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
