Webtoon Advanced The Human Body: Draw It As You Know It
GCC Academy
Hello
I will be talking about figure drawing for Webtoon
I am Webtoon artist Uksoo
This is Session 14, titled The Human Body: Draw It As You Know It
The discarded title was Figure Drawing by a Philosophy Major Webtoon Artist
It didn't make it in the end
I majored in humanities, so I am not professionally trained for drawing
However, even without any educational background, you can still draw well
That was the hook that I had in mind
I also think it's a very truthful title
This session is for those of you who want to draw Webtoon,
but are struggling with figure drawing as beginners
Starting Your Webtoon
Let me show you my drawings first
This is what it look like in 2024
How do they look?
Looks pretty good, right?
Let u's go back to 2000
The infamous era of Y2K, 24 years ago
This was when I was a sophomore in college
Wow, this is something
This is embarrassing
However, this was the best I could do back then
As I told you, I majored in humanities
It was Chinese philosophy too
I was never professionally trained in drawing
However, by continuing to draw for 20 years,
I think I can now draw whatever I want without as much hassle
How was it possible?
How could I make a debut with this lack of skills,
and how could I continue to serialize?
The reason is, my goal was not to draw well
My goal was to present the story I had in my mind
I work to create the plot and the storytelling for it
That was the game-changer for me
I also accepted the fact that I lacked in my drawing skils
I drew within my skill level
without avoiding what I intended
My focus in artwork was here
I didn’t avoid or run from difficult compositions just because they were hard to draw
This overall approach seemed to resonate with the editorial team,
as they continue to allocate valuable space to me
There are many artists in this industry who prioritize storytelling
and direction over pure drawing skills
A great example is Bae Jin-soo, known for his gripping narratives
and intense storytelling in Money Game, Pie Game, and Funny Game
In his early works, there were some awkward character or background drawings
However, his stories are filled with chilling twists
and thought-provoking messages that linger
Readers don’t mind his drawing style
In fact, it has become his signature,
helping him build a strong and loyal fanbase
Now, he is firmly established as one of Naver’s top creators
Even Bae Jin-soo himself has acknowledged,
I know I’m not good at drawing,
but what can I do? I can’t draw well
But one thing I insist on
Even if I lack drawing skills, I will always convey what I intend
I never compromise on that
A similar case
is What's Wrong with My Breast?
and Daily Dose of Sunshine,
which was also adapted into a Netflix drama
One is a personal story about a woman battling breast cancer,
and the other is about the struggles of a psychiatric ward nurse
Despite their heavy themes,
they have gained love from readers through their storytelling and direction rather than artwork
So, does this mean that artwork isn’t important in webtoons?
For first-time webtoon creators, I think that’s true
For now
It’s like wanting to cook something
you've never made before, like carbonara pasta
When you don’t even know how to make carbonara,
worrying about plating
and how to make the food look presentable
How good is that?
That's the logic here
If you start focusing on aesthetics too soon, you might not even dare to cook
What matters is getting the ingredients and making the dish
Of course, the first attempts might look messy
But over time, as you keep practicing,
you’ll naturally start plating neatly,
twirling the pasta perfectly in the center
and grating Gouda cheese over it,
while making everything look easy
For beginner Webtoon artists, just organizing your initial idea
into a structured story is already overwhelming
And on top of that, the storytelling techniques and direction
These are the real game-changers, after all
So, you can afford to set aside concerns about artwork for now
That said, I believe artwork still plays a crucial role
We interact with countless people, forming relationships,
many of which are fleeting
In most cases, we judge people by first impressions,
because we’re too busy to assess
each and every individual in-depth
The same applies to Webtoons Artwork serves as their first impression
A handsome face is entertaining in itself, as people say
It's the same logic
We are naturally drawn to Webtoons that feature characters who align with our personal tastes
So,
imagine you're browsing a Webtoon platform
Here are the two works
Which one would you click?
Most of you would likely choose the one on the left
I once encountered this firsthand
when preparing my current webtoon, Twinkling Small Eyes
I wanted to create a unique and unconventional character design,
so I drafted a concept and showed it to a friend
And her response?
