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

[DantheDragon]

Quick intro:

28 year old female internet addict.

~Kindergarten through a few years of college = drawdrawdraw art student.
~Zomg cool writing job + commute = Bye school! Write write write, no time for draw.
~5 years later: omfg I didn't practice and now I fail at drawing! D:
~Current day: Job - commute = Back to school! Artclassartclassartclass. Okay, I can draw again, but I need to improve dammit!

Assignment #1

Creature images that makes my eyes pop out:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...1&d=1163613511
(by xgabo) Hot DAMN *_*
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...rcticdone2.jpg
by VegasMike is awesome too.

Creature image that makes me cringe:
http://danthedragon.deviantart.com/a...ter-1-36271275
^ Oh look! It's something I drew 2 years ago before I returned to school! *eye twitch* Looking back I notice I hid the back legs with a tail, since I always have trouble with them.

Current creature drawing:


^ boring and uninspired, but that's unfortunately where I am right now :-/

While drawing this things that came to mind that I feel I need to focus on improving:

~Better understanding of anatomy.
~Back legs/claws, etc.
~More dynamic poses.
~Move out of the side view rut.
~More variety in subject matter.

Feel free to add to my list! I'm here to learn!
And because I guilted Moai into teaching me because he eats my french fries every class session. *shakes fist*

[realitychek]

Thanks Moai Yeah, I'll work with some different angles and views on my next ones. And while I'm here, hi to Micaiah Nelson and DanthetheDragon!

[Micaiah Nelson]

Thanks Realitycheck, and thank you Moai for taking me in.

Assignment 1


Reading my header this much should be expected. I love the abstract work of these dragons.

I also love the fussion between man and animals.

Not much on creature but the horns really raises the bar.
Charlie Wens post of classic creatures.

The japanese demons from Okami.


Thats all I have for now. You pronoune my name Ma-Ki-Ya. Its hebrew, though I'm not hebrew. I'm 20 and havent gone to college yet. I spend majority of my time studying art. Theres a lot to read and I need to catch up I will post later tonight. I'm nocturnal. I'm a guy. Heres me at the rev getting a really nice view/sketch of the models.

[Moai]

DantheDragon- Hi, Danielle! Welcome to the thread. You like large, undead behemoth creatures, don't you? I'm looking forward to some more french fries tomorrow. In the meantime, post some more work, dammit!
Micaiah Nelson- Welcome, dude. I'm pretty sure I recognize you from the workshop. Did you hang out at the Hurricane? I was the skinny blond guy with the messy ponytail and the fuzzy chin.
Anyway, cool images. The first and third ones are Bahamut and Omega Weapon from FF10, right? I'm not sure about the second one. Anyway, since you like dragons, the Breath of Fire games have some neat dragon designs. Here's some links:

http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bof4/BoF4_wyvern.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bof4/BoF4_tyrant.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bof4/BoF4_serpent.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bof4/BoF4_kaiser.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bo...4_grasswyr.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bo...auarsketch.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bof5/dva.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bof5/BoF5_odjnryu.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bof5/BoF5_odjn.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bof5/BoF5_chetyre.jpg
http://www.dragon-tear.net/images/bo..._elyonodjn.jpg
And the source of all these images: http://www.dragon-tear.net/bof5/?it=gallery&off=60
And just in case you haven't seen it yet, Nike Corriero's "Draw a dragon" thread in the community activities section: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=42312

Looking forward to some work from both of you!

[OldJake666]

Micaiah Nelson: I think I met you at the EMP dude.

Because of school stuff, my parents took away my art stuff for a week (which sucks as my birthday's on Friday) so yeah... you definately won't be seeing anything from me any time soon.

[Moai]

Mentees new and old, let's see some more studies and concepts!
Jake Kobrin, if you see yourself as being unable to put in the necessary amount of time for this for the foreseeable future, please let me know and I will drop you from the thread. I'm sorry, man, but you gotta get your school work in order, and for a young 'un like you, school takes priority over this.

[OldJake666]

I suppose you're right.
I hate to lose this resource but.... drop me.

[Moai]

Jake Kobrin- It is with a heavy heart that I remove you from the list of mentees. I'm sorry, man. Good luck with school, art, and life.

Okay, so I talked to DantheDragon at school (we share a class, after all), so I know why she hasn't posted any work. But, where are the rest of you? I'm especially curious about you, Micaiah Nelson, because I haven't seen any of your work yet, and also because you said that you have no life besides studying art and you've been a mentee for a couple weeks but not posted anything. Is everything okay? I'd just like an update on where everyone is at this point, and I'd of course like to see any new work that anyone's done.
That's all.

[Micaiah Nelson]

Hey dont get me wrong. I don't have a life! So I spend majority of my time studying art. But I found it hard because I'm not really organized. I don't really commit to a specific study by daily basis. Just did a lot of everything. But a few days ago I decided to schedule my studies. Thursdays are my animal and creatures studies friday I will post. Weekends are my character/creatures days. Monday or Tuesday I will post my creatures. I still read through the thread. I've done your studies aswell as picked up a W. Ellenbergers book. I havent gotten to the movement yet, nor done any anatomy in this book( I was planning on going through that with you). I'm first doing all the herbivores (cause I've read from your post that most of them are similiar). Once I got that idea down I'll move on to the Carnivores. But don't wory I'll post what I got tommorow.

