How to Draw Poses and Silhouettes?
Hello everyone, today I propose to look together at how to draw different poses and silhouettes.
SOME BASIC RULES IN DRAWING
When we choose to draw a character, the pose in which we represent him plays a fundamental role in the final appearance of the drawing and also in the representation of the character's movement. We will see that with some fairly simple concepts, we can manage to draw many poses to show our characters.
Before we start, if you're having some trouble drawing basic anatomy, I invite you to check out this article (anatomy article link)
Get your pencils, paper or tablet ready and most importantly, your creativity! Here we go!
THE BALANCE LINE
A common mistake when drawing a pose is not positioning your character properly on the ground. To avoid this error, it is important to draw the ground line (in light gray) and then find the balance line (in light red). This balance line does not correspond to the symmetry of the character but to the distribution of balance in their posture.
In drawing A, one can see that the character seems to lean abnormally to the left and his silhouette therefore does not appear harmonious. By simply moving the pelvis and left leg, as in drawing B, the pose regains balance and the whole is much more coherent.
THE MOVEMENT LINE FOR DRAWING
The movement line (in light red) adds dynamism to the different poses. It doesn't actually correspond to a visible line in the drawing, but I recommend looking for movement lines in order to make the pose much more dynamic and therefore interesting.
Note: The movement line exists in action poses (such as in 4) but also in more static poses (such as in 3)
THE SHOULDER/PELVIS OPPOSITION
In general, an interesting pose is one that conveys movement, which can be either in a static pose or an action pose. The best way to reproduce this movement is to ensure a contrast between the line of the shoulders and the line of the hips.
Here are some examples that clearly show that, regardless of the pose, there is always this shoulder/hip opposition.
To represent this opposition, there is nothing simpler: instead of having parallel lines (drawing A), we will make them oblique and go in the opposite direction (to be on the safe side, imagine that if we continued these lines, they would eventually cross).
DRAW A SILHOUETTE WELL
One of the mistakes often made is also choosing the wrong point of view for positioning a character. In the example below, the pose is exactly the same; however, the point of view changes between a ¾ angle and frontal view.
The problem with some perspectives is that they "flatten" the silhouette and make it difficult to read at a glance. To be sure that this isn't the case, it is interesting to visualize these same silhouettes as large black shapes (drawings B) and check that even without details, the whole pose remains understandable.
Here it is clear that the ¾ silhouette is much more readable because we can better observe the action of the arms and head than the silhouette seen from the front. Even without details, we therefore have a good idea of the action, whereas with the one seen from the front it is much more difficult to understand what the character is doing.
EXAGGERATING THE POSE IN DRAWING
Very often, especially when using reference photos, the pose seems flat and lacks intensity, this is due to something very simple: the lack of exaggeration. This is one of the most important points, in drawing (and in animated films as well) the poses are always exaggerated in order to highlight the action.
In the example below, pose A is modeled on the silhouette and even though it's technically correct, it seems a bit bland. To make it more interesting, I therefore enhanced the existing movement, with the left leg pushed further back and the right leg more pronounced as well.
MIX THE POSES
This last point is not a rule per se, but more a piece of advice. If you use reference photos (and I encourage you to do so, after all, even the greatest illustrators with long careers use them) you may find that you cannot find the pose you are interested in. I advise you to mix the reference poses to create the one you need.
The reference poses A and B below result in pose C; I adapted certain elements from each to achieve a new pose that remains coherent but which I would not have initially come up with.
When mixing poses, however, it is important to maintain the coherence of the silhouette; mixing a ¾ pose and a profile pose may result in an unsatisfactory outcome. It is also important to ensure that the entire anatomy follows by modifying certain elements. Finally, it is important to keep in mind the previous points (1 to 5) to achieve the most interesting pose possible.
DRAWING A POSE FROM A WOODEN MANNEQUIN STEP BY STEP
The famous wooden mannequins! It's a classic when learning to draw. They offer significant advantages, such as choosing the pose, the viewing angle... and especially they are already broken down into simple shapes to more easily draw the different parts of the body.
Here is my process for drawing from a mannequin:
1 - I start by choosing the position and angle of view (you can take a picture if necessary to make sure you always have the same reference)
2 - I draw the ground line and the balance line, here it is quite easy, the ground line corresponds to the base of the pedestal and the balance line to the iron rod.
3 - I then draw the movement line, which will serve as a guide for placing the rest of my elements.
4 - I then proceed to sketch a stickman, making sure to address the shoulder/hip opposition.
5 - I then proceed to draw the basic volumes of the different body parts. Generally, I start with the torso and pelvis, and then build the arms and legs on top.
6 - I just passed these volumes to start seeing the silhouette.
7 - I add different details (hands, head, feet) and make some modifications if necessary, for example increasing the volume of the thighs and calves.
DRAWING A POSE FROM A PHOTO
Reference photos remain my preferred support, as they allow a clearer view of the model's anatomy, particularly in terms of musculature. You can find many reference photos on the internet (this one comes from theposearchive which offers hundreds of reference photos).
1 - I start by selecting the photo that interests me.
2 - I draw the ground line and the balance line.
3 - I add the movement line.
4 - I sketched a stickman paying careful attention to the shoulder/hip opposition.
5- I build the different volumes of the body, always starting with the torso and the pelvis.
6- I go over the various volumes again, adding the lines of the pectorals and pubis.
7- I add the details (head, hands, feet, weapon).
Note: I have not worked in detail on the musculature here for the sake of simplicity, but I invite you to do so if you wish to deepen your knowledge of anatomy.
TO GO FURTHER
And there you have it! Now you know all the basic tips for drawing different poses and silhouettes. To make you feel more comfortable, I invite you to practise the study of poses regularly.
I didn't mention it in the article, but if you wish drawing from a live model I refer you to this article.
Finally, if you want to deepen your knowledge of anatomy and thus create even more complex poses, I refer you to the anatomy training.
Editor and illustrator: Chloé