Koteri Kollege Lesson 1: Arms

Welcome to lesson 1 of Koteri Kollege. I hope you've gotten a chance to watch my Youtube video, if not, check it out now! (unless it hasn't been uploaded yet). This will be the first of many. This lesson will help you to draw the arm with all of its muscles and bones. One day, you'll be able to draw it from memory, and from any angle. That is only if you take this seriously.  So let's begin.

PART 1: DRAWING FROM REFERENCE

We begin with the bones. The arm consists of 3 bones. The humerus, radius, and ulna. Exercise 1: Begin by studying the same reference that I used. Keep in mind the proportions. Do not rush to get it done as quickly as possible. Take your time, and put some finesse in there.

Exercise 2: Don't forget to draw the arm in both supinated and pronated positions. Keep in mind that the radius overlaps the ulna and not the other way around.

Exercise 3: Let's draw the hand. The hand is more complex. There are 8 carpals inside our hands. You can be a smartass and remember each one, or you can be like me and gloss over them. As long as you keep the overall shape accurate, of course. For now, let's draw them to get a better understanding of it.

Exercise 4: Next up, we have the scapula. The scapula is fundamental in the movement of the arm. In fact, many muscles that are in the arm stem from the scapula. This is the reference I used in my video, and the same reference I used many years ago back in college. Make sure to keep an eye on the overall shape while drawing them, and oyea, label!

Things to pay attention to:
The acromial process meets the clavicle. The glenoid cavity is a small crevice in which the humerus fits into. Think of a ball and socket joint. That's basically what your shoulder is.

Make sure you draw these each and have them labeled. This method ensures that they stay clear in your mind because we'll be testing your brain in the next section.

PART 2: DRAWING BONES FROM MEMORY

TEST 1
Now, on a separate page, let's redraw what we just learned. If you're not feeling ready to do this section yet, go back to part 1 and study some more. No shame in it, we all forget things. I know I do. If you think you're up to the task, then try this.

1. Draw the bones of the arm with the scapula, clavicle, and hand in both pronated and supinated poses - without reference of course, since this is a memory test.  Label the bones.

2. Draw the scapula from 3 angles. Front, side, and back. Label the acromion process, glenoid cavity, coracoid process, and the spine of the scapula.

PART 3: MUSCLES OF THE ARM

Next up is the part most of you were looking forward to. Let's take a look at the muscles of the arm.

Exercise 5. Draw the arms shown above and label the muscles.
This diagram isn't the absolute best, however, it is very good at showing us the different angles of the arms and the names of the muscles. I highly suggest taking down the names of the muscles shown.

Here is a list for you:
Deltoids (Anterior, Medial, Posterior)
Biceps brachii ( brachii is latin for "of the arm")
Brachialis
Triceps Brachii ( Short, Medial, Long)
Brachioradialis
Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus ( longus is latin for long)
Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis ( brevis is latin for short)
Extensor Digitorum ( digitorum is latin for "of the fingers or toes")
Flexor Carpi Radialis
Abductor Pollicis Longus ( pollicis is possessive of pollex, which is latin for thumb)
Extensor Pollicis Brevis
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris
Pronator Teres ( teres is latin for round and long)

What you will notice is that the muscles that help flex the fingers are on the underside of the arm, while muscles that aid in extending the fingers are on the top of the arm. This rule follows through with the rest of the body. Your back muscles aid you in pulling while your chest aids in pushing.
Furthermore, each muscle's name correlates with its function. For example, Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus is the muscle that stems from the radius that reaches the carpals of the hand, and its role is to help extend the fingers. While longus means that it is the longer muscle, thus there is a short version, which there is, aptly called brevis. On the opposite side of the arm, we find the Flexor Carpi Radialis. This muscle helps flex the fingers, and it too originates from the radius and ends at the carpals. So, it's one thing to just know the names, but it's another to understand what they mean.

Exercise 6 : Draw the following poses. Trust me, nothing helps with understanding the muscles more than drawing them in a pose. You're not going to draw characters in stiff poses every time. They'll be moving, doing some sort of action, and these diagrams are great in helping expand your knowledge of the arm.

Learning the muscles really helps with working out too. You can feel sore in an area and know exactly what muscle you're making stronger! I find these guides to be fantastic, as the diagrams are very accurate, and the attention to detail is immaculate. 

Push movements require the triceps while pulling movements require the biceps. That means when the arms are straight, your biceps are relaxed and your triceps are activated, making them bulge. Accordingly, when you curl a weight, your triceps relax and instead your biceps begin to bulge.

This is a fantastic inside view of the arm. Do you know how difficult it is to find such an incredible image? Very, because often they suck. Note how the tricep's long head covers so much of the upper underarm, while the medial head is quite smaller in comparison. Peep the coracobrachialis, it was in my video. Finally, note the brachialis, a muscle you see from both the lateral view of the arm and the inside view.

The posterior delt travels far, nearing the center of our back. It sits under the upper portion of our trapezius.

PART 4: DRAWING THE MUSCLES OF THE ARM FROM MEMORY
TEST 2
Now, here's the home stretch. What you're going to do is similar to the first test. I hope you've been doing as I said because you'll regret it if you didn't.  I want you to draw the arm 5 times. One from the front, one from the side, and one from the back.  The two other poses should be more dynamic and perhaps pronated. I just want you to flex your mental muscles.  Label the muscles. If you make mistakes, don't worry, continue on; you can fix it later. 

Now, how do you feel? Do you feel smarter? Of course, you do! Because you did just get smarter. This was a lot of work! Believe me, I remember doing it, and boy was it tough. But now look at where I am. I took this stuff really seriously, and it's for those reasons I'm at the level I'm at. You can join me, but you're not done yet.

HOMEWORK TIME!

I want you to do this again 2 more times this week, for a total of three times per week. If you want better results, do it until you remember the muscles from memory without any mistakes. Study the bones, and then study the muscles. Once you've done that, draw each from memory. Bonus points if you name them all. Your study sessions should last between 1.5 to 3 hours each day. Find pictures of athletes (wrestlers, weight lifters, sprinters) basically anyone muscular, and draw them. Try to really showcase their arm muscles. No slacking! Alright, I hope you enjoyed this! Study hard!