[Noë]

Okay! I'm absolutely ashamed of myself, and I'll better, I promise..
Just got through my last test week, so for now it's just studying for my final exams, and since I know most of the theory already, it should be a lot less busy.
Anyways I've still been a huge slacker.. Gonna get right into some new studies next monday, and I'm gonna put it in my schedule as well.

See you monday/ tuesday!
Love, and sorry,
Marleen.

[Micaiah Nelson]

So I'm focusing herbivores herbivores before I do the carnivores. I think that will be the best way for me to memorize this stuff.
Right now I completely forgot all my questions so I'll just post for now...

[Moai]

Noe- No need to be ashamed! I just want to know that you're still working hard. Looking forward to your next post.
Micaiah Nelson- Sorry for the slight delay in this critique, man. Anyway, it's good to know that you're so organized in your studies. Judging from the rather sizable dump of images that you posted, your study schedule is working well for you. All right, my critique:
The studies in the first image look pretty good. I want you to try to pay special attention to proportions, angles, and curves when you study, though, as there are small errors in all three of those in this image. For proportional errors, there are some issues with the leg studies, both in comparison to the original image (the limb segments are longer than in the original image), and in comparison to each other (the lengths of the segments aren't consistent across the different views; though I admit they aren't completely consistent in the original image either). While proportions aren't so important in this study, since its based on just a generalized skeleton and not a specific animal, it's always a good habit to carefully measure your proportions. As far as errors in the angles of lines go, the top jaw of the 3/4 front view of the generic skull has a different angle than in the original image. In the original, it angles ever so slightly upwards in comparison to the bottom of the lower jaw, but in your image it angles downwards. As far as errors in rendering curves goes, in the 3/4 back view of the skull you made the line of the bottom of the lower jaw concave, when it is actually slightly convex on the original image. Again, accuracy isn't extremely important with these particular studies, since they're not of an actual animal, but drawing the correct angles and curves is very important when you do studies of specific animals.
For the second image, the studies of the generic ribcage/spinal column and the generic hips are looking pretty accurate. There are some minor errors in proportion and angles, but it's not a huge deal. The top view of the horse looks excellent. The top view of the hips also looks good, but the shape of the ilia (that's plural for ilium, don'tcha know) is a bit inaccurate. Again, just some slight differences in the angles and curvatures of lines.
In the next image, the front view of the horse looks awesome. Nothing to critique there. The back view also looks good, but the joints of the legs aren't quite level with each other. The differences are only very slight, but they still affect the sense of balance and symmetry. Where did the side view of the skeleton come from? I don't recognize it from Ellenberger. Some other source, or did you just make up the pose yourself and reference Ellenberger for the details? Anyway, the shape of the pubis and the placement of where the top part of the femur meets the hip are a little off. The femur itself is also a bit too small. I also think that the arch of the neck may be a little too high and birdlike. The skull, particularly the lower jaw, is inaccurate and needs to be observed better.
For the next image, the side view of the cow skeleton looks great. It has a nice angular quality. The errors are only slight, and are as follows: the angle of the top of the scapula is slightly off, the ribs are a bit more curvaceous than how you drew them, and the femurs are a bit larger and more robust. You have a tendency to reduce the femurs; something to keep an eye on. The top view of the skull is a bit compressed but otherwise looks fine. You need to recheck the curves and proportions of the side view of the skull. The eye socket needs to be larger, and you completely missed the nice boat-like curve of the lower jaw, plus a few other small inaccuracies. You captured the curve of the jaw nicely in the 3/4 view, though.
For the front view of the next image, there are some slight things to fix. Increasing the width of the front of the jaws slightly would give a better sense of foreshortening. Making the hooves a bit bigger and changing the angles of some of the lines would place them more firmly on the ground. For the back view, similar to the back view of the horse, not making the joint and the bottom of the feet level to each other hinders the sense of balance and symmetry. The whole back view feels a bit narrow, also.
I hope that helps. I'm looking forward to your next batch of studies.

[DantheDragon]

Sorry for the delay. Finally got a slight reprieve from work. Here's the sketches I've been doing. I'm working on memorizing the bones and how they are shaped differently (but still present) in different animals.

[Moai]

DantheDragon- Nice to see you posting, Danielle! Those are some very nice-looking studies. So nice, in fact, that I'm going to have to get nitpicky if I am to have any crits at all. So nitpick I will. For the horse, the scapula is slightly off. It has more of a wavy, flimsy look to it than it does in the reference. The curvature of the lion's scapula could also use some slight modification. The feet are somewhat small on the hippo. The sea lion and dolphin look fine. Isn't it amazing how the same set of arm bones has been so modified in those species? I also find it interesting how the dolphin has evolved so many extra segments in its "fingers."
One last critique. "Stupidiy" is spelled wrong. See you on Monday!

