With Krea
How to draw people in poses
To draw people in poses, start with a stick figure (a circle for the head, one line for the body, and dots where the elbows and knees bend), give it a bean-shaped body and tube arms and legs, and build the whole pose along one curved action line. In this course your kid draws stick figures with long enough legs, adds bean bodies, uses C and S curves to make poses that look alive, and finishes with one person in four poses on one sheet. Krea hosts four short films for kids 6 to 13, with a simple cartoon kid as the example all the way through, and your kid ends with a pose sheet: the same person standing, running, jumping, and sitting. Plan about 4 minutes of films and 30–45 minutes of drawing. On Kubrio, all four films and the quiz are free, with no account.
All 4 lessons and the quiz are free on this page. Your kid doesn't need an account. See every lesson
Liked this lesson?
There's a whole world of this.
In Kubrio Worlds your kid explores places, asks the people who made them anything, and makes their own things. You set the screen time.
3 days free, then $49 $19 a month per kid.
▶ 1:45 tourWhat your kid makes
Your kid ends with a pose sheet: one person in four poses, like standing, running, jumping, and sitting, with the same hair and clothes in every box. The person is ready to star in a comic, a story, or a game.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 4 films, about 4 minutes, then 30–45 minutes of drawing
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and an eraser, crayons or markers (optional)
- Host
- Krea
The 4 lessons
Lesson 1. Stick figures first
Every person starts as a stick figure, with dots where the elbows and knees bend. Legs are about as long as the head and body together, and hanging hands reach past the hips.
- Draw a circle for the head and a line for the body
- Add arms and legs with a dot at each elbow and knee
- Draw one standing, one waving, and one sitting
Where: Paper
Lesson 2. Bean bodies
A bean shape for the chest and tummy bends and stretches like a real body, and tubes for arms and legs, with little circles where they bend, give the stick figure shape.
- Draw lightly in pencil
- Add a bean for the chest and tummy, and tubes for the arms and legs
- Add round hands, and feet pointing the way your person is going
Where: Paper
Lesson 3. The action line
One long curve from the head down to a foot, drawn first, makes a pose look alive. A C curve fits jumping and reaching, and an S curve fits running and dancing.
- Draw three curvy action lines
- Build a stick figure along each one, then add the bean
- Turn them into a jump, a kick, and a stretch
Where: Paper
Lesson 4. The pose sheet
One person in four boxes, with the same hair and the same clothes every time, so anyone can tell it's the same person.
- Fold a sheet into four boxes
- In every box, draw the action line, the stick figure, the bean, then clothes and a face
- Stuck on a pose? Try it yourself and feel where your arms and legs go
Where: Paper
Take the quiz
Krea asks 3 questions about the films. Get 2 right and you finish the course.
Transcript
Lesson 1: Stick figures first
Today you learn to draw people doing anything. Running, jumping, even upside down!
Every person starts the same way. A stick figure! A circle for the head, and one line for the body.
Arms and legs bend in the middle. Elbows and knees! Put a dot where each one bends.
Here's a trick. Legs are long. They're about as long as the head and body put together.
Arms are long too. When they hang down, the hands reach past the hips.
Now move the lines. Bend a knee, lift an arm, and your stick figure can walk, wave, or sit.
Your turn. Draw three stick figures. One standing, one waving, and one sitting down.
Lesson 2: Bean bodies
Stick figures are fast, but they're very thin. Let's give your person a body!
Draw a bean shape for the chest and tummy. A bean can bend and stretch, just like you.
Now turn each arm and leg into a tube. Little circles go where they bend.
Artists use the same trick. Some keep a little wooden doll with bendy joints right on their desk!
Add round hands, and feet that point the same way your person is going.
Look! When the bean bends, the whole person bends. Lean forward to run. Lean back to laugh.
Your turn. Draw lightly in pencil, and put a bean body on each of your three stick figures.
Lesson 3: The action line
Want your people to really move? Start with one line, before anything else.
This is the action line. One long curve, from the head all the way down to a foot.
A straight line looks stiff, like a fence post. A curved line looks alive!
Look at a big jump. The back bends, the arms swing, and the whole body makes one curve.
A C curve is great for jumping and reaching. An S curve is great for running and dancing.
Draw the curve first. Then build your stick figure along it, and add the bean.
Your turn. Draw three curvy action lines. Then turn them into a jump, a kick, and a stretch.
Lesson 4: The pose sheet
Now put it all together. One person, four poses, on one sheet of paper!
Fold your paper in half, and in half again. Open it up. Four boxes!
In every box, draw the same person. Action line, stick figure, bean, then clothes and a face.
Keep the same hair and the same clothes every time. That's how we know it's the same person.
Pick four poses. Standing, running, jumping, and sitting. Or anything you like!
Stuck on a pose? Try it yourself first! Jump, freeze, and feel where your arms and legs go.
Your turn. Fold your paper into four boxes, and draw one person in four poses. You made a pose sheet!
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
My kid's people look stiff. What helps?
Start with the action line. A straight line looks stiff, like a fence post, and a curved one looks alive. Draw one curve from the head down to a foot first, then build the stick figure along it. Lesson 3 shows C curves for jumps and S curves for running.
How long should the legs be?
About as long as the head and body together. Arms are long too: when they hang down, the hands reach past the hips. Lesson 1 starts every person with those two checks.
Does this course teach faces?
No. The face stays simple here, two dots and a smile, so the focus is the body. For expressions, the faces course draws one character in six feelings. The films play on this page, with no account.