I can tolerate an unattractive female lead, but I can't stand an ugly male lead
I wouldn’t read a webtoon like that
So, I revised his design
No matter how brilliant a story or direction may be,
if it fails to draw readers in, what’s the point?
In an era where webtoons flood the market,
the first thing that captures a reader’s attention,
the thing that makes one to click on the thumbnail,
That’s the power and importance of visuals in Webtoons
We all want to draw well
Platforms like X,
or ex-Twitter,
Instagram and Pixiv are filled
with insanely talented artists
who receive thousands, even tens of thousands, of likes
I personally believe that all creators seek attention,
whether they are introverts or extroverts
Look at what I made!
Please notice me! Every artist is essentially saying this
And the same goes for aspiring webtoon artists
But right now, for beginners, it’s not that easy
Even simple things like frontal faces, hands, basic compositions
can take a long time to draw
And even after all that effort, they often don’t turn out the way you want
That’s because drawing isn’t just about memorization or study, but a skill with practice
It takes time to develop,
growing only as much as you invest in it
Unless you’re a genius, you won’t master it quickly
Sure, you might occasionally create a great illustration
by chance and impress people,
but if you lack the fundamentals, it will soon become obvious
Looking back, I realize that I never actually liked drawing all that much
It was only after I reached a certain level that I started enjoying it
The better you get, the more fun it gets
For the first seven or eight years of my career, drawing felt exhausting
I hated working on the artwork,
but I did it because it was my job
I was depressed for a long time
and as a result,
I had no desire to practice drawing at all
Before I debuted, I attended the Hankyoreh Cartoon Academy
One day, our instructor assigned us an exercise based on a scene from Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys
It's this
Using a grid,
the task was to meticulously copy the image, box by box
That was the tip the instructor gave us
But I hated that assignment
Copying something exactly felt tedious,
like studying, and I found it boring and difficult
In the end, I didn’t do a great job,
and my instructor pointed out several flaws in my work
Going even further back,
when I was in high school, I was a huge fan of Yang Young-soon’s work
Even now, I still am
Back then, his work Nudlnude
took the Korean comics industry by storm
His ability to simplify and reinterpret
human anatomy was groundbreaking in his own style
I once read an interview where he mentioned
that he practiced a lot using Louise Gordon’s book
on anatomy and drawing techniques
his was before online bookstores existed,
so I immediately rushed to Kyobo Bookstore and bought the book
As I bought it, I thought,
I’m going to study this and finally become great at drawing!
But the moment I opened it, I was overwhelmed
The book was filled with intricate diagrams of bones,
muscles, and meticulously shaded body structure
I got discouraged on the first page
That was when I instinctively realized,
that this is not my path
I still have that book today, sitting on my shelf like a display piece
I was a philosophy major with no formal art education
Thinking I could master anatomy at Louise Gordon’s level
was like someone struggling with basic addition and subtraction
suddenly being told to learn calculus,
trigonometry, and advanced algebra
That's what it felt like
I'm no genius
I'm quite the opposite
It felt impossible
That's how we feel discouraged,
and end up giving up
saying we can't do it
When you see insanely skilled artists on Instagram or Twitter,
I'm suru it’s easy to feel defeated
You might think, they're so good
and they're only 17?
I must be a piece of garbage
Countless people have abandoned their Webtoon dreams because of this
So, how did I train myself to draw?
The answer is simple, by making manuscripts
Dun-dun
I just kept working on them
I knew very well that I lacked drawing skills,
but what could I do?
I still wanted to create comics
Life was dull, I was an outsider,
and I had so many stories I wanted to tell
Yet no one was there to listen
But when I turned those stories into comics, people started paying attention
So I planned out my stories and direction properly,
and drew whatever was necessary to support them
Here’s the key point
For a planned out scene, no matter how difficult or unfamiliar the composition or characters were,
I never compromised on drawing them
Just like that
The face looks off, now that I'm seeing it
When creating storyboards, I often ended up needing perspectives I had never attempted before
Did I draw them well?