Noe and realitychek, I'm still looking forward to some more work from you!

[Noë]

Assignment 02 - Part 6 Two studies to get back into this
So after finally getting through all my schoolexams okay, there's more time to draw, and ofcourse prepare for the final exams.
Thanks for being so patient with me Cory, Guess I didn't draw an animal skeleton in more than two months! So I'll try to make up for that..

Started today with 1,5 hour for the dog skeleton, and 0,5 hour for the horse parts. I had a bad time with the dog skull, finally just gave in to the bad proportions on that part.
After doing some more studies I'll get into the concept assignment seriously this time..

Oh and welcome DantheDragon and Micaiah Nelson!
Love
Marleen.

[Moai]

Those look good, Noe. I'm at school, so I have no time to crit at the moment, but I will soon.


Edit: Noe's Critique, April 25th
I'm so sorry for the delay with this critique, Marleen. I'm moving at the beginning of next week, so I've been pretty busy.
Anyway, I'm looking at your dog skeleton and the original by Ellenberger and I'm not seeing many errors. True, the proportions on the skull are slightly off (the eye sockets are too big), but since we're more interested in committing the general shapes of the bones to memory so we can draw from that knowledge when inventing creatures, meticulous accuracy in every small feature isn't so important. What's more important is symmetry. The two halves of the dog's skull are somewhat uneven. Looking at Ellenberger, I just noticed now that this was the case in the original image as well, so now I'm not so sure what to tell you. Just be careful of asymmetry, I guess.
For the horse, did you have a reference image? The neck looks somewhat short, and the front limb looks somewhat small (the ulna/radius segment, according to the side view by Ellenberger, is about the same length as the skull). The skull itself looks good.
Good work.

***

REALITYCHEK!!!!!! Where are you?

[realitychek]

sorry, just finished up my AP portfolio a little while ago, and the other teachers have been loading it on pretty good, but I've got a few concept skeletons I'm working on now, should be finished up tomorrow
edit: Ok, here's two of the same skeleton, one from the side, one from the front....definitely need to work on different viewpoints more....

[OldJake666]

Hey Moai. I know I'm not your mentee but I'm still following this thread for info. Maybe you can talk a bit about muscles now?

[Me,Myself & Me again]

Bump * for the muscle

[Moai]

realitychek- Boy, am I glad to see you posting again. I really didn't want to have to bump off the last of my original mentees. Plus, that's a hot creature skeleton you posted. I'm loving its rabbit-like feet and the little horn on its head. I'm actually quite pleased with the way you handled the front view. The skull is a tad flat, and the phalanges of the front feet look a little odd, and you should probably reexamine the shape of the scapula from the front view, but all in all it's looking really good. These drawings show me that you've really learned the skeleton and are able to apply that knowledge. So, I encourage you to choose one of those concept skeletons you're drawing and use that for your final concept skeleton assignment. We really need to move on to other aspects of creature anatomy and design.
Some more crits: In the side view, the radius and ulna look extremely thin. Perhaps beef them up slightly. The tarsal area also looks somewhat odd; consult some reference on that. But, like I said, overall very good work.
Jake Kobrin- As soon as one of the mentees posts their concept skeleton, I will get to work on posting the muscle info. But not before then; I don't want to get ahead of my mentees. I'm getting a bit impatient too.
Me,Myself, and Me Again- Ditto for Jake.

[Noë]

Hi Moai,

I'm at my boyfriends place currently, and I can't get his scanner to work. I just went to my home for a night, and quickly scanned my new sketchbook pages, but there is some more in my small sketchbook which I left here.
Thanks for the critique I see what you mean about the horse's proportions being off.. I guess the book I drew that one from just isn't very good.. I've had bad proportions in most of my other drawings from that book, and after checking the errors with the example drawings in there, I think these book drawings already have somewhat bad proportions. I might have worsened the bad proportions sometimes. I'll get a picture of that horse example when I'm back home to check. Meanwhile I'm studying from prints of the Ellenberger book, and trying to get a crack at the concept assignment. Also when I have some money (in about a month), I'm getting a good animal anatomy book.

Assignment 02 - part 7: some horse studies

In these sketches I tried to fit a horse skeleton in a contour drawing of a galloping horse. I'd especially like all crits on the believability of the right horse skeleton, because I'd like to use that one on a more finished piece.

Assignment 03 - part 2: three loose concept skeletons

I did these quite quickly and roughly.. I'm not happy with them, especially the left ones don't work for me at all. I'm thinking the right one might be a possibility for the finished concept skeleton, but It'll need tweaking. All ideas on how to get a concept skeleton working with the shapes and the contour, would be very much appreciated..

Love,
Marleen.

P.S. Realitychek; I'm liking that concept skeleton a lot nice!

[realitychek]

Alright, I'll pick one of the skeletons I've done and work on all the different views for the final concept skeleton assignment.
Thanks Marleen

[Moai]

Noe- Thanks for all those images and questions. I'll get back to you with a proper critique and answer your questions as good as I can tomorrow morning (in a little over twelve hours after this post).

