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How to Draw an Arm

Artist Dani Puente explains how to draw an

anatomically correct arm, including its proportions,
muscle names, & how bones & muscles move when
raised or rotated.

Video Tutorial Posing / Pose

Illustration

Introduction
Hi all! My name is Dani Puente, and today I will give
you some guidelines to learn and improve drawing
human arms easily and quickly.

It is essential that, as illustrators or people who love

illustration, we know some anatomy since this is one of
the key pieces to grow as artists and to improve the
quality of our illustrations. An incorrect,
disproportionate posture or errors in the extremities
can ruin our final work. However, and since anatomy is
not simple, in this tutorial, I will give you the keys to
draw arms in a real, anatomical, and credible way.

I hope that my advice will help you learn a little more

about the human body and motivate you to continue
learning.

Are you ready?

Proportions
To start drawing the limbs of a human body,
proportions are the first thing that we must know well.
In this case, I will focus on those of the arm.

As you can see in the following image, the arm can be

divided into three parts. I will take the dimensions of
the rest of the body as a reference.

The first part goes from the shoulder to the elbow (A).
This part begins at the collarbone and ends at the level
of the last rib. The second part is the forearm, which
extends from the elbow to the wrist (B) specifically, at
the height of the femur’s head. And the third is the
hand (C), which goes from the wrist to the fingertips
and ends approximately at the center of the thigh. I will
show you all of this in more detail throughout this
tutorial.

Study the following drawing carefully:

Another important point is never to forget that the

length of the arms outstretched is equal to the
individual’s height from the shoulders down.

Now let us focus on the proportions of the arm. As I

said, the arm is divided into three parts: the arm, the
forearm, and the hand. However, I am going to focus on
the arm and the forearm.

The top part of the arm, which is the longest (A), is the
humerus, a strong and long bone that starts at the
shoulder and connects to the elbow, connecting at the
joint in the forearm (B).

The bones that make up the forearm (B) are the ulna
and the radius (red). These bones connect at a joint and
are responsible for turning the wrist.

If you divide the length into 12 portions, you can see

that A is the longest part, with five units, the forearm
(B) has four units, and the hand (C) has three units.

Construction
Once you understand the proportions of your arm, you
can then familiarize yourself with its shape and
understand its musculature. The insertion of the
muscles is like a chain.

A useful guide for constructing an arm is to include the

line formed by the subcutaneous points or bones that
can be perceived through the skin, such as the
collarbone, elbow, and head of the ulna at the wrist.

Take a look at the following image:

Muscle Anatomy
To learn and be able to realistically draw the arms of
your character, it is better to know how to locate the
most important muscles of the limb you are studying.
Whatever your style, knowing them will be useful in
achieving the right shape, which will enrich your
illustrations.

Here you can see in more detail the aforementioned

subcutaneous points in areas A, B, and C.

Deltoid
Triceps
Biceps
Brachialis
Brachioradialis
Carpi radialis longus muscle
Extensor digitorum muscle
Extensor carpi ulnaris
Flexor carpi ulnaris
Anconeus

Movement and Rotations

On many occasions, the arm can be difficult to draw
due to all its movement options: vertical, horizontal,
diagonal turns, rotations, etc. This is because the head
of the humerus is rounded and allows almost 360º
mobility. Therefore, it is one of the greatest difficulties
when drawing arms. Let me show you some rotation
movements to help you solve these problems in your
illustrations. Look closely at how the radius bone spins
on the ulna during the rotation movement.

Note: Use the head of the ulna (red) as a reference. It

must always be on the side of the little finger.

If you want to add realism to your illustrations, the

arms’ movement is aligned with a whole set of muscles
and bones. For example, when drawing a pose in which
the arms are raised, do not forget that, in the frontal
plane, the pectoral (red), the latissimus dorsi (pink), and
the collarbones (yellow) are raised; and the serratus
(blue) is visible in the rib cage. In the posterior plane
(back), remember to include the movement of the
scapula (green), as it also contributes to the
movements of the arm. You can see it in the following
images:

In short, to simplify the process of drawing an arm, we

only must follow three clear guidelines: the
proportions, the main muscles, and the reference
points.

I hope that my advice, along with my video, will help

you, and soon you can easily solve arms in your
illustrations.

TUTORIAL CÓMO DIBUJAR BR…

Thank you for reading this tutorial. I encourage you to

share on Instagram (@Danipuente_conceptart) the
notes and illustrations you have made following this
tutorial. Maybe a creature with 4 or 6 arms? Go for it! I
would love to see it!

If you have any questions, I am at your disposal:

danielpuentemorales@gmail.com.

It has been a pleasure to draw for all of you!

– Daniel Puente

www.Danipuente.com
Instagram.com/danipuente_conceptart/
Artstation.com/danipuente

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