Tutored Life Drawing Blog Week 26: The Back (Patreon)

The back is an area of the body that often goes unappreciated, as it might feel like there isn't much to see and draw. However, there are a lot of subtle features and it is also home to one of the most important skeletal structures in the body: the spine.

The experience of drawing the back can be enriched by some knowledge of its forms and anatomy. This lesson covers the key features of the back to keep a look our for when drawing it, and introduces some elements of its anatomy.

Observing the Back: Key Features

The most important and obvious feature of the back is the centreline formed by the spine. It has its own natural rhythm, and as it forms the core of the torso, bends with any pose the body takes.

The 7th cervical vertebrae is indicated on top of the line for the spine (blue).

The spine is a convenient line of symmetry that runs down the back. It becomes visible at the base of the neck as a bump caused by the seventh cervical vertebra. Depending on the pose, the spine might be seen as a dip between the muscles surrounding it, or a raised series of bumps as the muscles get stretched out. Spotting a line for the spine is a good starting point for drawing the back.

Along with the spine, another initial observation to get started with drawing the back is the tilt of the shoulders relative to the hips.

The centreline on the back (blue) created by the spine with the tilt of the shoulders and the pelvis (orange).

The tilt of the shoulders can usually be determined from its top contour, as the back sits proud of the neck. The hips are a more subtle; a useful bony landmark here the sacrum and back of the pelvis (iliac spines) which forms a triangle with the top of the gluteal cleft.

Like the front of the torso, the centreline of the back (blue) can be compared to the angles of the sides of the torso (orange).

Another useful observation of the centreline is the angles it makes, as the spine naturally forms different angles due to pose, and its structure. Catching these early on is one way to get a start with a back drawing, as other properties, such as the contour lines of the body, can then be compared to them.

Surface 'directions' of the back.

Wrapping lines around the back tend to flow from the spine. This tactile 'flow' wraps across the back and loops under the shoulder blades and around, until the form changes direction with the hips. It may help to imagine this rhythm as going across the spine.

Anatomy of the Back

There are lots of features to the back, and it can be a challenge to maintain continuity of all the different forms when drawing it, as it can be tricky identifying how they connect. However, the spine much easer to spot and incorporate into a drawing.

The spine is made of a column of vertebrae that are all connected by a complex arrangement of different soft tissues, such as ligaments and muscles. Whilst it is not necessary to learn the features of the spine in detail to draw the back well, it helps to understand that it is split into three major sections: the cervical spine, thoracic spine and lumbar spine. There are also two more sections – the sacrum and coccyx – each made of fused vertebrae.

The cervical vertebrae

The cervical section of the spine is in the neck, has seven vertebrae and is very mobile – it allows the skull to move. On surface, most of it is hidden (though there might be a slight dip between the muscles around it). However the 7th vertebra is visible as a knobbly protrusion between the shoulders – it is useful centre point and marks the start of the back.

At rest, this part of the spine tends to arch forward.

The thoracic vertebrae

The thoracic section of the spine sits at the back of the ribcage. It tends to move far less than the cervical section or the lumbar section and arches in the opposite direction to them. It is possible to use this as a centreline landmark down the back, as it either shows as a depression in the muscle and fat around it, or as a set of bumps if someone is bending and reaching forward. Sometimes only part of it may show depending on pose and body composition.

At rest the thoracic spice tends to arches back a little.

The lumbar vertebrae 

The lumbar section of the spine is the connection between the ribcage and the pelvis. It is mobile, though this varies from person to person. Like the thoracic section, this part of the spine is at least partly visible as a depression (or occasionally series of bumps, depending on pose and individual variation) in the centre of the back.

. At rest, this part of the spine tends to arch forward.

The sacrum & coccyx

The sacrum and coccyx are at the bottom of the spine. The sacrum connects to the pelvis, linking the spine to the hips, and also forms a useful landmark. On the surface it is often inferred by an upside down triangular shape base of the back, between the two dimples formed by the back of the pelvis.

The sacrum is the larger structure on top, whilst the coccyx curls underneath.

Scapulae 

Back at the top of the back, the shoulder blades (Scapulae) are also a useful landmark. They sit either side of the spine and lie on top of the ribcage.

The shoulder blade, as seen from behind.

In Lesson 24 – Neck and Shoulders, the spine of the shoulder blade was mentioned as forming a diamond with the collarbone. This is one useful reference that can be spotted near the surface; another is that the bottom point of the shoulder bade often can be seen as a bump as well. In poses where the arms are lowered, the shoulder blades can create a raised line either side of the spine, though this is often softened by muscle and fat.

When the arms move, especially reaching up and forwards, the shoulder blades move with them, rotating on the back. Keep an eye out for the reference points of the shoulder blade for these poses.

The shoulder blades are very mobile, and can rotate and wrap around the back.

Muscles of the back

There are quite a few layered muscles in the back, so here I will focus on ones that most affect surface forms; the trapezius, latissimus and erector spinae. The trapezius and latissimus are both fairly flat, broad muscles. Understanding them can guide our marks, as they can influence surface direction and overlaps.

