How to Draw a Mannequin Body Step by Step TUTORIAL
Drawing legs is a complex endeavor. Then why is this the Piece of cake Step-by-Step guide to cartoon legs? This guide will take y'all through simplified skeletal and muscle beefcake of the legs with easy to understand explanations and illustrations!
As with my previous cartoon tutorials, nosotros will interruption downwards a complex job into a series of smaller and simpler steps. We will kickoff encompass the shape of the leg and major landmarks, then look at the skeletal structure, and then the muscles, and finally will go over drawing examples, step-by-step.
Hither is a summary of the drawing process for cartoon legs:
Found proportions and angles with skeletal guidelines, and so piece of work on identifying and drawing the rhythms of the shape, then fill in the muscle groups, and finally rework the overall drawing correcting for any errors.
In preparation for this guide, I created many leg drawings, three step-by-step examples are at the end of this guide. Hither is what we will comprehend:
Table of contents:
- The full general shape of the leg
- Simplified skeletal structure of the leg
- Femur bone
- Tibia and Fibula
- Pelvic bones
- Simplified muscle groups of the leg
- Quads and Sartorius
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Glutes and tensor
- Adductors
- Knee cap overview
- Muscle Function
- How to describe the legs – footstep-past-step
- Example 1
- Example ii
- Instance 3
1. How to Depict Legs – Full general shape of the leg
Before we go over simplified anatomy of the leg, let'due south look at where we want to cease upwardly. Below are the muscle groups we will go over.
Note these are non all the muscles of the leg. I took measures to simplify beefcake and I edited out a lot of smaller musculus groups, to go us the minimum we need to describe the legs.
Allow's look a bit at what we need to know nearly the shape of the legs:
A great leg drawing is greater than the sum of its parts, that is to say, – greater than just all the muscles slapped together.
The position of the legs can define a pose in effigy cartoon. Let this section serve equally a reminder that after you acquire all the muscles of the leg, when you lot draw, you should exercise not lose sight of the overall.
The shapes in your drawings of the legs should instantly read properly. If the shape does not read correctly, something went incorrect along the way – even if you think the muscles are where they should be – I would go dorsum and check.
With that said, allow's go over important landmarks when drawing the leg.
On the sketch higher up, (illustration on the far left) we run into that the dogie musculus (gastrocnemius) is positioned higher on the outside and lower on the inside of the leg.
It is the opposite with the lateral (outside) and medial (inside) malleolus areas – the sections where tibia and fibula meet with the foot. In those areas, the outside is lower and the inside of the leg has the bony bit higher.
On the illustration on the far right, we tin can run into I indicated the tibia (shin os). In fact, you lot can feel this bone right under the skin on the front end-inner side of the leg as it is mostly uncovered by muscle from the knee to the foot. Subsequently in this tutorial, nosotros will also comprehend the knee cap in more detail.
In the middle illustration above, the great trochanter is indicated – a department of the femur bone very important to drawing the leg every bit it will help to properly situate the glutes and other muscles around it. Nosotros will also cover it beneath.
On the left, y'all see how the sartorius muscle separates the adductors from the quad muscles of the leg, find the modify in management. Notice also that the sartorius appears over the adductors from the front. We volition embrace the quads and the sartorius in the muscles section.
In the image on the correct, notice that there are numerous muscle groups that connect to the medial (inside) condyle of the tibia over the muscles of the calves.
All of these details are important to making your drawings of the legs more believable. Now, without further ado, allow'southward go over the skeletal structure of the leg.
2. How to Draw Legs – Simplified skeletal structure of the leg
Legs function similar to arms, in that there is i large bone from the hip to the knee and two smaller ones from the knee to the pes. Muscles of the leg (quads and hamstrings) also function similarly to triceps and biceps muscles of the arm.
The quads are like the triceps muscles and help extend the limb, while hamstrings are like the biceps and help bend the limb.
