The FIRST STEP to Drawing Any Character Easily

Marvel artist @ryanbnjmnart shows you how to save time on penciling a character design. He begins with the human core, centering on the mass for easy layout, helping you progress quickly. He then uses quick lines for poses and movement, linking chest, pelvis, and abs for the core. This method, good for any character, focuses on volume, not detail, capturing their essence in 3D and their surroundings.
If you enjoyed this lesson and want more, check out the premium course “Marvel’s The Art of Storytelling”! It dives into each aspect of the comic creation process and each section is taught by an actual Marvel comic artist - proko.com/marvel
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:57 - Establishing the Character
02:11 - Center Mass Demo
05:47 - Different Body Types
08:03 - Outro
RELATED LINKS:
Marvel’s the Art of Storytelling (Free Lessons):
• Marvel's The Art of St...
#marvelcomics #characterdesign #drawing
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ABOUT PROKO:
Instructional How to Draw videos for artists. My drawing lessons are approachable enough for beginners and detailed enough for advanced artists. My philosophy is to teach timeless concepts in an entertaining way. I believe that when you are having fun, you learn better. I take pride in producing high-quality videos that you will enjoy watching and re-watching.
CREDITS:
Artist | Instructor - Ryan Benjamin (www.ryanbenjamin.com/)
Producer - Stan Prokopenko (www.stanprokopenko.com), Sean Ramsey (www.peoplewhodrawstuff.com)
Production Assistance - Stephen Clark (www.peppermintgentleman.com), Sean Ramsey
Editing - Dzmitry Tsydzik, Ash Lo Russo (www.artstation.com/ash_lorusso), Sean Ramsey
Publishing - John Birchall, Alex Otis
Music Used with Permission
Intro - The Freak Fandango Orchestra

[@ProkoTV]

Improve your character design skills and more in “Marvel’s The Art of Storytelling” course - proko.com/marvel

[@jan_Ese]

This really helps me with my manga

[@ch-yq5yn]

This channel is worth more than 120k art school. If I had this in 2006, I would have never entered the Art Institute and stuck myself in debt.

[@fun-with-purpose1436]

Love Ryan Benjamin. Always consistent art! Thank you for this!

[@ProkoTV]

@@ch-yq5yn Glad it's been so helpful for you!

[@LearnComicsWithPancake]

Loving that you're bringing out more and more comic art videos Proko! :)

[@hanzflackshnack1158]

Studying Bridgman's Complete Guide. One important thing he does that can be learned quickly is the masses of the torso are always tilted on the sagittal, transverse and horizontal axis (X,Y,Z). Just knowing the first points you put down are going to be (in essence) the corners of boxes tilted on three axes has been huge for creating dynamic gesture with defined volumes. Happy drawing 😁

[@RarebitFiends]

Always exciting when you have Ryan Benjamin on to share his knowledge. He's an incredible illustrator, awesome to learn from such a master!

[@straya520]

I used to watch Ryan so much as a kid, love this dude

[@Leafcakes_]

This is an INCREDIBLE video!!! I'm grinning ear-to-ear, I finally have a solid way of gesture drawing!! Thank you Proko for sharing this!

[@ProkoTV]

I'm glad it helps!

[@JayemelMusicUniverse16]

This video is truly unbelievable in explaining the basics so easily, i found myself sketching a full page in under 10 min. Thank you so much for this, i cant wait to apply for the course, it just clicked and with more practice, ill get better. Have an awesome day!

[@ProkoTV]

Glad it helped you out!

[@SepetTV]

Anyone else also feel that you can visualize the form better when you're slightly sleep deprived ? Like you can "imagine" the construction lines better ? Is there a science to this or is it just me ?

[@TheBenevolent]

I’m gonna try this out cuz my characters look like they’ve had eye contact with Medusa 😭

[@josephbrandenburg4373]

When I am on the edge of sleep I get the most vivid ideas. It's not just you, although for me it's weird imagery that gives me ideas for projects.

[@SilentTrip]

my personal theory is that at that stage, you can access the subconscious mind easily since it wants to sleep but you're working it for creative activity. the subconscious mind holds all the knowledge and creativity like a library, we can also access it when we go "autopilot" or what some people call "flow state"

[@Lilasun]

When I was a young warthog I used to draw best on Sundays when I was slightly hungover… I was too tired to spend unnecessary energy over thinking … that’s my take!

