I cannot draw bodies for the life of me!

citysimmer

Decided to learn to draw traditional art in Dec 2016 (and picked up watercolor painting the following april) and have been teaching myself via the internet since. However, I can't draw anything below the shoulders no matter what I do. Can you guys give me a few tips/proportions? Thanks in advance

RavenSpit

well, I am selftaught so I don't know how they teach it "officially"...
I would just say: practise, practise, practise and always start with reference, it's the best way to get a feeling for it (and for the beginnig maybe start with only one pose till you get that one right?).

One technique I found interesting was to not draw the body but the empty space arround/between it (when you're drawing by refrence), it makes one concentrate more on the shape to draw, than the thing it's supposed to be.

I know there are lots of tutorials on the webs on how to draw bodies including proportion chards, just googled it and so many came up...couldn't link them all here.
For proportion you should also know what kind of style you want to draw in since they vary from realistic to comic to anime.

Do you have any of your works here or could put some up?
Maybe some of us could give you some pointers...if you like.

Practise is still key though but so much fun when it comes to drawing
Have FUN!!!

SimsILikeSims

citysimmer wrote: »

Decided to learn to draw traditional art in Dec 2016 (and picked up watercolor painting the following april) and have been teaching myself via the internet since. However, I can't draw anything below the shoulders no matter what I do. Can you guys give me a few tips/proportions? Thanks in advance

There is a whole article on wikipedia on figure drawing, which not only includes stick figures (which are a beginner's first step), but other drawings of the entire human body as a whole. According to the current Wikipedia article, "Figure drawing is arguably the most difficult subject an artist commonly encounters, and entire courses are dedicated to the subject." So don't feel bad if you cannot yet draw below the shoulders. The Wikipedia article has some good general guidelines.
Myself, I started by drawing stick figures, then cartoon characters (which can be as distorted or lifelike as you want).

The other thing that makes figure drawing complicated is the variety of poses possible for the human form. I found the standing pose with both arms out slightly at sides was the easiest for me to draw in cartoon form. It was not until I took an art class in my senior year of high school that I learned to use magazine and catalog pictures for reference. I still cannot draw a lifelike picture of something that I do not have a reference picture of. I would repeat the advice above: practice, practice, practice. You can even copy images from mangas when drawing them if you are practicing drawing (when you are starting out, they WILL look different from the original images). Alternatively, some artists use wooden mannequins for reference.

StilettoBlack

Look at the body as shapes at first. The oval as a head, rectangle as a neck, Triangle as the upper torso and bottom torso. Ovals as the upper arms and lower. Same with legs, but a little longer. Circles as hands, for now. Ovals for feet, for now.
Where the upper and bottom torso meet, try to make an hourglass. Outside the triangles. A figure 8.
It doesn't really matter how it looks. Art is subjective. If you have good colors people will like it. A lot of painters can't even draw! They pull people in with the colors and mood of the picture.

arliel

What the above commenter, Rosettas, said is basically how they say to do it in books and such. Starting with basic shapes and whatnot. I also agree with the first reply, from Raven, about practicing. I myself am no professional by any means and also self taught over the years, so this is just from my own experience. As for how I do it besides shapes, I reference from pictures, internet, and myself. (Someone even asked me on dA how I do my hands and I simply told them that I look at my own.) You can also watch the way people move and make a mental note of anatomy (without being a creeper about it.)

If you'd like to look at something, the author/artist of a webtoon called "Lackadaisy" answered a reader's question with their own tips on drawing, seen here: Lackadaisy #88

And just to show you where I'm at, this is a before and after of a drawing of mine (though still not great-drawing is only just a hobby for me.)

Also some randoms. Went from the first back in 06, to the other 2 ten years later.....


Sorry for any glares and such. Took photos of my drawings with them still under plastic.