Professional Documents
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Anathomy
Anathomy
Anathomy
P R E S E N T S
>3- 0 -* H D W T O D R A W A M H PATM T
Creature
drawing skills
Master the proportions, poses,
bones and muscles of animais
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FROM
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HEAD
TO FOOT
How to draw and connect the simple
shapes that make up the human body
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t n w s f ç r y y ^ j t M r
s í t í f c k o n t v ^ ,
f U y u t d i n w y t
K pages of
WORKSHOPS
Learn practical drawing skills and
technicjues from professional artists
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Imaeme
f FANTASY S C M l D K JIA l.A R T
JP R ES EN T S
IIO W T O DRAVV A M D P A IN T
ANATOMY
W e lc o m e ...
Ify o u re reading this, the chances
are yo ure an aspiringartist on
a journey o f self-improvement.
W hether you're at college, hoping
to become a professional artist or
just w ant to create art for yourself,
yo u ve come to the right place.
The follow ing pages in this
special edition o f Im agineFX are
filled to bursting point w ith the best anatom y advice around. Every
page is packed w ith easy to follow, step-by-step guidance on how to
create better hum an and creature figures, w ritten and illustrated by
professional artists. Essentially, its years o f attending art college
distilled into one magazine.
The accom panying disc provides you w ith an opportunity to get
closer to the annotated sketches, watch videos o f anatom y drawing
in action, and see high-resolution digital art files to help you learn
how to take your sketches into digital art software.
For those o f you w ho are new to the world o f Im agineFX, turn to
page 97 to see just a fraction o f the digital art workshops that we
feature every m onth in Im agineFX.
Also, make sure you check out page 115 for a sneak preview o f
what's com ing up in our FIow T o D raw And Paint series. W e're sure
yo u 'll love them ali. Ify o u have any questions, please get in touch
w ith me at the em ail address below.
W e're th e o n ly m ag azin e
d ed icated to fa n ta sy an d sci-fi
art. O u r aim is to help a rtists to
im p ro ve b o th th e ir trad itio n al
an d d ig ita l a rt sk ills.
V isit w w w .iin a g in e fx .c o m
to fin d ou t m ore!
Subscribe to Im agineFX today and save
m oney o ff every issue! S<
U S an d C an ad ian readers: please turn to page 96
A
P R E S E N T S
Human anatomy
Practical advice from head to toe...
d 16 Basic form s
Improve the way you draw figures
with easy ways to establish the
underlying structure of the body
22 The torso
W ith the figure framework in place,
it's time to set your focus on the core
of the human bc 3ody
28 The legs
Masteryour depiction of the limbs
34 T h e fe e t
Discover how to use form to create
^ solid-looking feet - and why you
shouldn't draw too much detail
38 The shoulders
Dont allow the complex interaction
of muscles here distract you from
the guiding principies of anatomy
44 Th eforearm s
It may seem like a simple area of
the body, but the forearm is more
sophisticated than you suspect
50 T h ehand s
Many artists fear this part of the
body, but applv the principies here
and you'11 see now easy it can be
54 The head
Discover how to break the skull and
facial features into simple forms to
get the proportions spot-on
. \rose
n i E P IA C F.T O SIIA R E Y O U » M O ITA L ART
6 A rt sp ectacular!
A feast of great figure-
based images - and the
artists behind them
pt«£ tuei.?
Animal anatomy
Your complete to creatures...
„ 60 Basic form s
Begin your exploration of creature
. anatomy by seeing the shapes
V / beneath the skin and fur
78 The forelegs
Use your observation, skills and
knowledge to build the pillars of
balance and grip in animais
90 A nim al faces
Find out what animal faces have in
common with human faces, and the
crucial ways in which they differ
1
DRAKAR OCH DEMONER
15x22in, watercolour on paper
Paul revels in the chance to paint rocks,
stones and water, and these guys in a
boat were a great opportunity. This
piece was painted for Riotminds.
2 ELD O C H SO T
15x22in, watercolour on paper
“ Dwarves, trolls, stones carved into
figures or runes,” says Paul of this piece
for Swedish R PG makers Riotminds.
“ That just about sums it ali up really.”
3
TRUDVANGS STIGAR
13x25in, watercolour on paper
This dwarf is in a bit of trouble: he’s been
captured by some trolls. But this piece
for Riotminds gave Paul a chance to
paint one of his favourite things: “ Nature
again... stones and roots.”
CONFRONTATION
4 27x16in, watercolour on paper
Paul admits that this piece, painted for
miniatures company Rackham, was a
nightmare to draw, given ali the figures.
“ But it was fun trying to give so many
individuais good reasons to be there.”
n
when he was very young.
Anything he set his mind
to, he could copy - but he
quickly realised that could
be accomplished by robots or machines.
To differentiate himself from the Xerox,
Tom began making things up to draw,
and so a career was born.
TonVs role models as he grew as a
person and an artist included Chesley
Bonestell and Norman Rockwell. Taking
on their influence, Tom began working
towards the goal of becoming a fantasy
illustrator. He won a scholarship to
Syracuse University, but dropped out
after tw o years and moved to New York,
intent on making a career for himself.
After a short while, he began to see
success in his chosen path.
Tom has worked for a number of
publishers, Baen Books, Tor and Marvel
among them. He’s won a W orld Fantasy
Award (B e st Artist 2 004) and seven
Chesley Awards. He’s also busy with a
personal project, which he describes as
“ my favourite and most time-consuming
obsession." Called Gnemo: Airships,
Adventure, Exploration, you can see lots
of art for this project on TonVs website.
