One of the most popular books on the topic is “Artistic Anatomy” by Paul Richer. As you read or watch, it’s important to make your own sketches of the different body parts along with the book or instructor.
The collarbone, which is located where the neck and chest meet. The elbows, located where the upper and lower arms meet. The spine, which runs down the middle of the back. The kneecaps, which are found between the upper and lower legs. The ribs, located at the front of the torso below the chest.
Once you have a sense of how the skeleton is built, you can practice drawing it on its own in different poses.
Since you will rarely draw a person standing perfectly straight, it’s important to get a sense of how the skeletal system will be shaped in other cases.
Start learning with the largest of these and move on to smaller ones as you get more confident about the shapes of the large ones.
The quadriceps, which are located at the front of the thighs. The hamstrings, which are located on the back of the thighs. The calves, which are found on the back of the lower legs. The chest muscles, located directly over the chest. The back muscles, which stretch across both the upper and lower back. The shoulder muscles, which are found on the front, side, and back of the shoulders. The triceps, located on the back of the upper arms. The biceps, which are found on the front of the upper arms. The forearms, which are located on the lower half of the arms. The abdominal muscles, which are found over the lower half of the torso.
For example, the Achilles tendon, which connects the calf muscles to the heel bone, is visible on the back of the leg. [8] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
It’s important to find a balance between accurate representation and your own drawing style.
Proportions are often measured in terms of “heads. ” For instance, the center of the chest is typically the same distance from the bottom of the head as the length of the head itself, a distance called “2 heads,” while the navel is considered to be “3 heads” down. Other head-based proportions include the crotch, which is 4 heads down, the knees, which are 2 heads below the crotch, and the feet, which are 2 more heads lower than the knees. For arms, some example proportions are the shoulders, which are around 1/4 of a head below the chin, the elbows, which are level with the bellybutton, the wrists, which will line up with the hips, and the fingertips, which fall just above the mid-thigh.
For example, you might start with cylinders for the thighs and lower legs, spheres for the knee caps, and a square for the upper torso. Drawing these simple forms first will make it easier to capture the figure’s movement and overall shape.
Be sure to start with the skeletal and mass landmarks you learned and try different poses to get a sense for where they will be in those positions. Try drawing people of different shapes and sizes to see how the anatomy changes, especially the muscle and skin layers. Artists beginning to use anatomy as a guide for their figures often start by drawing the body in anatomical layers. As you improve, start to abstract the skeleton and muscles into chunks so that you can draw the layers much more quickly.
