How to draw arms.

Drawing arms for beginners.

How to draw arms.

Before I begin this tutorial, I will briefly describe the arms.

The arms made up of the upper arm that extends from the shoulder to the elbow. The lower arm that connects from the midpoint of the elbow to the wrist. The wrists that connect to the hand.

The actual term arm refers specifically to the part of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow. The part between the elbow and the wrist referred to as the forearm, although when talking about the arm its usually accepted as meaning the whole arm from shoulder to wrist.

There are several theories as to the correct proportions of the arm in relation to the body. The most famous being Vitruvian Man, by Leonardo da Vinci. However, I prefer to use artistic license. Believing that you can judge the arms in relation to the rest of the body to suit the pose required.

However, throughout this tutorial on how to draw arms, I will show examples and divide the arms into equal parts. This should give you an idea of the arms overall appearance on a subject's body in various poses. We are all good judges of what looks right or not, and nobody has perfect symmetry. We are all different in our appearances. So by using the examples provided, you should be able to get a reasonably accurate representation of your subject. While also learning a little more on how to draw arms.

Muscles of the arm.

The arm has three main muscle groups. They comprise of the Biceps that is a two-headed muscle that links from under the deltoid muscle down to the elbow. The Triceps which is a three-headed muscle that works in opposition to the bicep that also connects under the deltoid and below the elbow, and the Forearm. The Forearm consists of the Flexor's which curl the wrist down and forwards and the forearm extensors which curl the wrist back and up.

Sketch of a muscular male arm.

The sketches above are of a muscular male arm. They are there to give you a basic idea of the muscle groups of the arm. How they look and add to its overall shape. As we are concentrating on the female, her arms will be slightly thinner and the muscle groups will be a lot less prominent. However, they are all the same. You will still need to keep in mind the position of the three muscle groups in relation to the position of the arms in your drawing.

How to draw arms on a basic figurative female form.

When drawing the arms it is important to make sure that, they look in proportion to the rest of the body. If you are drawing a basic figurative female form then she will have a less defined smoother looking appearance. If you are drawing a fit strong looking female then you will need to increase her arm size to show the shapes of the muscles in relation to their position on the arms. This, however, does not mean that you have to adhere strictly to what I have said. Only you know what you want and how you want the finished subject to look. Using my original basic sketch of a female body as seen in my How to draw the female body for absolute beginners tutorial, under The female body outline. I will try to demonstrate how the arms will look in relation to the upper body.

In my first example, the subjects of a slender build with a pear-shaped figure and little if any definition or muscle tone. Her upper arms are of a light build and her body is smooth in appearance. Her forearms will show a little shape from her elbow over the extensor muscles then taper slightly toward the wrist. The backs of her arms will appear almost flat with no definition. As the flexor muscles will not be visible.

How to draw arms on a muscular woman.

My second subject is more muscular in appearance. Her arms will need to portray this. From her shoulders, that are slightly rounded and more defined her upper arms curve over her Bicep and Triceps muscles down toward the elbow. Her forearms are more defined as she has larger Flexor and Extensor muscles that add a more definite curved appearance to them.

Although both these sketches are of the same subject they both appear completely different. By adding muscle shape to the arms and body you can alter the overall look of your subject. In the following pages, I will try to demonstrate and explain how the arms should look in your drawing using various sketches and explanations. The images on the following pages contain artistic full frontal nudity in various poses.