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A still, standing figure has its feet directly under the head, hands at its sides, and shoulders and hips parallel. As the body shifts from one foot to the other, knees and elbows bend, and the spine becomes an arch.

Begin with a very light shade of pencil. Draw trapezoids for the torso, a circle for the head, and lines for the legs and arms. Thicken the lines for the upper arms and legs, then use slightly thinner shapes for the lower limbs.

The blue area above is the basic shape, and the red areas are some important muscles. The size of the red areas can be different. Some bodies carry a lot of muscle in their chest, shoulders, and biceps, and their backs and chests are broad.

Using a grid can help us draw a figure. We can use “heads” as a measurement for height. The average height of an adult is 8 heads. Generally,the elbows and belly button are 3 heads down, and the hands and midthigh area are 5 heads down.

The human body has more than 200 bones and 650 muscles, but we’ll focus on those most important for showing form and movement. We’ll start with a stick figure and give it straight arms and legs. Let’s make the torso an upside down trapezoid and the hips a right side up trapezoid.

Mark off the width and height of the Hydra. Draw several ovals that will help to define the places for its heads and body. Draw lines, which will act as the centers of its heads.

Mark off the width and height of the picture. Add guidelines for the Grim Reaper’s body. Draw his head, skull, scythe and pedestal.

Mark off the width and height of the picture. Draw an oval for the head of the scarecrow. Add guidelines for its body.

Mark off the width and height of the Christmas elf. Define the general shape of his head. Draw a line, which will act as the center of his body.

Mark off the width and height of the picture. Draw an oval for the head and two intersecting ovals for the body of the unicorn.