How to Draw Realistic People

Co-authored by Renée Plevy

Last Updated: May 6, 2022

People are arguably the most difficult subject to draw realistically. Read on to discover the rules of drawing a realistic face as well as a realistic figure.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Semi Realistic People

Make sure you draw lightly so it's more of a sketch than the final project. When you are finished with the sketches, erase them. They are easier to erase now that your lines are lighter.

1
Create a medium-sized circle at the top of the page.
2
Bisect the circle with a vertical line extending out of the circle at the bottom. Add connecting lines to form the guides to jaws and the chin of the human head.

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3
Join three horizontal lines for guides to the eyes, nose and mouth.
4
Draw lemon-shaped circles on either side for the eyes and the a small curved line for the tip of the nose.
5
Draw the realistic lips of the human at the bottom of the nose symmetrical of shape on either side of the vertical dividing line.
6
Make the eye-lids and the eye-brows as well.
7
Create a realistic shape of the ear-outline on either side of the head originating from the eye-level.
8
Draw guides to the throat and the shoulders.
9
On the basis of the guides of the head, draw the hair of the human.
10
Erase all sketchy guides and draw clear and final lines.
11
Color the realistic human character.
12
Apply shades and highlights to the color.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Realistic People

1
Create a smaller circle and bisect it with a vertical line extending out from the bottom of the circle.
- Make your drawing seem more realistic by adjusting the perspective slightly. A lot of people draw at eye level, rather than adjusting the subject a little bit.
2
Add joining guides for the eyes, nose ,mouth and the outline of the jaw and chin as well.
3
Make neat shapes for the eyes on the eye-line guide and a realistic nose on the vertical line and a pair of lips as well.
4
Create hair on the skull with bunches of irregular hair dropping on either side.
5
Extend curved hairs for the lady on one of her shoulders.
6
Form the shoulders, and the upper arms together with the breasts to complete the guidelines.
7
Add further details to the eyebrows and the eyes. Add a small detail to the chin as well.
8
Erase all unwanted lines.
9
Color the realistic person with shades.

Community Q&A

Question

When I draw a person I always draw the body too small for the head. How do I fix this?

Community Answer

Pan out the body first, in pencil very lightly, so that you can rub anything out and resize it as needed.
Question

How can I erase the guide lines without erasing the face?

Community Answer

Erase slowly and lightly. If you accidentally erase the face, you'll still be able to see it, it will just be faded. You can easily redraw it.
Question

Once I learn how to draw, can I sell my drawings, or would they be just for fun?

Community Answer

You can always sell your artwork. Consider learning how to draw portraits or caricatures of people, and then sketching people at craft fairs, etc. You can sell your sketches and drawings there as well.