How do you use an anatomy manual? (another stupid question)

[Koguma]

Hi everyone... First, lemme tell you that what I'm going to say may sound silly and REALLY stupid... Here I go: how do you use an anatomy manual? 

I recently bought Constructive Anatomy by Bridgman, but it's quite confusing. Like, I know it's supposed to approach constructive anatomy, simplifying the shape of the muscles and so, just to get a "mental image" about how human body looks like (in 3D space) so you can reproduce over and over again in any angle.

So the thing is I was told that I had to take look at the references so I could "build" that mental image. And once I had some sort of idea about the form of let's say a hand for example, I should try to draw it from a different perspective...But I don't know, I'm kinda confused.Thus I would like to know how do you guys learned to draw anatomy (Also please notice that I'm not asking for a "3-steps tutorial" or anything like that :V I'm more interested in knowing your methods)

Thanks for your attention

[BrushNoir]

I'd say start studieing his drawings. Though if you check out proko and loomis, they might have an easier approach or hampton even. Imo they explain it in a more understandable way. For example hampton gives you the building blocks that you are looking for and shows you how to draw them in different angles. Hope this helps a bit.

[John]

Hi Koguma! First off, your inquiry isn't stupid. I'm also kinda interested on how other people use these things.

I will reference two books: Figure Drawing for all it's Worth and Dynamic Figure Drawing. For the sake of shortening the names, let's call them Loomis and Hogarth respectively.

How I used Loomis: I started out with reading everything from cover to cover. And then, put it on standby. Literally right next to me. I visit the book if I'm having trouble with, say, drawing legs, because I never quite got the muscle construction committed to memory. I look at the pretty Loomis drawings, and probably do a very quick study (like drawing the same leg but in a different angle) if I'm not lazy. I mainly use it to remind me how anatomy works.

How I used Hogarth: I never read Hogarth. But I tend to look at the pictures a lot. I tried to read the whole thing, but the drawings speak for themselves. I go to it whenever I need to answer the question: "how do I make this character I'm drawing more interesting?". Hogarth to me reminds me how to exaggerate the anatomy but at the same time, stay grounded on the level of realism (or what I think is realism). I also whip that book out to copy the figures, out of pure fandom. And because Marko said so.

I would like to know how do you guys learned to draw anatomy (Also please notice that I'm not asking for a "3-steps tutorial" or anything like that :V I'm more interested in knowing your methods)

To tell you honestly, I am still learning anatomy. And probably still would be learning anatomy until someone stabs me in the head and die. There's too much to learn in the subject, (e.g. muscle construction, bone placements, drawing it in an awkward perspective, how to depict broken bones or muscle tears, animal anatomy, made up sci fi anatomy), that'll last a lifetime. Or probably even more.

Hope this helps!

[Adam Lina]

Do you have a sketchbook or some drawings we could see? I could give better advice if I know where your current skills are at. Generally people skip to anatomy when they still need to memorize proportions and basic forms of the body. If you can draw a figure from various angels without reference and come out with correct proportions THEN worry about anatomy. Also bones are the most important to understand not muscles like a lot of people seem to think. Take a look at Proko's anatomy videos too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDgyQjNF...QmZJH4__Zv

Michael Hampton's book Figure Drawing: Design and Invention is a good starter book. Its anatomy-lite basically. It will take your through the basic anatomical structures one at a time, which is how you should be doing it. Learn bones and then where the muscles attach to the bones. Without knowledge of the bones though your muscles will be wrong no matter what.

[Koguma]

I'd say start studieing his drawings. Though if you check out proko and loomis, they might have an easier approach or hampton even. Imo they explain it in a more understandable way. For example hampton gives you the building blocks that you are looking for and shows you how to draw them in different angles. Hope this helps a bit.

Indeed!!! Thank you soo much. I checked Hampton's book in the library, and oh boy, this is actual English!. No but seriously, it's more "approachable" I've ordered it right now

Hi Koguma! First off, your inquiry isn't stupid. I'm also kinda interested on how other people use these things.

I will reference two books: Figure Drawing for all it's Worth and Dynamic Figure Drawing. For the sake of shortening the names, let's call them Loomis and Hogarth respectively.

How I used Loomis: I started out with reading everything from cover to cover. And then, put it on standby. Literally right next to me. I visit the book if I'm having trouble with, say, drawing legs, because I never quite got the muscle construction committed to memory. I look at the pretty Loomis drawings, and probably do a very quick study (like drawing the same leg but in a different angle) if I'm not lazy. I mainly use it to remind me how anatomy works.

