Drawing the Human Skeleton

In order to draw a believable human being you need to have an understanding of human anatomy. Drawing the human skeleton helps us to better understand the proportions of the body in a 1510 to 1511 Leonardo da Vinci drew many studies of the human skeleton and its parts, as well as muscles. Begin by observing the section of the skeleton you wish to draw. Observe the negative shapes. Lightly draw the outlines of the negative shapes you see on your paper. There are three classes of people, those who see. Those who see when they are shown, those who do not see shade the positive shapes of the bones with white, your court charcoal pencil. Shade the negative shapes with your black charcoal. Place the skeleton under a direct light source, and observe the shapes of the shadows on the bones. Shade the shapes the shadows may come the bones, what value are they? The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding. Leonardo da Vinci.