FIG1 – Figure Drawing by Michael Hampton

This course is about learning to think about the figure, not just copy it. Michael Hampton breaks down the intimidating human body into a logical system of gesture, construction, and anatomy. You’ll start by capturing the raw energy of a pose with a single line, then learn to build that pose up with simple 3D shapes. It’s a process-oriented approach that gives you the tools to draw people from your imagination, not just from reference.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Capture the essence of a pose using gesture and the line of action.
• Construct the figure using simple 3D primitives like spheres, cylinders, and boxes.
• Understand the major skeletal and muscular landmarks of the body.
• Draw the head from any angle using planar analysis.
• Combine gesture, construction, and anatomy into a complete figure drawing workflow.

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic understanding of drawing fundamentals.
• Tools: Pencil, paper, and an eraser.
• Hardware: None.

📝 Description

This isn’t a course about memorizing every Latin muscle name. It’s about building a visual library that lets you draw the figure with confidence. Michael Hampton’s method is famous for a reason: it gives you a repeatable process. You start with the gesture—the core rhythm and energy of the pose. From there, you learn to “scaffold” the body using simple 3D shapes, which solves the problem of foreshortening and perspective. Only then do you layer on the anatomical details, understanding how muscles attach to the skeleton and how they behave during movement.

The weekly syllabus is structured to build your skills logically. The first few weeks are all about capturing motion and simplifying the body into basic volumes. As you progress, you’ll tackle the head, learning its planar structure, and then dive into the major muscle groups of the torso and limbs. By the final week, you’ll be combining everything to invent figures from your imagination in complex, dynamic poses. This is the same foundational training used by professional concept artists and illustrators to build a career.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Concept Artists and Illustrators who want to draw people from imagination without relying on photo reference.
• Animators and 2D Artists who need to capture organic dynamics, weight, and expressive poses.
• Beginner Artists who feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the human figure and want a clear, structured path forward.

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Michael Hampton is a renowned figure drawing instructor and the author of the industry-standard textbook, Figure Drawing: Design and Invention. He has taught at major entertainment art schools including Brainstorm School and Concept Design Academy. His process-oriented approach has influenced a generation of artists working in film, games, and animation. He is known for breaking down complex anatomical concepts into simple, repeatable steps that any artist can learn.

🏁 Final Result

• A portfolio of figure drawings demonstrating a clear progression from gesture to finished form.
• The ability to construct the human figure from your imagination in any pose or angle.
• A repeatable workflow for drawing the figure that you can apply to any project.

📢 Guys, this is a Group Buy campaign, check the GBC forum thread to get access

You can find the course preview in the download section below.