How to Learn Anatomy for Art?

The human body is for sure one of the most complex subjects for any artist to illustrate. No matter how experienced an artist you are, human anatomy will always give you a tough time. So, if you are looking for ways to improve your figure drawing or portraiture skills and believe the only way to do that is by mastering anatomy then be at ease because that is not the case. Fortunately, you don’t need to weigh yourself in the details of human organs or tissues. Instead, pay attention to the most important components of anatomy for drawing. These are the skeletal and muscular systems.

So, in this article, we will talk in detail about how one can learn anatomy for art. We will be sharing some ways that can help you with that. You can consider them as the dos and don’ts of drawing anatomy.

Do’s & Don’ts

Do’s

Start With The Basic Volumes Of The Figure

When you first approach your figure drawing, always remember to start with establishing the basic volumes of the figure. You can do that by using spheres, boxes, and cylinders. If you begin with these simple and basic shapes and then build the complexity as you go along, then you can make your drawing maintain its sense of dimension.

One tip here is to not copy contours before you build in the structure because if you do that then you’ll end up with a flat-looking drawing. You can also use an anatomy book to get an idea of what is below the surface and don’t draw the muscles as a series of lines. Instead, draw them as sculpted spheres, boxes, and cylinders.

Using Observational Skills To Recreate What You See

Observational skills are very important to possess but not just to copy what you see. You can use your observational skills to analyze your subject’s unique shapes and then reinterpret them on the page. It means you are not copying counters of the body but rather recreating a figure on the page from the ground up.

You can start this step by capturing its movement in a gesture and then rebuild the figure three-dimensionally using spheres, boxes, and cylinders. Then you can sculpt those simple shapes into anatomical forms.

Try To Observe And Adapt To Your Figure’s Unique Build

Whenever you are trying to build a figure always remember to look and adapt your shapes to the specific subject you’re drawing. Meaning, you can never use the same shapes for a bodybuilder that you would for a sumo wrestler or a long-distance runner right? So you need to carefully look at your subject and figure out what simple shapes you can use best to develop your figure.

To explain this further, let us take a look at an example.

In some figures, you’ll find objects having very squarish heads. And to construct them, you’d need box shapes right, while those who have a more roundish appearance should require spheres. So it all depends on what the figure demands.

Don’ts

Never Draw Every Figure With The Same Shapes

This is a mistake that most artists make unknowingly. When artists start using basic shapes for developing different figures, they often fall into a pattern to start using the same shapes for building every figure they come across. And this, my friends, is a very strong don’t of our today’s article. You should never make a habit of using the same shape for drawing every figure.

Never Entirely Rely On An Anatomy Book

If you are a beginner then yes anatomy can be a little overwhelming for you why because there are so many muscles on the body and you don’t get a firm grip at first to draw them. So, what you’ll generally do is pull out an anatomy book and try to decipher what is going on under the skin.

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An anatomy book is indeed a great way of telling you what you’re looking at. But what it can’t tell you are the three-dimensional shape of the muscles. So don’t just rely completely on an anatomy book. What makes it easier for you to pass this stage is practice. So keep on practicing until you can crack this stage.

Related: Course Review – How to Draw Superheroes _ Male Proportions

Trying To Copy What You See Is A Mistake

If you only try to copy whatever you’re seeing then you will never create what you imagined in the first place. Replicating a photo in a drawing is a mistake and it should only be done to build observational skills. You see, why do you feel the need to duplicate what already exists when you can easily interpret and adapt as you see fit?

Final Thoughts

Anatomy is difficult but not impossible and you can become good at it by consistent practice and following some tips that we have just mentioned earlier. So, you can start today by following these tips or do’s and don’ts and then see the difference yourself.