Caroline
Drawing people is difficult in the best of times, and this is especially true when conveying any kind of dynamic pose.
As soon as any kind of implied motion is part of it, it just gets made even more difficult. This is because the human eye will recognize posing and movement that looks off, so getting these details is important to get right.
This can make learning how to draw running quite a challenging task.
It can be made much easier when you have the right steps to follow, however, and this is what this tutorial is here to help with.
By the end of this step-by-step guide on how to draw running, you will know exactly how to draw this tricky pose.
How to Draw Running – Let’s Get Started!
Step 1
As we begin this guide on how to draw running, we will start by drawing the head and chest of the running man.
We will be portraying a cartoon style in this image, but the proportions will be kept fairly realistic.
Use some curved lines with points on them to show his hair flowing in the wind, and then you can draw his intense expression.
His face will be drawn in profile, and then his thin, straight neck will attach directly to it. Use some more curved lines for the vest that he is wearing.
We will only be drawing the start of the vest for now, so once you have it looking as it does in the reference image we can proceed to the next step.
Step 2 – Draw the rest of his chest and first arm
To continue this running drawing, we will now draw the rest of his chest as well as his first arm. Use some more curved lines to create the fabric of his shirt.
It looks like he is running in a race, so we will also be drawing a big 2 inside of a square on his shirt.
Finally, we will be drawing his first arm. This one will be extended on the left, and will be at an almost 90-degree angle. Once these are drawn, it will be time for step 3 of the guide.
Step 3 – Now, draw another arm and his pants
Now you’re ready to draw the other arm and some more details in this guide on how to draw running.
The arm on the right will also poke out of the sleeve, and it will also be bent at an angle with a fist at the end of it as the other one did.
The last thing we will draw in this third step will be the shorts that he is wearing. These will also have some curved lines to give them a look of flowing fabric.
To show that he is mid-step, you can draw one leg of the shorts forward and the other going backward. That’s all there is to it for now, and then we can move to the next part of the guide.
Step 4 – Next, draw his first leg
You have the shorts drawn for this running drawing, and now we can draw the first leg coming out of them.
The legs are one of the most important aspects of this drawing to get right, so this is a step where you should try to follow the reference image closely.
This leg will be extended outward, and it will be fairly straight.
Try to replicate the curves of the lines as we show them in our image, as this will help you to have an accurate representation of the musculature of a leg.
Finish off with a shoe at the end of his leg, and then it will be time for some final details and elements in the next step.
Step 5 – Add the final details to your running drawing
Before you start to color in your creation, we have a few final details to add in this fifth step of our guide on how to draw running.
The main thing that we will be drawing will be the second leg. This one will extend backward, and unlike the first leg this one will be bent at the knee.
Once it is drawn, you can then go ahead and draw some additional details of your own! There are loads of cool ideas you could go for when doing this.
One would be to draw a background, as this is a great way to create your own setting. What kind of environment or extra details can you think of to draw for this running man?
Step 6 – Finish off your running drawing with color
This is the final part of this running drawing, and in it we shall conclude with some colors! This is a step where you can really use your creativity to make this image look exactly as you would like.
In our reference image, we showed you just one set of colors you could go for when coloring this picture. we used yellow for his vest, blue for his pants and then green for his sneakers.
These are some colors you could go for if you like them, but you should also feel free to use any other colors you like!
What colors and art mediums will you choose to finish off this drawing? It will be very interesting to see how you choose to finish off your artwork with color!
5 Tips To Make Your Running Drawing Even Better!
You’ll definitely want to run through these tips we have for your running sketch.
This drawing of running shows a man that is dressed for the occasion in some sports gear. This gear and clothing looks great, but you could also change up his clothing.
If you have some gear you like to run in, you could represent it in this image. What are some changes to clothing you would like to add to make this man more personalized?
When you go running, you can bring some extra accessories to make the run easier. You could also add some of these elements to the image.
Some examples would be a water bottle or maybe a hat of some kind to protect him from the sun. These are just a few items you could give him, but what are some others you can think of?
Once you have kitted out this man exactly as you want him, you could then draw a background for him to run through. The possibilities for background settings are almost unlimited!
If you have a favorite running trail, then you could use it in this running drawing to create a background that means something to you.
If you went with a background setting that relates to you, then you could also customize the man in the drawing to look more like yourself or another real person.
Even if you draw a cartoon take on a real person, it can be a fun way to put a personal spin on this composition.
Would you base this character on yourself or would you maybe base it on a famous runner?
We mentioned how it looks like this running sketch shows a man in a marathon, and you could show this by having other runners around him.
These runners could have the same basic design as the main running man, but then you could change the details to make them more unique.
Once again, you could also base these characters on real people you may know of!
Your Running Drawing is Complete!
There were a few tricky aspects during this guide on how to draw running, so we hope that by following the steps that you found it to be easier and even more fun than you expected!
As long as you take it slow and follow the steps we laid out then you’ll have the hang of it in no time.
What extra details and ideas will you use to finish off this image? We laid out a few ideas you could try, but this is your chance to really show what you can do.
Then, you can head on over to our website for more drawing guides like this one. We have more coming out soon, so keep checking in!
Please also be sure to go ahead and share your finished running drawing on our Facebook and Pinterest pages. This is the best way to show off your creativity and show us how it turned out!