How I used Hogarth: I never read Hogarth. But I tend to look at the pictures a lot. I tried to read the whole thing, but the drawings speak for themselves. I go to it whenever I need to answer the question: "how do I make this character I'm drawing more interesting?". Hogarth to me reminds me how to exaggerate the anatomy but at the same time, stay grounded on the level of realism (or what I think is realism). I also whip that book out to copy the figures, out of pure fandom. And because Marko said so.

I would like to know how do you guys learned to draw anatomy (Also please notice that I'm not asking for a "3-steps tutorial" or anything like that :V I'm more interested in knowing your methods)

To tell you honestly, I am still learning anatomy. And probably still would be learning anatomy until someone stabs me in the head and die. There's too much to learn in the subject, (e.g. muscle construction, bone placements, drawing it in an awkward perspective, how to depict broken bones or muscle tears, animal anatomy, made up sci fi anatomy), that'll last a lifetime. Or probably even more.

Hope this helps!

Completely agree sista. Jut by reading through all those pages I realized that our own body it's pretty complex and quite easy at the same time (if that makes sense).

Do you have a sketchbook or some drawings we could see? I could give better advice if I know where your current skills are at. Generally people skip to anatomy when they still need to memorize proportions and basic forms of the body. If you can draw a figure from various angels without reference and come out with correct proportions THEN worry about anatomy. Also bones are the most important to understand not muscles like a lot of people seem to think. Take a look at Proko's anatomy videos too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDgyQjNF...QmZJH4__Zv

Michael Hampton's book Figure Drawing: Design and Invention is a good starter book. Its anatomy-lite basically. It will take your through the basic anatomical structures one at a time, which is how you should be doing it. Learn bones and then where the muscles attach to the bones. Without knowledge of the bones though your muscles will be wrong no matter what.

Oh dear, my art is way too shitty to even attempt  to showing it off But one of these days I'll maybe open a sketchbook, when I feel more confident I'd say that I'm just starting, so there's no much to show anyway xP
The thing is... I was watching a guy on Youtube talking about Anatomy, but he started to explain how muscles worked. And I was like wtf, does that have something to do with drawing anatomy?. When the video ended I realized that by learning the function of those muscles you can get a better idea of how the move in space, how they twits,how they stretch... I guess the same goes for the bones, for me are quite important since I realize bones are much better for keeping the proportions of a "body". They are easier to read. #DontForgetAboutTheBones

Thanks guys for your help, I really appreciate it <3

[DK]

My personal methods for learning human anatomy are as follows:

Tips:

- Focus on one subject a day, your memory can't hold the entire human anatomy and it's individual pieces in one day

- work on bits/individual/focused areas of the body to start off. Example: focus on just the humerus and the muscles on/around it. Learn the entire human anatomy starting off with small pieces and then put them all together when you've learned them individually.

- build from the skeleton up. You can do this by working in layers or with different colored markers.

- Learn the front, side, and back of each bone/muscle.

- after doing a page or so of focused drawings of individual limbs or set of bones/muscles, do the same thing but instead a page of 60 second gestures, and then do a page from memory only.

- work from many references for bones and muscles you find on the web and not just from one source. You want to make sure you're getting an accurate representation of your subject here.

Important Steps:

1. Understand the skeletal structure and individual bone names and shapes. This takes time yes, but is invaluable knowledge as the skeleton is the foundation for the rest of the human body.

2. Learn the names and shapes of the muscles and how they fit onto the skeleton.

3. Do a focused study from a photograph or real life and try to compare how these bones and muscle shapes compare to the real thing covered with skin.

4. Do gestures and memory drawings to apply this knowledge constantly.

The thing you want to do here is to ACTUALLY grasp/understand what you're doing when it comes to drawing from your mind without reference, and not to guess or blindly copy.

[devinn]

Here's my method:

I try to draw a specific region (or part) of anatomy, without reference, many MANY times. Then, I look online or in the mirror for reference for the thing I'm trying to draw. I notice the difference between the reference image and my own iterative series of drawings, then I apply the missing bit of info to my next drawings.

This helps me because I am drawing A LOT and gaining mileage, plus, it's easier for me to retain knowledge learned.

I prefer this way oppose to copying an image then trying to replicate it; studying this way forces you to remember a lot of information at once. It's harder to focus on weak points. It's harder to IDENTIFY weak points.

Yeah.

SO:

1. Draw many iterations of the thing you're trying to learn, WITHOUT reference. Try to figure shit out on your own.

2. Pull up reference, compare your series of iterative drawings with the reference, identify the lapse of information, apply the learned bits to your own drawings.

It's a tedious approach, but I like it because my brain is dumber than most and it helps my dumb brain learn.

*Draw a fuck-ton and check your work as you go. Basically the crux of my explanation.

Pop tons of adderall.

