Anatomy for beginner

[Shedon Cooper]

Hello, could you guys give me some experience about how to learn anatomy for drawing as a beginner. Thanks

[dpaint]

check the tutorial stickies section here on the forums

[arenhaus]

Or buy a textbook.

[Sir Cam]

Bones to study:

Skull (primarily the Cranium, Maxilla, Nasal Bone, Zygomatic Process, and Mandible)
Spine
Clavical
Scapula (The Scapular Spine in particular)
Humerus
Radius
Ulna (Particularly the Olecranon Process and the Distal Malleolus)
Metacarpus
Carpus (don't need to learn them all, just group them together as one mass and be aware that they're there)
Phalanges of the hand
Thoracic Cage ( Just understand the size and shape of the rib cage as a whole and the way the ribs flow around it)
Sternum
Pelvis
Sacrum
Femur (The Greater Trochanter is somewhat important to know)
Patella
Tibia
Fibula (Mostly just the Lateral Malleolus)
Tarsus (Just like with the carpus, treat as one group, not necessary to learn individual bones)
Calcaneus (the only important Tarsal bone)
Metatarsus
Phalanges of the foot



Muscles to study:

Head -

Masseter
Orbicularis Occuli
Frontalis
Temporalis

Front Torso-

Pectoralis Major
Deltoids
Serratus Anterior
Rectus Abdominus
External Oblique
Inguinal Ligament (not a muscle but very important)

Back Torso-

Trapezius
Infraspinatus
Teres Major/Minor
Lattisimus Dorsi

Arms -

Biceps
Coracobrachialis
Triceps
Brachialis
Brachioradialis/ Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus (just group them together)
Extensor/Flexor compartments of the forearm (You can study the individual muscles here if you wish but it's not entirely necessary)
Extensor Digitorum Communis ( This one is important because of the tendons)
Palmaris Longus ( the tendon is highly visible so it's really the only crucial Flexor in the forearm for artists to be aware of)

Pelvis -

Tensor
Gluteus Medius
Gluteus Maximus

Front Thigh -

Rectus Femoris
Vastus Lateralis
Vastus Medialis
Sartorious
Aductors (you don't really need to learn them all unless you're drawing a bodybuilder, usually only one tendon is visible when the leg is stretched)

Back Thigh -

Biceps Femoris
Semitendinosus/Semimembranosus (these two are side by side so you can almost just draw them as one muscle)

Front Lower Leg -

Extensor Digitorum (tendons again)
Tibialis

Back Lower Leg -

Soleus
Gastrochnemius

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That is all of it. If you attain an understanding of all of that, that's really all you need Anatomy-wise to draw an anatomically correct figure. The rest is just drawing mechanics such as defining the form, tone, etc. I hope you take advantage of this list because nobody handed this information to me on a silver platter when I was just starting out. This will save you a lot of time and frustration.

[bill618]

The best advice I can give you is for you to show us what your current drawing capability is, by posting some sketches here or in a sketchbook in the sketchbook forum.

Can you draw multiple views of a coffee cup without the ellipses looking cubistically wonky? If no, start with drawing basic geometric solids (cubes, pyramids, cylinders…) in multiple views, before attempting something as complex as the human body.

[ebi]

I hope it's okay to ask here... Since I don't think this is worth a new thread..

I'm just starting to learn about basic shapes and such...
But I've been thinking about taking live model drawing lessons ( they start in January, together with the "regular" drawing lessons I want to take).

However, would it be a waste of time/money if I take the live model lessons now, and would you suggest I wait for the next season ( September)?

Or do you think, in the end, I would benefit from taking both, despite my current lack of understanding in anatomy/ basic shapes?

[kamikazel33t]

@ebi Well generally Life drawing classes are always good to take even for simple concepts like gestures as well as to be able to train your eye. Simply just do both learn your shapes as well as practice your life drawing(infact it may be good practice in the way of basic shapes peanut for the rib cage an trapezoid for hips) but if you find yourself learning a lot about anatomy and muscle shapes that is when you really need to get a good foundation of form and shape.

[dpaint]

I hope it's okay to ask here... Since I don't think this is worth a new thread..

I'm just starting to learn about basic shapes and such...
But I've been thinking about taking live model drawing lessons ( they start in January, together with the "regular" drawing lessons I want to take).

However, would it be a waste of time/money if I take the live model lessons now, and would you suggest I wait for the next season ( September)?

Or do you think, in the end, I would benefit from taking both, despite my current lack of understanding in anatomy/ basic shapes?

if you can afford them go ahead and take them. You will get to put what you're learning into practice. There is a bunch of other things you get from drawing from life as long as you go into it with focus and a purpose.

[Sir Cam]

I hope it's okay to ask here... Since I don't think this is worth a new thread..

I'm just starting to learn about basic shapes and such...
But I've been thinking about taking live model drawing lessons ( they start in January, together with the "regular" drawing lessons I want to take).

However, would it be a waste of time/money if I take the live model lessons now, and would you suggest I wait for the next season ( September)?

Or do you think, in the end, I would benefit from taking both, despite my current lack of understanding in anatomy/ basic shapes?

It really is just your call. I personally would say to hold off for a little longer so you can really, REALLY hammer in those drawing fundamentals for which you don't need a live model (or a model at all for that matter) to learn. Practice your process of capturing the flow (gesture) and then building the volume over it while carefully watching your proportions. Study how light falls on form, and also learn simple graphic design in figure drawing (straights against curves, flat graphic shape, etc). Of course the more Anatomy you know, the more musculature you can define but Anatomy is actually the least of your concerns if you're just starting out. What's most important is learning the mechanics of drawing. It can't hurt to start studying Anatomy early though as you'll need to begin incorporating that knowledge into your work sooner or later. If you're unfamiliar with any of what I'm talking about, I'd definitely recommend holding off on a live model drawing session until you've had more time to learn. Buy Vilppu Drawing Manual, Force: Dynamic Life Drawing For Animators by Michael D. Mattesi, and Figure Drawing: Design and Invention by Michael Hampton. Everything you need to know about figure drawing is in those books and until you can apply their instruction from memory (imagination), I wouldn't recommend drawing from the live model because you're basically going to be drawing from the model in exactly the same way you would from imagination. The reason that drawing from imagination is so important is because that is how you compose a full drawing/painting and orchestrate all of the elements toward a single purpose.

Just my opinion I guess.

[ebi]

All right, thanks for your input.

I guess, based on the advice you guys gave, I'll focus a little more on drawing from life ( nonhuman objects), until I get the gist of that. while I do know of most of the terms you used, I have yet to master them.

Hopefully if I draw every day, I'll be able improve enough so I can start the live model classes in September!
In the meantime, I'll just draw my classmates or something. They already think I'm crazy anyway.

I really want to buy that Michael Hampton book, but right now it's only available in the US, and because of the price that would mean I'd have to pay quite a lot in taxes. But, once I have cash to spare, I'll check out the "force: dynamic" book