If you’ve ever frozen at the beginning of a figure drawing, unsure where to start - this course is for you!

Figure Drawing Quickstart teaches you the 7 essential first steps of every strong figure drawing — and how to reorder and adapt these steps into the most effective starting strategy for any pose.

Instead of guessing what to draw first, you’ll learn to build a gestural block-in that anchors the entire drawing — whether you’re quick-sketching or settling into a long pose.

By the end of this course, you'll know how to:

  • Follow a flexible framework to start any figure drawing
  • Know exactly what to draw first (and why)
  • Problem-solve the first few marks, even when they’re not obvious
  • Measure the figure accurately - at each step - to establish correct proportions early on
  • Build a strong gestural block-in that captures movement and proportion


Everything you learn after — construction, anatomy, rendering — depends on this foundation.
Figure Drawing Quickstart teaches you how to build it.

The Curriculum of Figure Drawing Quickstart

Module 1

The Figure Drawing Framework


Learn the 7 essential first steps of every strong figure drawing. You'll use these to start every figure drawing from now on.

Using a guided worksheet, you’ll practice identifying and drawing these elements, so you can recognize them clearly, and place them accurately, in any pose.

Module 2

Measuring the Figure for Accurate Proportions

Learn an efficient "default sequence" for starting most figure drawings, and which measuring techniques to use at every step.

You’ll then practice the process freehand, guided by detailed drawing demonstrations.

Module 3 - Flow and Accuracy Through Gesture (Mar. 15)

Gesture - often misunderstood as a quick scribble - is actually a nuanced network of flowing, implied lines that can add movement, life, interconnectivity, and accuracy to your drawings. In this module, you’ll learn to use gesture intentionally as a powerful tool for both flow and underlying structure.


Module 4 - Starting Strategies & Problem-Solving (Apr. 15)

Build a full toolkit of starting methods by learning to adapt the Figure Drawing Framework. You’ll practice choosing the most effective measurement techniques and strategies for starting different poses, guided by detailed drawing demonstrations.

Who This Course Is For


 Figure Drawing Quickstart is for you if:

✔️ You’re new to figure drawing (but have some general drawing experience)
 ✔️ You've tried figure drawing, but freeze at the beginning, and don't know what to draw first
 ✔️ You want a faster, clearer, more confident way to start
 ✔️ You want a repeatable approach you can adapt to any pose
 ✔️ You want to add more accurate proportions and more flowing, gestural movement to your drawings
 ✔️ You learn best with structure, clarity, and guided practice
 ✔️ You’d benefit from support — I’ll be answering questions until May 15


 If you want to draw the figure with confidence, clarity, and flow — start here!

What Students are Saying:

“In the lesson where you're talking about the main action line - it is so clear that suddenly things really start to make sense. I might have read a million times about a main action line, but now it finally makes sense and has really sunk in. Thank you.” –Helen G.

"The precise descriptions of where to look, and where each point starts and ends, is so helpful to me, and answered the question that I had been asking all this time. Those little details where you just don’t assume that we know what’s going on. Incredibly helpful, thank you.” -Wendy L.

"You're teaching us how to see the body. Very helpful, thank you." -Bob T.

How to Access Figure Drawing Quickstart


FDQ is being published in The Atelier at The Drawing Source from Dec 15 – Apr 15.
Course Schedule:
  • Modules 1 & 2 are live!
  • Mar 15, 2026 — Module 3 released
  • April 15, 2026 — Module 4 released


Until May 15, you can:
✔️ Ask questions under any lesson
✔️ Follow the course as it’s released
✔️ Build consistency with a structured schedule

This is the only round of FDQ offered with instructor Q&A.

Who You'll Learn From:


Hi! I'm Marina.

I'm a professional visual artist, arts educator, former Tenure-Track college professor of visual arts, and Founder (or 'Drawing Source'ress') of TheDrawingSource.com

In my creative practice I make 'drawing installations': large-scale drawings that transform an entire space, such as the one below. (Yes, entirely hand-drawn using charcoal on white paper!)

Join the Atelier at The Drawing Source

When you join, you’ll get instant access to:

  • Figure Drawing Quickstart as each module is released
  • The ability to ask questions under FDQ lessons until May 15
  • A clear, supported starting point for your figure drawing journey
  • All core curriculum courses and foundational realistic drawing learning path in the Atelier