Drawing the Human Body for Kids

Tips and ideas for drawing the human body for kids, including blind contour drawing, observational drawing, and using a wood mannequin.

Updated September 2024

As kids grow, their drawing skills progress, and they tend to want to draw things more realistically. This goes for drawing faces, and also for bodies.

One way to develop drawing skills as they relate to drawing the human form is to explore how it is put together. The hope is that by seeing how the body is formed and practicing different ways of drawing it, kids can become more comfortable depicting it in their artwork.

The goal is to encourage your children to see – really see – the human body and to practice drawing what they see.

Luckily, we’ve developed a fantastic self-paced course that does just that! Check out our Drawing Skills Master Class for kids: with engaging self-paced lessons and follow-along booklets, your child will learn how to master lines and shapes, create realistic shading and value, and understand the magic of perspective.

Here are some fun and easy ways you can help your kids practice their human body drawing skills.

Drawing the Human Body for Kids

1. Explore how the body is formed

For a hands-on experience, you can assemble a model skeleton or have a mini skeleton out while drawing. We also love to read books about the human body.

2. Draw each other

You can do this by doing blind contour drawings where you are looking at the object and not what your hand is doing on the paper. This really helps you to focus on the form, and less on what’s on your paper.

3. Draw your own hands and feet

Observe your hands or feet very closely and practice your observational drawing skills. By focusing on just the hands or feet, kids can work on drawing details on a more manageable level. You can even practice drawing your face by using a mirror!

4. Try body tracing

This is such a fun way to practice body drawing! It’s a great way for kids to work big and create their own self-portraits, while seeing how the different parts of the body connect together.

5. Draw using the wooden mannequin

Use a wood mannequin to practice figure drawing and develop both drawing and observation skills. This is fun for kids and adults alike.

Remember, if your kids become frustrated or bored with their drawings, you can try changing medium (paint, charcoal, colored pencils, markers, ink, etc.).

How about you? Have you explored drawing the human body yourself or with your kids? We hope you try some of these fun explorations!

More Drawing Activities for Kids

• 12 Kids’ Drawing Games for Creative Fun
• Observational Drawing Using a Wood Mannequin
• Drawing Faces for Kids
• Invitation to Draw: 99 Drawing Prompts to Inspire Kids Creativity
• Experimenting with How to Draw Books
• Creative Alternatives to Coloring Books for Kids

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