How to Draw a Man

Learn how to draw a man by following the steps in this tutorial.

Things You Should Know

  • Start your drawing with a basic wireframe sketch.
  • Break the figure down into rough shapes to build the body.
  • For a cartoonish look, keep the shapes and angles soft and round.
  • To make your drawing more realistic, add in facial details and erase any unnecessary guiding lines.
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Draw a Standing Man

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    1
    Sketch the wireframe of a male human figure.
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    2
    Sketch the shapes needed to build the body.
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    3
    Sketch the human figure using the previous steps as a guide.
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    4
    Sketch the clothes, hair and facial details.
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    5
    Draw the outline over the sketch.
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    6
    Erase and remove the sketch marks.
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    Add color.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Draw a Man in a Pose

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    1
    Sketch the wireframe into a pose to serve as a guide.
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    2
    Sketch the shapes needed to build the body.
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    3
    Sketch the clothes, hair and facial details.
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    4
    Refine the artwork using a smaller tipped drawing tool.
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    5
    Draw the outline over the sketch.
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    Erase and remove the sketch marks.
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    Add color.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Draw a Man

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    1
    Draw a circle for the man’s head and an oblong for the trunk.
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    Add the limbs and two half circles for the feet.
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    After you finished drawing the outline, start with the face by sketching the eyes, nose, ears, and lips.
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    4
    Add thick hair on the man’s head.
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    Using the outline, you can now easily sketch out the man’s clothes depending on your preference; here we are drawing a polo shirt and pants.
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    6
    Add more refined details to the hand’s framework which you made earlier.
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    7
    Erase all unnecessary lines.
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    8
    Add color as desired.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Draw a Man in Manga Style

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    1
    Draw a circle for the upper portion of the head. Add details of the jaw, emphasize the angled line to make it more masculine as compared to that of a female character. In drawing the shoulders, emphasize on the angles imitating the trapezius muscles and the collar bone.
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    2
    To help you draw the details of the face, draw a horizontal line across the area where you’ll be drawing the eyes; and also draw a vertical line across where you’ll position the nose.
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    3
    Based on the outlines you made, draw the details of the man’s face, like the eyes, nose and lips. For added effect, you can also add a quick and easy slanted line for emphasis to the cheek bone.
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    4
    Draw soft, short lines on the head for the man’s hair. You can choose any hairstyle you want.
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    Add details to the ear for a more realistic touch. Adding beard is optional.
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    Draw the man’s clothing.
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    7
    Erase unnecessary lines.
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    Color the drawing.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Is there a way to make a male character look noticeably feminine without making it look like a female?
    raven claw
    raven claw
    Community Answer
    Make the shoulders less broad and change his facial features so that he has more feminine characteristics.
  • Question
    What's the easiest way to distinguish a male figure from a female?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Usually men are more broadly built, more muscular. Women are usually skinnier.
  • Question
    Can I make a man dab?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Yes, you can draw a man dabbing.
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Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Eraser
  • Colored pencils, crayons, markers or watercolors


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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 20 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 219,015 times.
137 votes - 72%
Co-authors: 20
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 219,015
Categories: Drawing People
Article SummaryX

To draw the figure of a standing man, start by sketching the wireframe of a male human figure, including sticks for his arms and legs, an oval head and torso, and a rounded square for his hips. Next, add the shapes for his arms, legs, neck, hands, and feet. Add in some of his muscles, using a picture of the human form for reference if you need to. Finally, sketch in his hair, clothes, and facial features, then outline the final form with dark lines and erase any sketch marks you made. Keep reading to learn how to draw a man who’s posing!

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