Guide
Skeleton Landmarks Every Figure Artist Should Know
Learn the bony landmarks that show through the skin, from collarbones to ankles, and use them to place and construct the figure with more confidence.
Key takeaways
- A small set of bony landmarks, where bone lies close to the surface, is enough to place a figure; you do not need every bone name.
- Bones keep a fixed length, so landmarks stay reliable while muscles and fat change the surface.
- The collarbone can be felt along its entire length, which makes it one of the easiest landmarks to find (OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology).
- Simplify the ribcage and pelvis into two masses that tilt and twist against each other.
- The spine is curved, not straight: the adult spine has four curves.
Why does the skeleton matter to an artist?
You do not need to memorise every bone to draw the figure well. What you do need is a small set of bony landmarks, the places where bone lies close to the surface and where the shape of the skeleton is visible or can be felt through the skin. These landmarks stay at a fixed distance from each other, no matter how the body moves, which makes them very reliable anchors when the soft forms around them change.
Muscles shorten and bulge, fat shifts, and clothing hides detail, but a bone does not change length. If you can place the landmarks of a pose correctly, the rest of the figure is much easier to build around them.
The skull and the neck
The skull has two main parts that matter for drawing: the rounded cranium and the face below it with the lower jaw. The brow ridge, the cheekbones, and the chin are the most visible landmarks. The jaw hinges just in front of the ear, and the angle of the jaw lies below and behind the ear.
The neck is a column of seven cervical vertebrae. The most prominent bump at the base of the neck at the back is the seventh cervical vertebra, often called C7, and it is a handy landmark when drawing the back view. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (Rice University) confirms that the neck has seven cervical vertebrae and that C7 has a long spine you can find by running a finger down the back of the neck. The neck does not rise vertically from the shoulders like a pole. It slants forward from the base to the skull, which gives the head its forward position in a relaxed standing posture.
The ribcage
The ribcage is an egg-shaped cage, narrower at the top and wider toward the lower part, made up of twelve pairs of ribs, the sternum at the front and the thoracic vertebrae at the back. For drawing, treat it as a single large, slightly tapering form, not as individual bones. It is deeper from front to back than beginners tend to assume.
The key landmarks are:
- The pit of the neck, formally the jugular notch, at the top of the sternum.
- The sternum itself, running down the centre of the chest.
- The lower edge of the ribcage, which forms an inverted V at the front called the costal arch.
The ribcage tilts, twists and bends relative to the pelvis, which is the source of most of the torso's expressive movement.
Is the spine straight?
The spine is not straight. Seen from the side, it has a gentle S-shape: it curves forward in the neck, backward in the upper back, forward again in the lower back, and backward at the base. These curves absorb shock and allow motion. In drawing, you can often feel the spine as a groove down the centre of the back, with the knobs of the vertebrae visible at the neck and, on lean people, along the full length of the back.
What is the shoulder girdle?
The shoulder girdle consists of the collarbones at the front and the shoulder blades at the back. The collarbone, or clavicle, is one of the easiest landmarks to find. It runs from the pit of the neck outward and slightly backward to the tip of the shoulder. At the outer end, the bony point of the shoulder is called the acromion. The shoulder blade, or scapula, sits on the back of the ribcage, and its raised ridge, the spine of the scapula, can be seen or felt running diagonally toward the shoulder.
Because the shoulder blade glides across the ribcage, the shoulders can move widely. When the arm is raised, the blade rotates, which changes the shape of the upper back. Keep this in mind when drawing arms overhead or pulled back.
What is the pelvis and how does it tilt?
The pelvis is a bowl-shaped structure that connects the spine to the legs. For drawing, think of it as a box or a basin with a tilt. Landmarks include the iliac crest, the upper rim of the hip bone, which can be felt on the side of the waist. At the front, the pointed projections on either side, called the anterior superior iliac spines, mark the upper front corners. At the back, two small dimples near the base of the spine often mark the rear landmarks. At the side of the hip, the greater trochanter of the thigh bone forms a bump that helps place the leg's connection.
The tilt of the pelvis relative to the ribcage is crucial. When one leg bears weight, the pelvis commonly drops on the unsupported side while the spine curves to keep the head balanced.
