I guess three things I think of when it comes to poses are line of action, straight vs curved, and weight. I’ll use this quick awkward doodle to demonstrate:

You probably know this one if you know animation. Everything in the drawing doesn’t necessarily have to stick to it, but its a good basis for the overall silhouette. Most examples I’ve seen stick to one line, but sometimes I experiment with two if I’m going for a more action-y, dynamic pose. Its best not to go over two (two is risking it) as that would just get too visually confusing.

This one is more for smaller details, such as the arms and legs. Its good if you want to go for a more stylized look, since real life humans never have completely straight lines anywhere on their body. It’s basically contrasting a straight line with a curved one so you get a clearer idea of where the volume is going. Check out this video if you want more info, which is where I referenced from!

An easy one to forget in my experience. A little trick we learnt in life drawing class is that in real life the nose should generally be parallel to where the most weight is, to make it look more balanced. You’ll notice too that the body gets more compressed where the most weight is, ie the left leg here.

Some of my own (colour coded) examples, although I’m still learning to apply these things ~

(Sometimes if the nose doesn’t line up with where the body is leaning, you have to balance it out with the limbs or other body parts. The amethyst one would not work if she wasn’t holding another character on her back)

So with October and Inktober coming up, I figured that I’d write out a prompt list (with the help of some friends) that are based on DnD, though the prompts work with other RPG systems too!

Draw your DnD/RPG character

Draw your character with their weapon or spell of choice

Draw your one of your character’s party members

Draw your character swapping clothing with one of their party members

Draw your character as another race

Draw your character as another class

Draw your character in an alternate outfit

Draw a favorite NPC

Draw your character interacting with an NPC they like

Draw your character interacting with an NPC they don’t like

Draw your character enjoying their favorite activity

Draw your character in a modern AU/“real world”

Draw your character making use of their best stat

Draw your character trying to use their worst stat

Draw one of your character’s family members

Draw your character at a fight – rooting people on? breaking it up? throwing hands? 

Draw your character finding some loot that suits them

Draw your character getting into trouble with the local authorities

Draw your character (or party) at an elaborate masquerade/costume party/banquet 

Draw your character with one (1) hit point to their name

Draw your character’s inventory

Draw your character befriending a new NPC

Draw your character dressed as the main villian/a monster they fought

Draw your character giving a rousing pep talk to the party

Draw your character breaking something (on purpose or accidentally)

Draw your character gaining a level

Draw your character getting hammered

Draw your character in a sick action pose

Draw your character’s home town

Draw your character as you imagine them at Level 20/Max Level

Draw your character in a Halloween costume.

Now this is no Inktober blog so I won’t ask you to tag any posts a certain way if you do them, but I’ll be doing these with my own characters and will likely be posting them on the blog.

LOL

Preparing for Inktober 2017?

**The prompts are now updated - I had a few double ups and missing #16 prompts. They should be all good to use now :)

I am too! And to get inspired, I have put together 8x Inktober prompt lists, to help us create something really cohesive and cool this October

Prompt lists:

- Post Apocalyptic Wanderers

- Anthropomorphic People

- A Steampunk Adventure

- Space Travellers

- Super People

- Characters for a fairytale

- Characters for an urban fantasy

- Characters of the Forest

Preparing for Inktober 2017?

I am too! And to get inspired, I have put together 8x Inktober prompt lists, to help us create something really cohesive and cool this October

Prompt lists:

- Post Apocalyptic Wanderers

- Anthropomorphic People

- A Steampunk Adventure

- Space Travellers

- Super People

- Characters for a fairytale

- Characters for an urban fantasy

- Characters of the Forest