For now, let's try to get a general sense of the skeletal structure. We want to know the skeleton considering in the next steps we volition first studying and attaching muscles to this structure.
3. How to Draw Legs – Simplified muscle groups of the leg
Before we cover the quad and hamstring muscles. Here is a simple anatomical tip well-nigh those muscles that should save us much time:
All of the quad muscles take a common insertion point at the kneecap. And all the hamstring muscles have a common origin point, at the ischium.
Yous should also know, that we use the terms 'origin' and 'insertion' when discussing musculus anatomy for a reason. The terms define more just attachment points.
The origin portion of the muscle doesn't move during muscle contraction, while the insertion portion does movement. Ordinarily, origin points are medial, or closer to the center of the trunk. Knowing the difference gives artists an advantage when creating anatomically correct drawings.
Quads (Quadriceps) and Sartorius
At that place are four muscles in the quads. Nosotros volition wait at 3 because the forth is found deep in the leg, not visible in the cartoon of the figure.
The quad muscles extend the leg, similarly to how the triceps muscles extend the arm.
The origin of vastus lateralis is at the greater trochanter area (just below), at the front end (anterior) surface.
The insertion of vastus lateralis is at the common quadriceps tendon enclosing the kneecap (patella). This insertion point is the same for the other two quadriceps muscles we will cover!
In fact, all of these quad muscles connect into a tendon that then moves down and connects at the kneecap.
Origin of vastus medialis is starting at the top of the femur and down along the medial section of the femur.
The insertion of vastus medialis is at the common quadriceps tendon enclosing the kneecap.
Some muscles originate in multiple places, like this one. Rectus femoris originates at anterior inferior iliac spine, and groove superior to the acetabulum. In the image higher up, it is simplified to connect just to the anterior inferior iliac spine which will work fine for our purpose of drawing the leg.
The best way to remember this origin (for simplified anatomical drawings) is to remember that it connects right to a higher place the hip joint at the forepart.
The insertion of rectus femoris is at the common quadriceps tendon enclosing the kneecap (patella) just like the other quadriceps muscles we discussed.
What is actually of import for the quads group, is to proceed in mind that the fullness of the rectus femoris is situated above the other two muscles surrounding it to the left and right – information technology is the higher sitting muscle on the leg, go on that in mind equally you depict the leg from the front.
At present allow'south add the sartorius muscle to quads group.
The sartorius muscle, separates the quads from the abductor muscles at the front of the leg.
Its origin is at the anterior superior iliac spine, and the insertion is at the top of the medial (inner) surface of the tibia bone. (It inserts at the elevation of the insertion of the semitendinosus musculus of the hamstring group – meet beneath).
allow'south speedily recap what we learned and then far, nosotros take rectus femoris that sits on the front of the femur bone, vastus muscles on each side of it, and the sartorius muscle that nosotros just covered above.
It band
Before moving on to the muscles on the dorsum of the leg, we demand to cover 1 more item, the IT band.
The IT band (iliotibial band) also known equally the iliotibial tract, is a long slice of connective tissue, or fascia. The Information technology band stretches beyond vastus lateralis on the outside of the leg and helps to extend, abduct, and rotate the hip.
It stretches from the tenser musculus (covered below) and inserts at the lateral (outside) condyle (ending) of the tibia bone (shinbone).
The Information technology ring is thin, and non hands visible, and information technology not visible in most stylized drawings of anatomy. However, it is often visible in quondam master drawings and in very detailed anatomical drawings in general.
I mention it here in example you lot find yourself wondering most extra definition on superlative of the vastus lateralis muscle (the section of the quads on the exterior of the leg). Now you know what it is!
Hamstrings
Hamstrings are on the back of the leg. They part similar the biceps musculus of the arm, when you lot bend your human knee, hamstrings flex.
The origin of the semimembranosus is the same equally the other major muscles of the hamstrings – at the ischium (the curved bone forming the base of operations of each one-half of the pelvis).
