The Stick Figure Drawing You Were Never Taught ppt

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!