The best examples of creating depth in figure drawings: 3 examples artists actually use

Let’s skip the theory lecture and go straight to the studio. When you look at strong examples of creating depth in figure drawings, 3 examples show up over and over:

• Overlapping forms that clearly show what’s in front of what.
• Value and edge control that push parts of the figure forward or back.
• Foreshortening and perspective that make limbs feel like they’re coming toward you or receding away.

Every confident figure drawing you admire is basically remixing these three ideas. The best examples include very simple decisions: where to darken a shadow, which contour to soften, which shape to overlap. Let’s break those down with real, concrete situations you can picture and practice.

Example 1: Overlapping forms – the fastest way to kill flatness

When students ask for examples of creating depth in figure drawings, 3 examples usually pop into my head immediately, and the first is always overlapping forms. Overlap is your cheapest, quickest depth trick.

Picture someone sitting cross‑legged on the floor. If you outline both legs as if you can see through them, the drawing looks like an X-ray. But if you let the front leg clearly overlap and hide part of the back leg, suddenly you get instant depth.

Everyday overlap examples you can steal

Think about these specific poses:

• A runner leaning forward, one knee lifted. The thigh of the lifted leg overlaps the lower torso. The calf overlaps the far thigh.
• A person sitting on a chair, hands resting on their lap. The hands overlap the thighs. The thighs overlap the edge of the seat. The seat overlaps the background.
• Someone tying their shoe. The forearm overlaps the shin; the knee overlaps the foot; the torso overlaps the far leg.

All three are classic examples of creating depth in figure drawings: 3 examples you can practice from any photo reference site.

Here’s how to use overlap more deliberately:

1. Draw through, then choose what to hide.
In your rough under-sketch, lightly draw the forms as if they’re transparent cylinders and boxes. Once you understand where everything sits in space, erase or soften the lines that would be hidden behind closer forms. That edit—what you choose to hide—is where the depth appears.

2. Make overlaps clear, not timid.
If the hand overlaps the thigh, don’t let those lines almost touch and merge into a confusing tangle. Let the contour of the hand clearly cut in front of the thigh. Clean, decisive overlaps are some of the best examples of how professionals keep their figures clear and readable.

3. Use clothing and hair as bonus depth tools.
Clothing folds that wrap around the body, a jacket hanging in front of the torso, or hair falling over a shoulder are all real examples of easy overlaps. Even a simple T‑shirt sleeve that overlaps the upper arm can add depth if you draw the edge with confidence.

If you look at classical figure drawings from museums or online collections (for example, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.), you’ll notice that the best examples include strong overlaps at the shoulders, hips, and hands—anywhere forms intersect.

Example 2: Value and edges – sculpting the figure in space

Another powerful example of creating depth in figure drawings is how you handle light and shadow. You can have perfect anatomy and still end up with a flat drawing if all your lines are the same weight and everything is the same mid‑gray.

When you look at the best examples of creating depth in figure drawings, 3 examples of value decisions usually stand out:

• Stronger contrast in the foreground forms.
• Softer, lighter treatment in the forms that recede.
• Sharper edges where you want things to pop forward.

Concrete lighting examples that add depth

Try these scenarios in your sketchbook:

Example A: Figure lit from a window on one side
Imagine a person standing near a window with light coming from the left. The left side of the face, chest, and leg are brightly lit; the right side falls into shadow. To create depth:

• Darken the core shadow on the right side of the torso and legs.
• Keep the lit side lighter and use fewer lines.
• Sharpen the edge where the lit arm overlaps the darker torso.

Now the figure feels like it’s turning in space, not pasted on the page.

Example B: Backlit figure at the gym or studio
You’ve probably seen photos where a strong light from behind turns the body into a silhouette. To use this as an example of depth:

• Darken the whole figure slightly, but keep the outline against the bright background very clear.
• Inside the silhouette, use subtle, soft shading to show muscles turning away from the light.

The contrast between the dark figure and the bright background pushes the body forward in space.

Example C: Seated figure with one leg closer to you
The nearer leg gets slightly darker shadows and crisper edges, especially at the knee and ankle. The farther leg is drawn with softer shading and less contrast. This small difference is one of the best examples of how value alone can create depth.

Edge control: where to sharpen, where to soften

Edges are just transitions: sharp where light changes abruptly, soft where it changes slowly. They’re also one of the most underrated examples of creating depth in figure drawings.

• Sharper edges: Use them for the contour of the hand resting on a dark thigh, the jawline against a bright background, or the front shoulder overlapping the chest.
• Softer edges: Use them for the far shoulder fading into shadow, the transition between two shadowy planes on the back, or the calf that’s farther away from the viewer.

Artists studying human perception and vision often talk about how contrast and edges guide attention. While this is usually discussed in vision science and psychology research at places like Harvard University, the practical takeaway for you is simple: higher contrast and sharper edges come forward; lower contrast and softer edges sink back.

Example 3: Foreshortening and perspective – when limbs come at you

The last of our core examples of creating depth in figure drawings, 3 examples at a time, has to be foreshortening. This is the one that scares people, but once you see it as simple shapes in perspective, it becomes much less mysterious.

Foreshortening happens when a form points toward or away from you. The length you know is there gets visually compressed.

Real foreshortening examples you can recognize

Picture these situations:

• Someone lying on a couch with their feet toward you. The feet look big; the legs look short.
• A boxer throwing a punch straight at the viewer. The fist and forearm dominate; the upper arm and torso feel smaller.
• A person taking a selfie from above. The head and shoulders are closer to the camera; the legs shrink away.

