After drawing the schematic shapes of the torso muscles in the previous tutorial, we need to give our figure something more than just sticks to stand on. So let’s add the schematic shapes of the leg muscles to the figure, as they would appear from a front view at eye level.
Tutorial 05: Adding the Legs to the Schematic Figure from a Front, Eye-Level View
When it comes to drawing the limbs of the body, schematic diagrams are only of limited use. This is because the limbs are subject to so much movement, and their appearance naturally changes with every nuance of articulation. Nevertheless, it’s important to learn to draw a few common views of the limbs as starting points for the numerous variations that these parts of the body can assume.
In learning to draw these standard views, you will also learn certain characteristics of the limbs that are visible in multiple views. The end of this tutorial discusses some of these characteristics in the legs, and it’s important that you read those descriptions and study the last three images in this lesson.
Fig. 1. The schematic drawing of the standing figure as it should appear prior to starting this lesson—ready for adding the legs.
Before we get started, let’s take a look at your drawing at this stage in its development. It should look something like the image in figure 1. If not, I recommend you return to the earlier tutorials to bring your drawing up to this stage of completion before tackling this lesson.
There are 7 steps in this tutorial. As with the previous lesson, you may wish to use a different color here, so as to distinguish the schematic shapes of the muscles from the other lines in your drawing.
Fig. 2. The male genitals may be drawn as a simple rectangle about 1/3 of the way down the fifth head unit.
Step 1: The Pelvic Region
If you wish, reinforce the outer edges of the pelvic region by drawing over the diagonal lines from the hip bones down to the outside of the femurs (fig. 2). If you have not placed the male genitals, do so now with a simple rectangular shape that descends from the groins to about 1/3 of the way down the fifth head unit.
Fig. 3. The outside contours of the thighs run parallel to the axes of the thighs, while the inside contours angle outward around, starting around the bottom of the genitals.
Step 2: The Contours of the Upper Thigh
To the outside of each thigh, draw a line parallel to the axes of the upper legs (that is, the lines representing the femurs; anatomical feature 1, fig. 3). These lines should descend from the top of the fifth head unit down to just above the knees.
On the insides of each thigh, the contours of the upper halves are defined by the adductor muscles, a group of several muscles that are rarely seen individually. With the feet about shoulder width apart, these contours press or nearly press together behind the genitals. Below the genitals, the contours separate, and may be drawn as diagonals that point toward the inside of the knees.
Fig. 4. The sartorius muscles begin at each ASIS and angle across the upper thighs, intersecting the inner contour of each thigh about halfway from the crotch to the knees.
Step 3: The Sartorius and the Inside of the Lower Thigh
Inside the upper thigh is a very important muscle for artists, known as the sartorius (anatomical feature 2, fig. 4). Though not often visible on most people, the sartorius visually separates the adductor muscles (feature 3) from the other muscles of the thighs, and defines a kind of valley between these muscles on the inner edge of the thigh.
Fig. 5. In the lower half of the inner thigh, the sartorius muscles become steeper, and point directly toward the heels.
The sartorius continues downward from where it intersects the inner edge of the adductor muscles to define the inner contour of the lower thigh. This contour is steeper than the contour of the adductors above it, creating a slightly concave edge on the inside of the thigh (fig. 5). Draw this angle on each leg as straight lines from the bottom of the fifth head unit down to the heels, but keep the lines light below the middle of the knees.
Below the knees, these lines act as guides for determining the inner width of the calves, which will align with the heels, ankles, and the inside edge of the sartorius muscles. See Step 7 for how these features should align with each other.
Fig. 6. The muscles to the outside of the pelvic region may be drawn as a group with their inner edges angling outward from each ASIS.
Step 4: The Outer Muscles of the Pelvic Region
On the outside of the pelvic region are two muscles that are partly visible from a front view, the gluteus medius and the tensor fascia lata. For now, we will draw these muscles as a group (anatomical feature #, fig. 6) with its inner edge along a diagonal descending from each ASIS, in the opposite direction from the sartorius. This angle points roughly toward the axis of the upper leg at the bottom of the fourth head unit.
Fig. 7. The outer contour of the lower legs reaches its widest point about halfway down the seventh head unit, and in line with the widest point of the hips.
Step 5: The Outside of the Knees and Lower Legs
To the outside of each leg, the outer contours of the thigh change direction a short distance above the knees (fig. 7). These contours angle outward, forming the outer edges of the calves, and reaching their widest point about halfway down the seventh head unit. This widest point should be in line with the widest point of the hips, at the bottom of the fourth head unit.
