Use curved lines to draw contours of the body

Drawing the contours of the human body is not as difficult as it seems provided you take time to observe how the lines of each part of the body changes with different strokes. Sometimes the curves and bulges that are noticeable when drawing a bent arm or a leg may be visible slightly or disappear completely when you change the position of the arm. So keep in mind that depending on the exact movement the contours also change.Last week the focus was on drawing arms and this week it is on legs. There is a marked difference between legs of women and men as those of the latter are generally more muscular. So make sure you get them right.

Drawing legs (fe male)

The length of a leg is roughly half the body's height. Some women particularly, model types, are much in demand. The legs of a model are shown in Figure 1. Observe the nice smooth, curved contours. These are best drawn in one sweeping motion. Study the two small bumps which depict the knee cap, then at the tiny swelling behind the knee and the way the line of the thigh runs into the buttock. Figure 2 (legs from different angles) show female legs from the front, side and rear. There is an easily seen rounded swelling on the inside of each knee seen from behind.

Beginners tend not to notice it, and as a result they draw a straight line without a bend or curve for legs. There are no straight lines in the human body. All are gentle curves of one kind or another.

Legs (men)

Men's legs are shown in Figure 3. It's noticeable how the appearance of thigh and calf muscles is not soft, as in those of women.

To expand your work you can copy from numerous models and sportsmen.

Don't stop at legs - include body, arms, hands and heads. Draw all the sketches shown in this lesson.