Figure Drawing For Beginners; A Simplified Approach (Udemy.com)
Learn to draw your own stunning figures and poses.
Created by: Robert Joyner
Last updated June 2020
What you will learn
- How to use three main shapes and forms to draw the human figure.
- How to use tho basic ideas to draw the figure; gesture & structure.
- How to draw the eight main parts of the human body.
- Develop a general model for front, back and profile proportions.
- The key differences between male and female bodies.
- How to use the longest sustained curve and the 'pinch' side to measure proportions and accuracy.
- Approachable methods for simplifying figure drawing.
How it compares
Against the other 194 rated Udemy courses in Drawing on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 34% of them
- Reviews73#168 of 195 by number of reviews
- Length14.6 hourslonger than 90% of them
- Last updatedJune 2020earlier than 61% of them
Course Description
Welcome To Beginner Figure Drawing! The ultimate online course for complete beginners that aspire to draw the human figure.
My name is Robert Joyner, and I'm a full-time artist from beautiful Virginia. I've been painting and teaching for over 15 years and I'm thrilled to bring this in-depth figure drawing course to you via Udemy.
This class has been carefully constructed and includes a step-by-step approach that will build confidence without getting overwhelmed. If you can draw a circle, square and rectangle then you are more than qualified to take this course.
“This class illustrates the breakdown of body parts into shapes upon which the figure is built, and adding gesture to that structure to create a dynamic figure drawing. Robert presents this in easy to understand demonstrations that students are encouraged to draw along with. These techniques simplify the mechanism of figure drawing. Where to start drawing a figure and getting proportions right has always been difficult for me, but even midway through this class that apprehension is being replaced by a growing confidence.” - Kat Schieber
OVERVIEW
Section One: Gesture & Structure
These are the ultimate building block for your drawings.
Gesture is used in a very unique way. Instead of using gesture to draw stick figures we will use it to locate and draw the lovey long-axis curves that make up major body parts. Each pose has several main gestures and you will quickly discover how to locate and draw them using one simple yet characteristic line.
Structure is used to add volume and depth to each gesture. This makes the gestures more dynamic and three dimensional. You will learn how to sculpt each area of the body using basic forms and shapes.
Section Two: Body Parts
This is a complete breakdown of the main body parts including the head, neck, ribcage, waist, pelvis, arms, shoulders, legs and feet. You will learn easy ideas for drawing each part using gesture & structure!
Section Three: Proportions
You will learn to develop a general model for understanding the front, back and profile views. Plus we will discuss some key similarities and differences between male and female bodies.
Section Four: Final Assignment
Here you will put your knowledge and skills to the test. There is a practice reel that includes four poses, each one is six minutes long. To make it even better I will complete the same exact practice reel so you have something to compare your work to!
As you can see this is the perfect lesson plan for beginners! It also includes:
Master's analysis - throughout the course we will look at some of the Master's figure drawings, like Michelangelo, Raphael and more, to see how they used the ideas shared in this course in their work.
12 Hours Of Demos - Each lecture is accompanied with a series of demonstrations where I will use images of models to draw the ideas for you. So, you will see how each main idea can be implemented in a variety of situations and poses.
Thanks for taking the time to check out this course. I really hope to connect with you on the inside and become a part of your creative journey.
"Amazing class, easy to follow along with plenty of example and demo to watch and learn from. It was a long course, I was intimidated by the length at first, but then I have managed to finish it in a week and complete the assessment. I feel that my figure drawing has improved so much." - Carmela Pica
Instructor Details
- 4.5 Rating
73 Reviews
Robert Joyner
Hi, I'm Robert Joyner.
I'm a full time paint-slinger from Richmond, Virginia specializing in watercolor, acrylic & mixed media paintings. Best known for my signature loose brushwork and carefree approach to creating abstract style artwork.
Here's a quick look at some of my bragging rights.
Official Artist 2012 Kentucky Derby
Arlington Horse Race Track Chicago
National Pastime Baseball Museum
Art On Carnival Cruise Ships
555 Fahrenheit Restaurants
Art on sitcom Modern Family
Artwork on sitcom The Odd Couple
Artwork in movie Tracers
2013 Mixed Media Instructor Strathmore Papers
Shenton Valley Vineyards Wine Label
Polo Resort - upscale hotel In Hong Kong
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Reviews
By Udemy User on 5/26/2025
I like that it started with the basics
By Chris Brown on 3/28/2025
talkie and h's not that good of an example artist
By Rafael Lima Vieira on 12/31/2024
Great course. His approach reminds of Steven Houston’s. I love the way he builds the explanation. Very clear, many usefuo techniques. It was totally worth it. Looking foward for more courses from Mr Joyner
By Christofer Aven on 11/26/2023
This helped me understand the process, the observations necessary and the techniques to create believable figures. I appreciate the thoroughness of the lectures and demos and practice reels
By Alex McCaleb on 1/22/2023
I'm only partways in, but I can already tell this is EXACTLY what I need. Mr. Robert Joyner perfectly details the simplified thinking process to keep us drawing purposefully while understanding the task itself in a new way.
By Alan Wayne on 10/8/2022
The program both orally and visually together matches my ability to grasp the concepts and information.
By Badriya Bader on 8/4/2022
Excellent explanation that helps the artist to understand the steps in easy way. Recommend
By Denise Johnson on 12/7/2021
Because it popped up in my face
By Thomas Lambe on 11/28/2021
what he said makes so much sence , as I was one who wanted the end result without going through the steps.
By Dan Gross on 10/19/2021
Great instruction. Very basic and simple, which as a beginner is what I want. I find it very helpful to draw along with the instructor
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 90 / 100