The insertion of the semimembranosus is at the medial condyle of the tibia (a condyle is a rounded protuberance at the end of some bones, forming an articulation with another os).
The origin of biceps femoris is at the ischium (the curved os forming the base of each half of the pelvis). This origin is the same for all three of the muscles we will cover for the hamstrings, making this grouping easy to study for drawing.
The insertion of biceps femoris is on the lateral (outer) side of the head (meridian) of the fibula.
The origin is at the ischium as with the other hamstring muscles we covered. The insertion of semitendinosus is at the medial surface of the superior shaft of the tibia (inner surface of the upper portion of tibia).
Allow's quickly review what we take covered so far with the hamstring muscles. At that place are iii nosotros need to know, i – semimembranosus, sits underneath the other two – the semitendinosus and the biceps femoris.
Calves
The origin of the gastrocnemius muscles is at the posterior (back) surfaces of femoral condyles. (so back sections of the lesser tip of the femur os!).
Insertion is at the back of the heel via the Achilles tendon. I won't hash out the beefcake of the foot in this guide since we take plenty to discuss with the legs. Notwithstanding, if you are curious about how to describe the pes, check out my tutorial here.
In the image below, permit's look at all the muscles we discussed so far:
As you can run across, I added three muscles in pink on summit of the diagram in addition to what we have already covered. Two muscles of the glutes and the tensor, let's discuss them now.
Glutes and Tensor
Tensor fasciae latae (Tensor)
The origin of the tensor is at aterior superior iliac spine and insertion at iliotibial tract – (IT Ring) that attaches to the lateral condyle of the tibia (remember nosotros covered the It band above? aye, it is the same one).
This muscle latches on to the IT band that moves all the way down to the tibia (right on top the vastus lateralis). The IT band is not shown above since it is thin and vastus lateralis is what will bear witness through most of the fourth dimension.
While the tensor muscle seems small, do not overlook it, it is one of those muscles that if omitted will provide for a leg cartoon that never looks correct.
Gluteus medius
The gluteus medius has an origin at the posterior department of the ilium (Gluteal surface of ilium ) with insertion at the lateral surface of the greater trochanter (femur).
Gluteus maximus
The gluteus maximus has an origin at sacrum and coccyx, and the gluteal surface of ilium with insertion at the Iliotibial tract (Information technology band), and gluteal tuberosity of the femur.
Adductors
At that place are multiple muscles at the adductor group, they generally originate from the pelvis and insert at various points at the femur. This muscle group helps bring the leg back towards the middle of the body.
Most are visible on the inside of the leg. Equally you lot see in the diagram in a higher place, I am simplifying this unabridged section. But why?
As I was studying the muscles of the leg for drawing, information technology became clear that information technology is hard to get a grasp of all the muscles all at in one case.
I suggest studying anatomy for drawing in passes. If y'all are studying the beefcake of the legs for the first pass, know that the adductor group is there and is of import. One time you lot are familiar with the remainder of the muscles in this guide, the grouping tin can be revisited.
I will leave you with this drawing that shows the gracilis muscle, a major adductor, together with semitendinosus (hamstring group covered higher up) and sartorius (covered above). As I mentioned above, in that location are more adductor muscles to study, and there are more muscles to study at the genu-to-foot section every bit well.
