Help Learning Anatomy

[sic1]

Not sure if this is the right place to situate this thread, but here goes.

I have been studying/reading a few anatomy books:
2 from Robert Beverly Hale, and Figure Drawing for All Its Worth - Loomis. I was wondering if I should keep going over the material in the books, trying to refine technique/knowledge, or try drawing from images I can locate on google.

Any insight would be appreciated!

hrrm guess ill just get off the comp for an hour and go draw
:D

[sic1]

Good lord, 90 views and no replies! No, I'm not bitching, I just find it funny :) Anyway, this is a pity reply just for the hell of it -- fine art has some books that appear to help with anatomy: http://www.fineart.sk/anat.htm

[Madman!]

I'm sure Andrew or Jason can give better insight. I'm just going to throw in what has been working for me. I've had a couple anatomy books for awhile(like 3-4 years).I even have the Figure Drawing for all its Worth for like a year now, and I have been drawing daily and looking at the muscles and bones, but it seems I never really improve that much. These last couple weeks though I've been trying to just memorize names and locate on my body where stuff goes and I can remeber them which I thought would be hard, now its like I'm impoving way faster cause I know excatly where and what things are. I mean maybe you are doing that and you know the names and excatly where they go, I'm just saying what I was doing and whats working for me.

[sic1]

Thanks for the insight Madman!

I had tossed that idea around for a bit and didn't think it would help, but perhaps I'll give it a try :)

I should really just grab an anatomy book and study for a bit. I gotta get away from this damned computer! It's teh debil! Maybe I'll finish my last college essay early tommorow (not really, go procrastination!), and just concentrate on anatomy...

[Lev_0]

Knowing how each muscle connects to the bone (origin and insertion) helps a lot. Then all you have to worry about is drawing a mannikin like loomis' to build the muscles onto. This site is useful-

http://www.rad.washington.edu/atlas/abddigminimi.html

[Beer Baron]

Studying anatomy is easier than it seems. My first suggestion would be to get George Bridgeman's books on anatomy. They are hands down the best books I have seen on the subject. Everything is spelled out for you and some of the mystery surrounding muscles' insertions and origins are cleared up. Perfect bedtime reading material.

Second, I would get a pad of paper and make a schedule to learn a new muscle group a week. Start with an area you are interested in (i.e. the upper arm). Then write down the superficial muscles in that group. Then take the beginning letters of the muscles and make up a word or a sentence that will help you remember the muscles in that group. For instance; Better Clean The Bathroom = Bicep, Coraco bachilis, Tricep, and Brachalis. (pardon my spelling). I found this way gives me a good general knowledge of anatomy to get the ball rolling. I also keep a good textbook by my side in case I get stuck.
Hope this helps!

[Yessum]

Ive found Madmans way to be useful to myself also. When you study from life you cant go wrong cuz when you draw from life your actually drawing how it really should look, so when you study each group look in some muscle magazines and see how those muscles you studied look when they are put to use on an actual person, even yourself, look at the people you see walkin man, see what main muscles show and which ones usally dont show, like the Bicep shows when you flex your arm but the Brachialis which is under the Bicep dont show to well, unless your a bodybuilder with tight skin. But yeah man do anything that you think might work, afterwards youll see the benifits of it and be glad you did it. Anything is useful. Yeah....enough (maybe to much) said. Later

[talos72]

Get your hands on a copy of the "Vilppu Drawing Manual". Follow it's methode and you will see improvement.

link http://vilppustudio.com/

[sic1]

Ahh, thank you everyone for the info!

I haven't been able to access the board in a week because my internet died. The comcast office around here is full of liars that don't know what they are doing.

[Aylex]

Try to find the book by Gottfried Bammes, i think this book best.
(as i can remenber the title is "Die Gestalt des Menschen : Lehr- und Handbuch der Künstleranatomie")
one minus this book on german

there is some pages
http://aylex.z555.com/HANDX1.JPG
http://aylex.z555.com/HANDX2.JPG
http://aylex.z555.com/TORSO3.JPG

sorry for big DL

[nenne]

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/3895082228/booksnewasin/302-0924967-0780829 I got this one don´t know if its what you looking for but It got it al humans, animals and comperians etc.. did only find a url in german mine is in swedish .. (the book) heavy large one I love that one..

[gekitsu]

it's good if you can't read bammes' book completely, he has some strange points going on at times.

the illustrations in it are quite good. understandable, clear and correct enough for studying purpose.

as for his points, he doesn't seem to be able to see the difference between a book about anatomy for an artist (his, e.g.) and a book about anatomy for illustrators (loomis, e.g.).
he depicts loomis as the big bad commercialist new age artist that makes our souls ill. damn, he even gives TYPES of people (the chart with people of different height in heads). he didn't get the point that loomis as an illustrator has to worry about different things than just correct anatomy but the implied effect on the reader.
things like that that make the actual reading of the book a ambiguous experience...

i for now imagine the combination of an illustration focussed book (for simplification, dynamics, all the artistry stuff) and a medical anatomy (for the hard facts about muscles, bones and all that) as the best you can get.

[redehlert]

hey sic1 and all,

it's a tough road....i'll grant you that much, but you seem to be on the right track. it's not so much just knowing origin and insertion of the muscles, but also action, what is synergistic and antagonistic to a particular muscle in action, and of course the skeletal framework and boney landmarks are key to assisting you getting better with your anatomy.

why do i say this with conviction? years of study. i'm the staff medical illustrator at the univ of wash in seattle - the quote and link below from lev_o was done by the previous med illus in my unit....go figure!
at any rate, i've studied on cadavers for a two years (approx. 30 bodies of various ages and sizes) and taken full courses in anatomy and physiology, neuroanatomy, pathology, embryology, histology, etc. my thesis was on forensic facial reconstruction and have taken a course with a certification on this art form from the esteemed betty pat gatliff. blah, blah, blah....

and you know what? all of that training on anatomy has given me a lot of skill with knowing the internal and external structures, but I AM CRAVING ACTUAL DRAWING! sorry....shout out there. you see....my field gets me in a rut drawing organs and functions and procedures thus making me forget why i got into this field - a love for the human form and drawing it. all of that knowledge in my head does not do a damn bit of good unless you practice daily.

so....read, learn, and train the mind on the stuff i stated earlier, but reading books alone is nothing unless you can practice, practice, practice.
if you want a list of anatomy books that i have in house, please ask. i'll give out as much detail as you need.

sorry for the rant.....just directing those of you interested in anatomy to be sensible about it - read, learn, apply and refine.
hope this has made some sense.

cheers!
d



Originally posted by Lev_0
Knowing how each muscle connects to the bone (origin and insertion) helps a lot. Then all you have to worry about is drawing a mannikin like loomis' to build the muscles onto. This site is useful-

http://www.rad.washington.edu/atlas/abddigminimi.html