Anyone who draws people (or animals, or anything really) has at some point been defeated by the dreadful complications of proportions. All artists have at some point envisioned a gorgeous art piece, sat down to capture the image, and and stared in horror at the painful result. (okay, maybe I'm projecting...)
But!
There are ways to finally get that wretched pose looking like you want it to, although it requires some pencil-work.
Here's how I go about getting my hands to bow down to my imagination.
STEP ONE:
Draw the pose. It can look like garbage. It might make you die inside a little. Draw it anyway! Make a quick sketch and try to make it... reasonably proportional.
Example: I want to draw a weird circus performer. I start with this:
I know, it's painful. The face is weird and I don't really know what's up with the legs. Draw it anyway. This gives you an idea of what your end goal is.
Then move on to the second step: Draw it again, with a reference. It can be very difficult to find a pose reference that works well for what you're drawing, but find one that is reasonably similar. It doesn't have to be exact, just close enough.
Example: I used this reference to create this second iteration of my weird performer:
The drawing is better and more proportional. This step gives you a grasp of how the pose might actually work. However, the lines are stiff and less dynamic, and this pose is not my end goal.
Then, you can do the third and final step: redraw the image again, using both of your previous sketches for reference and inspiration. Since you're not using a direct reference image, there's more room to experiment with the pose and get the original concept on paper the way you imagined it. But because you did originally constrain yourself to an actual pose to copy, your pose is less likely to break the bonds of normal human anatomy. After you've caught the pose, add in all the extra details that give the drawing life. Here is my final result for our weird circus girl:
While the pose is not perfect, it's a lot easier to work with and edit until I have the result I want. Editing the one from reference would require so many changes to line action it could end up looking patchwork. The original sketch... we all know it's not really worth it.
Hopefully these steps will help to get your concepts on paper the way you imagined them.
Best of luck!
- Faustina
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