Pose reference
3D Pose Reference Library
Browse hundreds of categorized 3D poses. Click any pose to view it from all angles or open it in the Studio to refine.
Browse pose references by category
All poses
74 poses
Neutral standing
Balanced, symmetrical stance. A clean starting point for proportions and construction studies.
- Standing
- · Easy to draw
Contrapposto
Weight on one leg, hips and shoulders tilted in opposition. The classic relaxed figure-drawing stance.
- Standing
- Relaxed
- · Easy to draw
Hands on hips
Confident stance with elbows out and feet apart. Good for practising foreshortened forearms.
- Standing
- · Moderate
Arms crossed
Closed, guarded body language. The forearms overlap in front of the chest.
- Standing
- Relaxed
- · Moderate
Looking over the shoulder
Back turned to the viewer, head and chest twisting to look behind. Strong torso twist study.
- Standing
- Relaxed
- · Challenging
Thinking
One hand at the chin, the other arm supporting the elbow. Quiet character moment.
- Standing
- Relaxed
- · Moderate
Waving
Arm raised to the side with the forearm up, a friendly greeting.
- Standing
- Relaxed
- · Easy to draw
Pointing forward
Arm extended toward a target with the head following. Clear directional gesture.
- Pointing
- Standing
- · Easy to draw
Pointing up
Arm raised overhead pointing at the sky, head tilted back to look up.
- Pointing
- Standing
- · Easy to draw
Carrying a box
Both forearms forward at waist height, torso leaning back slightly to counter the load.
- Carrying
- Standing
- · Moderate
Carrying a heavy bag
A load in one hand pulls the shoulder down; the torso leans away and the free arm lifts for balance.
- Carrying
- Balance
- Standing
- · Moderate
Walking stride
Mid-stride with opposite arm and leg forward. The torso counter-rotates against the hips.
- Walking
- · Easy to draw
Running
Driving knee, pumping arms, forward lean. A flight-phase snapshot of a run.
- Running
- · Moderate
Sprint
Exaggerated sprint: high knee, long rear leg and a strong forward lean.
- Running
- Balance
- · Challenging
Jump, arms up
Airborne celebration with arms overhead and knees tucked.
- Jumping
- · Moderate
Landing
Absorbing a landing: deep knee bend, arms forward for balance, chest over the knees.
- Jumping
- Crouching
- Balance
- · Moderate
Falling backward
Losing balance mid-air, arms thrown out, head tucked. Useful for dramatic panels.
- Falling
- · Challenging
Climbing
Reaching for the next hold with one leg stepping high. Back view reads best.
- Climbing
- · Challenging
Pushing
Leaning into a heavy object, arms extended, rear leg driving.
- Balance
- Standing
- · Moderate
Pulling a rope
Leaning back against tension, hands forward, front knee bent.
- Balance
- Carrying
- · Moderate
Boxing guard
Bladed stance, fists up by the chin, knees soft. The base for any fight scene.
- Fighting
- Punching
- · Moderate
Right cross
Rear hand fully extended, hips and shoulders rotated through the punch.
- Punching
- Fighting
- · Moderate
Uppercut
Dipping the body and driving the fist upward from low to high.
- Punching
- Fighting
- · Challenging
Front kick
Knee driven high and foot extended forward, torso leaning back for balance.
- Kicking
- Fighting
- Balance
- · Challenging
Side kick
Leg chambered out to the side, torso tilted away to keep the line from head to heel.
- Kicking
- Fighting
- Balance
- · Challenging
Horse stance strike
Wide, low stance with one palm forward and the other fist chambered at the hip.
- Fighting
- Crouching
- Balance
- · Moderate
Throwing wind-up
Front leg lifted, throwing arm cocked back. Peak of the load before release.
- Balance
- Fighting
- · Challenging
Seated (chair height)
Upright on an invisible chair with hands resting on the thighs. Add your own chair when drawing.
- Sitting
- · Easy to draw
Seated, legs crossed
Relaxed lean back with one knee crossed over the other.
- Sitting
- Relaxed
- · Moderate
Sitting on the floor
Legs extended, leaning back on straight arms. Relaxed beach or park pose.
- Sitting
- Relaxed
- · Easy to draw
Hugging knees
Curled up on the floor, arms wrapped around the shins. Compact, emotional silhouette.