Edit: So, tomorrow morning has come, and now I will critique Noe.
For the horse in motion studies, the outlines and proportions generally look correct. The first one looks slightly short-necked, though, and its front legs look just a hair too long, especially the one farther away from us. In the second one, the proportions look better (though they were still good in the first one), but there is a glaring problem in its hind leg. Its tibia and fibula are so extended that they almost make a straight line with the femur. I'm fairly certain that horses can't (or just don't) bend their legs like this, and even if they do it still looks awkward for the femur and tibia to be extended so straight and the ankle and foot to flexed at a different angle. The cause of this problem is that you put the hip joint, where the head of the femur articulates with the pelvis, too far forward, and so there isn't enough room for the femur. The hip joint needs to be moved back closer to the horse's rump.
For the second image, first of all kudos for attempting a challenging pose like this. It looks good, but there are some errors, and most if not all of them have to do with foreshortening. What I notice most immediately is that we're viewing the pelvis from a more or less 3/4 angle, but you drew the ilium as if we were viewing it from the side. The hip is an exceptionally difficult form to imagine at different views (I was struggling with it myself just a few days ago), so if at all possible you'll probably want to find a mounted horse skeleton to draw from. Or, failing that, a decent picture of a horse skeleton at this angle. The hind left limb has a similar problem. We're viewing it at a 3/4 angle, more or less, but it seems to be twisting inwards. The front left limb looks good. The right front limb, like the left hind limb, seems to be twisted too much, and the unla/radius segment of the limb should also appear a bit shorter, to suggest foreshortening. The rest looks pretty good to me, but you may want to ask the opinion of someone with more experience at drawing horses.
I will return in a bit to critique your concept skeletons.

[Noë]

Thanks for the crits on the skeletons! I definitely learned from that. The thing with drawing the hip at a 3/4 angle was the most difficult part for me indeed, because I just didn't know how. I see what I can change though, and will

Assignment 03 - Part 3:I totally forgot to post these: I know it's not much, but I like the imagined skeletons on the lower left page. I'm just not sure wether it would be possible to design the vertebrae like I did on the right one?

I'm busy with final exam preparations, but gonna stop slacking and get some quality skeleton design time in there ^^
Love
Marleen.

[Moai]

Noe, thank you for your patience and for not complaining about me taking forever to critique your concept skeletons. I'm very sorry for the delay. It's the end of the semester at my school, so I've been really busy with that. At the moment, I am getting ready to go to work, so I will critique these and answer your questions tonight. What I will say now is that I really like the lower right skeleton with the weird vertebrae.
*placeholder for critique*

So now, finally, my critique on your concept skeletons.
1st image, post #169: These are the ones that you say don't work for you at all. I think partly the reason for that is that they aren't very original or imaginative designs. They're basically the skeletons of an elephant and a cat with a few minor alterations. Here's some ways that you might have made those designs more interesting. The shortened legs and the longer, thicker tail of the elephant-type skeleton suggest an amphibious nature to me, like a hippo perhaps. These traits could have been pushed even further, and the shape of the torso modified (lengthened, maybe) to make it less similar to a real elephant. The tusk shape could also have been changed, also to differentiate it from a real elephant.
For the cat-type skeleton, I see only a few small alterations from a real feline skeleton. These could all be pushed to make the design more original and interesting. On the head, you gave it large fangs, large flares of bone on the back end of the mandible, and a prominent cranial crest extending backwards from the end of the skull. The flares of bone and the crest in particular would make for an interesting and original design. You also gave it quite a long tail, which works good with this design because it counters the compact design. As for not design related critiques, the hips and rear leg of this skeleton are weakly drawn.
2nd Image, post #169: A problem with this one, like the two skeletons before it, is that it looks like it was just thrown down on the page. It's okay to work quickly and roughly, as you say you did, if you still use good drawing practices like using an underdrawing to lay down the shapes first and working from general to specific. It doesn't look like you did that here. As a result, the individual pieces really don't look like part of a greater whole. I'm going to do a bit of a draw-over in photoshop to show how this might be improved.

Edit: Okay, so now I'm finishing this critique.
Here, I explored a possible way that this design could be improved, explaining my method and design choices. I hope these images help. Remember, this is just one possible re-imagining of this design.



Onto your other images:
Ist image, post #172:

I like the imagined skeletons on the lower left page. I'm just not sure wether it would be possible to design the vertebrae like I did on the right one?

I like these skeletons too. The topmost one on this image is kind of boring, and the one on the right is unfinished so I won't even bother critiquing it, but the bottom two are good, especially the one on the lower right.