The arm
The upper arm has one bone, the humerus. The forearm has two, the radius and the ulna. The pointed bone at the back of the elbow is the olecranon, part of the ulna. Along the back of the forearm, the ulna can be felt as a ridge running down to the small bump on the little-finger side of the wrist. The radius lies on the thumb side and rotates around the ulna when you turn the palm up or down.
This rotation is why the forearm changes shape when the hand turns. When drawing the forearm, think of two bones that cross when the palm faces down and lie parallel when the palm faces up.
The leg
The thigh bone, or femur, is the longest bone in the body, making up about one quarter of a person's total height according to OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology, and it angles inward from the hip to the knee. The kneecap, or patella, sits at the front of the knee joint. Below it, the shin bone, or tibia, runs down the front of the lower leg and can be felt along its full length. The thinner fibula lies on the outer side. At the ankle, the rounded bumps are the ends of these bones, called malleoli. The inner bump belongs to the tibia and the outer to the fibula, and the outer one sits slightly lower and further back.
Noticing that the inner and outer ankle bumps are at different heights helps your drawings of feet and ankles look correct, instead of symmetrical and flat.
Landmarks you can see or feel
| Landmark | Where to find it | What it helps you place |
|---|---|---|
| Collarbone (clavicle) | From the pit of the neck to the tip of the shoulder | Shoulder width and slope |
| Acromion | The bony tip of the shoulder | Outer end of the shoulder line |
| C7 | Prominent bump at the base of the neck at the back | Neck base in back views |
| Jugular notch | Top of the breastbone, between the collarbones | Top of the ribcage |
| Iliac crest and front hip spine | Upper rim of the hip bone, felt at the waist | Upper edges and tilt of the pelvis |
| Olecranon | Bony tip of the elbow | Where upper arm and forearm meet |
| Kneecap (patella) | Front of the knee joint | Knee position, roughly midway down the leg |
| Ankle bumps (malleoli) | Inner and outer sides of the ankle | Ankle and foot direction |
How do you use landmarks in practice?
A practical approach is to begin a figure by placing a handful of landmarks: the pit of the neck, the collarbone ends, the lower ribcage, the pelvis corners and the major joints. Connect them with light lines to form the structure, then build volumes around that frame.
When you work from a reference photo, circle the visible landmarks and ask how they relate. How far is the shoulder tip from the pit of the neck? Where does the hip bump lie relative to the lower ribs? Comparing these distances develops an eye for structure.
Different bodies show different landmarks. Some people have very visible bone structure, and in others the bones are covered by soft tissue and are only suggested. Learn the skeleton so that you can infer what lies beneath, even when it is hidden.
Sources and further reading
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e (Rice University): The Pectoral Girdle: the collarbone can be felt along its entire length and lies horizontally; the acromion is the bony tip of the shoulder; the shoulder blade has a prominent spine.
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e (Rice University): The Vertebral Column: seven cervical vertebrae, the prominent spine of C7 at the base of the neck, and the four curves of the adult spine.
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e (Rice University): The Thoracic Cage: twelve pairs of ribs with the sternum, and the jugular notch at the top of the breastbone.
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e (Rice University): Bones of the Upper Limb: the olecranon as the bony tip of the elbow, and the ulna and radius as the medial and lateral forearm bones.
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e (Rice University): The Pelvic Girdle and Pelvis: the iliac crest can be felt at the waist, and the anterior superior iliac spine is its rounded front end.
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e (Rice University): Bones of the Lower Limb: the femur as the longest bone, about a quarter of total height; the kneecap; the tibia and fibula; the inner and outer ankle bumps.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to learn every bone name to draw well?
No. A small set of surface landmarks, such as the collarbone, shoulder tip, ribcage edge, pelvis corners, elbow, knee and ankle bumps, covers most drawing needs.
Why are bony landmarks more reliable than muscles?
Bones do not change length, while muscles bulge, stretch and vary a great deal between people and poses.
Is the spine really curved?
Yes. The adult spine has four curves, which OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology says increase its strength, flexibility and ability to absorb shock. Seen from the side this gives a gentle S-shape, which is why the torso can flex, twist and absorb movement.
Which landmark is easiest to find on a reference photo?
The collarbones, the bump at the base of the neck, the knees and the ankle bumps are usually easy to spot.