Strong figure drawing skills are the foundation of good visual storytelling.
Whether you’re working in concept art, illustration, animation, or simply trying to sharpen your observational skills, life drawing remains one of the most valuable practices you can invest time in.
But not everyone has regular access to live figure drawing sessions, and that’s where online resources come in. Over time, I’ve gathered a set of go-to websites that offer high-quality life drawing references. Each one brings something slightly different to the table, depending on what you’re looking to practice.
Here’s a breakdown of the best online resources for life drawing:
Top Life Drawing Reference Websites
PoseSpace
A reliable source for high-resolution, artist-focused photography. PoseSpace offers a wide range of models, diverse poses, and carefully lit setups. Some poses even include full 360-degree rotations, which is a huge help when you want to study form and volume properly.
Line of Action
https://www.line-of-action.com
Perfect for quick gesture practice. Line of Action lets you set up timed figure drawing sessions, focusing on capturing movement, energy, and proportion. You can also explore categories like hands, feet, animals, and faces.
QuickPoses
If you want to train speed and instinct, QuickPoses is ideal. The platform pushes you to work through a high volume of sketches in a short time, helping build fluidity and confidence in your strokes.
Croquis Cafe
Croquis Cafe brings the feel of a real-life figure drawing session to your screen. Their free videos simulate studio sessions with live models, timed poses, and consistent quality. It’s one of the closest substitutes for an actual drawing class if you’re working from home.
AdorkaStock
For more expressive, dynamic, and storytelling-driven poses, AdorkaStock is a great option. The poses are often animated, dramatic, or exaggerated, making them perfect for character work, comic art, and animation studies.
SenshiStock
Focused on action, movement, and fantasy poses, SenshiStock is great for artists who want references that feel lively and filled with narrative energy. Lots of free pose sequences and motion packs are available.
New Masters Academy (Subscription)
If you’re serious about academic study, New Masters Academy is one of the best investments you can make. Their professional-quality model references and figure drawing videos bring classical art training into your workspace.
Which One Should You Use?
Each site has its strength:
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Quick gesture warm-ups: Line of Action, QuickPoses
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Detailed anatomy studies: PoseSpace, New Masters Academy
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Dynamic storytelling poses: AdorkaStock, SenshiStock
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Simulated studio sessions: Croquis Cafe
Mixing different types of references into your practice keeps your skills flexible and sharp.
Final Thought
Mastery in figure drawing doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built quietly, through repetition, focused observation, and constantly challenging your hand and eye to work together. These online resources make it easier to stay consistent, even without access to a live model.
Use them well, draw often, and remember: every sketch, no matter how quick or rough, moves you forward.
#LifeDrawing #FigureDrawing #ArtPractice #ArtResources #GestureDrawing #SimonLocheArt
