How to Draw Strong Arms
- 1). Draw two connected line segments in pencil of equal length to indicate the upper and lower arm. The angle at which you make these lines will determine how much the arm is bent at the elbow. If you want the arm to be straight, draw one line and mark the center of it.
- 2). Draw a circle at the top of the upper arm segment. It must be bisected by the upper arm segment and have a diameter of about one-third of it. This represents the shoulder deltoids muscle. Draw an oval with the top at the center of the deltoids circle and the bottom at the elbow pivot. This represents the upper arm muscles including the triceps and bicep.
- 3). Draw a long oval to represent the forearm muscles. Its top should slightly overlap the upper arm oval and its bottom should end at the endpoint of the forearm structural line. Draw a circle the same size as the deltoids circle that is centered at the endpoint of the forearm structural line to indicate the palm of the hand. You now have the overall arm mapped out.
- 4). Adjust the contours of the basic shapes to indicate muscular strength and tone. The front and rear of the upper arm shape should curve outward to indicate the large bicep and triceps muscles. The bicep is usually slightly more curved than the triceps. The triceps have a slight bend about halfway down its length. Widen the upper and mid forearm to show the enlarged muscle set beginning inside the elbow - this is called the brachioradialis. If you are drawing a superhero or cartoon and really want to dramatize the muscles, you can expand the curves further to add ridiculously enlarged muscles.
- 5). Refine the outline and erase obsolete lines. Erase the initial structural lines and the parts of the ovals that you no longer need. Accentuate the outline by adding a rounded bump at the elbow. The more the arm is bent at the elbow, the more prominent the elbow bump should be. Draw a few visible veins running down the bicep and inner forearm by using pairs of slightly winding parallel lines.
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