Human Tutorial

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So I decided to make a human tutorial. I know I'm not a human drawing genius, and when I made this I didn't mean to be egotistical. I just thought I had some things to share. Ignore any errors, and let me know if it helped!


PROPORTIONAL TIPS


FACE:
Eyes: When drawing eyes, keep in mind that there is one eye-width between them. When I sketch I lightly draw three circles across the face to have an accurate place to put each one. They are more almond shaped than circular. The iris is much larger than you'd think, taking up a little over a third of the eye I'd say. From the top of your skull to your chin, eyes are exactly halfway down your face. They should also be as high up as the top of your ears.

Nose: The nose (as you should know) goes between the eyes and stretches down the face (the bottom of the nose should be as far down as the bottom of the ear). Wideness varies, though I think it rarely exceeds the space between the eyes.

Mouth: The mouth is only a little bit below the nose. Leave sufficient space for both the top lip and the chin. The edges of your mouth should match up with your pupils. Generally the lower lip is fatter than the top. This is a matter of preference, though I recommend not fully outlining the lips, on man or woman. Simply give an accent of the lower lip, were your mouth is, and, optionally, a small line indicating the top lip. Again, that is a matter of preference.

BODY:
Neck: The neck is about as wide as the face. There are two tendons running through it, on either side of the trachea, that go into the hollow between your collar bones. If you want to give your neck a little realism you may want to draw these. (and the hollow and collarbones)

Shoulders: The neck takes up about one third of your entire shoulder area. Meaning each shoulder is a third of that area. Your ball and socket (which is where the arm meets the shoulder) should be somewhat accentuated (if you are drawing someone of slight build). The collar bone ends there. Remember that men have broader, more square shoulders, while women's are more rounded.

Breasts: If you are drawing women, it is a good idea to get the breasts right. Breasts begin at your armpit and end about halfway down your ribcage. The size depends on the overall build of your character. If you have a very slender, small-hipped girl, she is more than likely to have small breasts. If you're drawing a very curvy, hip-a-licious girl, she's going to have larger breasts. Shape of breasts can depend on age. If she is older, chances are her breasts will be less full and round, and younger, vice versa. Do not I repeat DO NOT make that little Y between breasts unless your character has a large chest and is wearing a push up bra. Otherwise, you will notice breasts tend to hang outwards, not inwards.

Torso: For women, hips are almost always going to be bigger than their waist. In almost any woman you will see a slight hourglass shape. In other words, their waist should be the smallest part on the torso. In men, usually, hips are about equal with waist. Their shoulders should usually be the widest part of their body.

LIMBS:
Arms: From shoulder to wrist, the arms should end about where the legs connect with the pelvis (maybe a little higher. Hand isn't included). Your elbows match up right below your rib cage. Often I see people making the mistake of having the shoulders end and then the arm is just hanging off the shoulders. Don't forget that part of the arm connects with the breast (in both men and women)

Legs: For many people, legs make up a little over half the overall height of the body. Your thighs are slightly longer than your calves. If your character is thin (or muscular) don't forget to accentuate the calf muscles that give it its distinct shape. In women, legs often make a small hourglass shape when pressed firmly together. At the hips, the thighs are wide. They taper down into the knee, then from the calf it keeps going in just a tiny bit before widening out, then thinning out towards the ankles. Sorry if that's hard to decipher.

Hands: Hands (from palm to fingertip) are almost as long as your face (from chin to hairline). Your fingers don't end all in one straight line. If you look at your left hand from left to right, you will notice the line where your fingers meet hand slowly goes upwards. The height of your fingers is much like a mountain. Smaller to bigger to smaller. Check it out. When drawing fingers don't forget to keep widths consistent and realistic. Fingers are not sticks, but they are also not sausages. When putting your hands by your side, your fingers (if straightened) will go just past your bum.

Feet: Your feet (from toes to heel) is as long as your forearm (from elbow to wrist). The same rule applies with the meeting of foot and toes. If you go from left to right on your left foot you will see the meeting elevate. Obviously your big toe is the fattest, and your pinky toe is the squattest.

Last rule: For adults, the body is six head lengths tall.

Hope that helps.

All (c) Me