| I learn a lot about art by watching kids draw in my | | | | the clothes. With this method of constructing a body, |
| comic book drawing class. Somewhere along the line, | | | | you don't have to worry about anatomy and |
| many people have come to the conclusion that the | | | | muscles, because all you're drawing are the clothes! |
| way to draw the human figure is to start with a stick | | | | Actually, this method makes sense, because in |
| figure. | | | | everyday life, our experience with viewing the human |
| In my experience, drawing a stick figure never leads | | | | body is limited to what people are wearing (unless, of |
| to a good drawing. That's because our bodies are not | | | | course, you're a superhero walking around in a |
| like sticks, just as our faces are not circles with two | | | | full-body spandex outfit. Unfortunately, you'll have to |
| dots for eyes, and a smiley face for a mouth. Our | | | | wait for Halloween or dance class to witness that) |
| bodies, it should go without saying, are more | | | | So here is a five step process for drawing the |
| complicated than than that. As an artist you need to | | | | clothed human body: |
| be sensitive to the fact that our bodies are not | | | | [1] Draw a shirt. Make it very simple and cartoon-like, |
| sticks! They have mass and form. Now, anatomy is | | | | with a t-shirt collar and two sleeves. |
| not an easy subject to learn. There are over two | | | | [2] Draw a pair of pants connect to the shirt at the |
| hundred bones in the body, tied together with myriad | | | | waist. Again, make then simple and cartoon-like. |
| muscles, which are woven and intertwined in a very | | | | [3] Draw some shoes connected to the pants, one |
| particular way. | | | | shoe per pant leg |
| Just as our bodies not stick figures, neither are our | | | | [4] Draw a hand on the end of each shirt cuff. |
| muscles like a sack of potatoes. After seeing one | | | | [5] Draw a head on top of the shirt |
| too many stick figures, I finally decided, in a recent | | | | And there you have it! A basic drawing that is much |
| comic book drawing class, to ditch the stick figure | | | | easier to work with, and more accurate than, a stick |
| altogether. Instead, I had the kids go right to drawing | | | | figure. |