This is my answer,
a big no
It looks off
But I still gave it my best shot with the skills I had at the time
Even when I resented my own limitations, I forced myself to keep drawing
No matter how bad I was,
I never skipped or avoided drawing difficult shots in my manuscript work
My drawing skills were developed entirely through working on webtoon production
As I mentioned earlier,
drawing is a skill
That means if you practice repeatedly,
you will improve, no matter what happens
That's what a skill is
A creator whom I admire always says,
If you’re human, you have to improve
And it’s true
If you keep drawing, you will get better
This is why long-term training is important
But at the same time, so is actually making Webtoon manuscripts
So just start drawing Webtoons
It doesn’t matter if your drawings aren’t good
It doesn’t matter if they look weird
Beginners should focus on making the webtoon first instead of getting stuck on studying drawing techniques
However, the one thing you shouldn’t compromise on is your planned storytelling and direction
If you keep drawing, eventually, you’ll reach at least my level
I guarantee it
You will gain devoted fans
I guarantee that too
I strongly believe that figure drawing should not be a barrier to making Webtoons
Your biggest goal should
be completing your webtoon, no matter what
Everything else is secondary,
including improving your drawing skills
Even the most unique storytelling techniques
and the most meticulously structured narratives
aren’t more important than finishing the story you started
And this is especially true for beginners
I understand that some of you want to improve your drawing skills as you go
I’m here to help those people by sharing
the figure drawing insights I gained through my own trial and error
This is the heart of today’s lesson
Take, for example, the late Kim Jung-gi
His drawing skills were so legendary that countless artists,
including webtoon creators, were inspired
He could draw incredibly detailed pieces without using any references or sketches,
Just straight onto the page
Not only could he draw familiar human figures with ease,
but he could also create cars, military boots, guns, leopards,
Inuit shamans,
things he probably had never drawn before all with precision
At first, you’d only see random strokes, making it impossible to guess what he was drawing
But before you knew it, an entire subject would materialize
How was he able to do this?
That question fascinated me
Did he have a blueprint of everything stored in his brain?
How could he draw like that?
Now that I have a better understanding of gesture and anatomy,
I think I finally have an answer
The blueprint of everything was in his head
He didn’t just memorize objects, he understood their structure
Understanding Human Structure Through Croquis Drawing
Here, we have a croquis model
Try to imagine drawing it
For beginners, it can feel overwhelming
Where do you even start?
With the head?
Should you sketch a basic skeletal structure first?
Here’s how I do it
I start by capturing the main gesture lines
Angular points to break it down
This part is actually quite fun
Next, I establish the main body shape
Then, I connect the limbs accordingly
After that, I gradually refine the details
Adding shoulder lines,
collarbones,
chest muscles,
quadriceps muscle on the side of the thigh
And that's it
Easy and fun
Now, let’s transform this thin figure into a muscular man
Here’s the face
That's the face
Since he’s bulky,
his head will naturally be larger as well
From the neck, the trapezius muscles extend downward,
connecting to the collarbone or clavicle
and the sternocleidomastoid
behind the ear
Muscles attach along the clavicle,
which leads into the deltoids
I'll talk about it again,
but the triangular shoulder muscles
that create strong definition are called deltoids
See how present it is?
Same on the other side
Below, the chest muscles emerge
the chest over here
prominently from the clavicle
This pose is designed to emphasize the triceps
The torso is fully extended,
making the abdominal muscles stand out
And now,
even though it’s not fully visible in this angle,
the latissimus dorsi spreads outward,
reaching under the armpit,
while the serratus anterior runs down from it,
connecting seamlessly to the lower muscles
This layering creates a three-dimensional effect
On the upper arm,
the biceps and triceps extend alongside the teres major
The forearm structure follows naturally from this
As for the pelvis,
a man’s hip structure tapers inward at the iliac crest, creating a distinct curve
The inguinal ligament
or the ligament between the legs and the body
clearly separates the torso
The glutes follow this form smoothly into the thighs,
completing the muscular figure
Let's finish with the other bicepts
That's the muscular man we have
Personally, I love these flowing, defined lines
Now, after showing off my own work,
how did I get to this point and draw like this?
If you can at least draw a face from the front,
ask yourself, how are you able to do that?
