Body Details: Tips on Drawing Legs!

Like all the lessons in this section, drawing legs require extensive knowledge of where the muscles are. We will be looking at the legs in three main angles so you have a complete view of the muscular system.

Unless you are a medical illustrator, the muscles highlighted in this lesson have been reduced from the actual amount of muscles present in the leg. This is because we only need to focus on the exterior muscles that create the topography seen in the real world.

Another note to keep in mind is the length of the muscles. There is a group of muscles that start from the hip area and extend beyond the knee joints to give the legs additional curvature.

So when you are ready, fire up your digital canvas and follow along!

1. The front muscle groups

The grid lines in this diagram will help you look at proportions. The important thing to remember is that the knees are above central division line. Knowing this can help you fill in the gaps for better proportions.

The main muscle groups here are the: tensor fasciae femoris; adductor longus; gracilis; sartorius; rectus femoris; vastus externus; vastus internus; patella; gastrocnemius inner head; soleus; tibialis anticus; and the peroneus longus.

As you place these muscles where your legs are, look at how the muscles flow into one another. You will find that the legs do not go straight down.

In fact, by illustrating the flow points of the leg, you will discover that the entire leg tends to leans toward the inner kneecaps!

Pay extra close attention to the sartorius muscle because it extends beyond the knees to give you this unique inward curvature.

2. The back muscle groups

When drawing legs from the back, the muscle groups are fairly easy to memorize because the flow points are almost symmetrical.

The muscle groups here are the: gluteus maximus; gracilis; adductor magnus; semitendinosus; vastus externus; biceps femoris; iliotibial band; satorius; semimembranosus; gastrocnemius (inner and outer) peroneus longus; and the soleus muscle.

Some muscle groups are quite large that it will wrap around the entire inner leg. Regardless, the flow points should be identical when splitting the legs at the center.

One thing to note are are the calves. Some artists see it as one bulge at the back since it is rare that draw characters from the back. However, it is actually is two bulges that create an indent for the achilles tendon.

Another thing to note is that the muscles in the upper legs will create a groove where the calves will fit into during a bending position. Therefore, when adding depth, make sure there is shading to signify muscle indentation.

3. The side muscle groups

After memorizing the major groups in the front and back, it is time to expand on how it will look on the side. Keep in mind that this view is strictly of the outer leg as it is very rare that we need to paint the inner leg in great details.

This is because the shadows will cover up most of the details. So long as you keep the bulge from the Sartorius muscles and vastus eternus muscles, everything should fall into place naturally.

The group of muscles from the side are the: gluteus maximus; iliotibial band; rectus remoris; vastus externus; biceps femoris; patella; gastrocnemius; tibialis anticus; soleus; and the peroneus muscles.

To keep everything nice and clean, focus on the iliotibial band since it is a huge tendon that separates the front muscle groups from the rear muscle groups.

Most of the flow points here will be dependent on where the buttocks are situated as that will link you to the iliotibial band. From there, remember the different flow points of the other views to create something that will help you with drawing legs from the side.

4. The female leg bending

Drawing legs of female characters require you to reduce the amount of muscle tone and increasing the fat stored. This just means we need to make the legs as smooth as possible.

What you should be focusing is the knee region. Since there is not a lot of fat here, you would still need to make sure that it contains all the tendons and muscles of the male leg.

Bending can be challenging as well since you will be looking at topography from the compression of the muscles. What is important is that you need to make sure the calves spread out and overlap the upper legs slightly. At the same time, widen the upper legs to give a more slender appearance.

Do not forget about the inward spiraling action of the flow points. Use it to suggest the muscles groups no matter how smooth the legs are.

Your digital smudge brushes are your best friend here to get that desired smoothness from the drawn in flow points. The rest is just practice getting a good gesture drawing going, to develop good flow points, and to fill in the muscles as a result of these flow points.

I hope you enjoy this lesson as you explore the many ways of digitally drawing legs!

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