Mentoring in human anatomy

[maeganite]

Mentor: maeganite

Mentees: Brötje and InSaTx

Hey guys! As you know, the purpose of this is to improve our abilities in the area of human anatomy. During the week ya'll can post your work and sketches that you have done to fullfill the assignments. We can all give each other pointers I will be posting pictures, links and references that I think are useful for whatever areas we are working on, and I hope you will feel free to do the same!

I am honestly not much of a lecturer and have a little bit of a hard time writing lengthy descriptions and explanations on how things should be and such...I really like working hands on. In light of that, the main idea of this course is practice, practice, practice! However, I will attempt pass on whatever tips and tricks I have learned about drawing anatomically correct (some of which you may or may not know already!)

As I did say earlier, I will be doing the excercises and assignments right along with ya'll, I hope to improve my own understanding of anatomy through this course as well! Feel free to let me know what works for you and what doesn't as we progress, if we need to try different methods we definitely can, I want ya'll to get as much out of this as possible. Also, we can always pick up the pace if you think we are going too slowly, or slow down f we are going to fast, ect.

Some of the areas we will cover are:

Bone structure
The foundations. I think if we know how and why everything works in the first place it will greatly help later on.

Muscle structures
next step up!

Real-life studies
This includes :
timed sketches- anywhere from 10 seconds to 20 minutes
stalking/sniping people- in malls, coffee shops, restaurants, ect.
models- friends and family or even hired
photos and movies- magazines, books, freeze-frame videos

Movement
We will be working with this throughout all of these studies, but if you want we can spend some extra time specifically on dynamic compositions and more realistic-looking movement... making people look like they really belong where they are depicted.

Exaggerated forms?
or sort of "Comic book/ superhero" style would be a fun thing to do sometime I think. (if ya'll want to do that) This entails exaggeration of features such as making people extremely tall, giving women accentuated features, men insane muscles, and all sorts of things like that, kind of giving everything a more sexy and superhuman look.

InSaTx, I believe you wanted to work on crosshatching and hatching as well, I can mix in some shading assignments with the excercises that will specifically help with that. Brötje, you may or may not want to participate in those, it is up to you.

For starters, I'd like ya'll to introduce yourselves and post a recent work so I can see where you are and know where I need to go from there.

[Brötje]

All right!

Let's get this show on the road! I can't wait!

[InSaTx]

Thanks for letting me know the thread was up Maeganite. Can't wait to get started, i have been working on anatomy as well on my own, nice to have someone else critique my work though.

[maeganite]

All right!
So the first thing we are going to do is study the skeletal system.
I have here a few pictures from a book of mine. Like my carpet?

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/P1040607.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/P1040610.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/P1040614.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/P1040616.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/P1040611.jpg

If you don't already have an anatomy book, it would probably be a very good investment. :)

Here also is a link that you may want to try. http://streetanatomy.com/blog/?cat=5&paged=2 It has a good back view.


Assignment 1: Week 1
For our beginning, we will have a drawing of each of the back and front and side views of the entire skeleton.
Don't spend any longer than a few minutes on this, we just want to get the
basic idea of where everything is in relation and proportion to the rest of the
bones as well as how they connect. (so preferably don't draw every vertebrae on the back...)

From there we can go to more intensive and detailed drawings, which will be of the head and neck.
So...you can do five different drawings of the skull attached to the neck
and very top of the shoulders from all the different perspectives.
(top, bottom, side, back, front) You don't have to go all crazy into the shading and such,
but it would be nice to be able to see the difference between higher and lower areas in
places like the cheekbones.
These will be useful because you will be able to refer back to them later!


would you guys prefer this "Assignment week" to end next thursday, or perhaps a little sooner or even later? Ya'll let me know if this is too much.
As always, if you find any references you would like to share, feel free to post them along with whatever drawings you have been able to complete.


InSaTx:
Greg Capullo uses a lot of dark shading that is more or less accentuated by some hatching, correct?
(as shown in picture below) If that is right You can do one(or more) of your skull drawings with
this style shading. I'll critique them as best as I can when you post it,
and give you pointers and such.

hopefully you will both find this pic useful:

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/P1040622.jpg

[InSaTx]

Hi brotje and maeganite,

I have been drawing since i was 5 years old. I have taken art classes in middle school and highschool. During that time i had entered art contests and was planning on going to art school (Joe Kubert school of Art). Kind of let my mom talk me out of it and went directly into college. Finally decided after four years later to tell my mom that i want to draw for a living, LOL.

So at the moment i am teaching myself and taking lessons from a professional comic book artist through correspondence courses. I have been working on anatomy for the past three months intensively, making good progess i think. My goal is to draw comics for a living. My favorite comic book artist is Greg Capullo. Guess, that is all i can say about me without sounding like i am bragging LOL :) .

