Figure Drawing Benefits

Figure drawing offers many benefits only some of which I will talk about here. It helps maintain the practice and discipline of an artist. Just as professional runners must train regularly to maintain their level of running excellence, practicing figure drawings on a regular basis keeps the skills of an artist in good form. It helps artists develop a good regimen and a strong work ethic. It improves overall drawing skills and thus makes a better artist. It sharpens observational skills. It’s just not looking. Figure drawing increases our ability to “see” and understand what we see. The human body is complex with all it’s nooks and crannies. This improves patience and diligence for all the details of what the artist sees. It gives valuable insight and helps artists have a better understanding of the nuances and complexities human anatomy. Understanding how the body works teaches the artist to give figure drawings a sense of reality. If doing a timed pose such as a 2 minute pose, it trains the artist to look at the overall pose, get a quick sense of it and learn how to capture the essence of a pose. This can help artists break the habit of trying to make every line absolutely perfect, which often results in a very rigid and labored drawing experience. The artist learns how to loosen up, go with the flow and allow them to create some “less than perfect” drawings. Creating a so called “bad drawing” gives the artist experience and provides the creative with another way to learn and not be so hard on themselves if the artwork doesn’t come out “perfect.” Give yourself permission and allow yourself to be less than perfect. It's okay. It's just part of being human. And by capturing the essence of a pose without focusing so much on the details allows artists to create a series of drawings in a short period of time giving artists a way to sharpen their basic drawings skills a lot faster. These are just a few of the benefits, but there are many more.