Mentoring in Animal Anatomy and Creature Design -- Muscles, Part One

[Noë]

I'm sorry Moai, will post my assignment this evening.. If this happens again I'm afraid I might have to stop this awesome mentoring experience.. It turns out I have huge problems with planning schoolwork again, and even more problems with sticking to what I planned, so I end up spending more time with friends than I planned for, and working all evening and early morning to finish school work

Will try to do some quick studies in the train today, but for detailed studies, the train ride is too bumpy.

Love,
Marleen.

[realitychek]

Well, here's what I got done Moai
I know the dog's off, but I think the other ones turned out alright

[Moai]

Micaiah Nelson- Looking pretty good, man. Your pencil technique is somewhat softer and more careful in these posts, and the lower-contrast scans are helping with the presentation.
For the side view of the dog skeleton, the head and the feet could stand the most improvement. The proportions on the head are somewhat skewed, with the mandible being too far forward on the skull. The back of the skull, including the rear of the zygomatic arch where the mandible articulates with the skull, is unfinished. The feet are mostly okay, but the toes on the back feet are somewhat small, and the left hind foot is lacking a calcaneus (ankle bone). The ribcage, vertebrae, pelvis, and limb bones are looking good, though.
The proportions are a bit stretched out on the top view of the skeleton, but the bones are all well observed. I was going to comment that some of the vertebrae in the neck look strange, but I looked at some reference images and realized that the bones really do look strange from this view, so that's okay.
What was your source for the study of the cow's pelvis? Comparing it to Ellenberger, it should be somewhat longer and more stretched out. Also, in this image we can see inside one of the hip joint sockets, but not inside the other. However, from this perspective we should be able to see inside both of them.
The leg studies are great. They're just missing patellas. At least the mammals are; I'd have to look up whether birds have kneecaps or not. Also, be sure to clearly draw in the segments of the toe bones.
Some words about your assignments: I didn't write out your assignment clearly, because I actually wanted you to draw the skeletons of two different animals, with two different views of each animal. Not just two views of one skeleton. But that's okay, because I wasn't being clear. Also, the muscle studies are for after you have finished with the concept skeleton.
Anyway, your next assignment is as follows. Draw an herbivore's skeleton from two different views, but make these views from the front, top, or back. You've already done the side view. Measure proportions and observe shapes and details carefully. Then, draw the skeletons of a small animal, such as a rodent, and of a large animal, such as a rhinoceros or elephant. Do two different views each of the large and small animals. Do studies of specific parts of the skeleton that you feel that you don't know well enough.YOUR DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH. That's two weeks. If you finish sooner than that, great. Once you're done with this assignment, I think you can move on to the concept skeleton.

Noe- You know I want to keep you as a mentee, Marleen. I hope you'll be able to stay on. I can make your deadlines farther apart, if you like.

Realitychek- Very nice studies. I'll critique them now, but there's something else I want to you do to them that I probably should have mentioned earlier. I would like you to label the muscles that you can see on the surface, to make sure you're identifying them correctly. You can do this in photoshop, if you like, so you don't mess up the drawing with all kinds of labels.
Anyway, the saiga (the antelope with the weird nose) looks good. You got all the forms that I can see. The pronghorn could use a bit more definition on its cheek muscles, but I can see that you are able to see them. The eland (the spiral-horned antelope) could also use a bit more definition in its cheeks and lips. The dog was challenging, because most of its muscles aren't extremely visible on the surface. I think you got most of what is visible, though.
One thing about these: I think you you spent too much time shading. We're more interested in form right now, not in shadows and patterns. It doesn't really hurt these studies, but it's just something to keep in mind for next time.
So, label these, and then we'll talk about them some more. Then we can move forward to the muscles of the neck, which are kind of a pain. If you need any help, as always, just ask.

[Noë]

Hey Cory,

I've thought about it, and decided that I'll have to spend some time working on planning and unstressing before I can commit to things like this course. I'm really sorry, I know it must be difficult and irritating for you to have students dropping out all the time..

@ other mentees: keep rocking and show that you're better than me ^^ .

Thanks for the many great indepth crits and lessons!
Love,
Marleen

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Did a horse top and back view, the front view i've already done on a earlier post. Not as detailed as i like to do but i just can't seem to get the detail done on any new skeletons i do. Lost the motivation with skeleton studies lol. Hope this is sufficient

[Moai]

Noe- I'm sad and sorry to see you go, Marleen. But, you gotta do what you gotta do. Best of luck in life and art. The door's always open if you want to come back and be my mentee again.

Kieran- The horse skeleton from the top view is somewhat too short and too broad, and the back view looks a bit unfinished. But, as usual, you observed the shapes and essential details of the bones well, so those slight flaws aren't that important. So, since you seem to have a good idea of the skeleton now, and you're tired of studying it, I think you can start sketching out ideas for your concept skeleton. Have fun!

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Yay! Thank you moai

[Sovae]

Hi!
Just chipping in to say that this thread is absolutely awesome, I've made lots of sketches and studies and you've helped me understand the functions of the bones and such a lot better than I understood it before! Thanks again Keep up the good work mentees!