Muscles of the leg – simplified anatomy review, Origin and Insertion
| Insertion | Origin | Insertion |
|---|---|---|
| Quads (front of leg): | ||
| Rectus femoris | Inductive inferior iliac spine, and groove superior to the acetabulum (right to a higher place the hip articulation) | At the common quadriceps tendon enclosing the kneecap (patella). |
| Vastus lateralis | Greater trochanter area, at the front end (anterior) surface. | same equally rectus femoris |
| Vastus medialis | Starting at the top of the femur and down along the medial department of the femur. | same as rectus femoris |
| Sartorius: | At the anterior superior iliac spine. | Insertion is at the top of the medial (inner) surface of the tibia bone. |
| Hamstrings (dorsum of leg): | ||
| Biceps femoris | ischium -the curved bone forming the base of operations of each half of the pelvis | femoris is on the lateral (outer) side of the head (acme) of the fibula. |
| Semi-tendinosus | Same as biceps femoris | Medial surface of the superior shaft of the tibia (inner surface of upper portion of tibia) |
| Semi-membranosus | aforementioned as biceps femoris | medial condyle of the tibia |
| Calves – gastrocnemius | Medial and lateral heads arise from posterior surfaces of femoral condyles. (so back sections of the lesser tip of the femur bone!) | Back of heel of the foot via Achilles tendon |
| Glutes: | ||
| Gluteus maximus | Sacrum and coccyx, gluteal surface of ilium | Iliotibial tract, gluteal tuberosity of femur |
| Gluteus medius | Posterior department of the ilium (Gluteal surface of ilium ) | lateral surface of the greater trochanter (femur) |
| Tensor fasciae latae | Aterior superior iliac spine | Iliotibial tract – (Information technology Ring) that attached to the lateral condyle of the tibia. |
| Adductors (grouped): | There are multiple muscles a the adductor group, they by and large originate from the pelvis | and inert at diverse points at the femur. |
Kneecap overview
Cartoon the knee is a large topic and, and then I created a separate tutorial going over drawing the knee in detail. However, let's bear on the basics of what is happening at the knee joint for drawing the leg.
At the knee joint, condyles of the femur bone and the tibia come up together. A condyle is a rounded protuberance at the terminate of some bones, serving articulation with some other bone. The condyles on both of these bones are massive and often some of the os of the condyle tin be seen on the surface.
The patella (human knee cap), connects the tendons that unify the quad muscles – all of them wrap into it, and then the patellar tendon moves down and connects at the to elevation of the tibia.
The place where the tendon connects is a pointy bony flake, which sometimes can get in seem like there are two kneecaps, 1 on tiptop of the other. Well, the one on the height is the genu cap, the stuff underneath is its tendon that fastened on top of the tibia – the patellar tendon.
At this point we discussed at length the bones and muscles of the leg. Allow's now review the functions of the muscles, and and then move to cartoon the legs stride-past-pace.
4. How to Draw Legs – Musculus Office
Muscles of the leg – simplified anatomy review, Function
| Muscle | Function |
|---|---|
| Quads: | |
| Rectus femoris | Extension of the leg at the knee articulation |
| Vastus lateralis | Extension of the leg at the knee joint |
| Vastus medialis | Extension of the leg at the knee joint joint |
| Sartorius: | Flexion, abduction, rotation of the thigh at hip, flexion and rotation of lower leg at knee |
| Hamstrings: | |
| Biceps femoris | Flexes the leg at knee joint |
| Semi-tendinosus | Flexes the leg at knee joint joint |
| Semi-membranosus | Flexes the leg at articulatio genus joint |
| Calves – gastrocnemius | Flexion of human foot, flexes leg at knee |
| Glutes: | |
| Gluteus maximus | Extension and rotation of thigh at the hip joint |
| Gluteus medius | Abduction and extension of thigh at hip joint |
| Tensor fasciae latae | flexion, rotation and abduction of thigh at hip articulation |
| Adductors (grouped): | adduct thigh, flex thigh and rotate thigh. |
5. How to Depict Legs – step-by-step examples
Cartoon legs – Example i:
Let'southward take this drawing of the legs pace-past-step together:
When I depict-in these outset marks on the canvas, I am measuring proportions, relative position (of one leg to the other), and angles at which the legs announced to the viewer. I attempt to do this all at once in this kickoff step.
Oft it is a lot to remember virtually, especially when drawing something complex similar the legs, then take your fourth dimension with this first stride. Measuring things out, go back if you take to.
Feeling confident with the pose, I start to block in shapes.
