Shadowing Practice: 10 drawing exercises to dramatically improve your anatomy ✏️ - Learn English Speaking with Video
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In this video we're going to look at 10 exercises and each one will fix a specific problem with your character bodies.
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Like bad proportions, deformed legs, questionable muscles, maybe a character that looks like he was run over by a truck.
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And if you've been practicing for a while and your character still, you know, come out looking like that, well, it's usually not because you haven't memorized enough muscles.
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It's because the body underneath those muscles was never really built properly in the first place
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and no amount of muscle detail is going to save a broken frame.
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So every single one of these exercises are meant to be like quick 10 minutes or less, stuff that you can do as warm-ups, and we're going through all of 10.
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So here's the first set of exercises all having to do with the frame of the body.
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Let's get into it.
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So exercise one is volume rotations.
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Before you build anything, you'll want to get comfortable with the individual pieces, like the Lego blocks.
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So draw the volumes that make up the mannequin.
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So, you know, the sphere for the heads, like an egg shape for the ribcage, like cylinders for the limbs, boxes, and well, draw each of them from a bunch of different angles.
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Just those parts, like not assembled into anything yet.
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If you have some experience already, you might think that this is below you, but that would be a mistake.
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Everyone should be practicing this.
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And also, of course, if you can't turn a single volume in space, well, there's no way you're gonna be turning a whole body, right?
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So if you're just getting into art and you're not even sure what your problem is yet Well, just start with this one
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and go down the order as I'm presenting them The first few should show you where you're weak relatively quickly.
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Now exercise two is volume structures
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So start assembling those same volumes into small pieces of a body
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So an arm is a sphere for the shoulder Maybe a
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cylinder for the upper arm a ball for the elbow another cylinder for the forearm You know, you get the idea, but you could also just have fun with it
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and build random structures The idea is just to arrange them in a way that's realistically possible.
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As with everything, if you're starting from scratch, use references, right?
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Like find stuff around the house with those basic shapes and just draw them in different angles.
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Exercise 3 is the box mannequin.
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So now you'll build the whole mannequin, but using only boxes, no cylinders at all.
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And construct the whole thing inside one bigger bounding box.
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So this is similar to the previous exercise, but harder.
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The bounding box will help you measure rough proportions in the perspective.
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Like for example, if I know the crotch of my character is ideally at half the height, but I'm drawing this maybe in perspective and it's not really clear where the half is.
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Well, with a box I can always find the halfway point by drawing an X connecting the corners of any face.
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And the intersection here tells us exactly where that half is, which is super useful.
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So don't skip that box.
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Now exercise 4 is quick poses.
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So just 2-3 minutes per pose should be the target.
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You're not making art here, you're really just feeding your brain a library of what real bodies look like in real poses.
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I'm going over this exercise real quick because I had a full class explaining exactly all the steps to do this recently, so you can check that out, I'll put a link down below.
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But yeah, quick poses is always the number one exercise
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that I recommend to students of my art program and those I mentor personally, and the results over the years have been undeniable every single time.
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Practice drawing quick poses from reference, the more the better, but even a little bit will help tremendously.
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Now let's actually look into more of the details, the muscles, except we won't be really focusing on any one muscle here,
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getting good at anatomy is all about starting with the bigger strokes and then incrementally going more into the details.
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So exercise 5 is muscle groups.
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You'll pick one body part, just one, and the one that's actually giving you trouble, then you'll take a reference chart and simplify all of it into the main visible groups only.
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And we don't even need all the muscles here, just those that are big enough to impact the silhouette of our characters.
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So take the leg here for example.
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Instead of learning all of this, which is pretty daunting at first, well you can group all of these heads of the quadriceps along with the sartorius muscles, all into one single group,
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let's call it the upper leg group, all of these into the pelvis attachment groups, the lower leg group, and all of that is connected by the knee of course.
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And now we only have four things to remember, which is a lot more manageable.
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Of course if you want you can then go into each group
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and learn more about the individual muscles but that hierarchy is usually helpful for long-term memory.
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Exercise 6 is muscle spotting, so take those same simplified groups and go find a photo reference and draw the muscles right on top of the photo,
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naming each group as you go.
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Or you can go into the actual muscles if you prefer once you graduate from looking just at groups.
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So you start with just a lean reference where everything is going to be very clearly defined
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because that's going to be much easier and then And then to increase difficulty, you can move on to chubbier models or less lean models
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because then you'll really have to fill in a lot of the blanks.
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Most of the muscles will be clearly defined.
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Actually, an even better exercise would be to just start working out
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because you'll pick up a ton of anatomy by just looking at yourself in the mirror all the time.
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So yeah, maybe just a secret extra exercise for the list.
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Now exercise 7 is construction to muscles.
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So you'll start with a simple construction for a single body part that you're struggling with.
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So the volumes from exercise 1 and 2 and then once that's solid, draw the muscle groups on top of it.
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And when you get to something that you're not sure how to draw, that's your cue to go find a reference for that specific bit, figure it out and then keep going.
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You'll know your anatomy is getting pretty good
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when you can do this from memory without having to look at a reference to draw realistic muscles.
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And if you're like me always trying to get better at drawing characters, well I actually teach anatomy in great detail here on the channel in a bunch of different videos.
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I'll put a bunch of links down below and I teach in even more detail in my art program, Art School for Digital Artists, the sponsor of this video.
