Bestselling how-to-draw author Christopher Hart helps artists fine-tune their skills with the fundamentals of drawing natural-looking figures. Eschewing the esoteric “art poses” and wooden mannequins commonly found in art books, he portrays everyday, real-life gestures on human-looking foundation figures: standing, sitting, kneeling, and reclining, with arms folded, ankles crossed, hands on hips, and more, all shown from various angles. Hart also explores deeper concepts such as perspective, illusion of depth, casting shadows, and foreshortening, and provides step-by-step tutorials that take artists through complete, naturally posed figure drawings from start to finish.
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640 reviews for Figure It Out! Drawing Essential Poses: The Beginner’s Guide to the Natural-Looking Figure (Christopher Hart Figure It Out!)
4.7out of 5
★★★★★
★★★★★
11
★★★★★
1
★★★★★
1
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★★★★★
Juanki –
Simple yet very helpful and insightful for learning to draw the figure from memory. Hart’s simplification of the figure into shapes and how the muscles change shape with specific poses is more comprehensive than any other art book in this respect.
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★★★★★
K Williams –
First section is dedicated to head / facial features, but latter pages are filled with whole figures from head to feet. There must be close to a hundred whole figure examples you can learn from. Great focus on balance, natural and relaxed poses.
The right way to learn from any drawing book I believe is to try every example on your own on a sketchbook. In my learning, this book has been essential. I feel I’ve actually learned something.
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★★★★★
John Valente –
Nice, but I’m still trying to figure out how I could use this in my own drawings. Althoug, I think this is because of my lack of practice. It’s definitely the hardest to follow compared to the previous two books, to me at least.
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★★★★★
Bruce B. –
One thing I know is, I will never be a great artist. But I like to draw and I would like to be better at drawing. This Christopher Hart – Figure It Out! Drawing Essential Poses will help me get better. The book understands that you need basic information about drawing a figure and how to go about doing just that. It is broken down into the following sections; 1. Introduction, 2. Head and Body Basics, 3. Posture, 4. The Must-Know Info, 5. Opposing Forces, 6. Arm and Shoulder Poses (very difficult drawing for me), 7. Leg Poses, 8. Depth, 9. Seated Poses, 10. Exercises. I enjoyed this book so much that I will likely look to order some additional Christopher Hart drawing books.
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★★★★★
Hunter Arens –
Chris Hart is amazing!! I have 5 of his books. The books are very informative and easy to understand. Im pretty much learning to draw better from Chris Hart. I would highly recommend all his books and will obviously buy more in the future.
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★★★★★
Yeves –
Estaba indeciso de si comprar este libro o el de proporciones de este mismo autor,pero al final me decidi por este ya que no solo te explica como dar mas realismo a tus poses si no que tambien te explica la construccion de la cabeza y el cuerpo,de una manera mas rapida,pero ahi esta.
Muchisimas poses,muchas anotaciones y directrices del autor en diversos puntos importantes de cada pose,formas sencillas,paginas a color…
Sin duda alguna un muy buen libro si no el mejor para empezar a dar mas realismo a tus obras si estas empezando.
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★★★★★
Autumn Grace –
This is the third book in Christopher Hart’s “Figure It Out!” series on figure drawing. The first book is an easy guide to drawing people. The second is a guide to human proportions. And the third, this book, focuses on how to draw natural-looking poses. Most of Christopher Hart’s books are superb—he has a knack for teaching essential sketching techniques without getting overly technical or advanced. This book is no exception!
The book itself is paperback, with large enough print to read easily while you’re trying to sketch. Like the others in this series, it has integrated flaps at the front and back covers, so you can save your place, as you might do with a dust jacket. It’s well illustrated throughout, with brief sections of text to explain the principles being demonstrated.
The core premise of this book explores how the human body changes as it shifts position, so you can learn to draw poses that look natural, rather than forced or stiff. For example, when you take on a certain pose, curves appear in some parts of the body, while others flatten out. Some limbs may appear foreshortened, while others lengthen. Certain muscles might become more prominent, while others become less visible. There are lots of tips and tricks! So as not to overwhelm you, the book divides the body into sections, focusing first on the head and neck, then the arms and shoulders, then the legs. It even explains how to add depth to a pose, so it doesn’t look two-dimensional.
I especially appreciate that the author’s sketches have ethnic variations, as well as size/shape variations. His female models don’t all have huge boobs and tiny waists. Many appear fleshed out, with realistic-looking bodies. The only thing I didn’t really like is the fact that some of the sketches were recognizable from his previous books, which on the one hand, lends continuity. But on the other hand, it feels like he couldn’t be bothered to create something new for this book. It’s a very minor complaint, though.