[Moai]

Hey, guys! I have a bit of news for you. Kieran and I both downloaded and spent some time sketching on Open Canvas 1.1 yesterday. Open Canvas 1.1 is a free-for-download art program with a network feature, allowing people to draw on the same digital canvas through the miracle of the internet. I showed Kieran how I generally sketch out my ideas, and shared some of my thought processes and thoughts on body language, etc. We had a good time, and we both thought it'd be fun for the rest of you mentees to join us sometime. So, if any of you would like to sketch online with me sometime, tell me and I'll give you the information. It'd be nice to make this a semi-regular thing.
So, here's what Kieran and I drew. I started sketching the skeleton below, but we were having technical difficulties, so we both had to log out and start over again, so that's as far as that drawing got.
Anyway, it's good fun, and I think it's a good teaching tool.

In other news, are you okay, Realitychek? I haven't heard anything from you since you posted your animal head studies.

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Some concept skeletons, i think the bottom one is the best

[Moai]

Kieran- Cool to see some concept skeletons from you.
The primate-like skeleton has some interesting features. In the hand, particularly, I notice that its metacarpals are very long, while its phalanges are very short. That's an interesting feature. The pelvis looks a little oversimplified, especially at the joint where it articulates with the femur. Overall, I think this design is too typical, too much like a regular monkey. Playing with its proportions and the shapes of its individual bones can fix this.
The second, more catlike skeleton is my favorite of these three. It has a nice gesture and proportions. The line of its spine and the large masses around its shoulders give it a very low, quick, powerful appearance. Also, it has a fantastic head. The skull is long with the eyes and face sort of pushed towards the front of the skull, which gives the skull interesting proportions. Its jaws also have a wonderful jagged quality that I quite enjoy. As far as crits go on this one, the angle of its ankle is far too severe. This is something I see fairly often in beginners' creature designs, and to me it just makes the hind legs seem strained. Look at poses of cats and you'll see that the angle of the foot is never that harsh. Also, I'd make the tail longer. This would emphasize the greater proportion of mass near the front of the body.
As for the bottom skeleton, I can see that you liked the claw-hoof combo that I gave our long-necked iguana creature. Anyway, I think this design has a lot of potential, but its individual elements aren't quite in harmony yet. This is most evident in the feet. The front feet are typical herbivore hooves, but the back feet have toes and look like carnivore feet. I'm not saying that there couldn't be a creature design that combines hooves and toes, but these feet really just don't seem to belong to the same creature. So, I'd find an intermediate between the two feet. Instead of having just one large hoof on the front feet, why not give it two or three hoof-like toes. Instead of having multiple small toes on the rear feet, why not give it a fewer number of hoof-like toes? That's not to say that the front and rear feet can't be different, just not so jarringly so. Just a suggestion. Also, the angles between the different joints of its legs seem slightly unnatural, but not as much as in your cat-like design. I'd also recommend that you take another look at the tarsals and metatarsals of the foot. I just think that the tarsals of this creature's feet are confined in too small of a clump, while the metacarpals are too long and straight. I like the claws coming out of its head, but I still think that you should add a more prominent calcaneus (heel bone).
Nice work, man. I'm eager to see more. Here's a idea for coming up with designs that you can try out if you want. Draw a number of skeletons, each with a different feature emphasized. Have one creature with a strange skull, another with an unusual neck, another with a strange backbone, another with a weird pelvis, etc. This is just to make sure that you practice with the different design possibilities of each part of the skeleton.

[realitychek]

Sorry it's been a while Moai, but here's the studies I did labeled with all the muscles I could see:


Yeah, got a bit much into the shading and everything even though I shouldn't have, but I'll remember that for next time!
I just downloaded OpenCanvas and would love to join in, but since it's for windows only I can only do it when I'm at my dad's (first three weekends of every month, every Wednesday...) and I'll probably start to borrow one of my art teacher's wacom tablets for it

[Me,Myself & Me again]

More concepts, i took your comments to heart moai and experimented on the spine a bit.
realitychek:- wicked studies mate

[realitychek]

Thanks Me, Myself I'm really liking some of your concept skeletons- love the skull on the bottom of the last one especially

[Moai]

Sweet work, mentees. I'll comment on them fully tomorrow. Homework and work are taking up all my time today!

[OldJake666]

You've spent over a year on skeletons man...

[Moai]

