Stylised Anatomy: Simplify and Enhance Your Figure Drawing Skills

Want to draw characters that look alive, expressive, and full of personality? Stylised anatomy is your secret weapon! Instead of copying every muscle and bone exactly as they appear in real life, you'll learn to bend, stretch, and exaggerate the human form to create more dynamic and interesting figures.

Start by drawing at least 5 simple shapes (boxes, cylinders, spheres) and then manipulate them in different ways:

• Bend them like they're made of rubber

• Twist them like a towel being wrung out

• Stretch them longer or squash them shorter

• Contour manipulation: Make the edges wavy, bumpy, or angular

This foundational skill will help you understand how to make any part of the body more expressive and dynamic.

Create 5 different torso mannequins using your form manipulation skills:

• Beginners: Stick to simple boxes and cylinders that you bend and stretch to show different poses and body types

• Advanced: Try to show basic anatomy like the ribcage and abdomen, but still keep it simplified and stylized

Remember, you're not trying to be perfectly realistic—you're learning to make the torso more interesting and expressive!

Using photo references, draw each limb of the body at least once (arms, legs, hands, feet):

• Beginner level: Keep limbs as simple manipulated forms—bent cylinders and boxes

• Advanced level: Add more anatomical detail but still exaggerate and stylize the shapes

Choose an artist whose style you admire and complete 3 torso studies:

• First: Copy their torso drawing exactly as you see it

• Then: Redraw that same torso from a completely different angle using only your imagination

Time to put it all together! Pick a real-life reference photo and create your own stylized version:

• Use the form manipulation techniques from Step 1

• Apply what you learned from studying other artists in Step 4

• Exaggerate features that support the pose or emotion

• Simplify complex areas to focus on what matters most

Stylised anatomy isn't about being lazy with realistic drawing—it's about making smart choices to create more expressive, dynamic characters. By mastering form manipulation and learning from other artists, you'll develop your own unique style that brings characters to life on the page.

Remember, every professional artist started with basic exercises like these. The more you practice bending, twisting, and exaggerating simple forms, the more natural it becomes to create characters with personality and flair.

Keep practicing, stay curious about different art styles, and don't be afraid to push your forms further than feels comfortable—that's where the magic happens!