Can I learn to draw figures without a life model?

Hi,

My name is Daniel and I’m from Germany. I’ve been trying to learn to draw for a few years now. What inspired me to this is that I’ve been quite a fan of Japanese Manga. So I’ve bought a book on “How to draw Manga” which unfortunately was of almost no use to me. It had a lot of images and explanations on specialized topics but it didn’t really improve my drawings.

I realized that what I was truly looking for is something that can teach me the basics, the fundamentals of drawing. Something that will give me the skill to draw whatever I see or imagine.

So I’ve read some books which were widely recommended for teaching exactly that. I can’t say that they were bad, in fact I’ve learned some things that improved my drawing skill a bit. Anyway I’m still not at a level that I can draw confidently the things I see or imagine.

So when I stumbled over this website on YouTube it caught my interest instantly. After watching the free video previews I realized that Drawing Academy was exactly what I’ve been looking for all the time. That’s why now I’m quite sure that I’m going to enroll in the Drawing Academy as soon as I finish my busy work at university.

I have the following questions:

Can I learn to draw the human figure without having access to a life model?

I can only access tutor questions by the link provided in the e-Mail Newsletter. I can’t find them anywhere on the website.

Yours sincerely.
Daniel

Dear Daniel,

Many thanks for your recent feedback submitted on the Drawing Academy survey.

You asked:
“Can I learn to draw the human figure without having access to a life model?”
The answer is yes, you can to learn drawing human figures to a certain degree without life sessions.

I have met many art students who erroneously believe that life drawing is the only way to learn and practice figurative art. When they start at a life class, they are disappointed at the very first sketch, and quite soon they lose confidence and drop out. Such students have never even depicted a cube in perspective, much less other complex figures and shapes.

The skills of realistic figurative drawing include much more than drawing from life.

I would suggest mastering other necessary skills first. Such skills include constructive drawing principles, drawing in perspective, knowledge of proportions of the human figure, and human anatomy for artists. It is also essential to develop skillful use of drawing materials.

Without these basic skills, it is next to impossible to realistically draw human figures from life models.

Lacking the necessary knowledge and experience, you will be copying what you see, inevitably making amateur mistakes instead of drawing with confidence what you know about the construction, proportions, and anatomy of the human body.

With time and practice, you will eventually get to drawing human figures. You can practice by making multiple quick sketches of people in public places, or draw human figures from memory and imagination.

Draw ancient sculptures and casts. They are very patient “models” and have perfect classical proportions. This way, you will not only learn the proportions of human body and the shapes and planes of the human figure, but you will also develop good taste in classical art.

Eventually you will be ready for life drawing.

Start with portraits.

Ask your friends and family to pose; I’m sure they will be happy to have their portraits done!

Ask people around you if they want to have a portrait free of charge. You might be surprised how many models you can “hire” this way.

I’m sure you will find a model with time.

You also mentioned that you want to see other questions and answers posted on the Drawing Academy website.

The “Ask Tutors Questions” section is available here:
//drawingacademy.com/drawing/ask-tutors-questions

In the Drawing Academy video lessons we give in-depth information and show step-by-step traditional drawing techniques that you will find particularly helpful in improving your drawing skills.

In addition, as a Drawing Academy student, you will also benefit from unlimited personal support by academy tutors. This support is also provided for a lifetime.

Just try to think of any other educational institution that gives a lifetime membership and unlimited support for a one-time fee.

Please let me know if you have any questions, I will be happy to help.

To your creative success,

Vladimir London
Drawing Academy tutor

To learn how to draw skillfully,