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The Human Skeleton

The skeleton is the armature and the understructure which defines the human body. Leonardo da Vinci realized the importance of the skeleton which he sketched over and over.

The Skeletal Structure: One can use elements from the underlying structure of the body to draw more proportionate figures. The best way to use the skeleton is to first draw the skeleton from different views. Then look for places where the skeleton is evident when drawing the figure.

• The skull has the same proportions as the head. One can find the eye sockets halfway between the top of the head and the chin.
• The collar bone (clavicle) protrudes enough that it is easy to see when drawing the figure.
• The shoulder blades (scapulae) are also easy to discern in the upper half of the back. The shoulder blades are important to activate and add interest to the back which has very subtle variations.
• The top edge of the pelvic bone (iliac crest) shows up to give an indication of the placement of the legs and lower torso.
• The knee (patella) and ankle bone (inferior extremity of the tibia) both protrude enough for careful observation.

Follow this link for a good example of a skull drawing from Leonardo da Vinci.

[measuring]		[body proportions]		[facial proportions]		[skeleton]		[muscles]

Questions or comments can be forwarded to Ralph Larmann at the University of Evansville.

created 6/15/98 by R. M. Larmann
updated 7/2/04