The Wizard's Apprentice - Drawing Figures for Beginners
Welcome, my apprentices. If you've ever battled with stiff, lifeless figure drawings and felt the burnout of chasing academic perfection, you are not alone. Academic anatomy can feel like a rigid trap that drains the joy from your pencil, but it doesn't have to be. In this course, we are going to build your "subconscious art engine" and unlock the simple magic of structural gesture. By the time we finish, you won't just be slavishly copying photo references; you'll be drawing fluid, proportional figures with epic wonder, purely from your imagination. You will learn to twist, bend, and pose the human body in dynamic action, turning the frustrating struggle into pure drawing wizardry.
We aren't going to memorize dry Latin muscle names or stress over perfect renderings on day one. Instead, we’re going to grab cheap newsprint and charcoal—the fastest method to grow your mileage and find your flow state. Through the power of osmosis, you will draw right alongside me in real-time, drinking deeply from the well of wizardry. We'll embrace our messy lines and use the constant rewind feature of these lessons to build your muscle memory without the fear of making mistakes. This is about abandoning stiffness, finding the beautiful rhythms hidden beneath your strokes, and rekindling the precious wonder of mark-making.
To get there, we’ll break down the complex human figure using my personal potions and mnemonic memory clues, moving from basic marks to the ultimate "Apprentice’s Challenge." Our journey will cover:
The Simple Magic: Mastering the overhand grip to kickstart your subconscious art engine.
Mnemonic Structures: Saying hello to "Mr. T," "Mrs. V," and the "skydiver" to effortlessly map out accurate proportions.
Fluid Gestures & Twists: Drawing through your forms and using the hips as a fulcrum to eliminate stiffness forever.
Soft Solidity: Balancing the hard edges of bone with the soft curves of flesh to create believable, 3D illusions.
Whether you are a frustrated beginner tired of flat mannequins, an aspiring concept artist needing dynamic poses for fantasy characters, or a burnt-out draftsman looking to enjoy the drawing process again, these potions are at hand for you. I want you to look back, draw over and over, and enjoy every line and every mark. Join our community, share your drawings, and let’s grow together into a true community of wizards. Grab your charcoal, and I'll see you at the other end. Good luck!
For the best learning progression, I recommend taking the courses in this order:
- The Wizard's Apprentice
- Fantasy Figure Drawing Wizardry
- The Anatomy of Style Workshop
- The Power of Osmosis: Epic Female Figure Drawing from Imagination
- How to Draw Fantasy Female Figures
Note: Drawing for Animation is wonderfully versatile and can easily fit in anywhere along your learning path!
The Wizard's Apprentice starts right at the beginning with foundational mark-making, gently progressing to the point where students enter the true realm of wizardry with a pencil. From there, Fantasy Figure Drawing Wizardry builds directly on those apprentice skills, ensuring a seamless transition without feeling like a vital step was missed. By this point, students have all the necessary skills to progress and tackle sophisticated rendering with total confidence.
Each course offers something special depending on an artist's current goals:
The Anatomy of Style Workshop: Originally an in-person workshop, this beautifully encompasses beginner, intermediate, and advanced concepts all in one comprehensive package!
The Power of Osmosis: Epic Female Figure Drawing from Imagination: This is perhaps the most important course for keeping skills fresh and alive. It expands further into motor memory and mark-making, compressing decades of professional studio discoveries into one course. Think of it as a Rosetta Stone for keeping skills honed!
How to Draw Fantasy Female Figures: This advanced course dives deep into rendering and working with photographic models as references. While aimed mostly at intermediate and advanced artists, it still covers the basics and structural beginnings.
No, it’s a one-time payment and you have access to these videos forever. You are essentially purchasing a product. It’s not a subscription.
Absolutely! Just enter in the gift receivers email address at checkout.
No, you'll have access to the full course after your purchase.
Essential:
- Plenty of newsprint / butcher’s paper smooth (not archival as it is rough)
- Charcoal sticks, big and small (Winsor&Newton and Coates are recommended as they are least gritty with good darks)
- Compressed charcoal stick
- Kneadable eraser
- Paper stump
- Sanding pad or piece of sandpaper
- Compressed charcoal pencils (General’s or Conté are recommended)
- Tissue paper
Very Handy:
- Electric or hard eraser
- Chamois (leather shammy) cloth (must be real leather, not synthetic). Put in wash to get rid of oil before using.
These are the materials Patrick will be using, but feel free to add to the list or draw with similar materials of your own choice.
No, this course is designed so beginner students can jump in and follow along.
No. These videos contain nudity.
Not at all! The books serve as powerful backups and inspirational refreshers. Rather than direct copies, they are beautifully accompanying companions easily referenced for the philosophy behind each course, featuring brand-new drawings that expand on those core ideas.
Here is a handy guide to which book pairs perfectly with each course:
- The Wizard's Apprentice course pairs with The Anatomy of Style book.
- Fantasy Figure Drawing Wizardry course pairs with the Figures from Life book.
- The Anatomy of Style Workshop course pairs with The Anatomy of Style book.
- The Power of Osmosis: Epic Female Figure Drawing from Imagination course pairs with The Anatomy of Style 2: The Power of Osmosis book.
- How to Draw Fantasy Female Figures course pairs with The Lying Eye: Drawing from Photos book.
The Wizard's Apprentice course pairs with The Anatomy of Style book.
