How to Draw Realistic People in Illustrations
- 1). Find and print out a digitized photo of a person (a figure) performing an action you want to illustrate. You will draw this figure realistically, beginning with drawing three-dimensional forms directly onto the photo.
- 2). Use a pencil to draw small circles at these specific joints on the figure: the neck and torso; the shoulder, elbows and wrists; where the upper leg joins with the hip; the knees and the ankles.
- 3). Sketch a stick figure representation of the figure: Draw on the photo line segments connecting the adjacent circles from Step 2. For example, connect the neck-torso joint with the left and right shoulder joints, and connect the shoulder to the elbow joints.
- 4). Begin giving the stick figure a sense of 3D form: Draw cylinders surrounding each of the figure's line segments. For help in drawing cylinders, note the following: A front view of a cylinder will show as only a circle, while a side view will show the cylinder as a rectangle. Other views involve drawing ellipses of various shapes to represent the cylinder's foreshortened circles; and lines connecting those ellipses.
- 5). Tape a new, semitransparent tracing sheet of paper over the photo with your drawing, and trace just your drawing (the cylinder figure) onto the new paper. Leave out the lines of the original figure. The result will be a clear view of the cylinder figure.
- 6). Study the shading of each appendage and part of the figure in the original photo, then duplicate that shading on your cylinder figure. This will be a more realistic figure.
- 7). Carefully observe the relationship of the most prominent intersecting lines in the original photo. For example, look directly at the palm of your open hand. Follow the curve of the flesh from the thumb tip into your palm. Then follow the curve from the tip of your index finger as it moves toward your thumb. Notice how it disappears behind the curve from the thumb. This visual phenomenon is a clear indicator of 3D depth. Duplicate the intersections in the original photo on your new cylinder drawing.
- 8). Transfer the facial features from the original photo to your drawing.
- 9). Complete your drawing by checking the proportions of the individual parts relative to the length or width of the head. The full length of the figure should be seven head-lengths long. The shoulder-to-shoulder width should span three head-widths. The hip-to-knee distance should equal the knee-to-ankle distance, and the shoulder-to-elbow distance should equal the elbow-to-wrist distance. These proportions will vary from figure to figure, especially with figures seen in oblique views (i.e., view other than front, side or top).
Source...