Femur Illustration

Audience: Anatomy students

Medium: Graphite Dust & Pencils
On Heavyweight Paper

Purpose: To explore the form & anatomy of the human femur, making this exploration available for other anatomy students as a reference.

Step 1: Reference

I was fortunate enough to have a real human femur to work from, so I began by studying the different aspects of this substantial bone visually. Performing a tactile exploration of the femur gave me a visceral appreciation for the subtle curves adorning this substantial bone.

Step 2: Ideation

I used a caliper to record and double-check my references, and keep myself honest. My goal was to depict the femur life-sized and as accurately as possible, so I controlled the lighting and marked out the placement of everything on my desk as minutely as I could. If I’d had access to a daguerreotrap, I would have used it.

I made several smaller studies of femoral features I wasn’t going to use in the final image, as I wanted to cement the form of the thing in my mind as firmly as possible.

Step 3: Render

I drew onto heavyweight sketchbook paper using a 2B graphite pencil, then carbon-transferred the outline onto heavier, smoother paper both as a safeguard against mistakes. I subsequently applied graphite dust with a sable brush and graphite pencils (2B to 8B) for the final image.