The best figure drawing books will elevate your drawing skill set for life. Observational drawing of the human figure can take a lifetime to perfect, and the time to start is right now, although you may have to work from photographs at this point.
Just like trying out different masters before you find the one that suits your needs, you may need to experiment with different styles of figure drawing books before you find the one that’s right for you. To speed up this process, we’ve reviewed each book and teaching style below, so you can find the figure drawing book for you.
You are reading: Books on figure drawing
For more general help with your sketches, check out Best Drawing Books (Opens in a new tab). And if you want to learn to draw figures online at least in part, don’t miss our list of how to draw tutorials (opens in a new tab), which includes sections on people, animals, and landscapes.
01. beginners guide to life drawing
Eddie Armer’s Beginner’s Guide to Life Drawing is the best lesson you’ll ever get aside from being in a studio with himself. The nearly 100-page paperback begins with a short but sweet history of life drawing, before quickly moving on to helpful analysis and illustrated examples of suitable drawing materials.
What follows is a series of exercises covering everything from line, tone and shadow to positioning and drawing hands, feet and faces. Armer breaks down each of his lessons into easy-to-follow steps, all accompanied by accurate illustrations, leaving no room for confusion. the exercises are individual, which means you don’t need to complete one before moving on to the next, and you can drop in and out as you please (we highly recommend the doodle exercise on page 54 as a particularly fun way to start).
When you consider the amount of experience and level of teaching contained in this book, it’s hard to believe the cost. Offering excellent value for money, this is the ultimate beginner’s guide to drawing the human body.
02. draw hands & feet: a practical guide
The complex composition and expressive nature of human hands and feet can make them difficult to represent body parts accurately and authentically. draw hands & feet (opens in new tab) by eddie armer, whose figure drawing career spans more than four decades, combines a series of workshops and written theory to help artists master the art of illustrating both.
With a thoughtful and intelligent approach, this guide is formatted to lend itself well to both beginners and more advanced illustrators. The hands-on elements come in the form of step-by-step guides, which are possibly some of the most informative anatomical breakdowns we’ve ever seen, due in no small part to the detailed illustrations that clearly depict each step.
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The written theory is just as comprehensive, with the first 30 pages of the book offering easy-to-read, illustrated advice on the best materials to use, backgrounds and lighting, and the bone and muscle structure of the hand and foot. At first, you have to go through a rather long and somewhat indulgent introduction and a personal story, but both provide insight into the author’s extensive experience and his evident passion for life drawing, which can only be a good thing. /p>
Overall, this is an excellent and very affordable resource that will go a long way in helping you draw realistic looking hands and feet.
03. natural figures: drawing with style
- patrick j. jones figures from life: draw in style on amazon for £15.98 (opens in a new tab)
Artist and teacher Patrick J Jones began honing his creative skills at just 17 years old and now, more than 30 years later, he shares his experience and knowledge in this tutorial style book: Figures from Life: Draw with Style. its luxurious-to-the-touch cover, with its embossed typeface for the title and a striking sketch of a kneeling woman, offers a first glimpse of the glory within. Jones’s art and advice are spread over 160 pages and contained in six wonderfully detailed chapters.
each of the topics under scrutiny (gestures, long and short poses, artist’s studio, rhythm of life, and “surrender of devotion to love”) opens with a detailed step-by-step guide on how to draw a certain pose, each stage. accompanied by a large photograph for reference. me
Each chapter not only explains how to draw a specific pose, but also includes a number of valuable art tips. Common mistakes and problem areas are also pointed out, as well as occasional elaboration to address certain more complicated areas of the body, such as the head, hand, arm, and leg.
04. figure drawing for artists: making every mark count
Despite some great claims in the back cover blurb, Figure Drawing for Artists does not offer the revolutionary approach to figure drawing that it suggests. However, it is still an authoritative and useful book with a variety of insider tips, hints, and tips to help you improve your figure drawing, all written by a well-known and popular artist and instructor, Steve Huston.
The first half of the book deals with the basics of drawing, with chapters on structure, gesture, perspective, and light. the second half provides an overview of basic shapes, plus chapters on drawing the head, torso, arms, hands, legs, and feet. there is also a final chapter on finishing details (lights and shadows).
At the end of each chapter, Huston reviews a masterpiece by a classical artist, such as Michelangelo and Raphael, and explains how it relates to the lessons.
A lot of ground is covered, but with its airy layout, this book never feels cluttered or academic. this is an excellent introduction to drawing and would be a good complement to the other guides listed here.
05. human figure drawing
This book considers that learning to draw anatomy is like beginning to speak or play an instrument. So instead of spending too much time on theory, Daniela Brambilla sets out a series of exercises and encourages you to learn by doing, while learning from your mistakes.
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This 260 page large format hardcover book covers almost all areas of human figure drawing. it starts with the basics: gestures, contours and understanding of position, proportions and lines of force. He then moves on to more advanced topics, such as expanding your imagination and capturing “the movements of the soul,” as Brambilla quite evocatively puts it.
With lots of examples and exercises to encourage you to doodle, it feels like a relaxed evening class taught by the best teacher in town.
06. the anatomy of style: figure drawing techniques
here is another great book by patrick j jones. In The Anatomy of Style: Figure Drawing Techniques, Jones explains how to draw anatomically accurate figures.
The illustrator offers practical advice on things like art supplies and, step by step, body part by body part, explains how to apply the principles of anatomy to the drawing of your life. he starts with short poses, progresses to the long pose, and then extends those principles to create human figures from the imagination.
The first five chapters apply mainly to drawing, the sixth deals with painting, the final presents timed life drawings, showing the techniques described in the book. detailed notes deconstruct each illustration.
07. figure drawing master class
When you’re trying to emulate the great masters of the art, it makes a lot of sense to look to… well, the great masters. This book by respected artist Dan Gheno does just that, dissecting the work of artists like Raphael and Rembrandt, and showing you how you can use these techniques in your own artwork.
Other lessons include how to draw heads and hands, two elements many artists struggle with, and key figure drawing concepts, including how to convey emotion with posture. This informative book includes many of Gheno’s own drawings, and is suitable for both beginners and those looking to take their figure drawing a step further.
Portions of this article originally appeared in imaginefx magazine (opens in a new tab). subscribe here (opens in a new tab).
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