Anatomy study is extremely helpful to the figurative artist because knowing what one is looking at can help with correcting observational mistakes. Be aware however that any intellectual study, be it anatomical, form or construction carries with it the potential that the artist will over-think what they actually see. Over-modeling,^[1] via anatomy or form is something to be avoided. Additionally, the source of that knowledge is as critical to the result as is how that knowledge is used. Be aware of anatomy books which lean towards the ‘superhero’ type^[2] as well as those using other forms of idealized figures.^[3] The student needs to learn from nature, not another’s artistic impression of it.

By the end of my sophomore year in high school back in 1981 I had taken all of the art classes the school offered so the art teacher, Ginto Naujokas, convinced our principal to sponsor my attendance in a class at the local art center. I chose to take Artistic Anatomy with Annette LeSueur. The class consisted of Sight-Size figure drawing from a live model as well as anatomy lectures by Annette. As the text for the class we were asked to purchase Artistic Anatomy by Paul Richer.

During class we learned about Sight-Size while drawing the model and during breaks we had lectures about anatomy. Frequently Annette would ask the model to demonstrate this or that movement and we were expected to move around so as to see the action from many viewpoints.

The initial homework consisted of carefully drawing a plate from the book: the bones of the lower leg. Once finished we were to take a sheet of tracing paper and tape it to the drawing. Upon that we were to use colored pencils to mark the origins and insertions of the few muscles that exist on the lower leg. This aspect of the drawing was done to help us learn about the actions of each muscle for if you know their origins and insertions you then know their actions. Finally, on another sheet of tracing paper, we were to draw those muscles while using the appropriate plate from Richer’s book. Over time, the entire figure was studied in this way.

As we became more knowledgeable we were expected to create anatomy overlays on top of our own figure drawings, a practice I continued years later when I attended Annette’s full time program. Below is an example of one of those drawings. On the right is the finished drawing itself. On the left is the bone drawing on tracing paper and in the middle is the muscle drawing on tracing paper.

The process began in the evening after the second session. At that point I had drawn in enough of the figure to know that the contour was roughly accurate. If you look closely on the bone tracing you’ll notice ‘registration marks’ on the crotch and neck areas. These let me remove the tracing during the modeling session and then replace it in the correct position afterwords. Once the bones were done I moved onto the muscles.

One of the many nice things about Richer’s book is that he tends to show only the anterior, posterior and lateral views. While it may not seem advantageous, limiting the student to these views forces them to imagine how the intermediate views would look. Most good anatomy books use this palms out position (supinated) as the main view. This is called the anatomical position and it is from this position that movement is defined. When doing their overlays the student is constantly flipping the pages in the book between the four views in order to get a sense of what the anatomy is doing in their particular pose. Of course, having the live model helps as well. The images below are from the original French edition of the book.

Anatomy study is best done when the student has access to a live model and in concert with their figure drawing. Failing that, the student will need to be more creative. A large mirror in a private room might be a last resort. I’ll not recommend using photographs because nothing compares to actually seeing the muscles and evidence of bone in 3d. Moving around the figure while looking at a particular muscle or actually seeing it change shape when flexed and extended is a priceless opportunity which photographs cannot compete with.

As I try to explain above, there is some potential for error when heavily concentrating on anatomy. These errors usually manifest themselves in a certain type of over-modeling and are the result of the student paying more attention to what he knows than what he is seeing on the model. Look for what you know on the model, don’t project what you know on the model.

1. Over-modeling, simply put, is making the halftones too dark. ^
2. Dynamic Anatomy by Burne Hogarth is a good example of superhero anatomy. ^
3. George Bridgeman has many followers, with good reason, but his drawings are examples of the kind of idealization that is best avoided by the student working from life. ^