How to Draw a Man Holding a Bag
- 1). Set up your model or manikin in the pose you want. If you do not have a live model, then decide on the type of bag, the weight it holds and the way he is carrying it. Remember that a person needs to either bring the weight over his center of balance or extend his body to balance the weight.
- 2). Draw the figure as a stick figure to begin with, and the bag as a rough circle, square or tear drop shape, depending on the kind of bag. Draw horizontal lines for the hips and shoulders rather than arms and legs as converging at a point. Divide the limbs up into the upper limb, lower limb and the hand or foot, rather than drawing one simple line.
- 3). Show strain in your drawing if the bag is heavy. A plastic bag full of heavy groceries cannot be easily carried with a bent arm; the arm will stick out at a stiff diagonal from the body and the other arm will be extended to compensate. Carrying a load on the back may require hunched shoulders and a curved-over spine.
- 4). Draw ovals around each line and balls around the joints and head to get an idea of the proportions. To draw a man with a lot of bulk, use pear shapes rather than ovals. Once you are happy with the basic shape, draw curved lines around the shapes to give it a three-dimensional effect.
- 5). Draw the outline of the man's skin, clothing and facial features. Be sure to show any strain in the tension of the muscles and face. Lifting a weight to the height of the shoulder or above puts tension into the muscle of the shoulder and tends to cause the upper lip to pull into a sneer.
- 6). Erase the construction lines and add in details such as buttons, folds and zips on clothing and hair on the head, body and face. Set a point as your light source and add shadow with a soft pencil in the appropriate places.
Source...