Figure Drawing for Illustrators by SVS Learn

SVS Figure Drawing for Illustrators is an online class from the School of Visual Storytelling, taught by children's book illustrator Lee White. It teaches figure drawing step by step with storytelling in mind, starting with simple line and shape exercises and the classic flour sack, then building a base figure, adding structure, marking major landmarks and finally adding light and shadow. The class has 27 lessons with about four hours of video and ten downloads, and is included in the SVS Learn membership.

Unlike academic figure drawing, the goal here is not anatomical accuracy for its own sake but expressive, readable characters that act within an illustration.

What You Will Learn

• Basic line and shape exercises for loosening up
• The flour sack: design, dynamic shapes, silhouettes and gesture
• Building a base figure with a clear action line
• Drawing basic character action poses
• Adding structure to make figures feel solid
• Major landmarks of the body and how to place them
• Light and shadow on the figure, and putting it all together

Who Is SVS Figure Drawing for Illustrators For?

The class suits illustrators who draw stylised characters and want more life and weight in their poses. It is particularly relevant to children's book and comic artists. It works digitally, with a tablet and an app such as Photoshop or Procreate, or traditionally with paper and pencil.

Those who want detailed anatomy should look elsewhere; this class favours clarity and storytelling over muscle names.

How the Class Works

Every stage comes with homework, often as a printable PDF, so you build one skill at a time: first the flour sack, then a base figure, then structure and landmarks. The final assignment brings them together in a figure drawn from photo reference and finished with light and shadow, which makes a good before-and-after comparison with your first drawings.

Course Structure

The class is organised in eight parts:

1. Introduction to Figure Drawing for Illustrators
2. Just the Basics: line and shape exercises
3. Basics Part 2, the Flour Sack: design, dynamic shapes, silhouettes, gesture homework
4. Building a Base Figure: base gesture, character guide, action line and action poses
5. Adding Structure: basic structure, demonstration and structural homework
6. Major Landmarks: landmarks guide and assignment
7. Light and Shadow
8. Putting It All Together: final figure assignment with photo reference

Price and Access

The class is included in the SVS Learn membership. SVS lists its Studio membership at $29.95 a month, with a $300 annual option shown on class pages, and a 14-day free trial that needs a card and continues as a paid plan unless you cancel. Members get the whole class library, live events and a monthly art challenge.

About the Instructor

Lee White is a children's book illustrator based in Colorado and a co-founder of SVS Learn. He has illustrated books for about 20 years, with more than 30 titles including This Pretty Planet, and co-hosts the 3 Point Perspective podcast about illustration.

How It Fits the SVS Curriculum

The class is the second in Level 2 of SVS Essentials, after Figure Drawing Fundamentals. Where the first class builds the basics of the human figure, this one turns them into characters that act and tell a story. It leads naturally into Introduction to Gesture Drawing and the character design classes later in the level.

Things to Consider

• Time: four hours of video and a full set of homework PDFs.
• Tools: a tablet and a drawing app, or paper and pencil.
• Practise the flour sack: it is the foundation for everything that follows.
• Next steps: Introduction to Gesture Drawing and Posing Characters.
• Feedback: share your homework in the SVS community.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with SVS Learn?

Start Figure Drawing for Illustrators

For the full curriculum and membership options, visit the official SVS Learn website.

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Last verified: October 26, 2026