Q&A for How to Draw a Female Body

You need to do a lot of reading and sketching, but primarily, you need to find a good teacher who will help you to see what you're missing. We have a tendency not to actually see what's in front of us, but you have to develop an artist's eye. So you need to find a teacher who can teach you to see more when you're looking at a person.

It's whatever is easier for you. Most people find it easy with guidelines (sketch lines), but it is completely up to you.

This is just the body shape. To complete the drawing, there would be clothes, hair, a face, etc.

Male eyes are often a little smaller and less open/round than female eyes - but it varies from person to person, and you can look at pictures of different men/women to get some ideas. In drawings, people will sometimes draw fewer/lighter/no eyelashes on men, since eyelashes are considered feminine, and women often wear mascara to make them stand out. Men also tend to have thicker and less shapely eyebrows.

Here's one method: Draw a circle, add two bended adjacent lines to show the depth, and then draw the jaw/

Just draw a basic line for the outside shape of the body. Then you can draw circles on the joints (like the elbows and knees) before beginning to fill in the details.

For longer, straighter hair, I would sketch where you want the hair to go, and darken and detail it as you go. For frizzy, poofy, hair, just lightly do loop shapes or small scribbles continually. For wavy hair, use guidelines and do loops and erase as you go. Or for looser types, sketch smooth up and down movements and repeat on other side, using the first line to make it even. Continue and detail the work.

Make outlines single and darker. Try not to draw more lines than it needs to have.

Yes, if you're going for a realistic design.

Look at lots of art and fashion magazines, paying close attention to the lines of the body. Enroll in a figure drawing class or check out a few books on figure drawing out the library and practice.

It's your choice. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your drawing.

Draw two ovals and join them together. Make sure the lower one is thinner than the higher one, and you have a leg.

Draw a kind of trapezoid shape that is smaller at the top and bigger on the bottom. Then draw in the rest of the figure and add details.

If you want to draw a realistic photo, then it's a good idea. If you don't want to, though, you don't have to.

Draw the baby first, then draw the frame of the woman holding it, so if you want the woman to be cradling the baby, draw her arms underneath it.

It depends on the body type of the female you are drawing. On average, the breast circle is half of the face circle.

Study as much as possible references of models, as the they are the closest to perfect human form. Then try to recreate their body in your own way with the basic shapes such as spheres, cylinders and blocks. Once you've accomplished that, it will be very easy for you as it's your own style.

It's your drawing, so be original. This article is only to show you the technique. You get to choose the style and color.

You can draw an upward rounded curve between the chest and the waist, and make the waist rounder and wider. Also you may draw a downward rounded curve somewhere around the hips.

You'll need a model willing to pose naked.

If it's still difficult, you just haven't practiced enough. Don't give up!

Sure! Just be careful. You could hurt somebody's feelings.