Find a photo of someone who is posed in an extreme way — someone posed with a strong twist or bend in the torso and arms and legs in motion. Parts of the body will likely be foreshortened. Lightly draw the pose as either an armature or as a gesture drawing. Do not trace the image; figure it out for yourself through careful observation. Re-create the...

Start with a gesture drawing for a pose and build up the three-dimensional shapes for a figure. You can develop your figure however you like. It can be muscular, skinny, short or overweight. Create a new gesture for drawing the same pose, but this time, build your figure with a different body type. You’ll use different shapes and proportions to develo...

Jeff Mellem is a professional artist and graphic designer. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California State University, Fullerton, and studied at the American Animation Institute in North Hollywood, California. His previous book, Sketching People: Life Drawing Basics, was released by North Light Books in 2009, and he was one of the artis...