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Art Tutorial

Anatomy Series: The Rib Cage

The figure is probably the most difficult subject for the artist. It can be very intimating, in which far too many things go wrong and so little goes right. But the rewards in the getting the figure right benefits the artist across the board; not only will their figure work become more powerful and natural looking, their landscapes and still lifes will improve ten-fold. With a lot of focus and sticking to fundamental shapes, you can get there!

Getting the rib cage right is the key for drawing the upper torso successfully. One of the easiest ways to do this is to think of the rib cage as an egg shape.

If you can draw an egg in different positions you are more than halfway towards mastering the rib cage.

Here, Julia is holding a real egg with charcoal lines that roughly resemble collar bones, sternum, bottom of the rib cage, and the collar of the neck. This is a handy little tool when you need to get the rib cage right, especially for some detailed drawings or paintings. It will help you from getting lost in detail.

Okay let's start at the beginning. You have a upright standing model. The shape of the rib cage narrows at the top, and is broader at the base. The axis line indicates that the model's upper body is straight up and down, no sideways tilt.

If the model is facing you dead center then the sternum is follows the axis line. The sternum, is the band connecting the collar of the neck with the domed bottom (about 2/3's down the egg/rib cage) of the rib cage.
 

If the model is slightly turned away from you, the sternum shifts over, but the axis line remains the same.

In the one-minute sketch below you can get a sense of form and feeling of rotation. Notice how the egg shape marks the upper waist of the figure.

The rib cage slightly tucks into the waist, and the top of the rib cage is at the back of the neck.

When the model leans over or is reclining on an angle the rip cage tilts. Notice that egg shape is tilted yet centered on the axis line, and the sternum indicates the model turning slightly away.

If the model were leaning over towards us, in a foreshortened manner, you can take the egg, rotate it accordingly, and you will notice that the shape becomes more circular.

During classes and for myself I often sketch out a little ball (above) accented by light and shadow. It is a  reminder that the shape is round and which direction the light is coming from. The egg serves the same purpose for developing the light fall on the rib cage (below). It is far easier to think of how the light hits an egg than how the light works with all the details surrounding the rib cage.

Don't underestimate how much feeling you can achieve by following the simple shapes of the tilting egg.

Learning figurative drawing can be daunting but if you stick to fundamental shapes, it becomes more manageable and with a solid foundation the furthest reaches of your imagination are possible.

Michael Newberry
Santa Monica, August 2010

Tutorial: Innovation Series: Polyclitus' Cannon of Proportions
March '07

 

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copyright 2012 by Michael Newberry