Went through some old “learn to draw people books” and had a thought. I genuinely believe the worst thing a new artist can do is use those books. Ive never seen one that i would recommend. I say this because while the parts about eyes and ears and hands are typically ok, the moment you get to anatomy it becomes useless and even bad for someone new. People are not cylinders. They are build of muscles and bones and fat. These books always have muscular men, skinny women and no lessons on the muscles underneath or how to stretch and use them. You dont learn about different face shapes, body types, or WHY people sometimes look different. You dont learn about the different races, or anything helpful about genders, or learn what an injury/disability might look like. I understand these books are for kids, but pretending that there is a right way to draw bodies is flat out wrong. I remember asking why all the people in my books looked the same and was told it wasnt a big deal, but it is. I didnt look like that. My friends and family didnt. Whats the point of a “learn to draw people book” if im only learning to draw 2 people, a muscular man and a skinny woman. I want a lesson on muscles. Not anything crazy, but show us where the big ones are and how they can look different between people. Show us new face shapes and hair that isnt just straight but also curly and wavy and the basics of that. Show us how a disabled person might wear a prosthetic. Show us how womens bodies have muscles too, and that they have so much variety and places where they can look interesting. Show us men that are skinny, or short, or large or small. Show us how to draw a gender neutral person to learn the basics and balance anatomy. Stop pretending that what you find attractive is the only option. And i only care about this because it sets artists back, makes it harder to experiment and express themselves. It makes art less fun when there are rules to what people look like. Stop caring if it looks good, try and draw real people. People arent cylinders. If drawing shapes helps you draw people, draw the muscles underneath, not some picture perfect human that never changes. Obviously do not change what makes you happy, however I genuinely think that drawing new types of people is so much more fun.
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