Learn to draw by Tissa Hewavitarane:

Put it altogether drawing figure sketches

We draw what we know. To be good at drawing people, some knowledge of the anatomy is necessary. In the past lessons, I showed you the basic requirements in drawing human figures. By doing the past exercises you have gained the know-how, so you already have a good idea of how arms, legs, the body and other parts are constructed. Therefore, putting it altogether you should now draw a full complete figure.

The exercise is interesting for any water colour enthusiast and therefore, not just a sample exercise. It goes further and aims at showing what a fast sketch is; fresh and spontaneous, something a beginner should always practise. A soft pencil such as 4B is useful for figure drawing. Charcoal (which is burnt wood) is also excellent. Charred twigs were used by early caveman artists and still remain a common tool for modern craftsmen. Today, however, most artists’ charcoal comes in smooth prepared sticks.

They give a dense black, with the ability to also create graduated tones that help you obtain a flesh-like effect on areas of the skin. Copying is an aid to successful drawing. Almost all beginner-artists start off by copying and you should not think it is cheating. Copying is valuable because it teaches you how to look properly and draw accurately – the basic of good art. A first class copy of a drawing requires great ability.

Draw from life, in fact, copying is what is seen. The difference is all in the mind. The degree of self confidence is different. After gaining experience, copying is replaced by working from life or doing your own thing. Life drawing classes may be out of reach. I suggest photographs can provide an alternative subject source to work on.

As we do not normally undertake risks into a naturist world, our subjects are chosen wearing clothes of many kinds and styles.

Young people wear a weird and wonderful range of clothes worth drawing. Magazines, newspapers and advertisements all contain photographs of models from which you can work, and you will gain much knowledge on how to depict smart clothes and how to paint specimens of the human race. It is a better practice to draw as many fashion models male and female as you can.

Study the illustration shown here, use simple lines in drawing and pay attention over the fashion and principle shading of the figure and study the figure shapes. Copy the drawing in pencil or with a thin-nib pen and do the colouring.