How to draw legs

by in Body parts

In this tutorial, you will learn how to draw legs in your fashion sketches and illustrations. In fashion drawing, the legs are the body part that is the most idealized. Note that they don’t need to be realistic – they need to be long and elegant! Being able to draw beautiful legs in your sketches will add the needed grace and style and show the best of your designs.

Drawing skills – figure, legs – how to draw legs

5/10

Time to draw – figure, legs – how to draw legs

6 min

Art tools – figure, legs – how to draw legs

drawing paper
pencil
eraser

How to draw legs step by step tutorial cover – figure, legs – how to draw legs

Step 1: Pelvis

Starting from the place you finished the Female torso tutorial pull down a vertical Centerline from the middle of the body.

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Step 2: 5 more

Divide the Centerline in 5 and a half sections each of which with the size of the model’s head. Remember that drawing them the same size is fundamental for the final result. Don’t overlap them and make sure they are situated right on the Centerline. Mark the ground where the five heads and a half end.

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Some fashion illustrators prefer to draw the legs even more enlengthened. Following the steps in this tutorial guarantees you elegant results, but if you are looking for exaggerated proportions feel free to experiment with the number of the heads located on the Centerline.

Step 3 Knees and ankles guidelines

Just where the second head ends draw two circles for the knees. Each circle’s radius is half the size of the head’s radius. Mark the center points. Draw slightly smaller circles in the bottom-most part of the last full head. These are for the ankles. Mark the center points of the circles for the ankles as well. All the guidelines you made should touch the Centerline. Mark the middle of the 4th head with a horizontal line.

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Step 4: Centerlines

Women’s legs are known that have the silhouette of the letter X, and men’s- of the letter O. Here is how you get this impression: Separate the hip’s heads in two with a horizontal line. Connect the outer most point of the heads with the center of the corresponding knee. Draw a line from each knee to right next to the widest points of the 4th head. Connect back to the center of the ankle guideline.

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Step 5: Directions

If your figure is standing still the knees wouldn’t be perfectly straight. Close the circles form the sides with lines inclined from the inside to the outside. Do it for both the knees and the ankles.

Note that the inner inclined lines of the ankle start higher than the outer. This is a golden rule for a good fashion illustration- always find a way to mark or even underline it.

The thumb is (in most of the cases) the longest toe. Mark the feet outline with respect to this.

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Step 6: Thigh outlines

Connect the hip’s most external points with the knee’s outer side. The inner side of the knee connects with the crotch by a straight vertical line. Following the guidelines and draw the calf leaving just a little space between the guideline and the actual outline. Soften the edges, as the human body is curvy, not edgy.

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Step 7: Draw the calves

Connect the inner parts of the knee and the ankle by a straight line. Finish the outline of the feet.

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Step 8: Details

To finish the calves make the inner side curved from the knee to the half of the 4th head. The inner side of the calf being more dramatically curved and higher is a very essential part of drawing a successful fashion illustration. Finish the rest of the details: Define the ankles and the toes, draw delicate dashes to hint the knee form and leg’s muscles.

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Step 9: Get some clothes

Enjoy your final result and choose appropriate clothes to show those beautiful legs! Hopefully, this how-to-draw legs tutorial helped you gain a better understanding of the proportions in the fashion sketch. Feel free to experiment and draw them fuller, thinner, longer, or shorter depending on your personal style and preferences.

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Practice what you’ve learned by challenging yourself to draw legs in different angles and poses – see the tutorials on “How to draw walking poses” and “How to draw side view poses“.

Happy drawing!

Love, teya
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