[@ms00kye]

Could be that the “logic” left side of your brain is probably less “turned on” when you’re sleep deprived so you’re probably just not getting bogged down in overthinking the whole drawing process. Just my guess

[@mojorisen8980]

Ty so much for this video I’m an older gentleman just starting to draw. I really appreciate your videos.

[@ProkoTV]

Thanks for letting us be a part of your art journey!

[@luandary]

Your art work is brilliant. Well done Proko. Big up!

[@Radiant_Black]

The videos with Mr. Benjamin in them are the most helpful to me!

[@Johuku]

This is just amazing, im definitely going to apply this in my workflow in the future as i practise. Enormous thanks to both Proko and Ryan for high quality content you produce to the next generation of comic creators.

[@veryfilthything]

If only there was a discounted version of the course with just this guy's lessons. He really seems to know his stuff and how to explain and demonstrate it.

[@ProkoTV]

Ryan's a great teacher! But the other instructors in this course are all part of the whole team that makes comics. Each section references the others and build on each other intentionally. Ryan has a course of his own on Proko, if you're looking for that though: www.proko.com/course/introduction-to-drawing

[@zthegreat4538]

It would be very much worth it, I could only imagine what it would offer considering what he’s giving away for free.

[@VeeAeeS]

This is great! I've always had a hard with drawing bodies this helps so much!

[@Channel51_LA]

I've been drawing all of my life and this one video has already changed how I do things for the better. Great stuff.

[@breadpirateoverhere]

Ryan is an incredible artist. This was really helpful stuff proko thank you.

[@ypesie]

I always love that proko brings on these amazing artists that teach us so many cool skills. Really love proko, been watching for about 5 years now (:

[@ProkoTV]

Thanks for letting us be a part of your art journey!

[@silentobserver4425]

I truly learned just from this video! Proko is top notch and so is Ryan!

[@thealphaoozaru7755]

This video has some preem information, man! I never thought about considering who your drawing when you start because I never know who or what I want to draw since I have a lot of ideas. This'll help a lot with getting a good structure down and not getting stuck, thank you so much Ryan!

[@devilzelink]

Awesome ressource. Thanks!

[@marconesouza6722]

Thanks for sharing this great lesson!

[@LeseritterFantasyCo]

that was perfectly explained. thank you very much! very informative and useful!

[@roathripper]

love ryans work. its so cool

[@clarestaoctavia]

This makes me more excited to get back into drawing. Really love the explanation and the demo showed. Well done!!

[@ProkoTV]

Nice! Keep that energy going and make some drawings!

[@omkarkudvalkar6937]

Very helpful for me always Proko Rocks always

[@HootingLance]

This looks like such a fun way to draw people

[@onionfield5306]

Love it! Thanks

[@Motionrigs]

I love this approach🙂

[@matthewmccourry7145]

I love this! I've slowly been coming to an understanding of this on my own, and to see it being used by a pro is both validating and inspiring. Thank you!

[@rockon8174]

Burne Hogarth.

[@younglovedamian]

this dude is amazing, and really knows how to teach well.

[@andrewalvarez7389]

Thank you!!!

[@tucomtyler]

really cool!!

[@GRAF11113]

Thank you 😊

[@joethoman8651]

This guy has a gift for teaching.

[@northstarearthstar]

Center of mass❤ ty

[@elizabethjeyaraj1721]

This quality is soo good

[@ItsAkile]

Added to the list, very good tips here. you will realize the improvement fast, simple as starting with the head is a looked-in decision that'll have you puzzled

[@simpledrawingschannelsdc3352]

This is great 👍

[@mrpopogaming3299]

I got suggested this person from somone on discord and this is the 1st vid of seeing from you and it's so helpful and it's explande verry well and verry simple so thx for that

[@ProkoTV]

Thanks! We're glad to hear that!

[@stevietv321]

This is really helpful. I’m starting a series of paintings loosely based on GOT characters/scenes.

[@Tbone_Crusader]

Fenomenal wisdom.. thanks ✏️👍

[@ProkoTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@wellington66440]

He has the same principles as Jim Lee, establishing his priorities in a sketch

[@heinzaw1985]

ty!

