7/18/2017 Muddy Colors: Drawing Feet

HOME ART EDUCATION NEWS INSPIRATION REVIEWS INTERVIEWS ARTICLES

Saturday, June 17, 2017 LIVE DEMO! THIS SATURDAY!

Drawing Feet
-By Ron Lemen

I simplified this dialog to the drawings. This started off as a rant against the HUGE problem with every one of
my anatomy students these days, the problem with drawing feet.

Somewhere out there is some misinformation, or alternative truths that seem to be popular to the newbie art
student, but need to go missing forever please. I have created some pages of useful information that need to
be put out there into the system. But first, let's start off with some wonderful drawings from the Russian
Academy. Who can resist the amazing studies from that school. So much character, so much charm.

Contributors

Dan dos Santos

Arnie Fenner

Scott Fischer

Donato Giancola

Greg Ruth

David Palumbo

Justin Coro Kaufman

Ron Lemen

Vanessa Lemen

Jesper Ejsing

Justin Gerard

Cory Godbey

Gregory Manchess

Lauren Panepinto

Howard Lyon

William O'Connor

Paul Bonner

John Jude Palencar

Petar Meseldija

VISIT OUR VIDEO STORE!

http://muddycolors.blogspot.se/2017/06/drawing-feet.html 1/9
7/18/2017 Muddy Colors: Drawing Feet

Featured Post

Coffee with Wendling

Anyway, my diagrams are nothing in comparison to these beautiful drawings. But diagrams are not meant to be
beautiful drawings. They are meant to help you learn and clarity is important. So I do apologize if the drawings
are not totally clear. And if they are not, please help me by mentioning that in the comments.

These are more excerpts from my soon to be figure drawing book, but since that is taking as long as it is to
complete I am putting these notes out there now. I also realize I have a lot of them so I am only going to post
so many. If there is something that feels like it is lacking, the book will have taken care of that.

Help Build Your Community!

Here is what I am seeing quite a bit of lately, both the drawings and the bone structure. I have no idea where
Translate This Blog
this is coming from, but the land of drunk socks and bigfoot must be steered clear of during your training. Go
back to it if you must stylize your feet, but, these are not good quality representations of real feet.
Select Language

Search This Blog

Search

Subscribe To Muddy Colors

Posts

Comments

http://muddycolors.blogspot.se/2017/06/drawing-feet.html 2/9
7/18/2017 Muddy Colors: Drawing Feet

Follow Muddy Colors by Email

Email address... Submit

Past Posts

2017 (186)
July (17)
June (28)
If I Could Only Keep
Ten
Help Us With Our
New Site!
Learning Live
New Downloads
Available!
TwoCount 'em,
There is also a trend of missing heels. Someone has gone around and removed the heel from the foot design TWO!Ray
Harryhausen
and replaced it with a "Weeble Wobble" style foot design. I guess the world isn't already dangerous enough as
Exhibitions!
it is, let alone giving us unstable feet.
Inspiration: Piranesi

Google . Limited Time: 2 for 1!

Google. . Deciphering Flesh
Tones
AD A/B Testing
Live Demo This
Sunday!
10 Things...What You
Cannot Know
Thrain II
Khenra Scrapper
Drawing Feet
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:
Brian Sanders
Making Your Own
Wet Painting
There is also this interesting trend of giving everyone bow legged qualities. Shin bones are straight with curved Carrier
accents. They are not curved. Sorry. John Howe -
Drawings
IMC- Day 1
Wonder Woman!
Mentors & Muses
Painting a
Planeswalker -
Nissa, Steward of
Elemen...
Summertime Rolls
Above The Timberline
Mockup
We All Need Hellboy
Telling Us To Get
Over Ourselv...
Kopinski sketchbook
2
Greetings From Zion!
Dealing With
Downtime
Anatomy 360

May (31)
A descent starting point for the foot is the door wedge. It helps check the perspective of the leg and assures
that the feet are grounded to whatever surface they might be attached to. This wedge is the ideal shape for the April (27)
3 points of the foot, ankles, toes, and heel. March (29)
February (26)
January (28)

2016 (325)

http://muddycolors.blogspot.se/2017/06/drawing-feet.html 3/9
7/18/2017 Muddy Colors: Drawing Feet
2015 (331)
2014 (335)
2013 (384)
2012 (399)
2011 (366)
2010 (64)
2009 (1)

The foot is a shock absorber for the body, it makes sense that the ankles, and the leg are positioned over the
arch of the foot to take that impact, from walking to running and jumping. Thank the feet for that arch, that we
need to put the leg over and not behind.