Yikes! Sorry for the delay, peeps. I've been both busy and forgetful.
Realitychek- Hey! Glad to see you again. I was a little worried. Anyway, great work labeling those heads. I really don't see anything to critique there. I'll get to work on the muscles of the neck right away.
Kieran- It's great to see some more of these from you. It looks like you're really getting creative and having fun. The top left skull, the primate-like one with tusks, has a nice ogre-ish feel to it. The four-eyed skull is very cool. Nice idea. Be sure to keep your perspective consistent when drawing these, especially with three-quarter views. I'm pretty sure we'd be able to see the farther tusk of the first skull, and the perspective on the face of the four-eyed guy just doesn't seem quite correct. Are you lightly sketching in the shapes before you draw in the harder lines? If you're not, you should be.
I really like the skeleton below the four-eyed skull. I like the juxtaposition of the somewhat horse-like skull with the low, slinking body. The posture of the hind legs seems a bit unnatural, though.
Four-horned skull also looks cool. I think you should try to integrate the horns more with your designs, though. They tend to seem just kinda pasted on. Make them more a part of the skull, and also make sure they flow harmoniously with the shapes and gestures of the rest of the design.
The horned skull beneath the slinky horse skeleton is kind of confusing me. Is that shape below its eye socket another horn, or a huge tooth? In any case, the shape of the lower jaw is somewhat too lumpy for my taste. I think it could flow better with the shape of the upper jaw and snout.
The big-eyed, sharp-toothed primate skull below that is a decent design, but it doesn't really capture my interest. How well I'd end up liking it would depend on what kind of body it was paired up with.
You're definitely playing with the line of the spine, I can see that. The high hindquarters and low front legs of the lower left skeleton are an interesting feature. Definitely a lot of potential for some neat designs in that. I like the mouthful of big, blocky teeth you gave the skull, but the skull itself isn't too interesting. Many of your skulls tend to be rather short and rounded or blocky, with large brain cases. Try to get some more variety in the shapes and proportions of the skulls as you sketch.
The lowest skeleton is very cool. The long skull and clawed feet give it a sinister personality. Very nice. Because of the long skull, though, I think the length of the spine should also be emphasized. Make the space between the shoulders and pelvis longer, and possibly lengthen the tail (though the contrast of a long midsection and a short tail might also be interesting). Nice job getting a natural posture in the hind legs. Another thing to remember, animals' spines are usually not simple tubes. Don't forget that the spinous processes sticking out of the tops of the vertebrae can also contribute to the curve of the spine and the creature's silhouette.
Looking good, man.

Jake Kobrin- Yeah, well, it was an inefficient year, fraught with delays and changes in the student body, and often inactive for weeks at a time. One of my mentees has moved on to the muscles though.
So, how are you doing?

Micaiah Nelson- What's up? Your deadline was Friday. Did I give you too much work and not enough time?

Anyway, I'll be free pretty much all day tomorrow, if anyone would like to play on Open Canvas with me. Just post here if you'll be available.

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Thanx for the crit moai!
Yes i do lightly sketch the shapes before the heavier lines, and i have noticed the lack of difference between skulls. I'll experient on that aswell.
As for open canvas i am definatly free tomorrow, just pm the I.p address and i'll be there its too much fun not to.

[realitychek]

Thanks Moai
I'll be able to be on open canvas tomorrow from around 6-7 PM eastern, maybe later, but I'll stop in and see if anything's going on (could you PM me the info for how to do the whole IP address thing though?)

[Moai]

Well, it was another fun day on Open Canvas. Here's what we made today.



Here's what I did. The second one down on the left is a beetle rhinoceros, as opposed to a rhinoceros beetle. The hand/moose/chicken exclaiming "BEANS!" in the middle is part of a larger sequence of absurdity, involving disembodied claws from the beyond, Homer Simpson, lasers, and of course a proper reverence for all things beany. Below that, Stanley is part bobcat, part hyenapotamus, but to spare his feelings, we let him think that he is a Labrador retriever and a lawyer. The drawing at the lower right is a design of Kierans, to which I added some muscles, and some little chewy guys.



Here's what Kieran did.



And last but not least, here's realitychek taking a more painterly approach.

Some Photobucket links to the full-size images.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...anvas-moai.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...vas-kieran.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...as-reality.jpg

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Yay thanks moai!

[realitychek]

That's some pretty sweet stuff you guys came up with before I got on, well done!

[Me,Myself & Me again]

more concept skeletons, i also experimented on flipping the ribcage round.

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Have to share this with the class, this game looks amazing ^.^
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eUA-uTPpD_A

[OldJake666]

Well I'm... alright I guess. I started a new SB if you want to check it out. I'm still interested in creatures even if I haven't done one in a while.

[Moai]

I'm sorry for the lack of activity in this thread, mentees. It's almost the end of the semester, so school is busy, and as we get into the holiday season, work is getting busy too. My last assignments are due this week, though, so hopefully I'll be able to resume being your mentor.
I'm especially sorry for waiting so long to critique those skeletons, Kieran. I didn't even see them last time I looked at this thread. There's some really neat stuff going on there.
Again, sorry for the delay. I'll be able to do something next week.

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Moai dont worry about it mate, ive had lots of school work to catch up on aswell so technically your absence was good for a while. But now me work is finished and i'll be waitin for you when you get back
Again don't worry about mate!

[bharat]

nice work man...gre8 carrector design n amasing studdy, visit me n coment on pls.

[Moai]

Hey, mentees. I regret to say that I'm really not finding the time to do any mentoring right now (as my long absence from this thread would make obvious), so this thread will be going on haitus. Maybe for a few months, maybe forever.
I'm sorry. You've all been great.

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Fair enough matey, i know how a lack of time can get the best of people. Hope you find your time back sooner or later, its been an fun and an honour being your mentee. I've learnt alot from you and will be carrying on animal anatomy on my sketchbook.
Hope to here again from you soon!