How to Draw a Skeleton

How to Draw a Skeleton-

High school students often get the headache of their life when asked to draw a skeleton, and especially for those who are not good at drawing, to draw a skeleton is really tough. Sometimes, primary school students are also asked to draw a human skeleton but there is a little difference; their drawings do not have to be detailed.

One of the most difficult medical drawings is the skeleton, and if you are a university student, it is even more difficult. However, you can make almost any drawing very easily nowadays thanks to new drawing tips from artists worldwide.

However, if you are a medical student, remember that you are not drawing it for beauty. You are drawing a skeleton and it must look like an actual one, with every part fixed correctly. How do you do this? In your anatomy test, you may be asked to draw a skeleton without any hints or guide.

Having said all of these, the point is that how you draw a skeleton depends on what purpose it is for. Medical students have to bring out every detail, secondary or high school students must make it presentable enough, while lower school students do not need so much detailing. This article will teach how to draw a skeleton in several ways.

How do you draw a skeleton?

We will start with how you can draw a very detailed skeleton. This works for medical students perfectly, so you only need to practise a few times to master how to draw a skeleton for your anatomy test. In order to quickly memorize and master the procedure, read the theory on all parts of a skeleton and how they are connected to each other.

How to Draw a Skeleton from Scratch

This contains so many steps so it will be divided into segments. Each segment contains many steps and will cover a part of the skeleton. While drawing, let your first lines be light, as they are just guides for your final drawing. This system of how to draw a skeleton also works for high school students.

Ribcage drawing

The ribcage is one of the most complex parts to draw when drawing a skeleton. To draw a ribcage for your skeleton, follow these steps:

• Step one

Draw a straight line (Vertical) and divide it using short horizontal lines into five parts. There will be six horizontal lines in total, and your vertical line is divided into five parts. These lines are your lumbar vertebrae.

• Step 2

Draw another twelve sections just the way you drew the first five. Draw them upwards, and make them smaller as you go.

• Step 3

Start outlining your discs between the vertebrae. Remember to keep the lines light here.

• Step 4

Start giving shapes to your vertebrae, and when you are done you should have seventeen vertebrae. Add or remove some if your numbers are different.

• Step 5

This is where you start drawing your ribcage. The ribcage starts three vertebrae from the bottom. Draw a horizontal line at the third vertebra from the bottom, and count five vertebrae upwards. On the fifth one, draw another horizontal line the same length with the other one. Join the lines by the sides to make a rectangle and divide the rectangle with a vertical line into two equal squares.

You have prepared the frame for the ribcage of your skeleton drawing.

• Step 6

Using the rectangle’s upper edges, draw a curve (like a quadratic graph) and join the edges together. Ensure that the curve passes the top of your lumbar vertebrae line.

• Step 7

Draw two lines to mark the sides of the ribcage to create the round shape.

• Step 8

Draw the twelve rib lines, with eleven of the lines fully joining the quadratic curve from the lumbar vertebrae line. The last rib line should be short and not meet the curve like others. The part below your horizontal line may look empty, so add short lines to the lumbar vertebrae.

• Step 9

Draw your sternum and divide it into quarters. Divide the lower quarter into thirds.

• Step 10

The rib lines you drew the other time represent the back of the rib cage. Now draw the front part of the rib cage. Start with seven, and connect all of them back to the sternum. Connect the other three to the last part of the sternum, and the last two are free so end their lines at the end of the sternum too.

• Step 11

For beauty and realism, give some outline to the ribs and make them look solid. Do not forget the short lines. Give them a 3D look too.

• Step 12

Indicate the connecting cartilage with curves in the rib cage. After this, you are done with a great part of the rib cage.

Head and Neck Drawing

This part describes how to draw a skull and a neck that are perfect for your skeleton.

• Step 1

Draw a straight line (not too long) and make it faint. The line should be from the sternum upwards, and another line from the lower end of the sternum to the vertical line at the end of your rib cage.

• Step 2

To draw the skull, draw a circle using faint lines.

• Step 3

Using the circle, draw the skull for your skeleton. There is not much help you can get with drawing a skull, so try drawing it on your own. Make the skull close to the rib cage, leaving only small space for the neck or the whole drawing is ruined.

• Step 4

To draw the neck, draw two horizontal lines over the vertical line used for the skull. Join the lines together. Add three small bones on each side of the neck, like the ones at the lower part of your lumbar vertebra.

After completing the steps above, you have completed the upper part of your skeleton drawing. The lower part is a little complex, but we will make it easier by asking you to do some parts yourself. A perfect skeleton is not one that is completely done with rulers.

How to Draw Pelvis for your Skeleton

The pelvis looks a little complex for beginners, but it is actually very simple. You need to learn to do this yourself by simply trying over a few times. The tutorial for the pelvis is complex and would take you so much time (not ideal for exams or tests).

How to Draw the Arms for your Skeleton

• Step 1

The arms are in a way connected to the pelvis, so the pelvis serves as a guide too when drawing the arms. Start with drawing a trapezoid, with the larger part of the width representing the width of the shoulders.

• Step 2

Simply draw two arcs to represent the curves of the clavicles, with the two ends going into the upper parts of the ribcage and attached to the sternum at the top. Draw two oval shapes at the end of the clavicles to represent the sockets. Now outline the clavicles and give them the 3D look.

• Step 3

Draw another slanted oval on the side, intercepting the initial oval.

• Step 4

The clavicle is attached to the shoulder blade in a special way. Draw its back part and a protrusion in the front.

• Step 5

Draw the shoulder blades now.

• Step 6

Draw the ball of the humerus attached to the socket.

• Step 7

Draw the skeleton so that it looks like this:

• Step 8

Add the oval joints and outline the finger bones.

You have completed the most difficult part of the skeleton after doing this. You can easily draw the legs and feet and round off the skeleton.

How to Draw Legs

Start by drawing the upper parts of the leg. The next step is to add more details to the legs of the skeleton.

Move to the last part of the skeleton, the toes. Add the other details required to make the toes realistic. You have completed the skeleton. Try erasing the light lines you used as a guide and take a new pencil to bring out all the details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about how to draw a skeleton:

Conclusion

The skeleton is one of the most complex anatomy drawings ever, and that is because it consists of many parts. Using the process mentioned above, you can learn how to draw a skeleton for any purpose. Start by learning how to draw the rib cage, and learn other parts one at a time.

References

artprojectsforkids.org 

Easydrawingart.com

Helloartsy.com

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