All of these are perfect examples of creating depth in figure drawings. 3 examples like this, drawn repeatedly, will train your eye faster than any textbook.

Breaking foreshortening into simple steps

Instead of panicking at a foreshortened leg, try this method:

1. Think in boxes and cylinders.
Turn the upper arm into a box, the forearm into another box, the hand into a blocky wedge. For the leg, do the same with the thigh and calf. Now you’re not drawing a “scary arm,” you’re drawing two boxes in perspective.

2. Use center lines to show direction.
Draw a center line down the cylinder of the arm or leg. If that line is pointed straight at you, most of the length will be hidden, and you’ll see more of the circular end. If it’s angled slightly, you’ll see both the length and the end.

3. Overlap and value finish the job.
Remember: overlapping forms and value are still your friends here. The nearer part of the limb overlaps the farther part. The closer end (like the knee or fist) can have darker accents and sharper edges, while the receding part is softer.

If you want structured practice, many art schools and universities share drawing resources online. While they may not always focus on figure drawing specifically, general drawing and perspective courses from places like MIT OpenCourseWare often cover the same spatial thinking that makes foreshortening easier.

Putting it together: 6+ practical mini-exercises

To really understand examples of creating depth in figure drawings, 3 examples at a time can be turned into quick drills. Here are several concrete mini‑exercises you can try in short sessions:

Overlapping gesture page
Fill a page with 1–2 minute gesture drawings from reference where at least one body part overlaps another. Exaggerate the overlap: make it obvious which limb is in front. This gives you dozens of tiny examples of overlap in a single sitting.

Near vs. far leg study
Draw a standing figure and make the front leg slightly darker, with sharper edges at the knee and ankle. Draw the back leg with softer, lighter shading. Compare: you’ve just created one of the clearest examples of depth using only value and edges.

Hands-on-lap series
Find photos of people seated with hands on their lap. Do several small sketches focusing on how the hands overlap the thighs, and how the thighs overlap the seat. These real examples train your eye to look for depth cues in everyday poses.

Foreshortened arm thumbnails
Draw 10 tiny sketches of an arm reaching toward you from different angles. Don’t worry about details—just boxes and cylinders. This gives you multiple quick examples of how perspective compresses forms.

Backlit silhouette practice
Use a photo where the figure is in front of a bright window or sky. Darken the figure slightly, keep the background light, and focus on the edge where they meet. You’ll see how contrast alone can create depth.

Clothing overlap study
Draw someone in a hoodie or jacket. Notice how the hood overlaps the neck, the jacket overlaps the torso, and the sleeves overlap the arms. Clothing is one of the best examples of creating depth in figure drawings that doesn’t require perfect anatomy knowledge.

These are all real examples you can repeat weekly. As you build a sketchbook full of these, you’ll be building your own personal library of examples of creating depth in figure drawings: 3 examples per page, 10 pages at a time.

2024–2025 trends: using digital tools to study depth

Artists today have some serious advantages compared to even ten years ago. If you want modern examples of creating depth in figure drawings, 3 examples of digital tools stand out:

• 3D pose apps and models – You can rotate a digital mannequin in real time to see how overlap and foreshortening change from angle to angle.
• Layer-based drawing apps – On a tablet, you can put background, midground, and figure on separate layers to experiment with value and edge contrast.
• Online life-drawing timers – Sites that show timed figure photos let you practice dozens of quick examples in one sitting, just like an in‑person life drawing class.

Even though these tools are modern, the underlying principles are the same ones used in traditional atelier training and art schools. Many educational institutions, from community colleges to universities listed on sites like ED.gov, emphasize observation, value studies, and perspective—exactly the skills you’re strengthening when you focus on depth.

FAQ: real questions about depth in figure drawing

Q: What are some simple examples of creating depth in figure drawings for beginners?
Start with overlapping shapes: a hand resting on a thigh, a bent leg in front of the other, or a head slightly turned so one side of the face overlaps the other. Add value by making the closer form a bit darker and sharper, and the farther form lighter and softer. These are the simplest examples of depth you can practice right away.

Q: Can you give an example of using background to add depth to a figure drawing?
Yes. Draw a standing figure and place a vertical element—like a door frame or window edge—behind them. Let one shoulder overlap that vertical line. Make the background slightly lighter or darker than the figure. That contrast plus the overlap gives you a clear example of the figure occupying space instead of floating.

Q: How many examples should I study to really understand depth?
Think in terms of repetition rather than a fixed number. Filling a sketchbook with small studies—maybe 50–100 little drawings where you focus on overlap, value, or foreshortening—will give you far more insight than staring at a single finished piece. The more examples you create, the more automatic these depth decisions become.

Q: Do I need perfect anatomy to create depth?
No. Some of the best examples of creating depth in figure drawings come from very simple, almost cartoon‑like figures that still show clear overlap, value contrast, and basic perspective. Anatomy helps, but depth is mostly about spatial thinking.

Q: Where can I see high-quality figure drawings to study depth from real examples?
Look at online collections from major museums and educational institutions. For instance, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art host drawings by master artists. Zoom in on how they handle overlaps, shadows, and foreshortening. Treat each piece as another example of creating depth that you can learn from and then echo in your own work.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: every time you draw a figure, ask yourself three questions—what overlaps what, where is the strongest light and dark, and which forms are pointing toward or away from me? Those answers are your depth. And the more real examples you practice, the more natural those answers will feel in your hand, not just in your head.