Lying on Side Pose Reference

Gravity flattens everything here, so think first about what touches the floor. The right side of the body is underneath: the right arm stretches out along the floor above the head, and the head rests on it like a pillow. The ribcage, the right hip and the outside of the right knee take most of the weight. The top arm, the left, drapes along the body and its hand drops to the floor in front of the hips, a small kickstand that stops the torso rolling forward.

Hips and shoulders stack one over the other. Both the shoulder line and the hip line stand close to upright, and the waist dips toward the floor between them, the long valley that makes reclining figures so rewarding to draw. The knees are slightly bent, and the top leg does not sit exactly on the bottom one; it slides forward so the top knee lands a little ahead, opening a small gap between the thighs.

Watch for three errors. A head floating above the arm with daylight between them breaks the sense of weight, so let the cheek press into the arm. Hips rolled back while the shoulders face forward, or the reverse, turns a sleeping figure into an awkward twist. And a top leg laid perfectly on the bottom leg looks stiff and mechanical. Flip through the angles with a purpose: the high angle is best for checking the stacking from above, the back view gives you the long line of the spine, and the low angle offers floor-level foreshortening of the outstretched arm.

Life drawing sessions return to this pose because a model can hold it for a long time, and it suits sleep scenes, beach and picnic illustrations, and quiet bedroom moments in comics. In Edit this pose, bend the knees further toward the chest for a curled version, or straighten the top leg and slide it back to make the figure look like it is lounging rather than asleep.