DRAWING THE FOOT

DRAWING THE FOOT

Bones like the hand, the foot also comprises three parts: seven tarsal bones (A-E), five metatarsals (F), and fourteen phalanges (G). The tarsal bones include the ankle, heel, and instep. The metatarsals are longer and stronger than the five metacarpals of the hand, and they end at the ball of the foot. The phalanges of the toes are shorter than those of the fingers and thumb; the four small toes press and grip the ground surface, and the big toe tends to have a slight upward thrust.

Muscles When the foot is flexed upward, these tendons are evident: extensor digitorum longus (1), extensor digi­ torum brevis (2), tibialis anterior (3), and extensor hal/ucis longus (4). (From the side view, extensor digitorum brevis appears as a round shape inside a triangular pocket.) Peroneus longus (6) curves around the ankle, whereas abductor digiti minimi (7) appears as a bulge on the outer side of the foot. 

Drawing Tips The tibialis anterior (3) is an obvious landmark on the inverted foot. (See figure 1, above.) In figure 2, dorsi·flexion makes visible the extensor digitorum (1). In figure 3, plantar·flexion lets you see the ten· dons of peroneus (6).