Maeganite: i had some questions, you wanted us to post some pictures so you can see where our drawing skills are at. How do you post pictures on here. I can't figure out how to do that. Would appreciate your help i am new to posting. About Greg Capullo's style not really sure how to explain it. If you want i can send you a scan of one of his works.

[maeganite]

Alright, i found it easiest to go to www.photobucket.com and set up an account. (it is free) you'll go to "My album" and upload pictures that you have scanned/photographed. It is great because it will even let you resize the pic once it is on there specifically for posting if it is too large. You will want to click on the img code (which should automatically copy the link) and the paste it into your message. It should look something like this...
[x]http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/P1040622.jpg[x]
(the xs will just say IMG or /IMG) Voila!

That would be great if you can post/email me a pic of greg capullo's work. my email address isn't very imaginative: maeganite@yahoo.com :)
Glad to have you in the art community!

[InSaTx]

Hi Maeganite,

Here are some of the pics i have done. The statue of the lion i had done recently from a photo. The other two where from when i was in highschool. The portrait of the guy was done from a photograph and the angela picture was taken from a comic cover of greg capullo's work. I am going to show you two of greg capullo's artwork as well, so you can get an idea of his style.

1. lion statue: http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg181/wilwjess/liondrawing.jpg

2. portrait of guy: http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg181/wilwjess/sammykershaw.jpg

3. angela drawing: http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg181/wilwjess/Angeladrawing.jpg

Greg Capullo's work

1. http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg181/wilwjess/Spawn059-cover.jpg

2. http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg181/wilwjess/spawn-100_06.jpg


Hope that gives you an idea of where my drawing skill is at. I am going to go and study anatomy and i will also do the assignments as well. :)

[maeganite]

awesome... I think I can go ahead and give you a little bit of a critique on the lion's hatching, if you don't mind.

From looking at Capullo's work, he has a lot of variation in line weight. Heavier/thicker lines make an area stand out more, such as in the boy's cheek.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/Spawn059-cover.jpg

I think that playing up this line weight variation would give this lion an insane amount of visual "pop", if you know what I mean.
You can see that you are doing that already in the areas with the arrows. The areas like the one that is circle could help the piece a lot more I think if you worked in that line weight variation a little more.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/liondrawing.jpg!

The trick is to find the right balance between the thin and thicker lines. You don't want too many of the thicker lines in places like the facial features and mane, because thicker lines "advance" and too many might overwhelm the viewer... you want just enough to make certain aspects stand out from the rest.

Looking GREAT! keep up the good work!

[Brötje]

Oh man, I love spawn! That's the kind of style I'm going for.

The assignment looks good, I'll get started tonight.

@InSaTx : Very pleased to meet you.
@meaganite: I DO like your carpet actually. :)

[maeganite]

Here is my first skull drawing! I started to do another side view one which somehow turned into a skull helment... then an alien skull helment... and it just kept going from there.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/P1040627.jpg

[hydeman]

Hello everybody here my post for this great mentoring , hope you like it , i think i need correction for the perspective head .

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii89/hydeman75/headskull.jpg
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii89/hydeman75/bones.jpg

[maeganite]

how's it going everybody? I've done a few more skull drawings...
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/P1040645.jpg

Thankyou for the great post Hydeman! Nice to meet you. Unfortunately I'm not looking to take on any more mentees at the moment, but you are more than welcome to continue participating!

[InSaTx]

Hi Maeganite,

Here is a study i did this week. I am also working on putting muscles on the torso already. I will do the exercises that you give hopefully, i don't confuse myself with the videos i am learning from. So, far the things you are asking are things i have already worked on. I did not make the pictures too detailed, becuase in the videos i am learning from the guy says you really don't need a detailed understanding just how the bones are shaped and roughly what they look like, becuase they are going to be covered by skin and bones.

Let me know if there are things that are out of proportion or something looks kind of strange. thanks.

anatomy study....

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg181/wilwjess/image012.jpg

[veeray]

hi ..
i am new to this concept...
i am fine art student who was lazy about anatomy studies ..
now i am doing this .. :)
c&c are welcome ..

did this in photoshop with ref.

thank you.

[maeganite]

InSaTx:
Looks like you are getting the basic shapes and everything down. Keep up the good work! I do have a few corrections to make for you, mostly in the shape of front of the rib cage and the base of the spine. It appears to me that the base of the spine is curved jut a little too much. The skull drawings look great!
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg280/maeganite/image012copy.jpg

Keep up the good work!

[skyt7]

when we learn to draw anatomy, do we have to memorise the body so we will be able to draw them from memory?

