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
- Build a strong gestural block-in that captures movement and proportion
- Measure the figure accurately to establish correct proportions early
Everything you learn after — construction, anatomy, rendering — depends on this foundation.
Figure Drawing Quickstart teaches you how to build it.
The Curriculum:
Module 1: Essential First Steps of a Figure Drawing *Live now!*
Learn the 7 key elements that form the beginning of every strong figure drawing.
Using a guided worksheet, you’ll practice identifying and drawing these initial lines so you can recognize them clearly in any pose.
Module 2 - The Figure Drawing Framework (Jan. 15)
Learn an efficient “default sequence” for starting most figure drawings.
You’ll practice this order across a variety of poses so it becomes natural, confident, and versatile.
Module 3 - Measuring the Figure for Accurate Proportions (Feb. 15)
Here we'll slow down and focus on proportion:
- How to measure the figure accurately
- Which measurement method to use — and when
- How to correct proportions without losing gesture
You’ll practice a range of measurement techniques and learn to choose the most effective ones for different scenarios.
Module 4 - Starting Strategies & Gesture Practice (Mar. 15)
Build a full toolkit of starting methods by learning to adapt the Figure Drawing Framework.
You’ll practice choosing the best strategy for each pose, and finish with ultra-quick gesture exercises to add life, movement and flow to your drawings.
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 April 15
If you want to draw the figure with confidence, clarity, and flow — start here!
How to Access Figure Drawing Quickstart
FDQ will be released in The Atelier at The Drawing Source from Dec 15 – Mar 15.
Course Schedule:
- Dec 15, 2025 — Module 1 released *Available now in the Atelier!*
- Jan 15, 2026 — Module 2 released
- Feb 15, 2026 — Module 3 released
- Mar 15, 2026 — Module 4 released
From Dec 15 – Apr 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:
- All core curriculum courses and foundational realistic drawing learning path
- Figure Drawing Quickstart as each module is released
- The ability to ask questions under FDQ lessons until April 15
- A clear, supported starting point for your figure drawing journey