The trapezius and deltoid attach either side of the spine of the scapula, overlapping everything else and forming the top two edges of a triangular gap. The bottom edge is created by the latissimus dorsi, which sweeps from the centre of the back, around the side and up into the shoulder.

Major muscles of the back – note that the white areas in the centre of the trapezius and latissimus muscles are fascia – connective tissue sheets that the muscle attaches to.

Most of the muscles of the shoulder blade are partially or fully overlapped by the deltoid, trapezius and latissimus dorsi. The infraspinatus, teres major and teres minor may show up as bumps on the shoulder as they peek through the gap between these muscles, especially if the arm is rotated or extended. This is a complex area – overlapping forms and fat can confuse or hide the muscles of the shoulderblade.

Muscles of the shoulder blade – the infraspinatus, teres major and teres minor all attach between the shoulder blade and the humerus (bone of the upper arm), getting overlapped by large muscles.

The erector spinae runs underneath the latissimus and trapezius up the length of the back. This is more of a group of many smaller muscles, and is quite complex – what is important is how it adds volume to the back, as its definition is covered by other muscles and fat. In particular, it is often noticeable as forming sausage-like volumes either side of the spine. It also it has another section that sits further out from the spine, that may be be seen between the hip and the shoulder blade. The form can interact with the latissimus, generating a lot of variation depending on pose, individual variation and body fat distribution.

The erector spinae is a complex muscle group that breaks up and attaches at many points on the spine and ribcage. A simplified muscle indication is shown on the right in red, with a more simple volume equivalent on the left.

Fat & Skin

Fat and skin have a distinctive rhythm around the back. They wrap around it, originating from the spine – this gives rise to the forms mentioned in the previous section.

This means that creases have a strong tendency to form in an upside-down 'V' pattern from the centreline of the back. This V shape gets flatter further down the back up to the hips. Fat will smooth over a lot of the definition of the back, though significant bony landmarks like the spine, shoulder blades and sacrum will still affect the surface forms, and muscles may still show a little around the shoulders and upper back.

Indication of the surface rhythm lines of the back. Fat is readily affected by the downwards pull of gravity.

Application in Artworks – Indication and the Back

This small sketch shows how the forms of the back can be unified into simple light and shadow patterns whilst still conveying the pose clearly. This is especially evident around the shoulders, where the shadow shapes are linked up, but still clearly show how the shoulder blades have rotated over the back.

When drawing tonal values, it is easy to get carried away with the little shadows and details. Remember to try and unify the shadow shapes – how do the forms of the back affect their edges?

Jean François Millet - Study: Nude Woman Seen from the Back (Source: Chicago Institute of Art)

Form is a recurring theme in this lesson as cross contours are particularly useful for this part of the body as there are fewer contour lines. This drawing is a great example of cross contours in action. These lines show the undulating forms of the back with a sense of continuity – this means that the direction of the lines is consistent. Sets of cross-contour lines follow the same directions – a set may gently change its angle as it transitions into a different form. They also align with the rhythm of the surface of the back in many places; for instance, wrapping from the spine to the flank.

Samuel Amsler - Seated Female Nude Seen from the Back (Source: New York MET)

Key Points to Remember About Drawing the Back

• The key landmarks of the back are the spine, shoulder blades and the sacrum.
• The forms of the back tend to fall from the centreline created by the spine and wrap around the torso.
• Take care when building up detail in a back drawing – use anatomy to add continuity and unify larger features.

Over to You – Gestures and Forms of the Back

Recommended Materials: Any

Further Reading: Lesson 14: Gesture, Lesson 16: Form 

Exercise 1: Gesture Studies of the Back

Gesture drawing for the back, much like the front of the torso, is a good way to practise using anatomical indication and get familiar with how the surface forms change. Spend up to ten minutes on each sketch.

For these studies, focus on how the spine bends with the outer contours of the body, the tilt of the angle of the hips versus the angle of the shoulders and the bony landmarks of the back and shoulder blades. If proportions are proving a challenge with these studies, try sketching out the rough placement of the bony landmarks first – the spine, shoulder blades and sacrum – and then build on top of that.

In these quick studies, I sketched out rough placements for landmarks in red pen first.

Exercise 2: Surface Forms of the Back

Drawing with an emphasis on cross contours is a good exercise in learning more about both the volumes and the surface features of the back. This can help create more three dimensional drawings, and build an understanding of subtle changes in form.

Draw from a back pose - this a slightly longer drawing that should take around 20 minutes to an hour. Focus on describing the forms of the back with cross-contour lines. (For more information on this, refer to Lesson 16: Form.) Be mindful of the 'direction' of the surface of the back as well as the changes in form – does it appear to flow in a certain direction?

Sketch of the back with an emphasis on form lines.

–

Further links

>> Watch the Week 26: The Back main lesson HERE (Student & Life Tiers)  
>> Watch the Week 26: The Back demo HERE (Student & Life Tiers)  
>> Practice your drawings with our Back photo set HERE (Student & Life Tiers)

Find links to the whole Tutored Life Drawing Course HERE