Gestures and posture

On this page you will get some examples to learn how to draw human gestures and postures. Draw dynamic poses to make your figures more interesting.

Tools for drawing people

On the page about drawing people, you will find tips on drawing the human anatomy, including detailed depiction of the muscles. The action figures* offer interchangeable hands and feet. There are also versions available with accessories, primarily various weapon types.

These figures are great for showing poses and gestures, even from different angles.

Drawing Gestures and posture

There are incredibly many poses. Especially in combination with different perspectives, it can be quite difficult to depict them realistically. In this case, photos, models, or an articulated figure can be very helpful. Granted, each of these tools has its advantages and disadvantages.

Photos only show sections from this one perspective and you have to research accordingly to find suitable ones. Models are not always easy to get. Either acquaintances and relatives don’t always have the desire/patience to hold still for so long or you have to spend some money. And the manikin is neither completely bendable nor very detailed. An action figure (see above) or a model can help.

Either way, as an artist you just have to get the best out of the means(s) you have available and let your imagination do the rest. Because you would also like to draw poses that are hardly reproducible (for example, everything that has to do with flying or mythical creatures).

Some basic knowledge about the human anatomy and the mobility of the body can be very helpful here. A good power of observation and -as always- patience provided, one can already paint out poses theoretically in the head, which it then applies to bring successfully to paper.

Here, too, the basic shapes can be a means that you can use to implement the fantasy part of the drawing.

Since people do not always stand up straight, it can also be quite helpful to find out the body’s inclination in advance and to pre-draw it. If you have the inclination of the body, you can use it to adjust the basic shapes and make it easier to draw the posture.

Drawing tutorials: men

Attached are some step by step instructions (more are in the works) for drawing men in various poses.

My blog has step by step instructions for coloring the images with colored pencil or layout markers.

Man with surfboard

1. First, I created a grid in my example, in which the surfer is to be placed in the golden section.
2. in this grid I have roughly sketched the man and his surfboard in strokes.
3. around the line sketch I built up the surfer in basic shapes.
4. this basic form sketch I then developed…
5. … and added essential details and removed the underlying sketch.

Young man sitting wide legged on chair

1. First of all, I have created a grid in my example…
2. In this grid I have sketched roughly in strokes the broad-legged sitting man.
3. To this sketch I added a stool sketch.
4. I have plastically depicted the engraving man in basic forms.
5. Based on the basic shapes, the man can be drawn in further detail.
6. In the last step, the sketch can be removed.

Elegant man leaning against lamppost

1. First, I roughly sketched the room and the lantern standing in the middle.
2. On the line for the lantern I sketched the man leaning against it.
3. I used this sketch to draw the man in more detail.
4. In this step I removed the rough sketch.
5. In the last step, the lantern and the sidewalk under it were further fleshed out.

Drawing tutorials: women

Here are some step by step instructions for drawing gestures and posture – in women!

A posing woman

First you see the posture in basic lines to clarify the inclination of the body. As a rough stick figure, the posture is then pre-drawn and then the basic shapes added and this image for image further elaborated. In the result you see a young woman in a typical model pose.

Stand with legs wide apart, arms behind head

For the pose “arms crossed behind the head and standing wide-legged”, there is first again a picture for the basic body tilt, then the pose in stick figures and in basic shapes until the finished drawing.

Stand with wide legs, view from behind

A young woman standing sideways depicted from behind drawn.

Bouncing woman from the side

Drawing path of a woman jumping or bouncing.

Sitting woman leaning backwards

Drawing path of a sitting woman.

Squatting woman

How to draw a squatting woman.

Posture squatting on the legs

Drawing path of a woman sitting on her legs.

Sitting sideways on the legs

Sketches and drawing of a woman sitting sideways on her legs.

View on the shoulder and back

20’s pin up girl with off shoulder top and looking back laughing.

Woman covered with towel

Sketches and drawing of a woman covering herself with a towel.

Gestures and posture – Pin-Up Girl

Pin-Up Girl has arms raised and hands clasped behind head. Sketches, drawing and computer coloring.

Additional Pages

• Feet and Shoes
• Drawing Hands
• Shading / Drawing Shadows
• Drawing in Perspective

From the German Blog

• Blending and Shading with Pencil
• Which Drawing Technique is Right for Me?
• Finding and Preparing References for Tracing
• Learning to Draw as an Adult?