How to draw a torso

This area can be tricky but hopefully by the end of these lessons you will be on your way to drawing the torso or trunk of the body like a pro! Take the time to gain a basic understanding of the regions of the spine. Notice that the Thoracic bends towards the upper back and the Lumbar and Cervical expondo reviews bends toward the front of the body, how to draw a torso.

Now, I know most artists may say the back view is harder but I would argue that it only appears that way, from lack of exposure. Considering that characters need to face the viewer more often, the front of the torso is more important to understand as a comic artist. The torso is a difficult task to break down because of the many puzzle pieces aka muscle groups that have to be wedged together in order to construct a cohesive whole. Just like the hands, the torso can contort and bend in various ways that can make the process of learning even more toilsome. But as always, fear not because this tutorial aims to make this process of learning a painless one and hopefully even an enjoyable one. For every task that is arduous, it is equally as rewarding when milestones of understanding have been reached.

How to draw a torso

If you are struggling with drawing the torso, I am willing to bet big on the fact that your torso drawings will improve as soon as you are done with this illustrated guide! This is because I also strangled with it, and below I provide exactly the steps I took to improve. To draw the human torso, understand the shape of the torso, and learn the major muscle groups, their origin and insertion points, then practice as much as possible from reference to reinforce what you learned. In this tutorial on drawing the torso then, we will do just that, we will first look at the overall shape of the torso, we will then look at the bones and muscles that comprise it, and finally, we will discuss best ways to practice learning to draw. The shape of the torso is always simplified in artistic instructions. You can view the simplified version as boxes, or spheres, or a bean, or a box and a ball. It is a long list of various shape simplifications. However, simplifying helps get the base elements right, and then the shape can be corrected and built up to your liking. Another benefit of simplifying a complex shape, is that you can chose whatever building blocks you like that work for you. For now, I like simplifying with the drawing of the torso with boxy shapes. You can also view the torso as a bean shape, with two oval shapes of the upper and lower torso joining together. The bean-shape strategy has not worked very well for me in the past, and what is working better now is representing the torso with boxy shapes with curved edges. Like the above.

These muscles interlock with the rib cage. With the line of action in place, we can then draw our two masses representing the rib cage and pelvis.

Welcome to this drawing tutorial! Make sure to grab the free worksheets below and take time to practice. Drawing is a skill that requires hands-on practice so make sure you spend more time making art than consuming tutorials. There are two major steps to understanding the torso. The first step is made up of two boxes for the ribcage and hips. When practicing this stage I recommend that you pay attention to the tilts of the ribcage and hips and try to capture the natural flow of most poses.

If you are struggling with drawing the torso, I am willing to bet big on the fact that your torso drawings will improve as soon as you are done with this illustrated guide! This is because I also strangled with it, and below I provide exactly the steps I took to improve. To draw the human torso, understand the shape of the torso, and learn the major muscle groups, their origin and insertion points, then practice as much as possible from reference to reinforce what you learned. In this tutorial on drawing the torso then, we will do just that, we will first look at the overall shape of the torso, we will then look at the bones and muscles that comprise it, and finally, we will discuss best ways to practice learning to draw. The shape of the torso is always simplified in artistic instructions. You can view the simplified version as boxes, or spheres, or a bean, or a box and a ball. It is a long list of various shape simplifications. However, simplifying helps get the base elements right, and then the shape can be corrected and built up to your liking.

How to draw a torso

Don Corgi. We independently review everything we recommend. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence. Drawing a torso is usually one of the first body parts beginner artists want to learn after being able to draw a portrait. It is an easier feature to draw, but it also complements a portrait or half-body drawing well. There are several muscles, such as the trapezius, obliques, and many others, including back muscles you can learn and draw. When learning to draw the torso, the most challenging part is figuring out its proportions. One of the most common mistakes beginner artists make is drawing the torso too long.

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These muscles weave with the rib cage and bulge in the three specific spots on the side of the torso. We are focusing solely on muscles we absolutely need to know to draw the torso well. The same can be true for your illustrations. They connect from the back of the pelvis two underneath the armpit. These abdominal muscles have an origin at the pelvis, and insertion points at the end of the sternum, as well as ribs 5, 6, and 7. In this next step we will draw simple representations of the anatomy. There you have it! Before we go over the bones and muscles we need to draw the torso. I just wanted to share another video with you that I created. Note that there are many more muscles underneath that we will not discuss. They connect and wrap around the base of the neck and continue down connecting to the center spine in the back view. I cover the scapula in more detail in my back drawing tutorial found here. Poses of the Upper Torso Anatomy. Some people have larger shoulders or more defined backs, etc.

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In this step you can take what you have learned and refine it a bit and round out the forms. I like to also break up the line work a bit more to make the anatomy look more organic. In general, when drawing a figure, the male version will be easier to delineate attractively. To get access to samples of the exercise and instructions, join my newsletter here. The next big part is the obliques in purple. The second version is using a much harsher light and from the same direction. The pelvis is essentially a foundational structure that holds all the innards of the torso together. The traps stretch from the back view and wrap over to the collarbone in the front view. You can also view the torso as a bean shape, with two oval shapes of the upper and lower torso joining together. Honestly, this tutorial was a challenge, and I know that making it helped me as much as I hope that it helped you. Thank you for reading and keep on drawing! Previous Previous.