Understanding The Shoulders For Artists

The upper body may look complicated for the artist. As with everything choose a few things to understand and then build on that once the foundation has been set. In this article, the bones I am focusing on are the scapula, and clavicle. Join my mailing list to get free art references.

The clavicle is the only long bone that lies horizontally in the body. Why is this important? Use it as a landmark when drawing. When you are drawing, do your measurements. What is the length from the shoulder to the clavicle? What is the length of the shoulder to the end of the clavicle? Are your lengths correct compared to your reference? Do you see the empty spaces between the clavicle and scapula?

The muscles I am focusing are trapezius, deltoid, pectoralis major, and sternoclediomastoid muscles. Have a general understanding where these muscles are and see the dark spots of this drawing. These dark spots are there because where muscles are inserted. These dark spots will help you to set your drawing or painting as the darkest dark. Choose where is your lightest light. All your shading will be in between these two extreme values.

This is a simple drawing with shading. I have limited value differences. The pectoralis major muscle is shaded in between the darkest dark and lightest light. This brings the muscle forward.

My youtube video goes in depth. Join my mailing list to get free art references. As always, let me know what you would be interested to see.