Draw Accurate Human Body Proportions
Do your arms seem too long every time you draw a person? Or maybe your torso seems too short. Once you know how to proportion the body, it isn't so hard to get it looking right.
Steps
- Draw 7 circles of about the same size. These will be your guidelines.
- Draw an oval parallel to the topmost circle. This will be the head.
- Halfway down the second circle from the top, add a horizontal line. This is where the shoulder stops.
- Halfway down the third circle, draw another horizontal line. This is where the waist will be, and also where the elbows end.
- Halfway down the fourth circle, end the torso.
- Halfway down the fifth circle, end the fingertips. Draw the beginning of the wrists about where the torso ends.
- Just past the top of the sixth circle, end the knees.
- Finish the bottom of the feet where the last circle ends. That's it!
Tips
- These are rough guidelines for the average human body, and do not apply to all body types and sizes.
- These measurements do not take into consideration the width of each body part in proportion to one another, just the lengths.
- Stretching and exaggerating these proportions are what give a stylized twist to caricatures.
- Most people stand between 5-8 head-sized circles tall. Feel free to play around with that.
