Drawing is a skill that improves with practice.
Illustrators drawing prehistoric people use the same basic process that they do when drawing modern people. However, certain features appear differently when illustrating a person from long ago. Prehistoric people lived very differently than people live today. Those lifestyle variances, as well as where they were in evolutionary history, made their bodies appear slightly different than the modern human body.
Instructions
1. Draw a somewhat egg-shaped head, wider on the bottom than the top. In prehistoric times, people didn’t have access to soft, processed foods. They had to really chew, resulting in very developed jaw muscles and underbites.
2. Use lines to create a stick version of the body. For a frontal view, draw a horizontal line just under the chin to indicate the shoulders. Remember that prehistoric people didn’t have much leisure time; they were muscular and fit, with broad shoulders. Draw a vertical line down from the chin to mark the torso. Split that line at the hips and position the legs shoulder-width apart to support your character’s weight. Draw lines for the arms that start at the ends of the shoulder line and end just below the hips.
3. Create a backdrop for your prehistoric person. Sketch a background consisting of a horizon line to split the sky from the land. Then add rocks, trees, clouds, birds, a sun and any other embellishments you want to include. You don’t need to make it detailed; just block in the basic shapes for now. While you don't have to draw a background, putting your character into a setting makes him more believable and results in a more finished-looking piece.
4. Sketch your caveman's body using the stick figure as a guide. Again, he should have muscles from all his running, hunting and other physical activities. Additionally, your caveman should slouch forward since he hasn’t yet evolved to stand completely erect. To achieve this appearance, draw the shoulders high and don’t draw a neck. Give him a large barrel chest with a short, narrow abdomen to complete the slouched look.
5. Sketch the basic shape of his hair and beard while keeping in mind that prehistoric people didn’t have access to combs, scissors or razors. His hair and beard should appear long and unkempt. Draw his eyes in the center of the head shape. Give him the appearance of a protruding forehead by drawing a unibrow just above his eyes. Draw the bottom of his nose halfway between his eyes and chin. To make it look like he has an underbite, draw his mouth just below the bottom of his nose and make his lower lip large without an upper lip.
6. Go back over the entire drawing adding detail and shading. Fill in his hair and beard, draw his muscle definition, and tighten up the background. Give your caveman a loincloth covering just his pelvic area or a toga-like outfit pulled over one shoulder.
7. Erase your guidelines and any mistakes you may have made.