In short, if you’re struggling with figure sketches, this book will help you learn how to make small changes that have a big impact on your drawings. Even if you’re already a good artist, you might learn a few things! As I said, the author is quite good at explaining subtle techniques for making figure sketches look more realistic. Whether you aspire to draw portraits, life-sketches, comics, manga, or even fashion croquis, this book offers valuable advice for making your figures look more natural and less “posed.” I’ll give it four and a half stars, and recommend it to any artist who wants to improve their work.
For other books by the same artist, check out my favorite, Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy, along with Figure It Out! The Beginner’s Guide to Drawing People, and Figure It Out! Human Proportions. He’s also done a lot of books on drawing comic figures and manga.
This is a great book for beginners, my daughter is an Art student and uses this book for college. I wanted to start Sketching and she gave me this for a gift. It’s easy to fallow and perfect for any one wanting to start from ground zero or for some needing to sharping there skills.. full of easy illustrations and natural body poses.. you won’t be disappointed if you purchase this.
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★★★★★
mike –
I wanted to improve on drawing figures and based on the glowing five star reviews, I purchased this book. Alas the book did not live up to the reviews – this is not for me at this time. It is no step by step, is weak on instruction and frankly could not hold my attention. As the title suggests – you have to figure it out – yes you have to figure a lot out on your own – for eg tthe drawing of the face and head – how did you get to that point. Karen Campbell does a better job of explaining how to draw the face in the simplest terms. This was a waste of money for me.
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★★★★★
Shpwrck –
If you take your time and get a sketch book and practice every day, you will be surprised at your abilities. This book is awesome. The trick is to take your time and review what you have learned the day before. No hurry, just patience and determination. It takes time to draw, there are no short cuts. I love my new hobby. I got a sketch book ( Strathmore Series 400 Sketch Pads 9 in. x 12 in. – pad of 100) and always have it with me. So when I have time I sit down and relax and draw. I have no natural drawing skills, so I am starting from scratch. I am pleased with the outcome and the relaxation this gives me. Remember not to skip pages or rush through the book. a number 2b pencil and a Pro Art white plastic eraser and you are on your way. Good luck.
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★★★★★
Hunter Arens –
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★★★★★
Miyagawa (Iseshi） –
Don’t be fooled by the price or size, there is hours of great progress making exercises in this book. I’m converted to the Chris Hart school
Juanki –
Simple yet very helpful and insightful for learning to draw the figure from memory. Hart’s simplification of the figure into shapes and how the muscles change shape with specific poses is more comprehensive than any other art book in this respect.
K Williams –
First section is dedicated to head / facial features, but latter pages are filled with whole figures from head to feet. There must be close to a hundred whole figure examples you can learn from. Great focus on balance, natural and relaxed poses.
The right way to learn from any drawing book I believe is to try every example on your own on a sketchbook. In my learning, this book has been essential. I feel I’ve actually learned something.
John Valente –
Nice, but I’m still trying to figure out how I could use this in my own drawings. Althoug, I think this is because of my lack of practice. It’s definitely the hardest to follow compared to the previous two books, to me at least.
Bruce B. –
One thing I know is, I will never be a great artist. But I like to draw and I would like to be better at drawing. This Christopher Hart – Figure It Out! Drawing Essential Poses will help me get better. The book understands that you need basic information about drawing a figure and how to go about doing just that. It is broken down into the following sections; 1. Introduction, 2. Head and Body Basics, 3. Posture, 4. The Must-Know Info, 5. Opposing Forces, 6. Arm and Shoulder Poses (very difficult drawing for me), 7. Leg Poses, 8. Depth, 9. Seated Poses, 10. Exercises. I enjoyed this book so much that I will likely look to order some additional Christopher Hart drawing books.
Hunter Arens –
Chris Hart is amazing!! I have 5 of his books. The books are very informative and easy to understand. Im pretty much learning to draw better from Chris Hart. I would highly recommend all his books and will obviously buy more in the future.
Yeves –
Estaba indeciso de si comprar este libro o el de proporciones de este mismo autor,pero al final me decidi por este ya que no solo te explica como dar mas realismo a tus poses si no que tambien te explica la construccion de la cabeza y el cuerpo,de una manera mas rapida,pero ahi esta.
Muchisimas poses,muchas anotaciones y directrices del autor en diversos puntos importantes de cada pose,formas sencillas,paginas a color…
Sin duda alguna un muy buen libro si no el mejor para empezar a dar mas realismo a tus obras si estas empezando.