[veeray]

Hi Maeganite,

any points or critiques on my work ..
i am going to study here .. am i allowed?

i am referring some books and websites

[maeganite]

veeray:
I am not looking to take on any more mentees at the moment, so I am afraid I cannot mentor any one else except Brotje and InSaTx. You are more than welcome to post your work and participate in the activities, and if anyone feels like critiquing I encourage them to do so!

skyt7:
I think it would be very useful to become as familiar as possible with the body so that drawing it comes almost naturally. However, noone should ever do away with continuing to study it and using references as the work.

[InSaTx]

Hi Veeray,

The drawing looks really good. The proportions seem to be correct and the lines i am seeing seem to indicate you are using some type of grid system to get the proportions correct. That is a good start.

I am not sure how long you have been drawing, but after you feel comfortable drawing the human skull for ahwile you may want to get away from using the grid if not you may become too dependent on it. Also, i am not sure what you are really working towards. If you are learning anatomy to be able to draw figures, you really don't need to go into such great detail with the skull. The reason is becuase you will be covering it with muscles, there are some bones that will show through the skin though. It's all about understanding what's underneath the muscle and skin and how it affects the surface. Don't get too caught up in the details of the bones.

Your shading is coming along very nicely. One thing though i would like to see is more contrast between the values so it will have more shape to it. Other than that keep up the good work :)

[veeray]

thanks Insatx ,maeganite

I am new in here so dont know how the activities are going on .. i thought this is a anatomy discussion forum. Sorry if i have interrupted your rapo ... ppl :x

InSatx : I thought the same and did a pencil study on paper. I am a fine art student for last 4 years and drawing from my childhood .. but i wasnt serious up to last week .. i dont know how i be came serious about this .. but rite now i am serious .. i want to draw.. :lifedrawing:

maeganite : thanks for allowing me to post here .. I will learn from watching your works and case studies ..
:oneye:

thank you ..

here is my study today !

[Brötje]

It has been a long time before I posted a drawing BUT....

Here are the first few tryouts.

So what do you think?

*EDIT* : I should scale these down next time. My apologies!

[maeganite]

Looking good, ya'll! I will post critique and the new assignment after the christmas holiday :D
Merry Christmas!

[Brötje]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!

[InSaTx]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Everyone!!! :)

[veeray]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Everyone

[maeganite]

I'm back! Did ya'll miss me?

Brotje:
Those drawings are looking good! I especially like the skull ones. You are also critiquing yourself on the full body sketches, and that is great. Don't forget that the clavicle bends... it isn't strait across.
I have been very pleased with both of your results, you seem to be getting the proportions correct and everything.

next I must apologize for taking so much time before posting the next assignment! Christmas break is so hectic, which I am sure you all know from experience.

Assignment Two Huzzah!
From here we are going to do a few more bone structure studies, I would love to see three different drawings of some nice, bony hands. :)
Then comes four different drawings of the muscle structures in the neck and shoulders, two of male and two of female, preferably. You can indicate the head by doing something of an outline in proper perspective according to whatever position you decide to render the neck. These can be the more detailed, but pay special attention to the form of both of these as they are extremely important in human anatomy.
The neck and shoulder structures are one of the main keys in distinguishing between the male and female body types. I will prepare a little sketch for you later as extra explanation... as of right now I am running out of time.
Hands, as we all know are some of the trickiest things to draw! I think it would also be great if you did about five really quick gesture drawings of those (maybe one or two minutes).

I think that is about it, as always let me know what you think, and if you need any critique other than what I have given. How were your breaks?

[PutridusCor]

Hi! I would like to join!
I'll be in home all this months, searching and dreaming for art (illustration) academies/schools.. so, I need to work!!

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc294/PutridusCor/Sketches/Bones.jpg

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc294/PutridusCor/Sketches/Bones2.jpg

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc294/PutridusCor/Sketches/Hands.jpg

All without references, except a few hands. I have personal problems with human torsos ¬¬ I make them too long sometimes, and I usually lost the control with the skulls too..
It was fun :P

[maeganite]

hi PutridusCor:
Same thing as I have told Veeray, You are more than welcome to post your work and participate in the activities, and if anyone feels like critiquing I encourage them to do so. However, I am not taking on any more mentees at the moment.
I am glad you are willing to study and work on human anatomy!
I will say one thing, in order to better understand human anatomy it will probably be best that you do a lot of drawings and studies from reference... that is what this class is about. You can find a lot of photoreference to work from online, and if you are going for the more muscled look, you might want to try some body-building websites. Thanks for the great post!

[PutridusCor]

Thank you for your answer, I'm really glad that you liked my drawings, I'll be awaiting for more mentoring, if there'll be another, to join at time.

[maeganite]

soooo..... where are all my mentees?

[InSaTx]

Hi meaganite,

Sorry have not been posting anything been busy with work/life/studying art. I will post some of the hands that i have been drawing from my anatomy videos. I will have it up by the end of this week. Also i can scan some other studies i had done from watching the videos.

take care everyone