From that point, the outer contours of the lower legs curve gently back in toward the ankles. Slightly below the top of the eighth head unit, these contours drop straight down to the outside of each ankle, roughly in line with the outer edges of the rib cage.
Fig. 8. The shins have a noticeable curve similar to that of the axes of the lower legs. The deepest point of this curve is in line with the nipples and ASIS points.
Step 6: The Inner Edge of the Shins
On the inside of the thighs, from a point just above halfway down the knees, draw the shins with two gently curving lines that run roughly parallel to the axes of the lower legs from the first schematic drawing (fig. 8). These lines reach their deepest point toward the bottom of the seventh head unit, in line with the nipples, bottoms of the thoracic arch, and points of the ASIS.
The shin lines then curve back toward the core axis, connecting to the tops of the inside ankles.
Fig. 9. The inner contours of the lower legs descend from the shins at the bottom of the knees, and intersect the guideline projected from the lower thighs, about halfway down the seventh head unit.
Step 7: The Inner Contour of the Lower Legs
The inner contour of the calf muscles and lower legs descend from the line of the shins at the level of the bottoms of the knees, around the top of the seventh head unit (fig. 9). These contours drop steeply to intersect the guide lines that were projected from the lower thighs to the heels in Step 3, intersecting this line about halfway down the seventh head unit.
These lines then cut back toward the shins before changing direction once again to drop toward the inner ankles. From the inside of the knees to the ankles, therefore, the inner contour of the lower legs has a slight S curve.
Fig. 10. The widest points on the inside and outside of the calf muscle should be slightly staggered, with the the inner contour being somewhat lower than the outer. The opposite is true of the ankles.
The legs are now complete. We’ll leave the feet alone for now, as the schematic shapes that already exist there are fine for the time being.Before we complete this tutorial, let’s take a moment and discuss certain common characteristics of the legs as they appear from a front view. Some of these characteristics are noticeable in many views of the legs, and are worth committing to memory.
For example, the concave curve that the inner thighs display at the junction of the adductor muscles and the muscles of the lower thighs—which we discussed in Step 3—is one such characteristic. The curve of the shins is another.
In the lower leg, the widest points of the calf muscle to the inside and outside of the leg should be slightly staggered, with the curve of the inner contour being somewhat lower than the outer (fig. 10). This would impose a slight variation to Steps 5 and 7: instead of putting the widest points of both contours halfway down the seventh head unit, you should place the outer point slightly higher and the inner point slightly lower.
Conversely, the inner and outer ankles are staggered in the opposite direction, with the inner ankle being noticeably higher. The relationship of the two sides of the ankles was noted in the schematic drawing from Tutorial 03, but it’s worth noting again here.
Fig. 11. The sartorius may be connected to the inner curve of the shin and drawn as one continuous line, from ASIS to ankle.
Fig. 12. The curves of the outer contour of the leg echoes the curves of the sartorius and shin, but is staggered slightly higher.
I’ve personally had trouble with the shape of the legs and only just recently figured out what it was I was doing wrong. The S curve, I think, is an excellent detail to remember, and I wish I had learned about it sooner.
Better late than never, King Mickey. Yes, legs are difficult–I always think of Seurat’s painting The Models when I think of how to draw a front view of the legs. But, of course, there are many other great examples to look at.
Drake, Keeping in mind that we are drawing the ‘average’ schematic male figure, I assume that the legs are the forms that are the most constant between different body types. When weight is gained in the male body, is it true that most of the weight is primarily carried within the torso region? Am I correct in thinking that the schematic legs would apply to a larger majority of the population rather than the schematic torso?
Lindsey, this is an excellent question. In the male body, I would say yes, the legs (including hips and buttocks) will vary less across different body types than the torso does. Naturally, there will be some variation in men’s legs, but mostly in terms of muscle mass, not fat accumulation. Men accumulate fat more in the torso, specifically on the flanks of the obliques (the “spare tire”), under the pectorals, and in the abdominal cavity, creating the so-called “pot belly” or “beer belly.”
In the female body, on the other hand, fat accumulates more in the legs and hips, causing the variation there to be greater, with less variation in the torso.
You don’t ask this is in your question, but it’s worth mentioning that when drawing the figure according to different proportional canons, the difference is mostly in the legs for both male and female figures. So the differences between an 8-head high figure and one that is 7-1/2 are mostly in the length of the legs.