Draw a Four-Person Base with Grouped Figure Guides

Object Drawing Lessons

A four-person base is a planning layer: simple body blocks and alignment guides that fix spacing, overlap, and pose variety before any detail is drawn. This lesson teaches a repeatable construction method using grouped figure arrangement guides. You will place four figures on a shared ground line, vary their poses, and mark overlaps so the group reads clearly. The convention used here is a stick-and-block base: heads are circles, torsos are rounded rectangles, limbs are single lines, and the ground line is a straight horizontal. X-height means baseline to midline for any lettering you add; letter styles vary, so no single handwriting form is required. All measurements are hypothetical examples unless you measure your own paper and tools. Work in pencil so guides can be adjusted.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Set the ground line and spacing guide

Start with a horizontal ground line across the lower third of the page. Mark four evenly spaced anchor points on it; for a hypothetical A4 sheet, 3 cm gaps are a reasonable example, but measure your own paper. These anchors are the feet positions, not the final figure centers.

Above the ground line, draw a light spacing guide: a second horizontal line at the intended head-top height. For a hypothetical figure height of 12 cm, place this line 12 cm above the ground line. Keep all four head tops near this line so the group shares a scale.

1. Draw the ground line with a ruler and label its ends.
2. Mark four anchor points at equal intervals; number them 1 to 4 left to right.
3. Draw the head-top guide line parallel to the ground line.
4. Check that all four anchors sit on the ground line and all head tops will reach the guide.

Build four block figures with pose variants

At each anchor, draw a head circle whose top touches the head-top guide. Add a rounded-rectangle torso below the head, then single-line limbs. Vary poses: figure 1 stands straight, figure 2 shifts weight to one leg, figure 3 turns slightly, figure 4 gestures with one arm. Pose variants keep the group from looking like clones.

Use overlap cues deliberately. Where two figures would collide, draw the nearer figure's outline fully and stop the farther figure's line at the nearer outline. A small gap of 2 to 3 mm between adjacent torsos is a hypothetical example; measure your own spacing so the group stays readable.

1. Draw head circles at all four anchors, tops touching the guide.
2. Add torsos and limbs, applying one pose variant per figure.
3. Mark overlaps by drawing the front figure first, then the back figure's lines stopping at the front outline.
4. Label each figure's anchor number beside its feet for reference.

Check group balance and adjust

Step back and check the group as a whole. The four head tops should sit near the guide, feet on the ground line, and no figure should hide another's head. If one figure looks too tall, lower its head top slightly rather than redrawing the whole body.

Balance means the group's visual weight is spread across the page. If figures 1 and 2 are close and 3 and 4 are far apart, shift anchors 3 and 4 left or right to even the gaps. Record any changed spacing values so the base can be reused.

1. Compare head-top heights against the guide line.
2. Check that each pair of adjacent figures has a visible gap or a clear overlap cue.
3. Adjust anchor positions if spacing looks uneven.
4. Erase construction lines only after the base reads clearly.

Transfer to a blank practice box

A blank practice box is an empty rectangle on the page where you redraw the four-person base without the printed guides. Use the same sequence: ground line, anchors, head-top guide, four block figures, pose variants, overlap cues. The box should be large enough for four figures at your chosen scale; a hypothetical 18 cm by 12 cm box suits 12 cm figures, but measure your own.

In the box, add a small lettering label such as 'Group Base 1' using the x-height convention: baseline to midline defines the letter body. Letter styles vary, so any legible style is acceptable. The label is optional and does not affect the base rubric.

1. Draw the empty practice box and label its corners.
2. Repeat the ground line and anchor marks inside the box.
3. Draw four block figures with varied poses and clear overlaps.
4. Add an optional x-height label and date the box.

Worked example

On a hypothetical 20 cm by 15 cm page, place a ground line 4 cm from the bottom. Mark four anchors 3 cm apart starting 4 cm from the left edge. Set a head-top guide 10 cm above the ground line. Build four block figures with poses: straight, weight shift, slight turn, gesture. Show one overlap between figures 2 and 3.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Drawing all four figures at different heights so the group looks uneven. Use a single head-top guide line and check each head circle against it before adding limbs.
• Letting figures overlap so much that a head is hidden. Keep at least one head fully visible per figure; stop the back figure's lines at the front outline and leave a small gap.
• Using identical poses for all four figures. Assign one pose variant per figure: straight stand, weight shift, slight turn, and gesture.
• Skipping the ground line and placing feet randomly. Draw the ground line first and mark four anchors on it before any figure is built.

Self-check rubric

• Ground line is present and all four feet sit on it.
• Four anchors are marked and evenly spaced within the chosen page.
• All four head tops align with the head-top guide.
• Each figure uses a distinct pose variant.
• At least one overlap cue is shown with the back figure's lines stopping at the front outline.
• No head is fully hidden by another figure.
• Optional lettering label follows the baseline-to-midline x-height convention; any legible style is acceptable.

Questions and answers