Hello everyone! My name is Stefani, and I want to share 5 tips to help improve your poses. These tips will focus on the sketching process, as I believe this is the foundation of everything; if the foundation is solid, the rest will work.

 

Here is the video tutorial:

TIP 1 - Identify the Shapes of Your Characters

All characters are made up of shapes. Having a clear understanding of the shapes that compose your character will help when drawing them, as you won't be thinking about drawing an abstract character with many details, but rather the shapes that connect to form that character.

 

Shapes help us simplify body parts while sketching. With them, we can build a solid foundation upon which we can later refine with anatomy in the drawing.

 

The shapes I consider most important are those representing the head, rib cage, and hips, as these form the backbone of the character's body. From these parts, the rest of the limbs branch out. If we understand and master these shapes, we can significantly improve our poses.

 

✦The first step is to recognize the shapes your character has.

 

 

✦Second, we'll give it volume. The way I do it is by adding a top and bottom base to the shape.

✦Third step, practice and familiarize yourself with the shapes and their volumes. It's not enough to know they're there; you have to try drawing them from different perspectives. This way, when it comes time to create a pose, it will come naturally because you will have already internalized how these volumes behave.

The way I create the body shapes is as follows:

 

The rib cage shape is a simplified version of the ribs, the pelvis is a triangle whose top base is circular, the shape of the legs and arms are cylinders, which have a wider top part than the bottom. The feet are a kind of triangle, and the hands are formed by a triangle and two planes; to simplify it, it can be just one plane or a triangle with curved strokes.

 

When sketching, don't feel pressured to detail every shape so meticulously. You can take the liberty of not finishing certain lines, but if you feel unsure about some parts, it's better to have the complete shape to better visualize what you are doing.

 

TIP 2 - Line of Action and the Shoulder-Hip Rule

We now have the basic elements; it's time to combine them to create a pose. We'll do this with the help of the line of action and the shoulder-hip rule. This transforms any boring pose into an interesting and dynamic one.

 

The line of action is the line that indicates the direction of our pose; generally, it's also the direction of the spine. This line can vary but is usually a soft curved line, typically in a 'C' or 'S' shape, never a straight line, otherwise the pose will be stiff and unnatural.

The shoulder-hip rule: Shoulders and hips are represented by two lines. The rule is that these lines tilt in the same direction but not parallel. Generally, we can say that the shoulders and hips form a '>' or '<' symbol, depending on the case.

 

Now that it's clear, it's time to create poses! To do this, we will follow these steps:

1- Line of action

2- Head

4- Rib cage and pelvis, making sure to follow the shoulder-hip rule.

5- We continue with the legs and feet, then with the arms and hands, always guided by the line of action.

 

Working this way, we have a lot of control over the pose, as we start by giving the pose direction, then establishing its backbone, and finally completing it with the arms and legs, maintaining the consistency of the line of action.

 

These steps are for creating a general and very effective pose in a sketch.

Don't worry when drawing if you don't follow the line of action to the letter; this line is a guide that we can alter as we progress in the drawing.

 

The line of action not only helps us add dynamism to the pose but can also help us reinforce the character's acting. In this example, both characters are on a swing, yet the mood is completely different.

 

 

This is due to their body language. When drawing poses, don't just think about whether it looks good anatomically or proportionally; also consider what you want the pose to communicate about the character. That's why you need to think beyond the pose the character is performing and take into account the emotional state with which they are performing the action, how they are doing it.

If the character is running, how are they running? Are they running energetically? Or are they running very tired and seem like they want to stop? If we add these kinds of details to the pose, it will gain much more personality.

 

Don't be afraid to exaggerate poses; exaggeration can help you better emphasize the character's movement.

TIP 3 - Balance

All bodies have a center of gravity; an imaginary point where gravity pulls you down. In humans, it's located just behind the navel.

 

For a pose to be balanced, it must support this center of gravity. To identify whether we are achieving this, we draw a straight line down to the surface where the character stands; the body should be supported at that exact point.

 

The body can be supported in various ways, but generally, it's like in example number 2, meaning through 2 points of support. The center of support is the midpoint between the two support points. The body can also be supported with a single point of support, as in example number 1, or it can be supported on an external element, such as something that is part of the scenery or a prop the character has.

For poses that are in motion, the focus of balance changes, as the less balanced a pose appears, the more movement and dynamism it acquires.

 

Some points to consider when drawing movement:

 

1- When moving, the body usually leans towards the direction we are going, whether forward or backward. The more the body is tilted, the faster it appears to move. But be careful! If the head extends beyond the legs, the character will give the impression that they are about to fall.

 

2- When a person throws something, they instinctively move the leg opposite to the arm performing the action. The leg moves forward to support the body, as the movement will cause it to lean in the direction of the throw. This also applies when throwing a punch, as the same movement is performed.

 

When a person is about to receive an impact, they instinctively take a step back in an attempt to lessen the impact of the approaching force.

3- Looking at these two drawings, we can notice that number 1 seems more in control of the situation than number 2, and this is mainly due to the leg position. That's the difference between landing and falling. If you want a character to be in control during a fall, make sure their legs are in an appropriate position to reach the ground directly below the center of gravity; arms and hands can also be used.

TIP 4 - Support the Movement of the Pose

Looking at these two poses, we can see that one looks more dynamic than the other, and this is because the dynamism of the pose is complemented by the clothing. Something that can kill part of a pose's dynamism is if the clothing and hair are not in sync with the pose's movement.

 

If the character is moving in direction 'a', the character's clothing and hair should be moving in direction 'b'.

 

 

This not only applies to poses in motion, but we can also make static poses a bit more dynamic by adding a subtle wind to increase the pose's interest.

 

 

TIP 5 - Use 3D Models

Using references is very important for improving our poses, and luckily Clip Studio makes our lives easier with 3D models. With them, we can create the exact pose we want without wasting time browsing the internet trying to find the pose we have in mind.

 

It can be difficult to make the pose look natural, but we already have the solution, and we saw it earlier in the video: the line of action as well as the shoulder-hip rule!

If we apply these same rules to the 3D model, it will gain much more dynamism.

 

Another advantage of this tool is that we can play with the 3D model to get more interesting perspectives. Make sure you have an angle you like and have the 'Manga Perspective' option activated.

 

Acknowledgments!

That's all for the tutorial! I hope it was helpful!

Don't lose motivation if it's difficult to integrate new things into your workflow at first; everything can be achieved with practice. You're not alone; we are all in this learning process! Keep up the good work <3