Figure It Out! The Beginner's Guide to Drawing People

by Christopher Hart

A beginners guide to drawing people from the world’s leading author of how-to-draw books.

Chris Hart has a head for figures — human figures, that is. Not only does he draw them with incredible style and flair, he also has a friendly, accessible teaching style that makes his how-to-draw books super-sellers. In this unique figure drawing book, Chris avoids the usual anatomy drawing lessons that intimidate aspiring artists and gets right down to the basics young illustrators need to get started.

Starting with heads and facial expressions, he moves on to full figures, male and female, ideal and average, some in fashion poses and others in dynamic action. On every page, his practical advice and clear examples will help readers achieve terrific results — and have fun every step of the way.

Perfect for figure drawing beginners, this art book will help artists of all ages and levels learn to draw people. Fans of other Christopher Hart drawing books who are looking for figure drawing tips and techniques will appreciate the combination of his signature style and accessible teaching methods with the essential art skills needed for figure drawing.

Genres: Art, Drawing, Nonfiction, Reference, Comics, Manga

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

I started drawing character designs and storyboards for a small animation studio in while in High School. Cartooning and animation was a magical experience to me. I try to bring that experience, as well as art tips, to my readers. Their enthusiasm also motivates me.

Early in my career, my cartoon work got noticed by Watson-Guptill, a premier publisher of art books. They asked me to do a book for them on drawing cartoons. It sold 200,000 copies, which is a healthy number. So we kept going. I discovered that I enjoyed the art of creating books, which has its own special requirements. I also worked as an author for Random House, Quarto and Soho Publishing. In total, I have had 8 million books sold, and have been translated into 20 languages.

My book, "The Master Guide to Drawing Anime: How to Draw Original Characters from Simple Templates" has sold over half a million copies to date and is still very actively in print. An earlier book of mine, "Manga Mania: How to Draw Japanese Comics:" reached the number one art book in the country, according to Bookscan.

I've also been a cover story on the industry trade magazine, "Publisher's Weekly." And if you've read this far into my Bio, then I'm more impressed with you than you are with me!

Thank you so very much for letting me offer some inspiration to you in your art adventures.

Christopher Hart

Reviews

[Martha Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would be helpful for the beginner who is trying to understand proportions of drawing the human body. I found some of the drawings and illustrations to be helpful even though I am more advanced. Chris Hart really does simplify things and shows that anyone can learn to draw. His illustrations are more manga like than anatomically correct.

[Aikya Param]

This book has a lot to look at, try and practice more than to read. I find myself looking through it over and over again and absorbing the visual ideas. I would like to include people in my sketches. I'm not a speedy sketcher. As a result, often the people have come and gone as I capture the environment at hand. My hope for myself, as I appreciate this book, is that it will enable me to capture the people who enliven those environments in the future. That is its promise. I would recommend it to anyone who wishes to grow their skill in drawing the people around them.

[Emesskay · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has always wanted to "draw better" but had a lot of problems figuring out how to draw lifelike figures, this book has been very helpful. It focuses on different parts and discusses what to consider when sketching as well as providing tips to improve. I have found it very helpful.

[Sitachi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very nice book

[Uhuy]

Uhuy

[Fayafi M · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a beginner, this helped me A LOT! ❤️

[Kayleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems like a good book to learn to sketch a realistic manga/human body but it would be much easier if I could preview the book

[Tabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Paper Clippers]

Chris Hart has a head for figures — human figures, that is. Not only does he draw them with incredible style and flair, he also has a friendly, accessible teaching style that makes his how-to books super-sellers. In this unique figure-drawing course, Chris avoids the usual anatomy lessons that intimidate aspiring artists and gets right down to the basics young illustrators need to get started. Starting with heads and facial expressions, he moves on to full figures, male and female, ideal and average, some in fashion poses and others in dynamic action. On every page, his practical advice and clear examples will help readers achieve terrific results — and have fun every step of the way.

[Cybersekkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good info. I have tried a few drawing styles and this one is similar to one I tried early on. I had trouble with this style and proportions and switched to another. Aside from getting the basic frame laid down, this is a good book for me.

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very useful for perspective and proportions for me. :)

[Amanda Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is amazing my cousin has this book