The Arm Sequence — Shoulder to Wrist

The arm is a chain of 6-shapes stacked from the deltoid down through the bicep and tricep to the forearm cluster. Learn the chain once and the arm draws itself from memory.

KEY CONCEPTS

Deltoid: triangular shoulder cap — three heads; creates shoulder width
Bicep: two-headed front upper arm — the classic "flex" muscle
Tricep: three-headed rear upper arm — larger than the bicep
Brachioradialis: dominant outer forearm — creates the forearm's widest point
The elbow is a hard bony landmark — never make it soft
The forearm tapers dramatically from elbow to wrist

Draw the arm from the top down: (1) Deltoid as a large rounded 6 cap on the shoulder. (2) Bicep as a medium 6 running down the front of the upper arm. (3) Tricep as a larger 6 (with its horseshoe top) running down the back of the upper arm. (4) The elbow as a zero circle connecting upper arm to forearm. (5) The forearm as a cluster of smaller 6s tapering toward the wrist.

The forearm taper is one of the most visually satisfying forms in figure drawing. At the elbow, the forearm is almost as wide as the upper arm. At the wrist, it tapers to a narrow wedge. The brachioradialis creates the dominant outer forearm form, and the long flexor tendons running to the wrist give the inner forearm its distinctive cord-like texture on athletic figures.

TRY THIS — 10 MINUTESDraw an arm from memory using only 6-shapes, assembled in sequence: deltoid → bicep/tricep → elbow zero → forearm taper → wrist. Do this five times, alternating between the arm extended and the arm bent at 90 degrees. Notice how the shapes rearrange and compress with the bend — especially the bicep, which becomes more prominent when the arm is bent.