This creature has a very clear personality to me. The way it has its head to the ground like it's rooting for food tell me that its a creature that minds its own business, but its big pointy snout tells me also that it is a very assertive creature when other creatures don't mind their business, and has no problem defending itself. The strong arch of its body and the projections radiating out from that arch also suggest a strong defense. The big upturned snout is a good design choice for two reasons. For one, its curvature contrasts with the main curvature of the body, making it a focal point of the creature design. Secondly, it's also a functional design feature because it looks like an efficient tool for rooting around in the underbrush. So, your design choices work well on an abstract level and on a more functional level. Good job!
As for your question about the vertebrae, it would be strange to have them projecting out like that, but I think that's a good thing. It would probably be more likely that those defensive spikes wouldn't be a part of the vertebrae, but rather separate growths, like the big plates on a Stegosaurus skeleton. However, it's more original to have them growing right out of the vertebrae, and I don't see why it wouldn't be possible, so I think it's fine. This skeleton is a very good candidate for your concept skeleton, I think.
2nd image, post #172: I guess I'll just go through these from top to bottom. I like the topmost skull. It has a nice, blocky, rhinoceros-like feel to it. The second skull from the top is also fairly interesting, though I don't like it as much as the first skull. It has a problem, though, and I'll illustrate that problem pictorially, since it'll be easier to show that way.

The blue represents the main thrust of the image. The way you have the creatures tusk bent down a bit diverts this energy, represented by the red. The design would be have been stronger had the tusk followed the main thrust of energy.
Continuing on, the right middle skull might be too cow-like, but the way its nostrils are up higher on its head adds a bit of interest. Nice job practicing drawing skulls from different angles. For the left middle skull, like in the pelvis of your horse drawing, I'm seeing some conflicts of perspective. The nasal opening and the front end of the jaws look like we're seeing them from sort of a 3/4 view, but the rest of the skull and mandible look more like we're sing them from a side view. Like pretty much all of these skulls and skeletons, it would have benefited a lot from a more solid and structural underdrawing. I quickly drew yet another image to illustrate this point.

First, I sketched in a simple block shape that is more or less the same general shape as this skull. Then I refined this by adding smaller blocks for the zygomatic arches and a sphere for the brain case. I'm just using very simple shapes that are easier to imagine in three dimensions, and thus draw from different views. With these shapes as a base, you can then carve away at them and wrap lines around them to get a more refined skull. Like the loose scribbles I did for your other skeleton, this is another good way to set up a solid base onto which you can add details and more refined forms.
Again, I like the next skull down (the skull from the concept skeleton that I liked so much). Even without the body, it has a good gesture with nice swooping lines. The bottom skull is interesting. That's an unusual crest/horn thing it has. I like the idea of an odd horn like that, but I'm not sure that I like this particular drawing. If you like this skull, it might be a good idea to draw a number of variations on it to find a shape that works just right. A problem with this skull--with all of these skulls, actually, but especially with this one--is that it is quite flat, without much sense of form. All I can do is say again to lay out a more structural underdrawing before coming in with your finished outline and details.
So I think this critique is finally done. I really hope this helps. Can't wait to see what you draw next!

[Moai]

Calling Micaiah Nelson! Where are you, Micaiah?

[Noë]

Moai - THANKS so much for that amazing crit post.. It's the best crit I - ever - received. Great stuff.. Oh and don't thank me for not complaining about you that's stupid.. I'm the lazy mentee, complain about me!

I made some thumbnails, trying to keep in mind the things you said. I tried to get a nice curve going on the spine mostly, and use repeating shapes and just my intuition for putting some bodyparts on. I noticed I really like the shapes of dinosaurs and dinosaur likes, because of the tail extending from the body in a fluid motion.. I kinda miss that in regular animal skeletons.
Also I have a question: I just assumed we're supposed to design a regular land mammal skeleton. But you never stated that anywhere, is it okay to maybe do something more lizard like, or maybe a biped or a bird?

So anyways, here are the thumbnails, I numbered them so it's easier to discuss them individually:

Some comments:
1 - looks quite much like a regular rhino skeleton I think
3 - I feel that putting the pelvis and hind legs so low, just doesn't work?
6 - looks (to me) pretty dinosaury?
8 - there's something I like about this one.. I think the skull and the sacrum? But it doesn't feel great..

So yeah, I'm thinking of going for this one for my concept skeleton, but I would like to work out one or two other concept skeleton side views, kinda like you did on this one (damn that was a nice image btw ).

Okay, enough babbling.. I have no exam tomorrow so I'm gonna practice chemistry, art history, and do skeleton drawings! ^^

Love
Marleen

[Moai]

Okay, my customary period of procrastination is up, so I guess it's time to critique those skeletons, Noe.

I noticed I really like the shapes of dinosaurs and dinosaur likes, because of the tail extending from the body in a fluid motion.. I kinda miss that in regular animal skeletons.
Also I have a question: I just assumed we're supposed to design a regular land mammal skeleton. But you never stated that anywhere, is it okay to maybe do something more lizard like, or maybe a biped or a bird?