Autumn Grace –
This is the third book in Christopher Hart’s “Figure It Out!” series on figure drawing. The first book is an easy guide to drawing people. The second is a guide to human proportions. And the third, this book, focuses on how to draw natural-looking poses. Most of Christopher Hart’s books are superb—he has a knack for teaching essential sketching techniques without getting overly technical or advanced. This book is no exception!
The book itself is paperback, with large enough print to read easily while you’re trying to sketch. Like the others in this series, it has integrated flaps at the front and back covers, so you can save your place, as you might do with a dust jacket. It’s well illustrated throughout, with brief sections of text to explain the principles being demonstrated.
The core premise of this book explores how the human body changes as it shifts position, so you can learn to draw poses that look natural, rather than forced or stiff. For example, when you take on a certain pose, curves appear in some parts of the body, while others flatten out. Some limbs may appear foreshortened, while others lengthen. Certain muscles might become more prominent, while others become less visible. There are lots of tips and tricks! So as not to overwhelm you, the book divides the body into sections, focusing first on the head and neck, then the arms and shoulders, then the legs. It even explains how to add depth to a pose, so it doesn’t look two-dimensional.
I especially appreciate that the author’s sketches have ethnic variations, as well as size/shape variations. His female models don’t all have huge boobs and tiny waists. Many appear fleshed out, with realistic-looking bodies. The only thing I didn’t really like is the fact that some of the sketches were recognizable from his previous books, which on the one hand, lends continuity. But on the other hand, it feels like he couldn’t be bothered to create something new for this book. It’s a very minor complaint, though.
In short, if you’re struggling with figure sketches, this book will help you learn how to make small changes that have a big impact on your drawings. Even if you’re already a good artist, you might learn a few things! As I said, the author is quite good at explaining subtle techniques for making figure sketches look more realistic. Whether you aspire to draw portraits, life-sketches, comics, manga, or even fashion croquis, this book offers valuable advice for making your figures look more natural and less “posed.” I’ll give it four and a half stars, and recommend it to any artist who wants to improve their work.
For other books by the same artist, check out my favorite, Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy, along with Figure It Out! The Beginner’s Guide to Drawing People, and Figure It Out! Human Proportions. He’s also done a lot of books on drawing comic figures and manga.
Shar G –
全身の簡単な概略から
各パーツの位置、比率
正面・側面、頭部と首のユニットの
関係、背面から見た 筋肉の位置
中心線の流れ、肩と腕の付け根の
関係、重心の位置による脇の下から
大腿の付け根の曲がりの角度
全身を概略的に描いて、ポイントに
成る位置を大きく掴む捉え方
これは、背面から見たポーズでも
同様に示されている。
微妙なポーズでの各パーツの
傾斜の位置の違い。
男女のポーズの違いが豊富な例で
示されている。
座ったポーズもあり、参考になる。
大きな捉え方としては、良い本と
思う。
Penny –
This is a great book for beginners, my daughter is an Art student and uses this book for college. I wanted to start Sketching and she gave me this for a gift. It’s easy to fallow and perfect for any one wanting to start from ground zero or for some needing to sharping there skills.. full of easy illustrations and natural body poses.. you won’t be disappointed if you purchase this.
mike –
I wanted to improve on drawing figures and based on the glowing five star reviews, I purchased this book. Alas the book did not live up to the reviews – this is not for me at this time. It is no step by step, is weak on instruction and frankly could not hold my attention. As the title suggests – you have to figure it out – yes you have to figure a lot out on your own – for eg tthe drawing of the face and head – how did you get to that point. Karen Campbell does a better job of explaining how to draw the face in the simplest terms. This was a waste of money for me.
Shpwrck –
If you take your time and get a sketch book and practice every day, you will be surprised at your abilities. This book is awesome. The trick is to take your time and review what you have learned the day before. No hurry, just patience and determination. It takes time to draw, there are no short cuts. I love my new hobby. I got a sketch book ( Strathmore Series 400 Sketch Pads 9 in. x 12 in. – pad of 100) and always have it with me. So when I have time I sit down and relax and draw. I have no natural drawing skills, so I am starting from scratch. I am pleased with the outcome and the relaxation this gives me. Remember not to skip pages or rush through the book. a number 2b pencil and a Pro Art white plastic eraser and you are on your way. Good luck.
Hunter Arens –
Miyagawa (Iseshi） –
Don’t be fooled by the price or size, there is hours of great progress making exercises in this book. I’m converted to the Chris Hart school