Anatomy Drawing Tutorial for Improved Character Illustrations
When it comes to human body, improving your character illustration requires a basic knowledge of anatomy drawing which you can get from this tutorial.
Let’s start with spine. It has three parts.
- Cervical spine to provide mobility to our head.
- Thoracic or dorsal spine to support our ribs.
- Lumbar spine situated before the pelvis is connected to our sacrum.
The cervical spine in the neck is situated behind our jaw. Various muscles operate the movement of our head, the V-shape one is the most prominent that parts from the ear to the center of our clavicles. Adam’s apple is in the center of all these muscles and it’s more prominent in men. The dorsal spine connects to our arms. The sternum is located at the closing, creating an imaginary parting line dividing
our body into two parts.
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The clavicles change their directions with the arms’ movement, they support the shoulder. There are should blades or scapulae in the back. As the bones move, the shape of our back changes. The pelvis at the torso’s end is connected from the sacrum to the lumbar spine. There are ilium and pubis seen in the front on both sides. The ilium guides you in your anatomy drawing in terms of the angles of the hip. These two dimples at the spine’s finishing point helps identify the sacrum before the buttocks start. Female body usually has wider hips than the male body.
If we know the anatomy and limitations of our limbs, we will never end up into unrealistic anatomy drawing.
Arms
The humerus in the upper portion of the arm is a strong and long bone connecting to the elbow and articulation the forearm. The radius and ulna are in the forearm, bones crossing to allow the wrist to rotate.
Legs
We have:
- Femur leg bone in the thigh
- Knee
- Fibula
- Tibia in our calf area
Legs support the body and provide balance, but they are not complete vertical lines. To ensure that your anatomy drawing achieves that balance and rhythm, be careful of the inclination of the femur to the knee from the hips and of the curves creating the contour of our legs. There is a space between the femur and the hip bone, especially in men, as they have less muscle mass there.
Proportions
Proportions of human bodies vary according to heights and other physical characteristics. Artists often change the proportions to get away from “ideal” ones, or to emphasize some unique characteristics. However, the fundamentals of anatomy drawing must be properly learnt to enhance your human figure drawing styles.
You can compare the size of the hands to that of the face and the feet with the forearm to ensure a well-proportioned drawing. Remember, the side-to-side length of your extended arms is the same as your height.
Finally, observing people, thinking figures in 3D and researching on the body parts will surely improve your anatomy drawing, provided you keep drawing body parts more and more!
