anatomy study?

[le capitan]

I have been trying to work on my anatomy. Specifically i have an anatomy book, drawing the living figure by joseph shepard, and am drawing the figures in it. It always seems that They are scewed. There heads are to big or there arms or something. I was wondering if i could get any tips on kind of "set-up" i guess you might call it. I've heard that boxing it in and angles and such help but it still seems wrong to me. Thanks in advanced

[jrwells]

I am not really sure what you are looking for, but I can offer my 2 cents, or at least the way I go about drawing anatomy. Probably the most important thing I can say is don't be afraid to use the erasor, it is that thing on the other side of your pencil, and it is there for a reason.

Once you start drawing, start critiquing your work right away. If something looks off in the beginning change it, then change it again until you dig the way it looks.

Drawing from a photograph or another drawing can be tricky, and if you draw from real life you will find that it can be quite a bit easier (at least most times) but I understand how hard it is to get a decent model to sit for you, so photos are a handy tool.

When you begin, don't focus primarily on one place or piece of anatomy, but draw the whole figure, and fill up your page. Do some gesture drawing (quick 10-30 second drawings capturing only basic shape and movement of the figure). I always prefer to start with the whole picture in a very low amount of detail and add as I go along, this way you don't end up with a full drawing with an odd shaped torso or extra large nose.

Also, stop every so often and back up a bit, maybe show it to somebody else who can point out flaws you might not have seen your first time through, work into it some more then do the same thing over. You would be amazed how much you can find wrong with a drawing if you just set it down and walk back a couple of feet.

I think a lot of people have the wrong idea of what a drawing is, it is not just sitting there with a pen or pencil and getting everything right the first time, it is a series of building the lines and marks up to fully realise the subject.

[Rylaan]

Another good book for anatomy is "Dynamic Anatomy" by Burne Hogarth. It is a wonderful book and I suggest picking it up (or borrowing it from your public library :) .) The book discusses the history of drawing the figure, then goes over all the calculations for parts of the body (including fingers and facial features). Each part of the body is discussed, as well as the body in motion. I own three of Hogath's books, and their all great.

[le capitan]

jrwells: yes I think the problem might be trying to rush ahead of where im at. By just laying out the figure and saying its alright when its not and trying to get straight into the details. thanks for the answers..
eraser?....whats that? :} :wink:
Rylaan: I've heard bad things about the hogarth books. They say he's very stylized and such, but i think i'll still try and get it from the library. Im also trying to get the bridgeman books.

I think i need to look into a figure drawing class somewhere or just someplace with a model to work from.

thanks again

[Debaser]

I had a big response typed but *just* registered here myself and lost it since I forgot the password heheh

Anyway, in short... I mostly agree with everything jrwells said and will add this:

Dont get discouraged by proportion errors. I had this problem alot (and still sometimes do when I let myself slip) and it goes away with practice and study.

Stick with the anatomy studies... constantly! A fundamental understanding of human anatomy is the basis for figure drawing. Speaking of Hogarth, he spent 4 years studying *just* anatomy before he went on to work on Tarzan. My own opinion of the Hogarth books is that they're excellent as supplemental anatomy reading, but not really as stand-alone. Same goes for Bridgeman... Pick up something with comprehensive skeletal/muscular illustrations like Gray's Anatomy and use it in conjunction. I dont think I've read Shepard's book so I can't comment there.

Definitely get access to some live model drawing in either instructed class or open drawing formats (or both). Be vewy vewy careful not to "focus in on one peice of anatomy" as jrwells puts it. It's easy to get lost in the details too early on. For me, this is *always* why my proportions get all out of whack. Instead I try to start abstract with basic shapes and work my way into detail in phases. Lay down some major forms and landmarks and use them to "triangulate" others. I.E. see where a hip is and how big it is in relation to the head/foot, hand to elbow/hip/knee, breast to navel/shoulder/foot, etc. Do this constantly at every phase. When you're working on the edges of a form, look at the "negative space" around the area you're working (the background) in addition to the "inside" (the form itself). All this and knowledge of anatomy keeps your awareness of proportions in line better and better with practice.

The more you do all of this, the more it becomes natural to you. But most important: dont get discouraged! :teeth: Great things take time.

[le capitan]

basic huh debaser? wow thanks for the input. Yeh im definatly going to look into some model drawing. I'll keep working on my anatomy definately.