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Mastering the Anatomy of the Arm and Hand

Added 2018-10-14 01:33:07 +0000 UTC

The best way to begin drawing a complex form like the arm is learning to simplify it to it's most basic shapes. The shoulder is a round triangle, the upper arm is a simpler cylindrical form, the forearms are cone shaped, and the hands can be simplified to look like mittens. Once you've become adjusted to drawing a simple arm multiple times, then it is time begin learning the anatomy.

There are multiple sources online to help you with learning the muscles of the arm, but I'll link you a few. It may be a little jarring seeing so many different terms to learn for just the arm, but with a couple hours of rehearsing and practice, you'll see a major jump in improvement.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/7c/f7/01/7cf70186baae9fccf0f06a98b4b9ebb4.jpg

https://humananatomycharty.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/human-arm-muscle-anatomy-human-arm-muscles-human-body-anatomy-system.jpg

The hand is one of the most complex anatomical structures found on the human body. It is capable of changing its form many times over. Using the mitten technique from above will help you get started in creating the daunting task of drawing hands. Remember, the palm never actually changes shape, only the thumb and fingers are capable of moving, and when you clench your hand into a fist, your forcing the soft tissues on your palm to bunch up and create wrinkles. The only method to truly develop your hand drawing skills is by filling up pages with drawings of your own hand in different angles and shapes. It is the one reference you always have.

Now that you better understand the muscles of the arm and hand, it's time to learn how the skeleton beneath the muscles work. The arm is made of three bones, the humerus, the ulna, and the radius. The radius is where the magic happens that allows us to rotate our hands from a pronated position (palm facing down) to a supinated position (palm facing up) . As you rotate your hand, your radius begins to rotate as it ends up overlapping your ulna. This change in skeletal form also causes the muscles on your arm, (most notably your brachioradialis) to change position and form. Try it yourself, hold your arm out with your hand in a supinated position, and then rotate it to a pronated position and notice the muscles around your elbow changing positions because they are attached to your radius.

WHAT TO DO?

The first thing to do is begin drawing arms over and over again. I will link several reference images that I've personally used to see an improvement in my overall knowledge of anatomy. A great exercise is to jot down the names of the muscles once you've drawn it. This will reinforce your memory and give you a "to do list" that you can follow, just so you don't forget something and have your arm looking wonky at the end.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/67/fa/88/67fa881961941747749fab796d513b71.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4c/c7/2c/4cc72c44575dd2dc73a227af405ea250.jpg