Draw a posed figure

10-minute art activity

Draw a posed figure

Artists often draw from sculptures and living models, to learn about the body. In the past, it was a core activity for all students at the Royal Academy. Give it a go!

- Draw your friend
  
  What you need
  
  Sketchbook | Pencil |Timer
  
  Steps
  
  To draw your friend:
  
  • invite one person to take up a pose they have seen in one of the paintings, drawings or sculptures in our Body and Space teaching resource
  
  • work together to arrange the space and viewpoints: do you need a circle of chairs? Should they pose higher than the floor?
  
  • set a timer – agree on poses from 2 to 4 minutes
  
  • swap places and draw quickly from a different viewpoint
  
  Find out more about Two sketches

More
- Benjamin Robert Haydon, Anatomical drawing of the bones of the lower arm, 31 May 1805.
  
  View object details
  
  Part of the RA Collectionpen and black ink with brown wash on off-white paper. 466 mm x 323 mm. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London.
  
  Body and space teaching resource
  
  Discover how the human body is considered one of the artist’s most important subjects.
  
  Teach
- Courses and classes - friends life drawing 5
  
  Saturday Sketch Club: experimenting with the figure
  
  Join artist Jake Garfield for this fun and informal life drawing session. Experiment with “line”, “mark-making” and “tone” through a series of short activities.
  
  Draw
- Academic Programmes - Friends life drawing
  
  Strike a pose: 250 years of life drawing at the RA
  
  Look back at the Royal Academy’s centuries old tradition of drawing nude models.
  
  Read