It’s because you understand the structure of a face
You are familiar with its features and proportions
The structure you currently understand
is likely a front-facing face
with eyes, nose, mouth, and ears
I know a bit more about body structures beyond that
And Kim Jung Gi? He didn’t just understand human anatomy
He comprehended the structure of countless objects in the world
That’s why he could sketch anything instantly, without hesitation
There’s a big difference between simply knowing
what something looks like
and truly understanding its structure
They shape how we perceive
and interpret our subjects in vastly different ways
The anatomy we’re about to study
is ultimately about understanding the structure of the characters we want to draw
And the fastest way to do that? Memorization
I wish I could tell you there was an easier method,
but I only know one,
commit it to memory
Just memorize
Memorize the images you see
Trying to memorize everything at once will be overwhelming
Instead, as you go through this lesson,
some details will naturally stand out to you
Those are what will stick with you the longest
Start by applying just those details to your characters
And that alone is enough
You’ve already done well
There’s no need to memorize every single part all at once
Now, think back to the title of this lesson
The Human Body: Draw It As You Know It
That phrase wasn’t just for show
Learning anatomy is like saving money, accumulating bit by bit, over time
Of course you may want to master it all in one go,
memorizing everything
If that's you,
that's impressive
I fully support you
Here’s a little secret
If you manage to master all of this, you can teach a class just like I am now
Most of the difficult things you struggle with? Professional artists struggle with them too
Which means, this is actually an open opportunity
Now, let’s move forward and start exploring human anatomy
Resources for Studying Anatomy
First, we’ll start with a general overview of the human body
How bones are structured,
the properties of muscles, and how they are organized
We'll go over these fundamental characteristics
Next, starting from the face
and moving down through the torso, arms, and legs,
we'll look into detailed studies of the skeleton and muscles
Along the way, we’ll also examine structural differences
between male and female anatomy
Finally, in the last session, we’ll put everything together
and see how the different parts
integrate into a full-body depiction
Additionally, we’ll cover various practical details needed for webtoon artwork,
such as the differences between a child’s and an adult’s face,
how to draw hair,
and other useful techniques before we wrap it up
So what's in the next session?
It's the face, right?
It's not
We're starting with gesture
If muscles are like trees,
then gesture is the view of the entire forest
Just like how you write an outline before an essay,
understanding the overall movement
and flow of the human body should come before focusing on individual anatomical details
So, for the next lesson, bring your drawing tools
Whether digital or analog, it doesn’t matter
And here's a reminder about this course
This course is not solely about mastering anatomical drawing
The focus is on making Webtoons
If you clicked on this lesson,
you likely did so because you felt
your drawings were lacking and wanted to improve
But the real goal here is to keep making Webtoons,
not to get lost in endless anatomy studies
Think of this course as a reference guide
Do it as you know it, don't if you don't
You can always look things up later
The last thing I want
is for anyone to get frustrated
and quit Webtoon creation altogether
Now, I’d like to introduce
the anatomy resources I personally found useful
First is Stonehouse's Anatomy Notes by Seok Jung-hyun
Among books published in Korea,
this is hands down the best resource
for understanding bones and muscles in depth
It’s available as an eBook
I own both a physical book and an eBook
The eBook version is easy to reference while working on digital art
Next up is Point Character Drawing by Taco
Compared to Stonehouse's book,
this one takes a different approach
It’s compact,
with a clear division of muscle groups in a simplified cartoon style
It offers practical tips for character drawing,
making it a great starting point for beginners
Next is Anatomy for Sculptors by Uldis Zarins
This book is designed for sculptors
Unfortunately, there’s no official Korean edition,
so I had to buy it from an overseas bookstore
Like Taco’s book,
it clearly separates muscle groups
and organizes body parts in a way that makes them easy to find
It also provides detailed explanations of how muscles change with movement
and covers characteristics based on age, gender, and ethnicity
So it provided me with some valuable knowledge
If you want to find more resources beyond my videos,
I highly recommend looking through these books
In fact, flipping through a book can often be much faster than watching a video
Now, as we wrap up this session, let me ask this
For those aspiring to become webtoon artists,
what do you think is the most important thing you need right now?
Is it drawing skills?
Is it anatomical knowledge?
Is it a constant stream of new ideas?
I believe the most important thing is momentum
Think about RPG games: when you start, your character's skin and gear are basic, almost pathetic
But even at level 1,
you may bet a protection buff for beginners
That’s exactly what momentum is
You just start drawing
You don’t know anatomy?
