Anatomical painting is one of the most complex exercises for any artist or drawing lover, therefore, learning to analyze the key points of the human figure to transport them to paper is the basis of any work.
Pau Marinello (@marinello) is a contemporary visual artist whose works have toured the globe through various exhibitions in Spain, England, Austria and Lebanon. Specialized in contemporary painting, Pau captures the movement of the human figure to achieve an expressiveness that reimagines reality.
Learn with him how to draw human anatomy from scratch and manage to master movement and gestures in this anatomical drawing tutorial.
Follow, step by step, the entire process in the following video!
In order to follow this tutorial and create your own drawing, you need these materials:
- Reference image: can be digital or printed.
- Analog or digital pencil: depending on the reference image.
- Paper: we recommend that it be grainy and weigh more than 140 gr/m².
Below, visual artist Pau Marinello details the entire process to draw expressive human bodies. Get inspired and draw the human figure in motion!
We begin by marking the main lines of gesture, this allows us to capture the different movements of the body. First we are going to locate the seventh vertebra in the reference image and from that point, we make a straight line that marks the direction of the spinal column.
Next, simplify the hip by drawing a rectangle and connect the spine line with the supporting leg. This gesture is the basis of the drawing and to complete it, we add lines that mark the rest of the structure, such as the other leg and both arms. You can add more gestural lines, but these are essential and help us simplify.
With the main lines of the gesture defined, apply chiaroscuro to the entire drawing. Do it with different spots in the areas that define the movement of the body. It's about playing and enjoying the process, don't focus on the proportions and experiment with charcoal and white pencil until you achieve the degree of definition that you like the most.
The last step is to outline the drawing with shadows and lights.This tutorial is just a glimpse of everything you can learn with Pau Marinello about anatomical drawing in his online course; Contemporary drawing of the human figure: expression and movement.
If you also want to continue improving your drawing skills, take advantage of this Pack of the 3 best illustration courses .
- Anatomical drawing for beginners, a course by ZURSOIF Miguel Bustos Gómez.
- Illustration Exercises: paint in a few minutes, learn to optimize your drawings and get the most out of them.
