Thread #X / Most Efficient Way To Learn To Draw Human

[badatdrawing]

Hello everyone!
First of all, excuse me for making this thread since I bet these kinds of things get posted here on daily basis.

Ok, so, I am trying really hard to learn to draw human figure.
Currently I'm doing Riven Phoenix's online course called "Drawing Human Figure From Your Mind", I'm already on the lesson 76, I already know all the skeleton, all individual major bones, like skull, scapula, chest cavity etc, side, front and back view and just now I started learning all the muscles.
I bought 2 different Anatomy books, and just today a book called "Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain". I'm practicing all the time whenever I got free time, approximately 2-3 Hours daily.
Sadly there are no drawing classes available in my area, and I find it very awkward to draw people in public, and neither do I have anyone to draw at home.

I've really progressed during the last few weeks on the anatomy, but I still have completely no Idea how to draw humans in motion/gesture drawing, or whatever it's called, for example, from a reference like this http://www.posemaniacs.com/archives/1611 ,If I try, It looks simply horrible, out of proportions, perspective is completely non existent, and , yeah, to put it simple, horrible, as if skills I've learned so far does not apply here, and it's really, really frustrating.

So the question would be, what could I possibly do to start learn to gesture draw/draw humans in motion/foreshortening?
Are there any good books out there? Online courses?

Thanks! Appreciate all suggestions!

[Elwell]

Ok, so, I am trying really hard to learn to draw human figure.
Currently I'm doing Riven Phoenix's online course called "Drawing Human Figure From Your Mind", I'm already on the lesson 76, I already know all the skeleton, all individual major bones, like skull, scapula, chest cavity etc, side, front and back view and just now I started learning all the muscles.
I bought 2 different Anatomy books, and just today a book called "Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain". I'm practicing all the time whenever I got free time, approximately 2-3 Hours daily.
Sadly there are no drawing classes available in my area, and I find it very awkward to draw people in public, and neither do I have anyone to draw at home.

So you haven't done any drawing from life?

So the question would be, what could I possibly do to start learn to gesture draw/draw humans in motion/foreshortening?

Draw from life.

[vineris]

Foreshortening is just perspective. Hopefully you are already proficient in drawing groups of regular shapes (such as boxes, cones, cylinders, etc.) from life and your mind in perspective. From this point, you simplify the human body into more simple, regular shapes and, with the aid of reference (probably you and a mirror), you draw the figure in perspective keeping everything in proportion and adding detail.

If you can't draw simple shapes in perspective, trying to draw complex irregular shapes in perspective is going to be a nightmare. Go back to cups and boxes and houses until you have this skill.

Don't worry about gesture drawings and Posemaniacs. For one thing, what's the point of trying to learn movement by sketching from a fake 3D model that doesn't move?

[sparksel]

If AT ALL POSSIBLE, do draw from life--it really is the best way. Human life offers infinite variety, and restricting ourselves to the few details we can hold in our own heads limits us. That being said, you did mention that there are no classes near you and that drawing in public feels uncomfortable (totally fair! It was for me at first too and sometimes still is!), so my best suggestion is to 1) draw from videos--I suggest youtube rather than carefully edited movies and 2) to act out the actions yourself if possible. If you're really invested in the drawing, the act of drawing it becomes its own sort of acting; there's a video out there somewhere of, I think, Glen Keane drawing someone's dialog, and as he goes he unconsciously makes all the faces that his character does.

...I don't know what the Posemaniacs that vineris mentions is, and that might add some much needed context, but, seriously, gesture drawings are 100% awesome. They're a great way to loosen up and really get the flow of a pose.

[vineris]

...I don't know what the Posemaniacs that vineris mentions is, and that might add some much needed context, but, seriously, gesture drawings are 100% awesome. They're a great way to loosen up and really get the flow of a pose.

There's a link to it in the original post.

[arenhaus]

Riven Phoenix's online course
Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain
posemaniacs.com

You are picking all the least useful references with remarkable precision.

Draw still life. Learn perspective and lighting. Draw real people from life. Don't bother with Phoenix's contrived stuff or Edwards' pseudoscience or posemaniacs inaccurate computer models. Just draw.

[Whirly]

Just repeating the draw from life thing. Especially vineris post about starting with simple objects. Another thing you can do inbetween (drawing from life takes precedence don't be lazy!) is to do gesture drawing from lovecastle.org and http://www.quickposes.com/pages/random and http://artists.pixelovely.com/practi...igure-drawing/ ... your drawings will be bad!! Just accept it and keep going. Much better than posemaniacs and I found Riven Phoenix's vids to be aweful. I also find his actual drawings to be horrible too.

Keep at it it takes a while and draw from life

Also draw from life.

[Qitsune]

You are picking all the least useful references with remarkable precision.

Draw still life. Learn perspective and lighting. Draw real people from life. Don't bother with Phoenix's contrived stuff or Edwards' pseudoscience or posemaniacs inaccurate computer models. Just draw.

I hadn't heard about Phoenix and I was wondering why the feedback was so bad. Well, after checking it out, I have to agree! He's not as bad as Christopher Hart, but he's really more into branding himself as a teacher than into drawing well.

[Candra H]

Badatdrawing, if you're not a spammer, please show some examples of your work so we can get an idea of where you're at.

I live in a pretty isolated spot and don't have access to real people or life drawing classes, but even I don't ignore drawing from life. I do the best I can with myself in the mirror.

And don't ever let shyness stop you from drawing real people. If you have access to them, draw them. Wish I could.

[AK_Guerrero]

In my opinion, life is the best reference to draw from (even if I personally haven't practiced it as much as I should). If you can't use people, try drawing simple objects or from nature. Between that and practicing your perspective, you'll get a better understanding of form that you can apply to the rest of works.