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 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 areas bends toward the front of the body. This can be very helpful when drawing the torso in a way that looks natural and organic. Notice in the illustration that we will be drawing the spine as a long cylindrical tube. This allows us to focus on the different angles of the upper torso to the pelvis.

How to draw a torso

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. Use lots of references and try to simplify down two of these major forms. Notice that the box at the top is much taller while the bottom one is short. You can play around with these proportions to get a large variety of character designs but ribcage is almost always drawn taller than the hips. Practice the box stage until you are fully comfortable with it before moving forward, getting the simplified forms down will make the entire process much easier. If you want help with drawing boxes that have dimension, you can check out my Basic Forms tutorial here Opens in a new tab.

In part, studying the anatomy of the torso is difficult because all parts are interconnected, and it is hard to decide what to focus on first. In the front view we can see only a tiny portion of the lats, but incorporating them is important for completing the torso structure.

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. As always, the skeleton informs the foundation of all anatomy.

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.

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. This is very normal to happen, even though frustrating.

Sleeve design

This drama may use ordinary characters so the figures will look more natural in proportion, as they have to reflect more ordinary people. Here I have them split into three colors. The Naval should be one head length down from the pecs and will also mark a place where the abs have a shallow bend in the center line. These three tiny bulges catch the light and are iconic features on a muscular, superhero figure. Step-by-step , the course will guide you to knowing how to draw, to knowing how to practice, to knowing how to draw anything. The lat muscles are a cape-like mass of muscle that stretches from the spine and attaches in the armpit region. Take the time to gain a basic understanding of the regions of the spine. Use hatching to add gradients to the bumps and tendons of the muscles. Anatomy Expand child menu Expand. Most notably will be the size of the chest cavity. This allows us to focus on the different angles of the upper torso to the pelvis. Keep in mind that the center line of the torso is twisting slightly which will distort the abs and obliques. Putting this curve helps us describe the perspective of the ribcage and also gives definition to where the stomach begins.

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In this image we add Serratus anterior muscles those attached at the ribs and covering them you see a small section of the latissimus dorsi muscles of the back. We definitely need to know the position of the clavicle bones to learn to draw the torso. This will be important for placing the skeleton in 3-dimensional space. How to Draw the Torso Welcome to this drawing tutorial! In it, I go over the bones of the arm in detail. Hello Everyone! I hope this tutorial aids you in your journey to learn anatomy and be able to comfortably draw figures for your own stories. This can be very helpful when drawing the torso in a way that looks natural and organic. These boxes can be turned in opposite directions creating a twist in the body. Just picture an action figure with the head, arms, and legs ripped off. This little bulge of muscle lies in between the obliques and the lats. Step-by-step , the course will guide you to knowing how to draw, to knowing how to practice, to knowing how to draw anything. Download Free Torso Worksheet. The obliques are essentially the sides of the torso. Here I have them split into three colors.