As long as it is made of bones, you can draw it. I've been thinking about where this thread is going and how to organize future lessons, and now I realize that I should have done an overview of different kinds of skeletons many months ago, when I first put the skeleton information up. I was planning on doing that later, as we looked at different families and orders of animals, but I now realize that right at the beginning of the skeleton lesson would have been a better place for it. Perhaps I'll get started on that after doing this critique.
So, let's tackle these skeletons.
#1- It is indeed highly reminiscent of a rhinoceros skeleton, but I like it. It has a nice curve to its spine, a dynamic shape to its skull, and I like the bent shapes of its legs. If you take care to make the details dissimilar from a rhino skeleton, especially in the skull, I think you could have a nice creature design there.
#2- I like this skeleton as well. There's a nice overall gesture and slope to its design. Its long metacarpals are a nice touch as well. Its hind legs seem too straight, though. The skull has a lizard-like quality that I like.
#3-

"I feel that putting the pelvis and hind legs so low, just doesn't work?"

On the contrary. This is probably my favorite skeleton of all of these. It has a nice shape and proportions, and a very interestingly shaped head. I'd love to see that head shape refined, with features and details added to it. Having the hind legs and pelvis so small and low automatically makes the design interesting and unique, and gives the creature an unusual gait and personality.
There is a group of extinct animals related to horse and rhinos that had a somewhat similar design: the chalicotheres. This is an especially nice image of a chalicothere: link.
#4- This beast is sort of the opposite of the last one, with long hind legs and short front legs. That also gives an interesting shape and slope to the body. The skull isn't working that well for me. It echoes the shape of the body nicely, and I can see it being refined into a really neat skull, with its knob-like horns and its big chin, but I don't know...something just isn't working here. Maybe having the spine attach more to the back of the skull and less to the underside would make it go with the flow of the body more than it is now. For most animals, the spine connects to the back of the skull anyway; humans are the only animals I can think of where the spine attaches squarely on the underside of the skull.
#5- The somewhat curvy head is nice, and the tall vertebral spines could be used to make an interesting design, but as it is this one is rather plain and boring.
#6- Yes, quite dinosaur-like. Though, to me, it seems more like a mammal skeleton molded into a more dinosaur-like shape than an actual dinosaur skeleton, at least in some respects. Its legs, pelvis, and neck, for example, are very mammalian. The single nasal opening at the front of the skull is also mammalian; dinosaurs tend to have two separate nostril openings on the sides of the skull. I'll get to work on posting some non-mammal skeleton info, if you're interested in going that direction. Reptile skeletons are very interesting and beautiful, but they're more difficult than mammal skeletons. They are more complex than mammal skeletons, with more bones, and there are fewer quality resources for researching them. It'll take me a bit to do the necessary research before presenting that info.
7- Looks kind of like a cross between a dog and a sheep. Not very interesting.
8-

there's something I like about this one.. I think the skull and the sacrum? But it doesn't feel great..

The skull and the sacrum are nice on this one. The skull has an interesting shape, with that small horn/bump above its snout, and the sacrum is very tall and deep. So far, I've yet to see the sacrum emphasized in a creature design, so it might turn out very interesting if you pushed this sacrum even further and gave it tall spines and ridges or something. But yeah, the overall skeleton has a somewhat lumpy, inelegant feel to it. Then again, elegance is not always the goal in creature design.
In addition to your numbered ones, many of those light sketches caught my eye as well. To the left of #1, for example, you have a critter with a heavy, round skull, long metacarpals, and apparently no pelvis or hind legs, with its tail and lower body resting on the ground. That has the potential to be an absolutely fascinating skeleton. Above #s 4 and 5, you have another dinosaur-like skeleton that is potentially very neat. The way you sketched it in gave it a very thick and heavy tail, which is what caught my eye about this sketch. If you can, check out the latest (around here, anyways) edition of ImagineFX, which has several articles about drawing and painting dinosaurs. Inside, one of the artists from Weta (a special effects/concept art company in New Zealand, which did the effects and designs for Lord of the Rings and King Kong) shows his process of designing a new dinosaur species. The creature he designs also has a very thick and club-like tail. It's a very cool creature design and article, so you should check it out.
Below #3, you have another reptilian-looking concept. It's long, low skull and the way it is somewhat continuous with the body gives it a sly, cunning look. There is also an interesting contradiction on this design. It's tail is long and drags on the ground, suggesting that this is not a very energetic creature. However, the way you sketched in its hind legs suggests very long metatarsals, implying that this creature can spring and run around with some speed if it wants to. So, you have a creature that slowly stalks its prey until it gets close enough, and then it quickly leaps for the kill. I also imagine its front legs to be rather heavily built, with large claws, to help do away with its prey. Potentially a very cool design here.

So now I'll go answer your questions about anatomy books, and get to work on a post detailing the diversity of skeletons in the animal kingdom.

[Moai]

A Diversity of Skeletons

Part One: Mammals

I should have done this a lot sooner. Originally, I was planning on structuring later lessons in a more zoological approach, first going over one type of animal and then moving on to another, and I was planning on covering this information then. I will still do that, but to a much lesser extent, as I am now planning on structuring later lessons according to "themes," such as armored animals, running animals, horns and tusks, etc. This will just be an overview, to be expanded on in future lessons. Enjoy.