- Sitting
- · Moderate
Cross-legged
Seated on the floor with legs folded and hands on the knees. Meditation or casual floor pose.
- Sitting
- Yoga
- Relaxed
- · Moderate
Kneeling on one knee
One knee down, the other foot planted. A forearm rests on the raised knee.
- Kneeling
- · Moderate
Kneeling upright
Both knees on the ground, torso tall, hands resting at the sides.
- Kneeling
- · Easy to draw
Crouching
Low crouch on the balls of the feet, arms forward. Ready to spring or hide.
- Crouching
- · Moderate
Deep squat
Hips below the knees, heels down, arms reaching forward for counterbalance.
- Crouching
- Balance
- Stretching
- · Moderate
Lying on the back
Resting on the back with one knee raised and the head turned.
- Lying
- Relaxed
- · Easy to draw
Lying on the side
On the side with knees drawn up and the top arm draped forward.
- Lying
- Relaxed
- · Moderate
Lying on the stomach
Face down, chest lifted on the forearms, lower legs up. Reading or daydreaming pose.
- Lying
- Relaxed
- · Moderate
Dance, hip pop
One arm up, one out, hip pushed to the side with a pointed foot.
- Dancing
- · Moderate
Arabesque
Balanced on one leg with the other extended behind; arms frame the line.
- Dancing
- Balance
- · Challenging
Split leap
Mid-air split with arms open. A high-energy dance or gymnastics moment.
- Dancing
- Jumping
- · Challenging
Side stretch
Both arms overhead, torso bending to one side. Shows the long curve of the ribcage.
- Stretching
- · Easy to draw
Morning stretch
Up on the toes, arms reaching high, chest lifted.
- Stretching
- Relaxed
- · Easy to draw
Forward fold
Folding from the hips with arms hanging toward the floor. Hamstring stretch.
- Stretching
- Yoga
- · Moderate
Low lunge
Front knee bent deeply, rear leg long, arms overhead.
- Stretching
- Yoga
- Balance
- · Moderate
Warrior II
Wide stance, front knee bent over the ankle, arms extended, gaze over the front hand.
- Yoga
- Balance
- Stretching
- · Moderate
Tree pose
Standing on one leg with the other foot against the inner thigh, palms together overhead.
- Yoga
- Balance
- · Moderate
One-leg balance
Knee raised to hip height with arms out to the sides for balance.
- Balance
- Standing
- · Easy to draw
Handshake
Two figures meeting with a handshake. The hands are aligned with IK, so the grip lines up from any angle.
- Two people
- Standing
- · Easy to draw
High five
Celebratory high five with weight shifting into the slap.
- Two people
- Standing
- · Easy to draw
Punch and block
A right cross meeting a raised forearm block. A starting point for fight choreography.
- Two people
- Fighting
- Punching
- · Challenging
Sword duel
Two fencers with blades crossed at the centre line. Props included.
- Two people
- Fighting
- · Challenging
Partner dance hold
Closed ballroom hold: lead’s hand on the follow’s back, joined hands extended.
- Two people
- Dancing
- · Moderate
Helping someone up
One figure leans down and grips the hand of a friend sitting on the floor.
- Two people
- Sitting
- Carrying
- · Moderate
Back to back
Arms crossed, standing back to back. Classic cover or poster composition.
- Two people
- Standing
- Relaxed
- · Easy to draw
Holding hands
Walking side by side, hand in hand, glancing at each other.
- Two people
- Walking
- · Easy to draw
Embrace
A close hug: arms around the waist and over the shoulders, heads turned aside.
- Two people
- Standing
- · Moderate
Back hug
Hugging from behind, arms around the waist, chin near the shoulder.
- Two people
- Standing
- Relaxed
- · Moderate
Forehead touch
Leaning in until their foreheads touch, hands at the waist and arms.
- Two people
- Standing
- · Moderate
“The data used in this project was obtained from mocap.cs.cmu.edu. The database was created with funding from NSF EIA-0196217.”
Pose Reference: 874+ Free 3D Drawing Poses
Explore 874+ free 3D pose references for artists: standing, sitting, action, fighting, anime, couple and hand poses. Inspect from any camera angle.