[Adam Lina]

Oh dear, my art is way too shitty to even attempt  to showing it off But one of these days I'll maybe open a sketchbook, when I feel more confident I'd say that I'm just starting, so there's no much to show anyway xP

Post it anyways! I see people acting like uploading a picture they drew has some kind of stakes involved. As if you have so much to lose showing people markings you make with you hand. Oh no their hand markings are fancier than my hand markings! XD I really think you'll progress way faster if you change your mind set.

[Koguma]

My personal methods for learning human anatomy are as follows:

Tips:

- Focus on one subject a day, your memory can't hold the entire human anatomy and it's individual pieces in one day

- work on bits/individual/focused areas of the body to start off. Example: focus on just the humerus and the muscles on/around it. Learn the entire human anatomy starting off with small pieces and then put them all together when you've learned them individually.

- build from the skeleton up. You can do this by working in layers or with different colored markers.

- Learn the front, side, and back of each bone/muscle.

- after doing a page or so of focused drawings of individual limbs or set of bones/muscles, do the same thing but instead a page of 60 second gestures, and then do a page from memory only.

- work from many references for bones and muscles you find on the web and not just from one source. You want to make sure you're getting an accurate representation of your subject here.

Important Steps:

1. Understand the skeletal structure and individual bone names and shapes. This takes time yes, but is invaluable knowledge as the skeleton is the foundation for the rest of the human body.

2. Learn the names and shapes of the muscles and how they fit onto the skeleton.

3. Do a focused study from a photograph or real life and try to compare how these bones and muscle shapes compare to the real thing covered with skin.

4. Do gestures and memory drawings to apply this knowledge constantly.

The thing you want to do here is to ACTUALLY grasp/understand what you're doing when it comes to drawing from your mind without reference, and not to guess or blindly copy.

Hum, that makes sense. I mean, by reading through a bunch of anatomy books you realize that's the sort of method they use to teach anatomy. Like focusing on the skeleton at first and then  focusing on smaller pieces of the human anatomy, like breaking them down into smaller pieces, therefore easier to understand. All and all I guess it's just a matter of memory and a lot of practice xD

Here's my method:

I try to draw a specific region (or part) of anatomy, without reference, many MANY times. Then, I look online or in the mirror for reference for the thing I'm trying to draw. I notice the difference between the reference image and my own iterative series of drawings, then I apply the missing bit of info to my next drawings.

This helps me because I am drawing A LOT and gaining mileage, plus, it's easier for me to retain knowledge learned.

I prefer this way oppose to copying an image then trying to replicate it; studying this way forces you to remember a lot of information at once. It's harder to focus on weak points. It's harder to IDENTIFY weak points.

Yeah.

SO:

1. Draw many iterations of the thing you're trying to learn, WITHOUT reference. Try to figure shit out on your own.

2. Pull up reference, compare your series of iterative drawings with the reference, identify the lapse of information, apply the learned bits to your own drawings.

It's a tedious approach, but I like it because my brain is dumber than most and it helps my dumb brain learn.

*Draw a fuck-ton and check your work as you go. Basically the crux of my explanation.

Pop tons of adderall.

It reminds me to this . I guess if you can make some mistakes at first it's easier to see your weaknesses and therefore you can actually approach any subject blending your on experience (what you've leraned from your mistakes) and the actual knowledge of a study together.

Oh dear, my art is way too shitty to even attempt  to showing it off But one of these days I'll maybe open a sketchbook, when I feel more confident I'd say that I'm just starting, so there's no much to show anyway xP

Post it anyways! I see people acting like uploading a picture they drew has some kind of stakes involved. As if you have so much to lose showing people markings you make with you hand. Oh no their hand markings are fancier than my hand markings! XD I really think you'll progress way faster if you change your mind set.

Trust me my mindset is ok. Don't get me wrong, I'm not like "oh, my sketches are not a master piece,they shall not see the light of day". But it's just that I don't feel comfortable at my actual level, that's all.

Thank again guys for your opinion <3

[Baoto]

It's okay to not feel quite ready to show your drawings, but really do yourself a favour and not get stuck in that place. Chances are you will never feel quite as good as you could be, but you will learn faster if you show your work to people and ask for help. This is a safe environment here, nobody is going to tear you up. :)

As for your question, I own the exact same book, and I felt as lost with it as you do. I remember talking about this with someone in the shoutbox at some point and I was given this link which helped me out a great deal: http://deadoftheday.blogspot.de/2009/07/...atomy.html. It basically tells you to look - copy - apply, and for me this works good when it comes to learning new stuff.

Being quite a lazy person when it comes to anatomy, I don't really think I have a set method when it comes to learning. What definitely helps me, is when I see things move around, to better get how it connects to the rest. For that I like to look at videos and slow them down, so that I can better see whats happening.