You’ve probably heard this nonsense many times too... To draw well you just need:

• to practice a lot
• to buy an expensive course
• to just train your hand
• you should have started as a child...

Let’s be honest! This sounds way too simplistic to be true.

Today, I want to share my personal experience of learning how to draw fashion figures. I failed more than 5 times, so I really know what I’m talking about 😆

The key problem was that you didn’t have enough understanding of how figures are built

Look at my before/after examples again 👇

Back then, I was trying to draw without understanding the most basic things:

• how to draw the head
• how to build a pose
• or even what order to do it all in…

And at the same time, I was trying to draw a very complex figure right away: a turned torso, tilted shoulders, an arched lower back, with a head in perspective

Of course, no matter how hard I tried, nothing worked

Spoiler: if you want it to work, you simply need to learn in the right order!

Step 1. Start by drawing all parts of the figure separately

Take time to understand

• How the oval of the head is built
• What the muscle relief on arms and legs looks like
• How the torso is shaped
• How to draw fingers and hands

Yes, it will take a few evenings. But after that, you won’t be drawing “some random lines, ovals, and shapes.” You’ll be drawing arms, legs, and heads

The key idea: it is much easier to draw something you understand

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For example, drawing a “perfect circle” by hand is technically much harder than drawing a shoulder.
But here is the funny part: beginners can draw a beautiful circle, but not a shoulder.

And it is easy to explain: a beginner understands the shape of a circle, but doesn’t understand how a shoulder is built
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So basically, if you skip this stage, there is almost no point trying to draw the full figure yet. Nothing will work.

And yes, I know that most fashion sketching courses skip this stage! 😆 This surprises me too!

Give yourself an honest answer:
Did you draw heads, arms, hands, legs, feet, and the torso separately when you tried last time? That’s the reason it didn’t work

Step 2. Spend a few more hours understanding the basic construction of the body

A figure consists of separate elements.
Figure = head + torso + legs + arms

And it is very important to understand how all these parts are attached and how they interact with each other.

Even beautifully drawn arms and legs can look awkward if they are attached in the wrong way.

Check yourself:
Did you do this when you tried last time and failed?

Step 3. Start with simple poses

I started with difficult ones right away… and until I switched to simple figures, nothing worked for me...

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Half a year of my life — bye-bye! 😭
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And it makes sense. Because a figure is not drawn with some magical “intuition.” It is drawn through understanding how the figure is built

Step 4. If you want to draw more complex figures, make only 1 element more difficult at a time

For example:

• Draw a figure with plus-size proportions
• Try changing the arm position
• Then change the leg position
• Then play with proportions
• Then make the figure more feminine
• Then add a slight turn of the shoulders

The main thing is to master 1 element at a time

From the outside, this may look like the slow way.
But in reality, it’s the fastest way forward.

Because we are moving forward slowly, instead of rushing in circles

And it also feels good to see your sketches getting better and better each time.
To get your confidence back.
To feel that pleasant aftertaste after every attempt.
Just treat it like a game, with levels of difficulty you need to pass.

Instead of a conclusion
If you tried and it didn’t work, the problem was the sequence

Step 5. Give each drawing enough time, especially while you are learning

At the moment, it takes me around 5 minutes to draw a simple figure.
For a beginner, it takes 4–5 times longer.
But there are always beginners who want to draw it in 3 minutes and then wonder why their figures don’t look like mine)))

Path 1. Understand that the problem was not you, but the unsystematic learning materials you were using. Exhale, release the guilt, and simply drop the idea of learning how to draw figures

Path 2. Step by step, learn how to draw figures on your own, using this guide as your action plan

Path 3. Join my course and learn how to draw figures in the simplest, most structured, and fastest way.

With my personal guidance

UPD.
I was asked to answer one more question:
“How long does it take to learn to draw figures?”

I think it is better to treat drawing like an interesting game. With every lesson, with every new round, you draw a little better.
Ignore the time. Just do it for pleasure.
And at some point, you may suddenly notice that you have fans — and that people are willing to pay you for it.

I honestly think that if you are not interested in playing this game, it's better not to start

But if we talk about approximate timeframes…

3–5 hours to learn how to draw by following lessons
15–20 hours to learn how to freely draw basic figures
40+ hours to make your figures look charismatic and elegant

It would mean a lot if you left feedback ❤️ (It’s anonymous)