Drawing Figures: Which Model is the Best?
A Review of 5 Figure Drawing Models
Drawing figures are invaluable tools for artists, helping them create realistic references and hone their skills in drawing the human body. These adjustable figures can be posed to capture both dynamic movement and static poses. But with so many options available, a key question arises: are these figures really worth the investment?
Review Criteria: Evaluating the Value of Drawing Figures
This article dives into the world of drawing figures, thoroughly evaluating their value for money. I’ve tested several models on the market and scored each one out of 30 points, considering four main criteria:
- Mobility (10 points):
- How easily can the figure be posed and adjusted?
- How effectively does it capture a range of poses?
- Proportions (10 points):
- Are the figure’s proportions accurate and true to life?
- Customization (5 points):
- How easily can the figure be customized or accessorized?
- How user-friendly is the customization process?
- Price-Performance Ratio (5 points):
- Does the figure’s cost align with its value as a drawing aid?
Mobility and proportions hold the most weight, as they are crucial for any effective drawing figure. While customization is a bonus, it’s less important than these primary functions. Likewise, affordability matters, but only if the figure serves its core purpose well.
With these criteria, I aim to give you clear insights to help you choose the best drawing figure for your artistic pursuits.
Here’s the lineup of figures tested:
- Affordable Wooden Drawing Figure
- Magnetic Wooden Drawing Figure
- Wooden Hand Drawing Figure
- Synthetic Drawing Figure
- Armature Nine Drawing Figure
Affordable Wooden Drawing Figure
This familiar wooden figure stands on a rod and base, often spotted in stores alongside budget art supplies. But how does it perform when it comes to actual drawing practice?
Mobility: 1 Point
The mobility on this model is quite poor. The legs cannot bend to a 90-degree angle, and achieving a lateral split is impossible.
While the arms offer slightly more flexibility than the legs, they still fall short. Trying to pose the figure with hands close to its body or head is challenging, and having it touch its stomach is out of reach.
Additionally, moving the figure generally feels awkward. Some body parts resist movement in a way that feels stiff or fragile, making it unclear if this is a design feature or a flaw that risks breakage.
This lack of flexibility limits the figure’s usefulness as a drawing reference and can frustrate artists who need dynamic or complex poses.
Proportions: 0 Points
The proportions of this model are quite unrealistic and poorly suited to drawing realistic human figures.
Using this figure as a reference requires frequent mental adjustments to correct its proportions, adding unnecessary complexity, especially for beginners. This can be confusing and detract from the learning experience.
If you try to stick with the figure’s proportions, the result may appear cartoonish or awkward, which might even discourage some artists.
Customization: 0 Points
This model does not offer any customization options.
Price-Performance Ratio: 1 Point
Though this model is the cheapest among those tested, it’s almost entirely unusable as a drawing aid.
Final Review: Affordable Wooden Drawing Figure
Mobility
Proportions
Customization
Price-Performance Ratio
Total: 2 Points
This budget-friendly wooden figure is best suited as a decorative piece. As a tool for drawing, I cannot recommend it.
Magnetic Wooden Drawing Figure
This model is quite similar to the previous one in design, but with a notable difference: instead of being mounted on a rod, it includes magnets in its hands and feet, allowing attachment to the accompanying platform.
Mobility: 2 Points
This magnetic figure offers slightly greater flexibility than the previous model, though it remains limited in movement. Unfortunately, like the other model, it cannot achieve a 90-degree angle with its legs or position them sideways. The hands also cannot reach the torso, which limits the variety of poses it can effectively demonstrate.
Proportions: 0 Points
Unfortunately, this model’s proportions are problematic, making it difficult to score well in this category. The most noticeable issue is with the shoulder placement, which is inexplicably low, giving the figure an unrealistic appearance. This flaw greatly limits its effectiveness in representing human form accurately.
Customization: 1 Point
In theory, you could pair the figure with various metal objects, using the magnets to create unique poses or scenes. This opens up some potential for creative experimentation. However, the package does not include additional accessories, so you’ll need to supply your own metallic items to take full advantage of this feature.
Price-Performance Ratio: 1 Point
While this magnetic wooden figure shows slight improvement over the cheaper wooden model, it remains in a similar price range. Despite this, I would still not recommend it, as it fails to significantly enhance drawing or posing techniques.
Final Review: Magnetic Wooden Drawing Figure
Mobility
Proportions
Customization
Price-Performance Ratio
Total: 4 Points
The magnetic drawing figure feels more decorative than functional as a drawing tool. However, it does provide some fun and novelty in posing due to the added magnets, which make it possible to achieve playful setups like a handstand.
