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Figure Drawing

with Neimy Kanani
4.6 (329)
Learn to draw human figures like a pro and impress your viewers with this exciting, in-depth course!
English, Spanish, 3 more French, Italian, German English, Spanish, 8 more Italian, French, German, Japanese [Auto], B. Indonesia [Auto], Portuguese, Polish [Auto], Turkish [Auto]
3+
hours
33
lessons
Beginner to Intermediate
level
Neimy Kanani

Your Instructor

Neimy Kanani is a Japanese-American artist, raised in Silicon Valley, California. Her specialty is creating art with an elegant, nostalgic childhood-nightmare vibe.

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3+
hours
33
lessons
Beginner to Intermediate
level
English, Spanish , 3 more
Languages
  • French
  • Italian
  • German
English, Spanish , 8 more
Subtitles
  • Italian
  • French
  • German
  • Japanese [Auto]
  • B. Indonesia [Auto]
  • Portuguese
  • Polish [Auto]
  • Turkish [Auto]

What you’ll learn

  • Get a solid grasp of human anatomy
  • Learn how to draw hands, feet, facial features, legs and other body parts
  • Understand how to use simple shapes to draw the human form
  • Master helpful and easy techniques to create realistic bodies
  • Create your own awesome poses
  • Avoid common beginner mistakes, such as tangents and ‘ladders’
  • Discover how to study figure model images correctly
  • How to measure correctly to draw accurate human proportions
  • Put it all together to create your own beautiful illustrations
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Description

Are you nervous at the thought of practicing figure drawing, feeling like it’s a skill that’s out of your reach? Don’t know where to start??

In this online figure drawing class, you’ll learn everything you need to know! Despite popular opinion, human anatomy really doesn’t have to be a struggle! If you learn the correct approach, you can drastically improve your skills without all the headaches and frustration.

Neimy will walk you through the core essentials of human anatomy, showing you the easy way to draw figures and expressive poses of your own! This course is packed with invaluable insight that all professional artists use to create jaw-dropping artwork. Practicing figure drawing is an essential habit for artists to build drawing skills and train their eye.

You’ll learn a wide range of techniques, concepts, and anatomy foundations, such as breaking down each body part into basic shapes, mastering life drawing, avoiding common beginner mistakes, drawing correct proportions, and making your figures look 3D.

No need to be afraid of human anatomy anymore! Start building your skills and confidence with Neimy’s insightful guidance and expert coaching today!

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Who is this course for

  • Beginner artists who are struggling to understand anatomy and want a simple guide
  • Intermediate artists wanting to pick up new knowledge and techniques
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This course includes

  • 3+ Hours of on-demand videos
  • 7 Assignments
  • 2 Cheat sheets/guides
  • 5 Reference images
  • Downloadable brushes
  • List of recommended books
  • Bonus material
  • PSD source files
  • Certificate of Completion
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Used in course

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What you'll need

  • No drawing experience needed
  • Just a paper/sketchbook and a pencil
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Lesson Plan

with Neimy Kanami
Expand all sections
00

Introduction

05:25

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Say hi to your teacher, Neimy Kanani!

You’ll learn a bit about her background in art and what topics you can look forward to learning in this course.

With Neimy’s clear explanations and fun demonstrations, you will no longer be intimidated by figure drawings AND your art will improve exponentially!


0.1
Introduction
02:58
0.2
Recommended Books, Supplies & Digital Brushes to use
02:27
01

Simplifying the figure

32:28

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Ready to jump in with both feet?

Neimy covers lots of foundational concepts to simplify human anatomy and break it down into basic shapes that make it easier to draw the body in different forms and poses.

She discusses other fascinating and essential topics as well, like positive and negative space, overlaps, tangents and ‘ladders’, giving you very clear, easy tips to either implement or avoid them in your artwork.


1.1
Breaking down into parts
07:51
1.2
Negative and positive space
07:35
1.3
Seeing through the figure and perspective
15:05
1.4
Homework
01:57
02

Drawing different body parts

51:19

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THIS is a lesson almost every up-and-coming artist wishes for: We present to you a detailed breakdown of ALL the major body parts and features. Yes! You heard right!!!

Neimy not only teaches you exactly how to build up the structures and draw the hands, feet, legs, head, arms, neck, and all facial features (nose, mouth, etc.), but she also provides you with amazingly detailed cheat sheets and printables that you can refer to time and again when working on your own art.

Everything is laid out in a super clear, straightforward manner that is easy to grasp. Your understanding of the human figure will increase tenfold after this single lesson!


2.1
The Head
07:59
2.2
Head parts
14:54
2.3
Arms and Hands
10:36
2.4
Legs and feet
13:47
2.5
Clavicle and neck
03:16
2.6
Homework
00:47
03

Line of Action

18:27

In this lesson, you’ll learn essential foundations you need to know when starting off: the structural core, measurements, and flow of the figure’s pose.

Think of it like the building blocks of a house. The solid brick structure needs to be in place first, before adding other elements, such as plumbing, electric wiring, paint, flooring, etc.

You’ll also gain a ton of tips about how to correctly measure proportions, draw flowing lines, grasp contrapposto, understand why the line of action is so important, use line weight to give a sense of perspective, and LOTS more!

This is a value-packed lesson, so be sure to take notes!


3.1
Measuring
04:40
3.2
When drawing the lines
03:08
3.3
Line of action and contrapposto
03:07
3.4
Rhythm
06:18
3.5
Homework
01:14
04

Drawing expressive figures

16:24

Okay! Moving on to the really fun stuff: drawing dynamic poses in action! All the principles you’ve learned so far will help you with this stage.

