How to Draw a Karate Fighter

In this step-by-step lesson, we will teach you how to draw a karate fighter in a fighting stance at the moment of a strike.

Drawing a person in a dynamic pose is one of the next stages in learning to draw the human figure after you have learned to create static poses.

Drawing karate fighters and practitioners of other martial arts is a very good exercise for developing skills in creating characters with dynamic figures.

In this lesson, we will explain in detail how to draw a karate fighter, how to accurately convey the pose while delivering a kick, and also demonstrate how to correctly depict the fabric of the karate uniform while taking the dynamic position into account.

How to draw a karate fighter step by step

Step 1

At first, sketch a stick figure – a person made of simple lines and circles. Draw the stick figure to establish the general proportions and posture. Using an oval, sketch the head. With straight lines, sketch the torso, arms, and legs. Note that in the first steps you should not press too hard on the pencil.

Step 2

Next, start adding volume to the karate fighter’s body. At the center of the head, draw a line that will help place the eyes. Above this line, draw another one to guide the placement of the hair. Below the eye line, draw another line that will help you position the mouth.

Step 3

Using cylinders, sketch the neck, torso, arms, and legs. Pay particular attention to the outlines of the body. The torso should be slightly narrowed at the waist, as this is a characteristic position during a kicking movement.

Step 4

Now indicate the shoulders using spheres. Then sketch the upper arms as cylinders. After that, move to the elbows, drawing them as smaller spheres. The forearms should be drawn as cylinders that slightly taper toward the wrists. Finish adding volume to the arms by sketching the hands.

Step 5

Now, using the line from the previous step, sketch the hairline. Sketch the ear, which is located directly on the eye line. Below the eye line, sketch the nose and move to the next step. All these guidelines will help you to draw the face of the karate fighter.

Step 6

Now, using the construction lines from the previous step, draw the eye from the side, following the position of the head. Then carefully draw the profile line, including the forehead, nose, lips, and chin. Make sure that all the details follow the same perspective.

Step 7

Using more careful and smooth lines, draw the ear in greater detail and add the inner contours of the cartilage. Then shape the outline of the hair according to the hairstyle you chose for the karate fighter you are drawing.

Step 8

The main shapes and basic volume of your karate fighter drawing are already complete, so it is time to begin adding the clothing while still using the base outlines. Start with the upper part by sketching the top half of the gi with its characteristic wide sleeves and overlapping front section. Indicate the belt and the lower hanging part of the upper garment beneath the belt.

Step 9

Now draw the lower part of the gi – the pants. They should also be fairly wide, since karate uniforms are loose and comfortable. Keep in mind that on the raised leg the pant leg hangs downward, while on the leg standing on the ground the fabric should stretch slightly toward the lifted leg due to the tension of the material.

Step 10

The basic shapes and outlines are complete, and the clothing is sketched in as planned. Starting from this step, carefully begin detailing the karate fighter’s body. Again, start from the upper part and first refine the gi with clearer, smoother lines. Then draw the karate fighter’s arms in more detail, adding the fingers and knuckles. Gradually erase the construction lines as you trace over the drawing.

Step 11

Moving to the lower part of the body, refine the pants in the same way, using smooth, clean lines and gradually removing any remaining lines showing through the drawing. Then outline the feet, adding toes and details if necessary.

Step 12

Check the symmetry and proportions of the drawing by comparing the details with the overall figure. If everything looks correct, begin adding hatching while considering light, shadow, and volume. Applying shadows with attention to form and structure is a very important aspect of making the drawing appear three-dimensional.

Draw a karate fighter in a different pose

After you have learned how to draw a karate fighter in a dynamic pose, you can try drawing him in a static fighting stance.

This version differs noticeably from the previous one in both pose and viewing angle. Drawing the karate gi in this position is a very good additional exercise if you want to develop your skills more broadly.

The sequence of steps here is similar to the previous lesson, but the different pose and angle create an additional challenge for your skills.

As in the previous step-by-step lesson, you should begin with basic forms sketched using circles and lines, then add volume to the figure, gradually dress the character in the characteristic outfit, and finally add details.

Drawing a karate fighter is a very good and interesting way to develop your skills in drawing characters in dynamic poses.

As already mentioned, karate includes a large number of different dynamic poses that you can also try to recreate in your own drawings using the principles from this lesson.

For example, you can depict many different kata poses, draw a karate fighter striking with a hand, or performing a spinning kick.

It can also be useful to study our lessons on drawing people representing other martial arts. For instance, you can draw a samurai, a Japanese warrior whose martial traditions are partly connected with the origins of karate.

To continue learning how to draw Japanese warriors and to further practice drawing people in dynamic positions, you can also try our ninja drawing lesson, depicting a stealth warrior in an even more dynamic jumping strike pose.