Be sure to explore those websites that I got the images from. Some of them are quite good, with a lot of resources.
(If any of these images belong to you and you don't want them posted, just let me know and I will remove them.)

Armadillos and Glyptodonts

Image source: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/zoology/skeletons.htm

Image source: http://www.skullsunlimited.com/newsl...ter-index.html
Armadillos tend to have long, tapered skulls with no incisors or canines, and the molars specialized for chewing on insects. The nasal opening is at the tip of the snout. The legs are fairly short and stocky, with large claws for digging. The tail is fairly thick, and its length varies. The pelvis and shoulder blades have a distinct shape. The skeleton is overlaid by scutes, or little scale-like pieces of bone, with a covering of horn, arranged in plates, bands, and rings.

Image from Wikipedia.

Image source: http://www.skullsunlimited.com/fossil-glyptodont.html
Glyptodonts are closely related to armadillos, and are extinct. They are very large, massive, rounded animals. The skull is very deep and blocky, with an extraordinarily heavy mandible, large wings of bone descending from the cheekbones (serving as muscle attachments), and a very open eye socket. The claws are more hoof-like than in armadillos. The tail sometimes ends in a club.

Sloths and Ground Sloths

Image source: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/zoology/skeletons.htm
Modern tree sloths have small, rounded skulls, and like their relatives the armadillos, they have no canines or incisors. They have a long body and rib cage, long limbs, only two or three fingers or toes at the end of each limb, and long curved claws. No tail.

Image from Wikipedia.
Extinct ground sloths are similar to modern sloths, but are much more massive and heavily built, with shorter and much more robust limbs, a thick tail, a longer head, and more toes on the feet. Note the iliac crests on the pelvis.

Anteaters
Link to anteater skeleton on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14405058@N08/2168829901/

Image source: http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.500.501
The anteater's skull is extremely elongated and tapered, with the nose on the tip of the snout, and apparently no zygomatic arch. Like its relatives, the sloths and armadillos, the anteater's limbs are strong and end in claws. The claws on the front limbs are often so large that the anteater has to walk on its knuckles or on the sides of its hands.

Pangolins

Image source: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/zoology/skeletons.htm


Source for above two images: http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.496
Pangolins are not closely related to armadillos and anteaters, but look similar due to shared adaptations for eating insects. Pangolin armor is made of fused hairs, not bits of bone like in armadillos, so it is not part of the skeleton. The sternum extends out beyond the back of the ribcage; I don't know the purpose of this.

Moles

Image source: http://www.pelletlab.com/p_s_owl_pellet1.shtml
A burrowing animal, the mole's skeleton looks rather bent and squashed. Its front limbs into short, broad shovels.

Hedgehogs

Image source: http://www.pro-igel.de/english/biology.html
The spine is strongly arched. Though a very small animal, the skull looks rather fearsome, easily able to take care of invertebrate prey.

Horses

Image source: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/Web...Referral=FALSE
I'm just going all over the place with these animals, aren't I? Anyway, the horse is obviously adapted for running and eating plants. A tall, powerful animal. Backbone is straight and inflexible.

Tapirs

Image from Wikipedia.
The tapir is related to the horse, but shorter and stockier, and with more hooves on its feet. Its nasal opening is high on the skull, which is common on trunked animals.

Rhinos

Image source: http://www.skullsunlimited.com/newsl...ter-index.html

Image source: http://www.boneroom.com/casts/bcloneherbivore.html
The body of a rhinoceros is very large and barrel-shaped, with a large ribcage. Its legs are short and stout, with the front legs straight and pillar like and the hind legs more bent. The tall thoracic vertebrae serve as muscle attachments for holding up that huge head. The head is large and robust, with an open eye socket. The overhanging lump of bone on the snout supports both the horn(s) above it (the horns are made of fused hair, not bone), and also serves as an attachment for prehensile lips.

Brontotheres

Image source:http://geology.cwru.edu/~huwig/catalog/cenozoic.html
Brontotheres are quite similar to rhinos, but perhaps a bit taller, with a larger hump, and with two bony lumps side by side (like the prongs of a slingshot) on the snout instead of hairy horns. The shape and size of these slingshot horns varied from species to species. Sadly, these amazing animals went extinct many millions of years ago.

Chalicotheres

Image from Wikipedia.
I was just telling Noe about these! Related to horses, tapirs, and rhinos, chalicotheres have short hind legs and longer forelegs ending in claws. Kind of like a horse crossed with a ground sloth.

Pigs

Image source: http://faculty.cns.uni.edu/~rothm/roth.htm

Image source: http://www.skullsite.co.uk/Pig/pigdom.htm

Image source: http://www.mammalogy.org/mil_images/MSLArtiodactyla.htm
Pigs are built similarly to tapirs, and are short and stocky. The skull is triangular, though its exact shape varies from species to species, and from individual to individual. Many species have prominent tusks.

Hippos

Image source: http://laelaps.wordpress.com/2007/08...vorous-hippos/
Related to pigs, hippos have massive, barrel-shaped bodies, short stocky legs, and a huge square head with tusks.