[@FengXingFengXing]

Center of mass: physics and engineering class return when study draw comic book superhero, very fun calculus math. When pose character I like draw stick figure first and put body mass after. Very fast way try pose.

[@zthegreat4538]

He is the truth!💪🏾🔥🔥🔥

[@HavenHandles]

I was just looking for this type of video 😂

[@ProkoTV]

Happy to be of service 🫡

[@muratd3289]

Thank you for adding Turkish subtitles, thanks to you, I can benefit from this information and I want to be a comic writer. This is my dream, thanks to you, I am one step closer to this dream. It is a very nice video, thank you.

[@ProkoTV]

Glad they help! Our goal is to help as many people learn to make art as possible.

[@JeffreySalazar-dr3ex]

Wow Ryan Benjamin is very good at explaining 🎉Great video.

[@ProkoTV]

Thanks! He's been a fantastic teacher in the course. (Also, he draws so freaking fast. If we keep having him come by the studio, we think we'll eventually learn how he does it)

[@honestguy318]

Thankyou

[@BlakcSheep6342]

Letters goooooo 🖤🖤🖤

[@avtarnohara9013]

I respect your art sir 😮 💪💪💪👍👍👍👍

[@TheArtofKAS]

Mr. Benjamin is telling how to draw?... *Salutes* Sir Yes Sir!!

[@ChromaticArts-733]

Hey proko was wondering, i am about to buy the drawing basics course, do you also have plans for drawing faces and proportions?

[@GalekC]

well that's epic

[@avtarnohara9013]

I understand stand core sir😮😮

[@AaAa-je5eo]

Do comic book artists not use the 'overhand' grip for their drawing tools when drawing? Or is it a case they learnt like that first and later switched to the 'tripod' grip when super proficient with it? I know Stan and other artists switch like this with experience, but whenever I see a 'comic book artist' or I guess animator maybe, they're always seemingly universally drawing in this manner!

[@nataliakatarzyna6279]

❤

[@jorglueke8458]

The bean!

[@ProkoTV]

Exactly!!

[@j.kstudios1]

Ta chido 😃👍

[@lisahodges8299]

What shocks me is that all the clothing drawn is understandable enough for me to sew it. Birdy

[@ShinySoupCan]

You have no idea how happy I am to hear that I wasnt crazy by drawing the torso first on my drawings. Thanks for a great video

[@samankucher5117]

i use a wire frames than i do that :) it is fluid and it has sold shapes :3

[@ProkoTV]

Also a solid way to do it!

[@sudhamano6788]

Waiting for this for a destiny....... 🖊️ 🖤

[@scottgodlewski306]

Never head of "primitives" before. Applying that to this Miles Morales page now.

[@michaelmcdonnell3905]

Oval/bullet shape torso is like Michael Hampton and How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way.

[@user-hc6mn4bx7d]

After what time does Proko website support reply to the email?

[@ProkoTV]

The weekend can take a little time. But we're usually pretty quick about it.

[@humanharddrive1]

i prefer the gesture method

[@ProkoTV]

We also like starting with gesture! But Ryan's makes a strong case for starting with the center mass.

[@dannycruz5446]

Starting with the center mass is a sound approach but, starting with the head also works well. Since the head tends to lead the action.

[@ProkoTV]

Everyone has a different approach! Sometimes a composition will depend on you starting with the head and you should be able to attach a body to that, certainly.

[@sandwich6609]

I am struggling teribly with static poses.

[@ProkoTV]

It's a challenge for a lot of artists! This is a good lesson about constructing with a core but is just one step to more dynamic poses. We'll have another free lesson with Ryan soon that will help you a LOT more than this one. It'll feature him drawing Hulk. Keep an eye out!

[@ryankyle2467]

4:42- Lol At this point it kinda looks like you are drawing the head and neck of a B1 battle droid from SW!?!

[@dynamitedrawingwithjesse9235]

I wish the coarse was way cheaper its so hard nowadays to come,up with $200

[@ProkoTV]

There are now payment plans options that may help spread that cost out a bit for you, as well as our upcoming summer sale. Hopefully, something in there lightens that for you BUT always we'll keep uploading free lessons as well!

[@TheParadox_]

Are you ambidextrous by nature or is it a leaned ability?

[@ProkoTV]

Ryan's not ambidextrous. That's just something that made it through our QC process in editing. The times where he appears to be drawing from the left, that was flipped at some point. But not on purpose.