Wooden Hand Drawing Figure
For most artists, drawing hands is a particularly tricky skill to master. So, I was thrilled to discover a drawing figure specifically designed to help artists practice hand poses. However, my excitement quickly faded as I unpacked the model, realizing it came with a lot of shortcomings.
Mobility: 0 Points
The wooden hand is extremely limited in movement, with the fingers and thumb only capable of moving back and forth. Unfortunately, there’s no option to spread or angle the fingers sideways, severely restricting potential poses.
I had hoped for at least a joint in the thumb that would allow rotation, but it lacks this feature as well.
While the wrist does have a joint, it’s restricted to prevent the model from toppling over when bending. This limitation, however, makes it difficult to achieve more dynamic or realistic wrist angles, which is disappointing for anyone looking to depict subtle hand gestures.
Proportions: 1 Point
The proportions of this hand model are noticeably inaccurate, making it appear unnaturally narrow. All the fingers begin at the same height, ignoring the natural offset where the ring and pinky fingers sit slightly lower.
In addition, the thumb looks misplaced in most poses. Real thumbs are incredibly versatile and greatly impact the shape of the palm based on their position. While it may be difficult to perfectly mimic this flexibility in a wooden model, this figure falls short as a credible drawing reference.
These disproportionate features were so discouraging that I hesitated to even attempt a test sketch. Given these inaccuracies, the model fails to fulfill its purpose as a practical tool for artists striving for accurate and lifelike representations.
I granted it one point solely because it works for a few limited poses.
Customization: 0 Points
This model offers no customizable features.
Price-Performance Ratio: 0 Points
Despite being priced higher than comparable wooden figures, this hand model provides minimal value as a reliable drawing reference. Given its limitations, I strongly recommend saving your money for a more versatile and accurate model. This particular figure, regrettably, is not worth the investment.
Final Review: Wooden Hand Drawing Figure
Mobility
Proportions
Customization
Price-Performance Ratio
Total: 1 Point
In summary, I can’t recommend this model as a drawing tool. You’d be better off using your own hand as a reference rather than investing in this stiff, piece of wood.
Synthetic Drawing Figure
After my experiences with the wooden drawing figures, the synthetic (plastic) figures felt like a refreshing improvement, especially in terms of functionality for drawing purposes. A significant advantage is the availability of both male and female models, accommodating a broader range of artistic needs. While the female figure has some characteristics reminiscent of the manga drawing style, these can be adjusted during sketching.
Mobility: 6 Points
These figures are highly poseable, allowing for a variety of stances and positions. The legs exhibit decent flexibility, bending both forward and sideways with ease. Additionally, the knees bend well beyond 90 degrees, and even the forefoot can be angled to add variety.
However, a notable limitation is with the arms. Though they are more flexible than those on wooden figures, stretching both arms straight up is not possible due to restrictions at the shoulder joints, which limit their range.
Removing these shoulder components might enhance mobility, but I opted to assess the figures in their original form as provided by the manufacturer.
Upon unpacking, I noticed some joints on both figures felt stiff. Initially, I wondered if this indicated a defect, but applying gentle pressure to these areas gradually loosened the joints, allowing for full movement.
Proportions: 8 Points
At a glance, these figures have notably better proportions than the wooden ones. However, there are still minor imperfections: for example, the male figure’s legs are slightly different in length, making it challenging to keep him upright without support.
Nonetheless, these figures work well as reference models and are suitable for drawing, even if it takes some extra effort to pose them without a stand.
Customization: 4 Points
The figures come with various accessories, including laptops, smartphones, swords, and more. There’s also an assortment of interchangeable hands that can easily attach to the arm joints, providing additional pose options. Beyond the hands, however, there are no other customizable features on the figures.
One notable advantage is the inclusion of stands, which allow you to secure the figures on hooks or via the hole in the back. The stands are flexible and enable dynamic poses like leaping, flying sideways, or hanging upside down.
A minor drawback is that some accessories and the stands may need occasional adjustments. During testing, the smartphone and gun slipped from the figures’ hands a few times, and some hooks came loose. Fortunately, these issues were easy to fix and didn’t impact overall usability.
Price-Performance Ratio: 3 Points
The Synthetic Drawing Figures offer a much better price-performance ratio compared to wooden alternatives. However, the quality leans toward the lower end. During testing, the female figure’s arms occasionally detached from the shoulder joints, and in general, limb movements were uneven, with some joints resisting more than others. If you purchase these, be aware that this is not of top-notch quality.
