Artist Manikins

About Art Manikins

Art manikins are useful artistic tools made of wood or plastic used by artists to create poses for sketching and illustration.

Manikins depict a snapshot of a pose or a motion at a point in time.

The human figure or human form is one of the most difficult and important things an artist must learn to draw taking many years to perfect and master. Ultimately the artist must be able to draw the human figure without having to reference a physical mannequin.

An appreciation for the difficulty of drawing the human form can only really be gained by picking up a pencil and paper and drawing people in their daily activities. The multitude of poses and stances people can take is unlimited. The skill and talent required to draw people is appreciated by all artists.

As people grow older their range of motion is reduced. Most older people have less flexibility in their joints than young people, whereas babies are free to virtually position their limbs in any position.

Special hand manikins can be used to visualize the position of fingers once the basic shapes have been achieved. Drawing hands is one of the most important skills an artist must learn.

Getting balance right is difficult. Use a camera to take photos of active people. Then study the balance of the human body. Use an art mannequin to create different poses based on photographs. Make small alterations in these poses to see what different positions look realistic. Proficiency is only gained through practise.

Whether you are a professional artist or just keen to learn to draw, manikins are important tools to help you learn to draw people.

Artist Manikins