How to Draw a Person

In this basic and fundamental lesson, we will show you how to draw a person and how to build the human figure in a realistic style.

Drawing a person is one of the fundamental skills in visual art, and much of this artistic discipline is built around it.

That is why in this lesson we will pay close attention to all aspects of drawing the human figure, showing you how to depict it correctly and give it a realistic, three-dimensional appearance.

In this lesson, we will use the classical academic method of constructing the human figure, and at the end we will provide useful additional tips on drawing and suggest exercises to help strengthen your skills further.

How to draw a person step by step

Step 1: Sketch the basic silhouette

First, decide where the person will stand and sketch the overall outline as a simple silhouette. Start by marking the top and bottom limits with the correct margins from the top and bottom edges of the page, then carefully indicate the side contours without adding any details or inner lines.

Step 2: Block in the body outlines

Now begin adding the contours of the body, starting with the head and blocking in its shape with simple, rough lines. Then sketch the neck and torso. On the sides of the torso, indicate the arms and hands. Below, sketch the legs and feet. Keep human body proportions in mind as you draw the figure.

Step 3: Sketch the facial construction lines

To draw a person’s face, first mark the central construction lines. Begin with a vertical guideline placed exactly in the middle of the head. Then cross it with a horizontal line, also positioned at the center. These two lines should intersect at the point where the bridge of the nose will later be located.

Step 4: Form the basis shapes of the arms and legs

Using grouped lines, indicate the large forms of the arms, giving them more accurate outlines. Then sketch the hands and feet using very general shapes. Check the proportions of the drawing and the relationship between the details and the overall forms before you begin adding finer details.

Step 5: Refine the arms and hands

Refine the arms by giving them a more accurate shape, separating the upper and lower parts with smooth outlines. Using very rough lines, indicate the placement of the fingers and give the hand a more correct overall form.

Step 6: Draw the clothing outlines of the person

Sketch the outlines of the neck inside the T-shirt and the shoulders using smooth lines. Indicate the short sleeves and outline the overall shape of the T-shirt. Refine the outlines of the pants with smoother lines, indicate the general shapes of the folds, and at the same time check the proportions between the left and right sides of the torso and legs.

Step 7: Detail the eyes, nose, and mouth

Using the construction lines from the first steps, draw the eyes, trying to place them as symmetrically as possible. Slightly below, sketch the nose and mouth using the vertical line of facial symmetry. Above the eyes, draw the eyebrows, again aiming for maximum symmetry and checking this regularly as you work.

Step 8: Draw the head of the person in detail

Keeping the principles of human head proportions in mind, refine the outline of the jaw and carefully draw the ears on the sides. Then draw the hairstyle, starting with the main contours and adding details as needed. At this stage, you can experiment and change the hairstyle to any other you prefer.

Step 9: Detail the torso and add the folds

Move on to the torso and refine the outlines and shapes of the T-shirt, drawing all the folds in detail while maintaining symmetry. Try not to work on one specific detail for too long; instead, alternate between the left and right sides and between the upper and lower parts as you refine the drawing.

Step 10: Complete the arms and detail the hands

Now refine the outlines of the upper arms first, then the forearms. Keep the anatomy of the upper limbs in mind, including the muscular and skeletal structure beneath the skin, to depict these parts as accurately as possible. Then draw the hands in detail, carefully illustrating the individual fingers in detail.

Step 11: Draw the pants of the person in detail

In the same way, refine the pants by first drawing the pockets and then the seams. Give the outlines and folds a more finished appearance, keeping in mind how fabric behaves and the basic principles behind drawing it.

Step 12: Refine and detail the shoes

Give the sneakers a more finished appearance by refining them with smoother lines and drawing the seams and laces in detail. When working on paired elements, such as sneakers, try to work on both parts alternately, adding details to the left and right sides step by step to maintain maximum symmetry.

Step 13: Remove unnecessary guidelines

Clean the entire drawing of any unnecessary construction lines that were created at the beginning of building the figure. Leave only the important lines of the drawing and reinforce them where necessary. At this stage, you can also work slightly with aerial perspective by strengthening the lines of the parts you want to emphasize, such as the eyes and other facial features.

Step 14: Draw shadows on the person

First, determine the direction of the light and decide which parts will be in shadow. Then lightly indicate the outlines of the shadows and begin hatching the areas hidden from the light. Try to hatch while keeping the form and volume in mind so the drawing appears three-dimensional. Make the core shadows slightly darker than the reflected light.

Step 15: Review and finalize the person drawing

Do a final check of the person drawing, comparing the overall figure and the details with each other. Check the proportions and symmetry of the parts. Add and refine the shadows if necessary. At this stage, you can also add details and change some elements if you want.

In this lesson, we showed how to draw the human figure using one of the commonly accepted methods used in classical academic drawing.

It is based on creating the overall figure using general volumes and gradually refining it like a sculptor, first shaping the large forms and then developing smaller details.

This method helps create truly three-dimensional and naturalistic forms and allows for a more realistic representation of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional sheet of paper.

The human figure is diverse, and that is part of what makes it interesting. In this lesson, we demonstrated one approach to drawing the human body, around which you can continue to build your skills and strengthen your knowledge.

There are other methods of constructing the human figure as well, such as the one we showed in our lesson on drawing a girl, where the process was built somewhat differently.

Both methods form an essential foundation for drawing and constructing the human figure and serve as a basis for creating character drawings, realistic portraits, as well as more specialized styles of figure drawing such as anime or comics.

But most importantly, remember that this lesson is a fundamental, foundational guide that brings together all the main principles of drawing the human figure.

Using everything you have learned here, you can now draw virtually any figure – the rest comes down to practice. Practice is what turns knowledge into practical skills and ultimately forms your drawing ability.

Practice drawing as often as possible, trying to depict people in different poses and varying the details. Draw your friends or yourself, and also use references from the internet.

Build deeper understanding by methodically repeating the process and training your hand. If certain parts seem difficult, move to a specific lesson focused on drawing that particular part of the head or body for additional practice, then return to drawing the full figure until you achieve confident results.

This is exactly how we practiced ourselves and how we recommend our students practice.