How To: Draw the male upper body (torso, chest and arms)

Drawing human subjects can be tough if you're not an experienced artist. getting every detail just right it quite a task, because of the intricateness of the human body. But Merrill is going to show you how it's done.

This drawing tutorial provides step-by-step instructions to help you draw the male upper body, which includes the torso, chest and arms. All you will need are drawing tools and some tenacity. Be sure to pause the video at the end of each step and observe each reference image that's given.

After the steps outlined in this video, you'll also find a guide for the shading process.

Step 1.) Draw the shape that you see. Notice that it is curved at the bottom. Also be sure to notice the W-shape at the top. Make sure that you notice that the left part of the W is smaller than the part on the right.

Step 2.) Lengthen the W to form the chest muscles. Also add the shadow lines below each chest muscle.

Step 3.) Step three is a tricky step. Add the line to complete the shape for the arm and shoulders. Take extra time to observe during this step.

Step 4.) Complete the arms. Notice that each upper arm is wider than the lower arm but both parts are rounded in shape.

Steps 5-8 are all the smaller details about shading and shadows. Do not stress out over these steps. Expect your placement to be close rather than perfect. In other words, try to place them as accurately as possible, but know that they do not have to be placed perfectly for you to have a successful drawing.