please give me an advice on figure sketching

[oiuz]

hello,

I am about getting started in sketching human beings or creatures, I was usually sketching environments but it is different obviously. Can anyone who has experience, give me an advice on how to start in order to get the fundamental skills, so I later will be able to sketch every character or creature I imagine...?

Some artist say you need to know a lot of anatomy and blablabla, but I cannot belive you have to know about every tiny muscle. Is there a well skilled artist that knows what is really needet to be good at sketching creatures and characters ?

[Nezumi Works]

Sorry to disappoint you, but you actually do need to study anatomy. No, you don't need every tiny muscle, but you do need to know all the big ones, important ones, and groups of small ones that are visible on the figure, as well as an understanding of how the skeleton works underneath.

You also need some grounding in gesture drawing, which is to say very quick sketches to get down what a figure is doing. The more you practice this (from life preferably, although photos aren't so bad in this case), the more natural and energetic your other sketches will become. Here are a few recent examples from my sketchbook, each taking somewhere from 1 to 5 minutes each.

Lastly, practice basic shapes. That's spheres, cones, cylinders and cubes, NOT squares, triangles, rectangles and squares. Think in three dimensions, and draw centre lines on them to help you keep track of that volume. Rotate them, get used to drawing them from whatever angle you want. Something like this, say. It'll get you to where you want to be in sketching what you imagine, because you can put a form together that way, then put whatever details you want on top.

[Charlie D]

Not a pro or skilled in figure sketching, but i can advise that you need to use your eyes more. Why ??because if you used them you'd see " Creating Dynamic Poses for Art" " Character design: How i do it....", Sketchbooks and Observational Drawing etc, etc

Also, this place does have a search function That will bring you loads of info if you look for it and learn how to use it.

[Nezumi Works]

I should recommend Michael Hampton's book, Figure Drawing: Design and Invention. It's got a lot of good information about the above topics, and a fairly digestible approach to anatomy that might make things more clear.

[Wassim]

i got only two words if you want to draw human figure ( STUDY ANATOMY ) !!
and i recommended

( George Bridgman - Complete Guide To Drawing From Life )
( Andrew Loomis - Figure Drawing For All It's Worth )
you can find em free on the internet

[arenhaus]

Some artist say you need to know a lot of anatomy and blablabla, but I cannot belive you have to know about every tiny muscle.

Well, you can either do it the easy way, or the hard way. Easy way: take a leap of faith, listen to what you are told by the more experienced people, and study anatomy. Hard way: disbelieve in the answer to your question because you do not like it, waste months or years pfutzing about, avoiding anatomy studies and deluding yourself about the true horrible quality of what you draw, then maybe finally come to your senses... and then study anatomy.

Your choice.

[TinyBird]

Is there a well skilled artist that knows what is really needed to be good at sketching creatures and characters ?

Anatomy, both human and animal, as well as understanding how that anatomy works. It's one thing to remember and draw all the main muscles, bones etc and another to actually understand WHY all those things are shaped like that. But both are very much needed. Which contributes also to design. Your OP at least implies that you also want to draw creatures you have imagined up, and understanding of design also helps with that.

And don't forget value, form, colour theory and all other fundamentals. You can remember all muscles but you also need to be capable to make them look good and real.

Some artist say you need to know a lot of anatomy and blablabla, but I cannot believe you have to know about every tiny muscle.

What would knowing all the muscles take away from you? Sure, you might not need them every time you draw something, but knowing more never hurts.