As for durability, I have some reservations: repeated use could lead to wear, and the rubber hands may tear over time, with joints possibly loosening.
While the figures feel somewhat cheaply made, they are still affordable at around $37 for two figures. For those looking for budget-friendly artistic references, these figures are still a viable choice despite some quality concerns.
Final Review: Synthetic Drawing Figure
Mobility
Proportions
Customization
Price-Performance Ratio
Total: 21 Points
While these figures may not be premium quality, they are still practical for drawing purposes.
One benefit is that you receive two figures in one package. For beginners, I recommend starting with drawing a single figure at a time to get familiar. As you become more comfortable with sketching bodies, you can try drawing both figures together.
Armature Nine Drawing Figure
Among all the drawing figures I’ve tested, Armature Nine’s stands out as the best. Throughout my testing, I found immense joy in designing poses, and the process was incredibly smooth.
I focused on the A9 Rider, a compact figure resembling the human form. What immediately struck me were the strong magnets in its hands and feet, allowing secure attachment to the included platform.
Mobility: 10 Points
The A9 Rider surpasses all other drawing figures in mobility, with exceptional poseability from its feet to its fingertips. Notably, it includes a joint in the thumb, making its small hands even more versatile than the larger Wooden Hand Drawing Figure I tested earlier.
After some disappointing experiences with other figures, I was eager to test the A9 Rider’s arms and legs, and I was instantly impressed. The arms stretch straight up and can achieve highly complex postures. The legs move easily into front and side splits, bending well below 90 degrees at the knee. Additionally, the feet can rotate in various directions, and the forefoot tilts forward and backward.
The midsection is equally impressive, allowing the head and neck to move independently for exaggerated poses, like looking up or dropping the head so low that the chin nearly touches the chest. The torso also bends to arch or round the back, while the flexible hips enable the legs to achieve various poses with stability—resembling real human flexibility.
Despite its complexity, the A9 Rider is easy to adjust. All the joints move smoothly right from the start, making it an exceptional tool for artists who need a dynamic and reliable drawing reference.
Proportions: 10 Points
As the photos show, the figure’s hands appear relatively large, but this is unique to the compact A9 Rider. Due to its size, creating fully articulated hands with posable fingers and magnets is challenging.
Paul Siegel, the creator of Armature Nine, offers a smaller set of replacement hands without fingers to address this. Despite the adjustment, I find the alternate hands suitable for drawing, so I didn’t deduct any points here.
Beyond this, the figure’s body proportions are impeccable, providing an excellent reference for artists to bring their creative visions to life with precision.
Customization: 5 Points
The A9 Rider includes a metal platform and a cleverly designed stand. The stand is bendable yet stable, with one end securely magnetized to the platform and the other attachable to the figure’s back.
One outstanding feature of Armature Nine figures is their modularity. They’re designed to disassemble, making it easy to swap parts. During testing, I could effortlessly switch between male and female torsos.
On the website, Armature Nine offers additional parts, including heads, arms, legs, feet, necks, and hands. This customization allows artists to create a reference model tailored to their unique style and vision.
Price-Performance Ratio: 4 Points
Armature Nine figures aren’t budget-friendly, so they may not be ideal for casual artists. However, for serious artists who draw regularly, they’re worth the investment.
An added advantage is the guarantee provided: 12 months for small Riders and a lifetime guarantee for larger figures, like the Rangers.
Final Review: Armature Nine Drawing Figure
Mobility
Proportions
Customization
Price-Performance Ratio
Total: 29 Points
The meticulous attention to detail invested in the development of this drawing figure is evident in its flawless execution. Each joint serves its purpose with utmost excellence, contributing to the overall perfection of the product.
Paul Siegel, the mastermind behind and creator of Armature Nine, is the driving force behind the continual refinement and enhancement of all the figures. On his website and YouTube channel, he shares valuable insights into the figures’ capabilities and demonstrates how to effectively utilize them.
Conclusion
The Armature Nine drawing figure emerges as the clear winner in this test, earning an impressive 29 out of 30 points. Although it comes at a higher cost, it offers outstanding mobility and flawless proportions, making it an ideal choice for serious artists and drawing enthusiasts alike.
Make sure to visit Armature Nine here as well:
The Synthetic Drawing Figure secured second place with a score of 21 points, though it falls behind Armature Nine in quality and durability. During testing, I experienced recurring issues with the female figure’s arm detaching from its joint, and the shoulder adjustments grew increasingly frustrating over time.
For the other drawing figures tested, their performance was so disappointing that I strongly recommend against purchasing them. Instead, consider investing in an A9 Rider or Ranger for a far superior experience.
