Want to learn how to draw perfect pinups? This can be a great way of getting your art seen by millions, so read on for some tried and tested techniques from the pinup pros!
Ever since prehistoric man picked up a piece of slate and drew an attractive girl on the wall of his cave, pinups have played an enduring part in popular culture.
From the posters of Betty Grable on every GI’s locker during World War II, through to Marilyn Monroe and latter-day eye candy such as Megan Fox, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, the power of the pinup remains stronger than ever.
By learning how to draw perfect pinups, you stand a good chance of your work being shared by lots of people online and getting your name out there, so where do you start?
By following a few simple steps on how to draw a perfect pinup, you could soon be creating eye-catching portraits of the people that float your boat!
Make your Pinup art sexy, not sleazy
Take a look at history’s greatest pinups and you’ll see what we mean. True, the subjects are super-hot and usually in fairly provocative poses, but they always fall on the right side of sexy without being lewd.
Less is definitely more when it comes to pinups – a fact acknowledged by pinup professional, Laurie B!, in her definitive tutorials on Pencil Kings.
According to the Art History Archive blog, a pinup is defined as: “A woman whose physical attractiveness would entice one to place a picture of her on a wall.”
Nowadays, of course, men are just as likely to be viewed as pin-ups as women – just take a look at the Justin Bieber posters on your younger sister’s wall if you don’t believe us!
So, the first thing to decide upon is which celebrity to draw – do you go for a personal favorite or choose someone who’s flavor of the month? The choice is yours – all you have to do next is learn how to create a good composition.
Great Compositions for Perfect Pinups
Swimming Girl by Pencil Kings tutor, Laurie B. Notice how the key parts in this composition sit neatly on the ‘rule of thirds’ grid?
A good way to do this is to work to the famous ‘rule of thirds‘. Using this method, you’ll learn how to divide your drawing up into a grid made up of nine parts – the point where the lines intersect will usually draw the viewer’s attention, so experiment with some different ideas using thumbnail sketches until you find the one that works best.
Once you’ve got your composition, you can then begin sketching out your pin-up. If you’re new to art or just need to brush up on our skills, you’ll find a great variety of free lessons on our site.
And, once you’ve completed your initial drawing, you’ll find a whole host of great art resources for traditional and digital media on Pencil Kings, too – whether you work in watercolors or Photoshop, you’ll find we’ve got it covered!
How to Draw Perfect Pinups and get Them Seen
So, you’ve worked hard on learning how to draw perfect pinups, but what do you do next? How do you get people talking about your art?
Thanks to the internet, it’s easier to reach millions of people worldwide than ever before – why not tell us about it via our Facebook or Twitter pages? You could also create a gallery on other popular social media channels, such as Pinterest, Deviantart or Behance.