Introduction to Figure Construction by Proko

Proko Introduction to Figure Construction is a self-paced online course by Steven Michael Hampton that shows how to build the human figure from simple, solid forms. It covers proportion and landmarks, gesture, anatomical shape design, form intersections and foreshortening, and then applies them to seated poses, dynamic poses, hands and feet. There are 48 video lessons, about 10 hours and 53 minutes in total, with two free lessons. The full course costs $125 as a one-time purchase.

Where Hampton's Gesture Course is about movement, this course is about volume: turning a lively pose into a figure that looks three-dimensional and can be turned in space. It is a practical bridge between gesture drawing and full anatomy study.

What You Will Learn

The official course page lists eight areas:

• Proportion and landmarks
• Gesture as the base for construction
• Anatomical shape design
• Figure construction with primitive shapes
• Form intersections, where one shape meets another
• Foreshortening
• Hand and foot construction
• Drawing exercises to build the habit

Who Is Proko Introduction to Figure Construction For?

Proko lists it as suitable for beginners and intermediate artists. It is particularly useful for illustrators, comic artists and animators who want to draw figures from imagination and keep them consistent from different angles. It also suits life drawers whose figures look flat once the model is gone.

If you are new to drawing, a general course such as Drawing Basics will make the box and cylinder work here easier. If you want detailed muscles, follow this with Anatomy of the Human Body.

Course Structure

The course is organised into these sections:

• The Fundamentals
• Form Intersections
• Drawing Exercises
• Proportions
• Tying It All Together
• Step-by-Step Workflow
• Seated Poses
• Step-by-Step Workflow: Adding Complexity
• Hand Construction
• Foot Construction
• Dynamic Poses
• Foreshortening
• Figure Drawing Demonstrations
• Student Critiques
• Gesture
• Rendering

The course also includes a detailed walkthrough of a figure turnaround, which is useful for character designers who need to show the same figure from the front, side and back.

The order matters. The early sections set up the shapes and how they join; the middle sections combine them into step-by-step workflows; and the later sections push the same ideas into harder territory, such as dynamic poses and strong foreshortening. Demonstrations close the course, showing the whole process from gesture to rendering.

Price and Access

The full course costs $125 as a single payment, and Proko says you own the videos permanently. Split payments are available, and adding other Proko courses to the cart gives a bundle discount of up to 15%.

Two lessons are free: an introduction to the fundamentals and a lesson on foundations. Premium adds step-by-step and unnarrated demonstrations, student critique videos, suggested assignments, downloadable videos and the Photoshop files for all of the example drawings. Refund requests go to Proko support within 30 days and may be reviewed if more than a quarter of the content has been downloaded.

About the Instructor

Steven Michael Hampton has taught figure drawing and anatomy for around 25 years, including at Art Center, LCAD, Blizzard Entertainment and Lucasfilm. He holds degrees in illustration, fine art and art history, and his book Figure Drawing: Design and Invention has been translated into Japanese and Korean.

Things to Consider

• Time: The video totals almost 11 hours, and the drawing exercises are designed to be repeated.
• Software: Photoshop is not required. Hampton works in Photoshop with a default round brush and a Wacom tablet, but pencil and paper work just as well.
• Free preview: Only two lessons are free, so check them to see if the teaching style suits you.
• Feedback: You can post assignments in the Proko community. The student critique videos show the method applied to real work.
• Order: Within Hampton's Proko courses, a natural sequence is The Gesture Course, then this course, then Drapery Fundamentals.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with Proko?

Start Introduction to Figure Construction

For the full syllabus and pricing, visit the official Proko website.

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Last verified: October 16, 2026