Q&A for How to Draw People

Question

Should I use a pen or a pencil to draw people?

Community Answer

Use pencil for the wire frame and the details so that you can erase as necessary, then go over the details and outline with something more refined and not eraseable so that when you erase the wire frame you only erase the wire frame and not the actual details.

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Question

What does it mean to "refine the drawing"?

Community Answer

Refining (in art terms) means to "clean up" the sketchy mess underneath what's going to be the proper piece. This usually involves erasing sketches, darkening outlines, etc.

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Question

How do I know when to make a creases on the clothes?

Community Answer

Study photos of people in various poses, and note where the crease are. In general, they appear at the joins: ankles, wrists, knees, and elbows.

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Question

How do I add shadows, and how do I know where to put the shadows?

Community Answer

First, choose an angle that the light is coming from. The side where the light is should be lightest, and the opposite side should be darkest. Shade the in-between parts going gradually darker as you move away from the light.

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Question

How can I draw a female figure?

Community Answer

Females are basically the same as males, but have rounder faces and smoother muscles. Their clothes are generally more flattering, and their hair is an even more important feature.

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Question

What is the best number pencil to use for drawing people?

Community Answer

All of them are good. You will want an artist's graphite pencil box to do this as professionally as possible. Though if you only want one a F, HB or B will be fine, or you could just do this with a #2 pencil.

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Question

Can I use these techniques on a computer or tablet?

Community Answer

Yes, these techniques work with a computer or tablet. You'll want to use layers for the base of the body, coloring, etc. so you can easily remove parts you do not want.

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Question

I find these steps hard. What should I do?

Community Answer

You made need to see this explained a different way. Search YouTube for tutorials on drawing people and see if you can find one that's more helpful.

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Question

How do I draw creases in clothing?

Community Answer

You should study photos of people in various poses, and note where the creases are on their clothes. In general, they appear at the joints: ankles, wrists, knees, and elbows.

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Question

How can I draw something and then draw something totally different over it, like in the sketch the feet are triangles, but then they are just feet?

Community Answer

You draw the triangles with pencil, and use them as a rough frame with which to draw feet in pen. Then, erase the triangles and the pen-drawn feet will remain.

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Question

How do I draw the hair on the back of a person, i.e., the back view?

Community Answer

Have it fit their head until it passes their shoulders, then it should fall freely, but still quite uniformly.

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Question

How do I draw smooth lines?

Community Answer

You can draw a smooth line by making sure your hand is steady and drawing lightly at first, then going back over the line to make it darker. Go slow and make sure your arm is resting on a sturdy surface.

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Question

How do I draw on a computer?

Community Answer

Buy a drawing tablet or get computer software like Photoshop or Krita.

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Question

How do I draw a young female nose?