Ruminants

Image source: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/Web...5163-209076847

Image source: http://www.museumofosteology.org/

Image source: http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/12300/123...ncow_12383.htm
Ruminants include deer, giraffes, cows, antelopes, goats, sheep, and a number of other similar animals. They are very typical mammalian herbivores. Most, if not all, have two hooves per foot. They usually have no canine teeth, no upper incisors (just a rough plate of bone), and many have either permanent horns or temporary antlers.

To be continued.

[Moai]

Mammals, Continued

Whales

Image from Wikipedia

Image source: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/l.light/Dolphin%20Anatomy.htm

Image source: http://www.skullsunlimited.com/Bottl...d_Dolphin.html
The toothed whales include dolphins, porpoises, belugas, narwhals, beaked whales, and sperm whales. They have very long, beak-like jaws with numerous identical teeth (unusual for mammals). The nostrils are high on the forehead, and the cranium is rather unusually shaped (probably to support the fatty "melon" organs that most toothed whales have on their forehead to aid in echolocation). The neck is very short, often with fused vertebrae. The scapula and front limbs are short and broad, with many "extra" phalanges. The sternum is typically very small. There are no hind limbs, and the pelvic bones are extremely tiny and buried in flesh.

Image from Wikipedia.
Baleen whales typically have flatter and more arc-shaped skulls than toothed whales. The jaws are long arches of bone with no teeth. The rest of the skeleton is very similar to toothed whales.

Image source: http://www.edwardtbabinski.us/whales...ion_of_whales/
The evolution of whales is well documented in the fossil record. They evolved from slender land animals that looked like oversized shrews, into semiaquatic animals that looked like killer otter/crocodiles, gradually becoming more adapted to a fully aquatic existence. There are many interesting skeletons and creature designs in this evolutionary sequence.

Carnivorans



Source of above images: http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Hom...ure/index.html

Image source: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/zoology/skeletons.htm

Image source: http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~shmalehorn/i...ssum/index.htm

Image from skullsunlimited.com.
For some reason, after attaching that last image, all the other attached images in this post disappeared. So, I had to find those websites and attach them again, and that really fucking pissed me off.:angry:
Anyways, the carnivorans are a large and diverse group that includes the vast majority of all meat-eating land mammals. The carnivorans include canines, felines, bears, raccoons, weasels, badgers, wolverines, skunks, pandas, hyenas, mongooses, civets, otters, and even seals, sea lions, and walruses (to be detailed next). Though they very greatly in size and shape, all carnivoran skeletons have similar features on the skull and body.

Pinnipeds

Image source: http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Hom...ons/index.html

Image source: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/zoolo...ul/bagful3.htm
The pinnipeds include the "true" seals, the eared seals (also known as sea lions), and the bizarre walrus. Closely related to dogs, bears, and the other carnivorans, their skulls show many of the same features. Their bodies are rounded and streamlined, and their limbs are reduced. Similarly to whales, the front limbs and scapulae of pinnipeds have become very broad.

Bats

Image source: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/...a/chiromm.html

Image source: http://courses.washington.edu/chorda...on_photos2.htm
Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight. The ribcage, scapulae, and clavicles are arranged in a somewhat human-like fashion. The limb bones are long and very straight, with the ulnas and fibulas being quite reduced. The hind legs look almost more like a child's drawing of animal legs than actual animal legs. The metacarpals and fingers (except for the "thumb") are all greatly elongated for supporting the flight membranes.

Dinocerata

Image source: http://www.copyrightexpired.com/earl...s_cenozoic.htm
Be sure to check out the source site for this image. It's a great gallery of extinct animal skeletons. Anyway, the Dinocerata were large, strange, horned nimals, sometimes with three pairs of knob-like horns on their heads. Their skulls have a strange concave profile, and they sport fang-like tusks. The fairly well-known Uintatherium was a Dionceratid.

Tenrecs

Image source: http://www.digimorph.org/specimens/H...spinosus/body/
Tenrecs are a group of shrew-like, hedgehog-like, otter-like, and even Pokemon-like mammals from Madagascar. They have neat-looking skeletons with curved spines, short strong limbs, and pointy skulls.

Aardvarks

Image source: http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.170.284

Image source: http://web.wits.ac.za/PlacesOfIntere...rkSkeleton.htm
Though not closely related to pangolins, anteaters, or armadillos, aardvarks lead a similar existence of digging and eating insects, and have similar adaptations and body shape.

Hyraxes

Image source: http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.170.281
Hyraxes are cute but boring little furry animals, closely related to elephants, believe it or not. Their long-spined skeletons look kind of neat, I think.

Elephants

Image source: http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Hom...ons/index.html
Elephants are huge, heavy animals, and their skeletons show that. Their spines are short and strait, their scapulae and pelvises heavily built, their legs long and pillar-like, their feet broad and strong. The skull is absolutely massive, with an enormous mandible. The incisors grow out into tusks, they have no fangs, and the molars are very large. The nostrils are high on the head, as is typical of a trunked animal. The eye sockets are very open, as they are in many large mammals.

To be continued.