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The program is actually a complete art education and anatomy is only a 10-hour section of it.
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It's taught in the right order with charts that I drew myself
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and assignments that build on each other alongside everything else you would need to draw anything you can imagine.
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You get lifetime access, all future updates for free, and a private discord full of students working through the same stuff that you are.
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And we just passed 33,000 students, so to celebrate this milestone the whole program is 33% off until the end of the month only
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so you still have a little bit of time to pick
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it up before the price goes up the link is gonna
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be down in the video description you should check it out
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I don't want you to miss out on this deal
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and now with my shameless plug over let's look at the
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last three exercises now these last three are where the structure is actually going to turn into real characters
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and they're still quick you know like rough sketches about 10 minutes each at the most so exercise 8 is silhouette construction.
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You'll take a pose reference and don't draw any lines at first.
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You'll want to block the figure as one solid filled shape using the lasso
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or just a big brush and push it around until the shape alone reads as a person doing well as your reference.
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Then you can draw your sketch on top.
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This fixes the habit of getting lost in details
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while the overall shape of the pose never actually worked because
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if your silhouette doesn't read really no No amount of clean line art will be able to save it.
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Exercise nine then is character rotation.
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So you'll take one reference, at first like in a simple idle pose, and then sketch that same character turned to a new, different angle.
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Maybe three quarter view, a profile from behind.
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Again, keep those sketches quite rough, not finished drawings.
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And this one's gonna be pretty hard at first, and that's the point, right?
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Because it exposes whether you understand the body as a 3D object or not.
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And if this is too hard, well, practicing the previous exercises should really help make this one more manageable eventually.
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Now, exercise 10 is going to be proportion changes.
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So again, starting from a reference, you want to draw the proportions, but pushed.
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So like elongate the arms and the legs, shorten the torso, make the character fatter, leaner.
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This really tests what you actually understand.
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So if your anatomy is good, this should be quite easy to do.
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But of course, it probably won't be for the majority of people.
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And it's a great exercise to point out flaws in your understanding.
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So if something doesn't look quite right, then you just go back to the beginning of the list
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and practice that specific body part and you should improve very quickly doing that.
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So that's 10.
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From easier to harder.
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But keep in mind that even the easy ones should be practiced constantly, right?
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Treat them like repetitions at the gym.
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A little bit at a time, frequently.
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That's what gives you big muscles, not a massive session and then nothing for a while.
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Frequency always beats volume.
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And that's really the key to all of this.
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Don't study anatomy in a bubble.
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If you sit down and decide that today is the day that you learn to draw arms, well, with no drawing in front of you and no reason to need it,
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your brain really has no reason to hold on to that information and it's just gonna toss it right in the garbage.
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And then the next time you won't remember anything.
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But if you hit like a wonky looking arm in the drawing that you actually care about,
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well, that's when you want to go do a couple of minutes of practicing those exercises
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because then the information is going to stick.
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You'll get way more out of those couple minutes than a whole weekend, you know, studying muscles that you really didn't have a need for right now.
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And also worth mentioning since I always get questions about this in the comments, but you can do this traditionally without a problem, right?
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It's like pen and paper works just as well.
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You don't need a tablet for this. But now
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if you want like the full walkthrough of building the body from scratch rather than just a bunch of exercises like this,
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Well, I got the whole class on drawing anatomy for beginners
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and it'll be right here on screen in just a second I'll see you over there.
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Just click the link do it now
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Why This Video Is Perfect for English Practice
If you’re looking to learn English with videos, this art-focused clip is a hidden gem. It’s conversational, uses everyday phrases, and breaks down complex ideas simply—perfect for shadow speech practice. The host’s tone is friendly and instructional, making it easy to follow along, while the mix of technical terms (like "volume rotations") and casual language ("come out looking like that") helps you build both formal and informal vocabulary. Plus, the step-by-step structure gives you clear segments to mimic, which is key for mastering rhythm and intonation.
Breaking Down Natural Speech Patterns
Let’s look at a few lines that sound like real, unscripted English. First: "And if you've been practicing for a while and your character still, you know, come out looking like that, well, it's usually not because you haven't memorized enough muscles." The filler phrase "you know" and the pause make it sound natural—people rarely speak in perfect sentences! Next: "Everyone should be practicing this. And also, of course, if you can't turn a single volume in space, well, there's no way you're gonna be turning a whole body, right?" The contraction "gonna" and the tag question "right?" create a conversational flow. Finally: "Practice drawing quick poses from reference, the more the better, but even a little bit will help tremendously." The short, punchy clauses ("the more the better") are typical of how we emphasize points in speech.
A Simple Shadowing Routine for This Video
Try this shadowing technique to boost your speaking skills: 1) Watch a 30-second segment of the video, focusing on the host’s tone and pauses. 2) Hit pause, then repeat the segment out loud, mimicking their rhythm and stress (e.g., emphasize "never really built properly" in the first part). 3) Record yourself and compare it to the original—note where your intonation or speed differs. 4) Do this 3-5 times with the same segment before moving on. For extra practice, focus on phrases like "it's because the body underneath those muscles" to master connected speech. Over time, you’ll notice your English sounds more natural, just like the host’s. Remember, shadowspeaks works best when you practice daily—even 10 minutes a day can make a big difference!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was run · was never really built · are meant |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't memorized · have been |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | this, which is · remember, which is |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.