I made a video about the origin of the Golden age of illustration on my YouTube channel. I’d like to do more of these, let me know if you guys like these sorts of art history videos
Cute chihuahuas, out of touch billionaires, political aesthetics, life drawing sessions, and course development/research are all common sketchbook subjects.
These studies shift with my thinking - sometimes observational, sometimes design-focused. Sometimes it's just working through weird stuff that gets stuck in my head.
My new book on Gesture Drawing is officially set to be released on Jan. 28!
Gesture has always fascinated me—it's such a simple yet abstract concept, but I’ve seen how challenging it can be for artists to grasp. This book is my attempt to demystify gesture, presenting it not as just a style or technique, but as a stage and process that's fundamental to drawing.
If you’d like to learn more, check out the links in my bio for details on pre-ordering.
Difficult poses aren’t a skill issue – they’re a seeing issue.
This carousel breaks down 4 ways @stevenmichaelhampton reads a pose before committing a single line. From simplifying the pose to using negative shapes – you’ll approach complex poses differently after this.
Save it for your next figure drawing session, and send it to the artist friend who keeps freezing up the moment the reference gets interesting.
Wrapping lines are one of those “tiny trick, huge payoff” things.
They’re basically ellipses that help you show the 3D direction of a form so your figures stop looking flat.
If you struggle with cylinders, arms, legs, torsos, or anything that turns in space… this is the cheat code.
Costume is storytelling
In this Frankenstein breakdown I looked at how Victor and Elizabeth change across stages, and how silhouette, drapery, and fabric weight help sell their psychology and status.
I start with simple shape maps first, then layer in folds and detail after. Big read before small noise.
Swipe through for the sketches and process. Free figure drawing PDF linked in bio.
#figuredrawing #characterdesign
Animal anatomy can feel overwhelming until you stop memorizing and start comparing.
I like to think in shape first, then gesture, then perspective. Human anatomy becomes a starting point, not a rule. From there it’s about understanding function and letting the forms warp to match the job the animal is built to do.
Squares, triangles, simple construction, then wrapping muscle over that structure until it feels believable.
Swipe through to see how I break it down step by step.
Like, follow, and save if this helps you think clearer about anatomy.
#animalanatomy #drawinganatomy #figurestudies #animaldrawing #arteducation sketchbook learningtodraw conceptart gesturedrawing formandfunction
Difficult poses are way more about drawing shapes than drawing anatomy. When I’m asked about how to tackle those sorts of poses, my advice is always to simplify and stick to your fundamentals
You can’t rely on standard proportion, so you have to really understand how simplified shapes are interacting with each other.
If you want to learn more, I have some free resources on my YouTube channel, and my website (figuredrawing.info)
Level up your portrait drawing skills and master head construction with @stevenmichaelhampton
We’ve got his course (and others) at 20% off for Black Friday through December 4th.
Check it out at proko.com/headconstruction
#portraitart #drawing #anatomy
New free video! Learn an alternative way of thinking about gesture drawing with an approach to customize parts of the figure with subtle behavior and perspective
🔗 proko.com/903
If you wanna dive deeper into gesture you can grab Hampton's course 20% off during our Black Friday sale
👉 proko.com/gesture
We'll also be holding a livestream with Hampton later today on our channel at 2pm PT where he'll give you a preview of what he'll be teaching on Proko next...
#figuredrawing #gesturedrawing #livestream
Rendering has always been strange for me. I don’t usually love the process, but there’s something addictive about that space between making something clear and letting it fall apart. The more I study anatomy and light, the more I realize how much “realism” comes from abstraction and suggestion.
I try to keep that tension visible in my work. Let the marks show. Let the structure peek through. Let the illusion breathe a little.
If you’re interested in learning how I approach anatomy, structure, and character design, check out the course on my website in my bio. It’s packed with lessons, demos, and everything I wish I had when I started.
