Step Four – Use the Underdrawing of the Foot as a Guide A simplified form on the left, and a more refined drawing of the foot on the right. Tibia bone indicated at 1, and the pointy bit of the fibula is out of sight on the other side. So the bone on the outside – the fibula (lateral), is always lower than the bone on the inside, tibia. Indicating fibula’s pointy bit on the outside of the foot, and tibia on the inside, creating an easy to memorize shape.Ī good way to remember which bony bit is lower is to remember that when the feet are brought together in a normal standing position, a line drawn through the bony bits creates a roof. Fibula’s pointy bit is lower than the tibia’s, so draw it in that way. On the inside of the foot (medial side and also the thumb side), it is the pointy base of the tibia that sticks out, and on the outside of the foot (lateral side and also the little finger side), it is the pointy base of the fibula bone. They are important landmarks, find their placement and indicate them on the simplified geometric drawing that you made in step 1. The bony bits that stick out on each side of the foot are the base of the tibia and the fibula of the leg. On the lateral side, indicated at 2, is the fibula bone. Step Three – Draw in the Bony Pointy Bits on Each Side Tibia bone indicated at 1, on the inside or the medial side of the foot. Then refer to your drawing and compare it to the reference. When drawing in the arch of the foot, carefully observe where the curve begins and where it ends on your reference. In this way the arch functions as a shock absorber. The arch allows the foot to stretch, thereby distributing transfer of force from your weight to the sole. The arch slows and distributes the amount of force applied to the foot from your weight as the foot lands on the ground. The simplified form is drawn over at 2, and refined at 3. See the arch exaggerated in 1, it is the highest on the thumb side of the foot. The bony bits are indicated at 1, and on the other side at 2, we will cover these below. The arch can extend across to the other side but it is usually much less prominent there. The medial side has the highest arch point on the foot. Step Two – Add the Arch to the Middle Section of the Foot Arch indicated on the medial view (the thumb side) of the right foot. We can then focus on the shape of each part before drawing in the details of the form. To do that, we break the shape down into simple smaller parts so it is easier to analyze. Let’s focus on understanding and representing the shape of the foot correctly when drawing. Why break the foot up in three parts for drawing? This divides the foot into movable sections with various shapes as the foot moves and twists. Drawing of the sole of the foot: 1) abstraction, 2) simplification and finding the arch (shaded in) 3) drawing 4) refining the drawing. This is an important feature to get right and will help you draw more believable looking feet. Takes pictures of your foot or look in the mirror, the heel does not continue straight down from the leg, it extends out. Breaking it up into a separate section will help remember to watch out for the change in angle. Step One – Break Down the Foot Into Three Simple Parts Foot simplified and broken down into three sections.īreak up the heal into a separate section, it steps out from the leg as it descends down. Drawing the foot: from simplified form, to drawing to a refined drawing. I am confident it will help you in your drawings! Let’s go over it now. In my drawings, I noticed that I can now draw feet much faster and with much less effort than before.
However, this four-step method makes drawing feet much easier. It is hard to keep track of these changes and even harder to draw them. Making things more difficult for artists is the fact that the shape of the foot twists and turns depending on position.The form also thins down from the shin bone to the toes. It starts narrow at the heel and expands outward to the toes. The shape of the foot is not easy to imagine or draw.Why are feet hard to draw? Feet are hard to draw for two reasons: Additional Examples of the Structure of the Foot.Step Four – Use the Underdrawing of the Foot as a Guide.Step Three – Draw in the Bony Pointy Bits on Each Side.Step Two – Add the Arch to the Middle Section of the Foot.Step One – Break Down the Foot Into Three Simple Parts.Remember to keep checking proprotions throughout the entire drawing, if you see that something is wrong, fix it before moving on. We will go over this method with multiple exampels, and there are some demo videos on this page to help you get it right.