Draw anyway
You’re unsure if your story makes sense?
Draw anyway
What does it matter?
Honestly, no one is reading it
It’s just practice
You feel like you’re completely clueless?
That’s exactly the point
Ignorance makes you fearless
But the buff I’m talking about here
isn’t just about blindly drawing out of ignorance
It’s about the raw, uninhibited creativity that only comes from drawing without overthinking
Seventeen years into my career, burdened with experience and self-awareness,
I can never again create works with the same bold, reckless energy
as my early practice sketches or debut projects
That kind of fearless innovation
only exists in
the clumsy beginnings of first-time artists
Of course, your drawings might be awkward
Your story might be all over the place
But I guarantee there will be something fresh and alive in your work
Even if you don’t see it now,
someone else will
Maybe that person will be me
Maybe it’ll be one of the countless Webtoon readers out there,
who knows?
But one thing is certain
There will be people who see your webtoon and say wow
And years later, after you’ve spent a long time working as a professional artist,
if you look back at the manuscript you’re making now,
you’ll understand exactly what I mean
Wow, I was so bold
How did I even come up with this?
You'll think like this
But for that to happen, you need to finish it
Whether it’s a short one-shot or a long-form story,
this only applies if you complete it
That’s why I recommend starting with short Webtoons
Something around 70 panels
If that feels too short, go up to 100 panels
or break it into a 3-episode series
If you can complete three of these short works,
I promise your skills will improve dramatically
Because you’ve gone through the process of finishing,
you’ll gain the strength to create even more manuscripts
And once your work is done, put it out into the world
I know that for some of you, this might feel incredibly daunting
But as I mentioned earlier,
whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned artist,
all creators crave attention
So, push past the hesitation
And beyond that, let’s be real
If your manuscript is just sitting in a local folder, no one will ever know it exists
No one will beg you, saying,
Please, I need to see your webtoon!
Show me, please!
No one will do that to you
Create a social media account and post your artwork
Share your manuscripts
There are two key reasons for this
It helps establish your presence and visibility
And second,
it allows you to build connections with fellow artists and industry professionals
I’ve explained the long journey that led me to become a webtoon artist,
but the truth is, countless people were by my side for that journey
Not all of them were positive experiences
Some caused hurt, some relationships ended bitterly
But I can say with certainty
that without those people,
I wouldn’t be here today
I would have given up a long time ago
Being a creator is not a solo endeavor
Whether it’s online or offline, you need people to share this journey with
And having a public portfolio in your account will be invaluable
Because at the end of the day,
this industry thrives on
what you create and how you express it
To summarize,
it doesn’t matter how much knowledge you have
Just start creating
Complete your Webtoon
Share it with the world
Then, start a new one
Finish it, publish it, and repeat
And in doing so, you will find your peers
Once you have those peers, talk to them, and share ideas
If you find people you get along with, meet up, grab a coffee or a drink, and build those relationships
Exchange feedback, and collaborate on manuscripts
Join Discord servers too
With this, you’ll go from a single page to finishing a full-length episode
That’s what having creative peers is all about
For a figure drawing lesson, I’ve spent all this time talking about Webtoons instead
But don’t worry
Next time, we’ll dive headfirst into anatomy
This concludes the first session of
The Human Body: Draw It As You Know It
Thank you all for watching
Starting Webtoons with Limited Drawing Skills Drawings create the first impression They influence first-time readers' decisions
Drawing is a Skill A few lucky good illustrations can deceive, but real skill will always show through
Understanding Human Anatomy Through Croquis Drawing Establish the gesture lines Connect the torso, limbs, and additional details Memorize
Transforming a Slim Figure into a Muscular One Trapezius, sternocleidomastoid from behind the ear Emphasize the pectoral muscles with the collarbone
For a triceps-focused pose, keep the back straight Lassitude dorsi extending under the armpit Serratus anterior muscles connecting
Biceps and triceps alongside the latissimus dorsi Pelvic bone with a slight inward curve
Mastering Anatomy for Drawing Begin with gesture lines, add structural details Prioritize understanding full-body motion before muscle anatomy
Publishing Artwork on Social Media Establish a presence and increase visibility Expand connections with fellow artists and industry professionals