Drawing Skeletons – Types of Bones
The Patella - Knee Cap
Fourth entry in my observation posts about drawing skeletons and this time, taking a look at the different types of bones in the human body. There are five classification of bones used and they are;
Long Bones
Exactly as you would imagine, these are the bones such as the Femur and and Tibia* but also include smaller bones such as the phalanges. It looks like the official explanation is, a bone having a body longer that it is wide. So think more shape than size.
Short Bones
Defined as being approximately wide as they are tall and have the primary function of providing support and strength. Examples of short bones are the Carpals and Tarsals which you would find in the hand and foot respectively.
Flat Bones
These are the bones which act as armored plates to protect vital organs, such as the cranium bones or provide a large surface for muscle attachment.
Irregular Bones
The “Get out Of Jail”card, for bones that can not be described in any of the other categories such as the Verterbrae and thorax
Sesamoid Bones
These are bones that are found where a tendon passes over a joint such as the Patella which is pictured and is also known as the Knee Cap. They provide protection for the tendon and also aide in the mechanics of movement.
The drawing was done with a 6B, 4B, 2B and a 4H , the 4B was used as an attempt to get a more lighter covering than the 6B across the surface. on the subject of shading I would recommend reading the tutorials over at Dueys Drawing . He raises several good points and considerations ,and another interesting thing about his site is you can see his work in 2004 and compare it to his work now – well worth checking out.
* will update with better image soon
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Categories: Human Anatomy, Notes Tags: Anatomy, Drawing Skeletons, Flat Bones, Irregular Bones, Knee, Long Bones, Patella, Sesamoid Bones, Short Bones, Skeleton, Types of Bones
Drawing Skeletons – Mechanics
Knee Joint
The second of my observation posts on drawing skeletons. Firstly I would like to apologies for the use of blue around this image, in hindsight it really was the wrong choice.
What we have here is the knee Joint where the femur meets the fibula and tibia. What I want to point out here is that the human body is a fine piece of machinery and the skeleton not only provides the framework , but also gives strength and protection for this marvel.
If you look at the curve in the femur at the end and picture what happens when the knee bends, Im sure you will agree it is a fine piece of design. Now also consider the stresses and forces it has to put up with.
Bones aren’t there for the sake of it, and I think when drawing skeletons It is important to understand what motions are involved , what stresses and forces are involved, whats its relation to other nearby bones and understand especially the limitations.
The drawing itself I did with the king of pencils (or pauper of pencils-depending on your view) the HB. I adapted this image from a picture showing the tendons on the knee, as such the shape has suffered slightly, but I hope it is clear enough the point between the femur and tibia.
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Categories: Human Anatomy, Notes Tags: Anatomy, Bones, Drawing Skeletons, Femur, Fibula, HB, Knee, Leg, Mechanics, One Pencil, Skeleton, Tibia
