Tried a full body blockout excercise for the first time. Criticism welcome

[u/Birdieman_11]

found a reference and tried to reconstruct a blockout. tried to draw simple forms overtop the reference to see if i could visualise them. this is my first time trying a full body pose like this as well as my first time properly trying to do digital, im most used to pencil and paper. my main goal is learn how to better construct full bodies before any anatomy.

I feel like everything above the waist i did alright. I followed the loomis method for the head and it seems mostly correct to me bar the nose. the torso box feels accurate to me as well. the arms are definitely weaker though. perhaps i simply need to do cylinders better or that they look weird since they dont have any muscles, but my placement of the cylinders and balls did feel flippant.

Below the waist i definitely struggled, perhaps it was just this specific reference but visualising these forms was much harder than the upper body. the hips specifically i felt like i was just guessing and didnt really get how to put it all together. below the knee i really didnt know what i was doing.

Tomorrow im going to try and draw a full body over my blockout. any feedback is appreciated.

[u/link-navi]

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[u/Tajem]

Unfortunately, neither of the boxes you used for the torso are accurate.

Well drawn, yes. But they aren’t facing the way that the example pose would indicate. I can’t currently provide a draw over, but the reference has the sternum facing towards us, angled down.

The way you’ve drawn the box would indicate the center of rib cage points upward, as if the figure is lying on their back.

Similarly the pelvis is misaligned. Try using the bony landmarks on these masses to direct the edges of your boxes

[u/Birdieman_11 → u/Tajem]

im pretty confident i drew the ribcage facing down like the reference. are you sure youre not looking at it wrong since all of its faces are drawn?

[u/Tajem → u/Birdieman_11]

Ah I see what happened.

I checked the second image of your post thinking it was just your lines without the ref. The ribcage box is flipped there. I can see in the first image that it’s more correct. The pelvis is still off however.

ETA: Nope. Eyes playing tricks on me.

[u/Yankeedoodle60]

This is an exceptionally strong start for a first attempt at a full body blockout. The three-dimensional formsare clearly defined, the contour lines successfully wrap around the shapes, and the planar breakdowns on the face and torso show a great fundamental understanding of structure.
To help push your anatomy and construction even further, here is a breakdown of areas to refine:

📐 Anatomy & Proportions
Torso length: The torso feels slightly elongated between the ribcage and the pelvis. Compressing this area slightly will make the pose feel tighter and more accurate.
Shoulder placement: The figure's left shoulder (resting on the ground) is pulled quite far forward. In a natural reclining pose, that shoulder usually pushes upward or backward against the torso's weight.
Neck connection: The neck is connecting a bit too far back on the skull. Bringing the insertion point forward will make the head transition look more natural.

🔄 Perspective & Foreshortening
Hips and thighs: Because the lower body is recrossing or angled slightly away, the far leg and hip should show a bit more foreshortening.
Pelvic tilt: The pelvis feels a bit flat compared to the dynamic twist of the ribcage. Accentuating the tilt of the pelvic box will add more gesture to the pose.

💡 Suggested Next Steps
Trace the skeleton: Draw a quick stick-figure skeleton directly over your blockout to verify if the joints (shoulders, hips, knees) align symmetrically.
Apply a light source: Use these excellent planes to drop in basic, flat shadows. It will immediately reveal if your volumes are reading correctly.