Drawing the Head, Neck, and Shoulders

It's important to remember that the head is not just propped atop a simple cylinder that ermerges up from the body. The neck is a complex, dynamic structure that needs a bit of study to really appreciate just what is happening as the head is moved in even the simplest of ways. First note how the rotation point between the head and neck sits in the lower skull, just behind the ear. The study on the lower left shows this quite clearly, but you can see it throughout these sudies.

Also shown are the two muscles that are anchored at the center of the clavicle (collar bone) and spreads out in a V to be attached just behind the ears. Other views also show this V shaped pair, which are responsible for the head twisting this way and that. The muscles that run up the back of the neck control the up / down motion of the skull, and they all work in tandem to allow the wide range of motion we can see as the model looks up and down and around the room. The "adam's apple" ermerges up into the gap between these muscles and defines the front on the neck. This structure is not a muscle and goes along for the ride.