I think the primary difficulty in this picture is the hips. Making both legs look like they’re coming from the hips in the appropriate locations, and making it look like she’s actually sitting at the same time. Add on top of that, the legs have to be stretched out on the ground in a relaxed, yet believable position.

The left leg is completely in front of the right leg where it connects to the hip, but it is still important to draw the guides where it would be coming from so that you make sure you get the right lengths and angle for the right leg. The ‘hip-guide’ was used again here to help define how wide and deep the hips should be - and also to help establish where the buttocks were so that it could look like she was actually sitting on something.

The circle around the waste helps to define the thickness to the body, and the circular area extending below it shows the length and width of the hips before taking the legs into account. The legs then extend from this shape.

Since the head is looking upwards, the base of the chin is visible, and the jaw doesn’t create a defined line between the neck and the head. The neck blends into the base of the chin, and the back of the head without having the head an neck distinctly separated by the jaw line.

The body is leaning backwards, so the left arm has to support this weight. Therefore it is stiffer then it would be if it were relaxed on the ground. It is obvious that the right arm is relaxed on the right leg because it is bent at the elbow. Where she holding herself up by holding her leg, the arm would be straighter and tenser. The hand would also have to be grasping lower on the leg in order to get a good hold, and this force would pull up the right leg. All of these ‘real-world’ concepts have to be taken into account when designing a pose. With, and possibly even despite, all these ‘real-world’ details, the figure still has to maintain a fluid and lifelike appearance that is appealing to the eye.

Even the most realistic and accurate pose can be trash if it’s a boring pose or drawn at a boring angle. Once you’re satisfied with your ability to draw someone from a 3/4ths angle, try drawing that same pose from a really low, or a really high angle. Add some perspective to it and see if you can still make the pose look realistic. Experiment with practices like this to improve and go to higher levels. But don’t push yourself and try to go faster then you should. A slow pace is not a bad pace. Don’t try everything at once. Take it one step at a time.

There are fewer things as difficult as drawing something laying down. We’re just not accustomed to it. So many things have to be done differently in order to achieve a believable outcome.

Once I had the head basically drawn out, I drew the oval for the shoulders to define their position, thickness, and perspective. Since the right shoulder is further away, the oval gets smaller at that end, then for the left shoulder. In addition to this oval, I drew a circle to help myself visualize where the neck actually connected with the shoulders. A basic guide for the rib cage was necessary to make sure I maintained a certain thickness for the upper torso. I knew that I wanted the spine to be curving (if you looked at this person from above you’d see that the hips are tilted more then the shoulders creating a “(“-like curve with the spine) so I made sure to draw the hip guide at a more distinct angle then I had drawn the shoulder guide.

Drawing in the guides for the pelvic bone joints was especially important with this image since so much layering and foreshortening had to be done with the right leg.

Pay attention to how much smaller the legs and feet are in comparison to the arms and hands. This is another use of foreshortening. This helps to generate the illusion that the picture has actual depth.

The stomach is flat on the ground, but the spine curves upwards. This curve gives the figure a more fluid appearance. But this upward curve isn’t possible without the support to hold the shoulders and the head up, so the arms have to help push the body upwards. The weight is being place on the elbows where they meet the ground, so the forearms can be relaxed. This relaxation gives it a more natural feel.

Since the upper torso is being held upwards, the breasts are more directly affected by gravity. They hang out (or down, in this case) then they normally would, because gravity is pulling them that way.

At the point where the line coming down from the shoulders stops at the center of the back, you get the visual impression that this is the thinnest point at her waist. While there is no line to show that her hips get wider from there, the illusion is created.

Another illusion is that of the right leg. You cannot see the upper leg at all, but you can tell where the knee is bending, and where the leg is coming from in the hips. The calf is smaller then that of the left leg, and the foot gets a lot smaller. Add to this the fact that it is layered behind it, and the illusion of depth is once again accomplished.

I hope this tutorial has done some good. I'm sorry I couldn't include more of it on the website, but I think that these are the most useful examples.

Good Luck!