Neimy will share with you insider secrets on how to draw expressive poses full of life, which she acquired from years of study and working as an artist.

You’ll discover how a simple flour sack will help you structure your torsos in a lifelike way, ones that bend, twist, and stretch as a body normally would do.

Your figure sketches will improve tremendously by using some easy techniques that Neimy demonstrates in this lesson, such as sketching loosely, determining the center of gravity, doing 5, 10, and 20-minute sketches, and more!


4.1
Understanding how to draw expressively
08:06
4.2
Let's study old animated cartoons
04:16
4.3
Sequential Figure Drawing Drawing moving figures
02:19
4.4
Homework
01:43
05

Shading and light source

27:02

Time to tackle a fascinating and important aspect of figure drawing: light and shadows. What does this have to do with figure drawing, you ask?

Light and shadows create depth, causing your forms to look 3D and realistic.

Neimy explains clearly the way shadows and highlights will appear on a form and how you can imitate those effects in your artwork.

You’ll learn about hard, soft, and lost shadows and how to play with the light and shadows to draw attention to certain aspects of your illustration.


5.1
Light and Shadow
05:05
5.2
Hard, Soft, and Lost Edges
06:29
5.3
Drawing out the Shadows
13:32
5.4
Homework
01:56
06

Clothing and Folds

13:08

Let’s dive into learning a fun and exciting skill: drawing clothes! At last, you’ll get some clarity on this mysterious topic.

You’ll discover practical ways to draw different types of folds, understand how fabric hangs, the visual difference in thick and thin fabrics, and lots more!

Neimy will also carefully explain what rookie mistakes to avoid when drawing clothing and why.

By the end of this lesson you’ll be able to identify different types of folds, such as Zigzag, Diaper, Drop and Pipe folds. You’ll also understand how ruffles are formed and how to draw them convincingly! Yay! Ruffle dresses FTW!


6.1
Drapery
04:37
6.2
Type of Folds
03:10
6.3
Ruffles
03:52
6.4
Homework
01:29
07

Creating your own poses

18:03

Ready to apply all the knowledge you acquired into one, awesome illustration of your own?

Neimy will guide you through her tried-and-proven process of illustrating a complete scene, from the composition phase all the way up to the full render!

You will not only learn figure drawing but also how to come up with interesting art ideas and tips for a balanced, pleasing composition that attracts the viewer, drawing them in.

Follow along with Neimy in painting a beautiful complete illustration that you can be proud of!


7.1
Drawing ideas
02:49
7.2
Composition
11:13
7.3
Creating an illustration
03:32
7.4
Homework
00:29

Student Feedback

329 customer reviews & ratings

4.6

Course rating

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5 star
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4 star
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3 star
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2 star
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Best Suited for
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The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

(Based on 329 reviews)

Most Liked
Helpful Examples 252
Clarity of Instruction 245
Great step-by-step process 219
Showing 10 reviews of
329
reviews & ratings
Bart G.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
This is my first course on here and it really exceeded my expectations. Just the right amount of instructions without it being overwhelming. The amount of content is good value, clear and inspiring. I normally watch a entire course and then go over it again to do the homework exercises. I find thi
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s gets my mind focused in what to expect. This course will be very beneficial getting to improve my art journey. BTW I am 73 years old and believe you are never to old to play with art and create. Thank you Neimy well done.
I recommend it for Intermediate
33 people found this helpful
AL
Alexandre L.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
I was so happy when I saw this course online. I’m just at the beginning but I can already say that’s exactly what I was expecting for a novice like me. Neimy goes straight to the point and it’s really efficient. Love this course so far!
I recommend it for All levels
14 people found this helpful
Анна Т.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
OMG, IM SO GLAD TO FIND THIS NEW COURSE! Especially Im in love with perspective lesson, cause perspective always was my personal pain. I asking other artists about it, I bought a few courses, but everywhere this subject was superficial, and no one could explain me simply, how to use my knowledge in
+ Show more
practice. Now I understood. Thank you, Neimy, you are fantastic!
I recommend it for All levels
9 people found this helpful
MM
Makai M.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
I work as a graphic designer, but I've never learned drawing before. I've looking for the course like this for a long time! This course is the best for me how to draw consciously, precisely. It is very understandable, useful and it helps my knowledge how to be complete. Thank you Neimy!! :)
I recommend it for All levels
8 people found this helpful
SE
Saif E.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
this course is one of the best one I attended so far about figure drawing , smooth and easy for beginners !!
I recommend it for Beginner
7 people found this helpful
Christai A.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
This is so cool. Her explanations are simple and straight to the point. I love it! Thank you!
I recommend it for Intermediate
5 people found this helpful
AS
Abdias S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
I like the simplicity of the examples with good information and tips
I recommend it for All levels
5 people found this helpful
PP
Patrick P.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
The lack of background music was a good choice. I enjoyed the homework and have incorporated them into my own practice.
I recommend it for Beginner
5 people found this helpful
TB
Trucly B.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
I love that Neimy breaks up each parts of the body to discuss as well as each concepts. It's easier to go back to review and practice.
I recommend it for All levels
4 people found this helpful
SM
Sidney M.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
amazing!!!!
I recommend it for Intermediate
4 people found this helpful
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About the Instructor

Neimy Kanani
Digital Artist, Illustrator and Painter 1 course

Neimy Kanani is a Japanese-American artist born and raised in Silicon Valley, California. She attended Ringling College of Art and Design and graduated with a BFA in Illustration in May 2020. Neimy is currently living in Portugal.


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