Hand on HeadPose Reference
Camera angles
Standing Hand on Head pairs a lifted elbow with crossed legs, giving this wooden drawing figure an uneven, flowing silhouette.
Tags: standingfigure drawingfull bodyhand on head
How to draw the Hand on Head pose
three-quarter view 
side view 
back view 
high-angle view
A single raised arm makes a canopy beside the head while its partner drops toward the outside thigh. The pelvis shifts away from the supporting leg, so the torso does not sit squarely above the narrow arrangement of feet. Follow the long outer contour from the lifted elbow through the waist and into the opposing hip. That changing direction is more useful than tracing every joint immediately. The leg crossing supplies a second, smaller reversal lower down, connecting a quiet standing gesture to an unexpectedly active outline.
Begin your sketch with the head, rib cage and pelvis as three separate masses. Their angles should not become identical just because the figure is nearly upright. Front views clarify the gap beneath the bent arm and the order of the crossed knees; a side view reveals whether the wrist approaches the crown without pushing through it. From behind, compare the shoulder tilt with the hip line. The wooden mannequin simplifies contact at the hand, so interpret that connection as a drawing guide rather than a demonstration of detailed fingers gripping the scalp.
More on angles and common mistakes
A common drawing error is to center the pelvis between the feet and erase the relaxed weight shift. Another is to shorten the hanging arm because its hand seems close to the crossing leg. Establish elbow height before finishing that forearm. This reference suits character introductions, fashion gesture thumbnails and studies of asymmetrical standing balance. Choose Edit this pose and lower the raised elbow a little while keeping the wrist near the head; the opening beside the face will become narrower and the overall attitude more reserved. Compare the original and adjusted silhouettes at a small size to see how much expression comes from that one triangular gap.
Free to use (CC0). The pose images on this page are released under CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication). Use them for drawing practice, commercial illustration, reference sheets or AI image generation; no attribution is required. A credit to PoseMaker is appreciated but optional.
Hand on Head pose prompt
Copy a prompt for your AI image generator. Pair it with the OpenPose skeleton in ControlNet so the generated character matches this exact pose.
General prompt
A person stands with one hand resting on top of the head and the opposite arm hanging loosely. The legs cross below a shifted hip, with the head facing forward. Show the entire figure against a plain background.
Midjourney
full body person, hand resting over crown, one elbow lifted outward, opposite arm relaxed downward, crossed standing legs, shifted pelvis, forward facing head, clear silhouette, simple studio background --ar 2:3 --style raw
Stable Diffusion
1person, full body, standing, hand on head, raised elbow, bent arm, relaxed opposite arm, crossed legs, shifted hips, uneven shoulders, forward gaze, front view, gesture study, visible feet, plain background, clean silhouette, natural proportions, soft lighting
Negative prompt
both arms raised, uncrossed legs, centered stiff hips, hand inside head, elbow fused to skull, floating feet, extra arms, missing hands, duplicated legs, broken joints, cropped feet, busy background
OpenPose skeleton for ControlNet
Load the PNG into a ControlNet OpenPose unit (preprocessor: none), or import the JSON into an OpenPose editor.
Have a photo of the pose you want?
Upload it to Photo to Pose. We detect the pose in your browser and put it on the mannequin, ready to adjust.