I was working on my submission yesterday and realized something awful. I cannot draw legs in any kind of pose whatsoever. Whenever I try, they look like strips of paper haging limply from an otherwise normal body. Any suggestions on how to make them look more leg-like?

Legs are damn hard to draw...

Lesse... My suggestion... I can't think of one. X_X

legs are hard to draw...though, the major thing I had trouble with was the hands and the ears...oh, and bair feet...I can't draw bair feet >.<'

lessee...suggestions....practice looking at a full-profile pic of a person and copying it, or just the legs if you want. either that or trace over it, that's how my cousin got good at drawing anime was by tracing over my drawings (she's 11).

Another thing, remember that legs aren't just straight up and down, they have shape to them: the behind narrows down into the thighs which narrow down into the knees which then fan out a bit for the calvs and then narrow down again for the ankles. If you'd like, I can draw you something quicky on the comp...

anyway, I hope that helps you some ^.^

although i suck at drawing(and lately, have been drawing in my newer chibi style) the way i draw legs and make them look..sort of like legs, is i make them like flat cylinders, then draw clothes around 'em and make 'em better. though in my chibi drawings, i just draw sticks, then draw pants around them..

but i can't help much..i still can't draw hands or feet (ears are easy for me..i like drawing ears ^^). also, if you can draw the arms, then try and use the same sort of technique maybe? but for legs? *just getting confused*

Best reference is real life models! If you ever had a choice of reference from another piece of artwork or an actual photograph, choose the photograph- because the anotomy is correct in the photograph where as in the artwork (and I don't care how good you are), the anotomy is usually disorted. Right now I'm going to an artschool, and for sitting in uncomfortable benches and stools, drawing nothing but naked bodies for 4 hours- it really does help improve your artwork. If you ever have the money and time, go take live observation art classes. Or, if you don't have neither the time or the money, have someone model for you, like a friend (and if they choose to model naked for your, more power to them). Actually, drawing naked models is probably the best reference, because you get all of the anotomy! Another thing you can do is just sit somewhere in public and do quick sketches of people in the area (and trust me, they don't care), it will also help you with gestures and expressions. Look at magazines and such, if you want to practice drawing the human body nude, but don't want to use a model, get Playboy magazines. I know some of these suggestions are a little weird, but they are really good! Trust me! Real life reference is really really good!
Sonjalee

Uh..
Just in case you don't have a Playboy, or other nudie magazine.. :blink: You could always use a Victoria's Secret catalog.. Of course, this will only help you with women's legs.. but going to the library and checking out a figure drawing book or two would probably help as well, if not better!
If you're really serious, you could also get one of those little pose model dolls from your local serious art store to help you.
Anyway, good luck!

Peosonally, I don't draw legs, I just put baggy jeans on the person, or a dress. I prolly didn't help you much, since I don't really know how to draw the stuff 3-D (my sister says) and I can't draw shoes without making it look like the dude is floating. But yeah, I just draw Baggy Jeans or a long Dress over it. My sister has fanart up on her website and I know there are quite a few pikkies with them wearing shorts so you could go there to try and trace! :)

Drawing baggy clothes over anatomy to hide the fact that you can't draw is not a good practice. The best way to get better at drawing, practice and reference. That and clothes should be drawn after you draw the whole. I used to just draw clothes while I drew body (kill two birds with one stone) but it didn't look very good at all. The best way to make the clothes look good on a figure is to draw the person without clothes, then draw the clothes over the body, that way you'll get an idea on how the cloth falls on the body. Learn to draw the real human body before anything else, it could only improve the way you draw.

The only problem with this suggestion is that these magazines airbrush the pictures before they're published. Gotta make everyone perfect! Even normal magazines airbrush the model pictures.

That's a really good suggestion. It's great practice to get movement down.

Totally agree with you here. If you're not good at a body part look at it, study it, and keep drawing it. Learn how it moves. That's what I'm doing.

Just make them straight and thin, like Terra from Teen Titans.

OR, you make the legs round and fat on the top, then go down into an arrow-like poit, go up a ways, then start your ankle. But that's just for women's legs. I just draw men's legs straight and skinny. I've gotten a lot of praise from people who've seen my drawings of Samsus, whose legs are just straight and skinny.