[@sunuwarpravakar6176]

Hello proshenko

[@elyselemay3560]

This is some solid well-known basic primitive info for beginners, but the framing of this video making it seem like a trick to speed up your art is really frustrating as a more experienced artist who was hoping for something I could actually use. Please don't claim it will help you "fly" through your drawings or make drawing easy. I've been starting my figures exactly like this for over 10 years, and I'm still agonizingly slow when it comes to some of the tougher aspects. This particular artist is the least helpful one Proko features, because he depends so much on his intuition. He's previously mentioned how easy drawing is and how he sees the entire detailed image in his head and just has to fill it in. Most artists are not that lucky. I've found David Finch to be much more helpful, being open about the areas that actually are difficult (like designing a tricky pose) and how to approach that struggle. I bought the David Finch comics course but will not be buying the Marvel one.

[@ProkoTV]

We're glad that you found helpful materials in David Finch's course! It's a dang good one. Finding an instructor and online mentor whose methods work for best you is incredibly important. Techniques work for different people with different success rates because everyone's minds work differently.. We're presenting this true to how it works for the artist sharing it. His experience is what's made things become "intuition". He can say those words and mean them but these are practiced skills that can be broken down and replicated. That's what we all aim for in studying anatomy and forms. To know it subconsciously. This way of working really is a massive part of what makes his process as fast as it is, when paired with his hard-earned knowledge. As people who work with many instructors, we have the challenge of showing many different approaches and treating them as equally valid because art is an individual and unique thing to every person. There are plenty of comments on the Ryan's videos showing that these lessons work well for others. There are also people who comment negatively.on our videos with David. These are good things! There's something different for everyone 😁 As you said, this is well-known advice repeated by artists for a reason. If we break down how each of those artists explains it, it boils down to a few things. It informs the overall proportions with just this one shape, it's easier to break down than starting with the complex limbs, and that it allows us to refine the other parts of posing without having to redraw that main core. Those are all things that allow us to work faster. Ryan isn't the only person teaching the Marvel course but we understand if you don't gel with his ways of explaining things! We hope that you still get a lot from the free lessons with other instructors that we share here! We're coming up on some cool sections and instructors now.

[@imnoob9732]

Helloo

[@OWD-vk1cy]

Never ever draw head first..

[@LegacyRendArt]

I kept trying to follow guides that started at the head so I’m so glad there are also ways this has worked a lot better for me

[@timothyloyd7022]

That's For the advice I've started wrong for a while

[@dylansearcy3966]

Huh?

[@6hypnone]

Always do. Sketch at least. That's what works FOR ME. So, it is NEVER black or white. So, no.

[@TheNightmareItachi]

I’ve started head first for at least 8 years. I tend to give up on the drawings because I can’t get the body right to fit

[@laurentmarguery]

I.A kill digital painting...

[@AbhishekKumar-uo5zw]

Why do I learn this if (A.I.) DO IN SECOND'S 😂😂😂😂😂

[@ProkoTV]

So you can actually do it and know how to make what you imagine. Even if you plan to be a person utilizing AI, if you don't know your fundamentals, your AI art will be bad. Your compositions, storytelling and ability to improve them with inpainting or prompt crafting will all be bad. Learning your basics will make you a better artist and collaborator with the AI tools you intend to use.

[@samsilva622]

Woow LeBron James

[@sirroncat]

LeDrawn James more like it

[@theoburden6592]

Drawing from the mind and drawing things from references is two different worlds. We natural born artists do not spend time drawing marvel and DC characters after a certain age. I create my own characters I hate drawing other artists comics today.

[@ProkoTV]

That's not a matter of "natural born" artists. If you enjoy drawing original characters. There's nothing wrong with that. But talking negatively about people who draw established IP characters as though it's not as is the same as the people who look down on comics as being impossible to make art with as a medium. It's up to individual creators and the viewer to determine what is and isn't art. Not for you to determine for someone else.

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Fantastic advice! The core is so crucial in placement of the character and capturing the motion. @rynbnjmnart 👏

[@tortortoilet]

Cooooollllll

[@edmundobaca3498]

This technics.I create beautiful things.🪷⭕⭕✅✅❇❇⚫⚫⚪⚪