At this time I focus on orienting the main muscle groups, the quads show upwardly the most in this drawing, and then I focus on placing them. Remember the anatomy of the leg as you are drawing – this is where our anatomy overview (run into above) really starts to become useful.
I know that at the front, three muscles of the quads are visible, vastus medialis on the inside, vastus lateralis on the outside, and rectus femoris in between the ii.
I know that the belly of the femoris muscle sits higher on the leg. It is much easier to spot all of this on the model when you lot know what you should see when y'all draw.
Using this noesis I identify the musculus groups accordingly, not simply based on the data I see in the model, only based on my framing of this information given the anatomy groundwork I at present accept.
After placing the quads, I likewise added placement for the sartorius musculus, that divides the quads from adductors on the front end of the leg.
The sartorius is most visible and easy to identify as a diagonal line running from the knee joint to the to of the hip.
I decided to draw over what I built then far with cleaner lines in this step.
With structure and placement out of the way, I can begin to shade the muscles of the leg to requite our drawing of the legs some volume.
Shading is another topic, simply you come across me calculation some more here, I also (every bit you lot saw in the previous step) added a neutral color to the entire image and so that I could place white highlights.
Here I separated the drawing of the legs from the groundwork past placing in a one-half-tone with a value closer to the shadow areas.
Although the drawing is non finished, I added some highlights to see where I am with book. I now take the darkest darks and the lightest lights on my sheet and will work within these parameters to finish the drawing.
Finally, I added rendering detail and tried to ascertain separate musculus groups by defining the book of each.
Knowing the shape of the muscles will ascertain how y'all approach rendering them, the placement of shadows and lights. While good reference can provide this information, combining information technology with your knowledge of muscle anatomy should produce even ameliorate results.
Here is video process of the legs drawing above:
Drawing legs – Example 2:
Aforementioned equally in the first case, I start with simple skeletal draft that defines the pose, angles and proportional relationships. I am thinking about the position of the feet, and identifying landmarks.
Happy with the placement and angles in the original sketch, I move the drawing along with some rough outlines of the shapes I am trying to develop.
Try to imagine the lines on paper before you draw them.
Having the foundation of the cartoon finished, I added detail with a bit more confidence. Y'all can already see the adductors on the within of the legs, as well as the sartorius musculus and some indication of the quad group.
Here I drew in all of the muscles of the upper leg. Can you identify the quad muscles? Vastus lateralis, rectus femoris and vastus medialis? Can you see the hamstrings or the tensor? If you tin't place these all the same, don't worry, review the musculus section and come back to this sketch.
In this step, I added some shadows to effort to separate the class from the sheet.
Here I added the mid-tones to the drawing, as well equally the darker darks.
And finally some highlights to identify the forms of this sketch of the legs.
Cartoon legs – Example 3
Let's look at 1 more example:
I start this drawing similar I did the other ii, with a very basic skeletal outline of the angles and proportions. You should be request yourself things like – where is the knee on this leg in relation to the articulatio genus of the other? What are the angles of the feet in relation to one another? – E'er describe in context to other landmarks already on the page.
Once the basic angles and proportions look fine to me, I create a sketch shape outline noting major landmarks.
In this stride, I added a stronger outline to improve read the shape. I also separated the quads from hamstrings in the leg closest to us.
Here I added a bit of shading and some drop shadows to situate the legs. If y'all are curious about calorie-free and shading, check out my tutorial on exactly that at this link.
This concludes my step-by-step guide to drawing legs. For me, leg anatomy has been more difficult to study than the other parts of the body, I hope I made it a bit easier for you with this guide!
Remember that drawing legs is similar drawing anything else – combine cognition of the subject area with drawing skills for best results. We spent a lot of time going over how to draw the legs, it is now time for you to put what y'all learned to practice!
For my other anatomy tutorials, visit this link. As always, yous tin can provide feedback on this guide by contacting me here.
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How to Draw a Mannequin Body Step by Step TUTORIAL
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