Drawing the Invisible

Thought, intention, and the secret behind storytelling poses.

Jul 17, 2026

Why Do Some Poses Tell a Story?

One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is why some drawings immediately tell a story while others don’t.

Most art books talk about anatomy, perspective, gesture, or proportion. Those things matter, of course. But I don’t think they’re where a great pose begins.

I think it begins with a simple question:

What is this character thinking?

Years ago, while I was at Disney, we had actors come in and teach acting workshops. They weren’t talking about drawing. They were talking about objectives, intentions, and behavior. What does the character want? What are they trying to accomplish? How does that affect the way they stand, walk, or sit in a chair?

That idea stuck with me.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that a pose is really the visible result of an invisible thought.

I’ve also been looking at these ideas through another lens. For years I’ve taught Bruce Block’s concepts of Contrast and Affinity. They changed the way I think about visual design because they gave me a way to analyze what I was seeing.

Lately I’ve realized those same ideas apply not only to the human figure, but the storytelling poses as well.

A pose can be open or closed. Balanced or off balance. Heavy or light. Relaxed or tense. None of those are rules. They’re qualities that exist on a spectrum. By adjusting them, even slightly, you can completely change what a drawing communicates.

That’s what I want to explore in my next FREE (oh yeah, I said FREE) workshop, Poses That Tell Stories.

We’ll look at examples from animation, comics, and illustration, and we’ll borrow a few ideas from acting along the way. My goal isn’t simply to show you how to pose a figure. It’s to help you see what makes one pose feel awkward, and another tell an entire story.

If you’ve ever looked at a drawing and thought, “Why does this one work so much better?” I think you’ll enjoy this conversation.

I’d love to have you join me.