tiny, and the arms too long, and legs too short...ect. So i need lots of help.

Well, the typical art instruction always applies when it comes to humans:
Step 1. Find paper and pencil.
Step 2. Place pencil, pointy end down, on to the paper and move it around.
Step 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for 20 years.


As for more specific stuff, be sure you're not just drawing people and hoping they turn out right. You've got to draw from life, or reference, and you've got to study how the human body is composed and works; if you don't, your figures will always be stiff and unnatural. Yes, it's boring work, but it's what's necessary.

Some references I've found to be useful are:
http://www.posemaniacs.com/blog/
http://cedarseed.deviantart.com/art/Big ... y-15014442
http://cedarseed.deviantart.com/art/Gui ... 1-32046017
http://cedarseed.deviantart.com/art/Emo ... n-47118559
http://snigom.deviantart.com/art/Male-A ... s-44663581
http://snigom.deviantart.com/art/Female ... s-43675502
http://imagec0rrupt3d.deviantart.com/ar ... y-69280033
http://snigom.deviantart.com/art/Arms-a ... l-44397669
http://coelasquid.deviantart.com/art/Ho ... -104342407
http://timflanagan.deviantart.com/art/B ... al-4751669
http://snigom.deviantart.com/art/Face-P ... l-44290362

[Warning for minor nudities]

Also, if you've got some money to spare, I would highly recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Anatomy-E ... 327&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Bridgman-Box ... 381&sr=8-1
http://the-structure-of-man.blogspot.com/

And, most importantly, practice practice practice practice, do some practice, then practice, add a little practice, sprinkle some practice on the side, and don't forget to practice. Oh, and don't get frustrated; humans are infinitely complex and are extremely difficult to learn; just remember that each drawing you do brings your figures one step closer to perfection.

I think it's great that you want to draw humans. I mostly draw humans. For years I was afraid to but finally I tackled it. Still getting the hang of it. I love drawing men. They are easier. I still have a lot to learn about how to draw women though. My advice is don't start with super hard realism. I kinda waded into drawing humans because I started to draw Simpsons first which are really easy. Once I got comfortable with that and had some original characters it wasn't too hard to translate them into more realistic looks. I don't do anything by conventional means. I don't use references for humans except a mirror for myself and I will sometimes get in the poses. Funny because I draw men so I'm not the reference I should look at, but I just need a basic idea as I can't see things too well in my head. Have a look through my deviant gallery to see some of my guys.

Thanks, both of you. =) Those are some awesome tips. ^^

I got started drawing humans from a how-to-draw-manga book. It wasn't a very good how to draw book, but it gave me a really simple starting point.

I've never been able to draw humans either, so don't feel bad Cullen. I have never had the patience to fully learn.

pretty much everything Andantonius said--but I do stress the importance of studying from life--especially with something as complicated as the human form.

Once you know realistically how human anatomy works, you can start simplifying it and omitting detail as you see fit, in a more educated, thought out, and confident manner.

Learn the realistic anatomy before stylizing. It's crucial.

Thank you bunches for all those tips. I'm still totally failing, but I think I'm slightly less bad than before. But I will keep practicing.