The ankle bones are the tibia and the fibula together, and combined they form a wrench like structure that holds
the foot bones in place as the pivot point for the foot rotation. The bones are side by side medially and laterally,
not in front and behind. And each leg mirrors each other, they are not the same orientation to each other.

Here in profile view the door wedge is broken down into two shapes to help support the design of the foot when
the toes are bent. The toe wedge is removed from the front of the bigger foot wedge and is rotated to its new
orientation. This now becomes the new position for the toe details.

http://muddycolors.blogspot.se/2017/06/drawing-feet.html 4/9
7/18/2017 Muddy Colors: Drawing Feet

Here are the simple door wedges converted to planar structures to help design in the change of surface from
one bone set to the next, over muscles and the orientation of the toes and their segments.

And while talking toes, here are the planar stair steps both in primitive form as well as fleshed out a bit more
with the big toe and the second toe. In addition, because our toes are smooshed together in shoes a lot, and
because our feet our well designed, the toes fit together nicely, but are over exploited into ugly distortions of the
design because our shoes mold our feet to the constraints of their size and build. But, our toes are all uniquely
shaped to fit together and the diagram on the left shows how they fit together.

http://muddycolors.blogspot.se/2017/06/drawing-feet.html 5/9
7/18/2017 Muddy Colors: Drawing Feet

And here are the folds in the bottom of the foot common with all of us but not the same length and exact
orientation between any of us. Note that the big toe actually has 3 fat pads in it within its wedge like shape.

Add character to the body of the foot. There is a lot going on in that space, but the foot won't often times show
it, especially in photo reference. I used hatch lines here to explain direction of some of the sub planes
(anatomically rooted). These would be represented in half tones being that these feet were directly lit.

These last few pages are for those of you who do not know anything about perspective and are surprised when
you find out that the body is loaded with it...because all forms are in perspective. I do not understand how
students think that they can avoid perspective by just figure drawing. LOL...I mean that with kindness.

http://muddycolors.blogspot.se/2017/06/drawing-feet.html 6/9
7/18/2017 Muddy Colors: Drawing Feet

http://muddycolors.blogspot.se/2017/06/drawing-feet.html 7/9
7/18/2017 Muddy Colors: Drawing Feet

I know they are not pretty, but I hope they help. Now, please share these with all beginning students you know
and hope to make careers with their art skills and to those who think they understand feet but we have had a
hard time explaining to them that maybe they should practice them more often. Or do what I do and hide
everyone in mist so you can avoid feet, lower legs, upper legs, pelvises, and more thanks to that wonderful fog
stuff. Any time you have a hard time with something and you to meet that deadline, just fog it up a little. Gonna
duck into that fog now and get back to the work load. Comments, please leave em, until next time, creative
success to you and happy arting.

Posted by Ron Lemen

7 comments:

Karanveer41 June 17, 2017 at 11:09 AM

These notes are so cool! You explain the form and the function which most books don't touch on. Thank
you. Looking forward to your book!
Reply
http://muddycolors.blogspot.se/2017/06/drawing-feet.html 8/9
7/18/2017 Muddy Colors: Drawing Feet
Reply

Jared Shear June 17, 2017 at 1:49 PM

Excellent post Ron! Now my characters feet can finally see the light of day.
Reply

Thomas Diem June 17, 2017 at 3:53 PM

Ron Lemen...?

"Or do what I do and hide everyone in mist so you can avoid feet, lower legs, upper legs, pelvises, and
more thanks to that wonderful fog stuff."

Or... Rob Liefeld?

Hmmm...
Reply

Angelique Benrahou June 18, 2017 at 8:13 AM

When does this book come out? I need it in my life. I learned so much this morning on my way to work
from your post!
Reply

Candragonart June 18, 2017 at 9:31 AM

Lol, I love this article. Those weird foot shapes at the beginning... Thanks for posting and for
inadvertantly reminding me I need to get back to figure studies :)
Reply

Unknown June 19, 2017 at 12:56 PM

This was super helpful! The T perspective "clicked" really well for me. Now I'm just curious how you
could use the T's for hands, but I suppose I just need to keep an eye open for your book!
Reply

Rochelle Krause June 19, 2017 at 2:45 PM

THIS! Thank you for this post. You've shown examples as to exactly why I'm studying anatomy.
Reply

Enter your comment...

Comment as: Select profile...

Publish Preview

Newer Post Home Older Post

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

http://muddycolors.blogspot.se/2017/06/drawing-feet.html 9/9