1
HERCULES VS THE HYDRA
16x20in, oil on panei
Part of a m ythology series Tom painted.
The other characters he painted are
Odysseus, Theseus and Perseus.
2
PEINDEER EXPRESS
13x28in, oil on panei
If you receive Christmas cards from
Tom, you’ll already be familiar with this
image. “ As I painted it, I came up with a
children’s book idea to go with it," he
says. “ It’s an attem pt to rationally
explain Santa Claus, but as the story
goes on it, becomes quite convoluted
and even less plausible.”
A
University of Architecture,
he had never drawn
anything seriously until
senior year in high school, when he
finally picked up a pencil in a bid to
improve his chances of being accepted
to study architecture.
“A t first, drawing was my hobby,"
says Duc. “ That was until I saw Ryan
Church, Dylan Cole and Daniel Dociu’s
masterpieces.” The result was profound
and immediate. “ I was in awe, and
decided to buy an Intuos 3. This decision
has completely changed my life.”
Although he’s self-taught, Duc says
he's had some help along the way.
“ Thanks to ImagineFX, DeviantART and
CGTalk, I have many sources to study
and improve my skills, not to mention
my knowledge from architecture."
1
ENTRANCE OF COVERED
lllustration for a personal project.
“ It’s about a girl who owns a fairy tale
book, which is actually a gate to connect
tw o worlds together."
2
ADERA
Ali Duc wanted was a playful
portrait “ with strong warm and cool
colour values to present my character,
the Seeker of Balance” .
Sophia Kolokouri
LOCATION: Luxembourg
W E B : http://mysideworld.com
EM A IL: m ysideworlda yahoo.com
S O F T W A R E USED : Photoshop
1
MOTHER NATURE
lt’s a sad fact, says Sophia, that
humanity is its own worst enemy.
“ Humanity commits suicide by
destroying its lungs, its health, its
inheritance. Mother Nature is praying for
us. She is praying for our sake, hoping
one day we will finally succeed in living
in harmony with our environment before
it’s too late.”
2
THE LADYBIRD
"The challenge here,” explains
Sophia, “ was to find a balance between
the bird and the human.” So, keeping
focused on the flamingo-inspired
creature, “ I tried to bring a fantasy and
romantic touch to the scene, while keep
the pose elegant.”
© Narrative Ink
íl W a lte r 0 ’Neal III
LOCATION: US
W E B : no-sign-of-sanity.deviantart.com
EM A IL: w.onealiii@att.net
M ED IA U SED : Acrylics
I
O U SCRATCH
11x16in, acrylic on illustration board
W alter was commissioned by the
fantasy sculpting duo The Shiflett
Brothers for this portrait of their OI’
Scratch character. “ Brandon and Jarrod
Shiflett are such great guys,” he says.
MEDUSA’S DAUGHTER
11x16in. pencil and gouache on paper
“ This shows Medusa’s Daughter (for
Narrative Ink) making a futile attempt
to tie down her wild hair using some
makeshift straitjackets,” says Walter.
fe Shiflett Brothers Originais
1
PSYCHOPOMP
16xl2in, oil on hardboard
This piece was done for the book
Drawing and Painting the Undead. As
simple as it is, Lucas thinks it's one of
his stronger pieces. “ Its strong graphic
read helped it get on the cover of the UK
version of the book.”
2
VALEM AIDENS
20x24in, oil on hardboard
“ I like doing work for Sony," says Lucas,
“ because they give me a free reign.” The
only description on this assignment was
© 2008 Sony Onlne Entertairvnent
3
W O RD OF PAIN
24x18in, oil on hardboard
“ I like to keep my fantasy work more
grounded,” Lucas says. “ Pve never been
a big fan of the bright flashy colours of
magic, so I try and imply it in more
subtle ways.”
KALADIM W IZA R D
4 12x16in. oil on hardboard
Lucas is a huge Tolkien fan. “ Any chance
I get to paint an epic battle scene with
armoured dwarves, Pm very happy!”
He’s even got a small collection of
armour that he “ slaps onto some
willing friends for photo reference".
t»*V«
r
Human anatomy
A complete workshop on bringing
your body drawings to life
Workshops
Explore the body in eight parts
16 Basic form s
Improve the way you draw figures
with easy ways to establish the
jUí underlying structure of the body
22 The torso
W ith the figure framework in place,
its time to set your focus on the core
ofthe human body
28 The legs
Masteryour depiction of the limbs
THE that support the body and drive it
forward into action
34 T h e fe e t
Discover how to use form to create
KtoífcégfóU) solid-looking feet - and why you
shouldn't draw too much detail
38 The shoulders
Don't allow the complex interaction
of muscles here distract vou from
the guiding principies of anatomy
44 Th eforearm s
It may seem like a simple area of
the body, but the forearm is more
sophisticated than you suspect
50 T h eh an d s
Many artists fear this part of the
body, but applv the principies here
and you'11 see how easy it can be
54 The head
Discover how to break the skull and
facial features into simple forms to
get the proportions spot-on
a o r b o o k covers, design
con cep tu ally fo r gam es or
d raw storyb oard s, it's v ita l to
grasp th e fo u n d ation s o f representational
art. W ith m ost stories y o u 'll co m e across
th e h u m an body, ali le ad in g to
a sim ila r goal: a three-d im ension al,
realistic figure. W hile it's not n ecessary to
be an expert on an ato m y to produce
illustrations, the m ore k n o w led g ey o u
k n ow led ge w ill sh o w up in y o u r w ork - in
o th er w ords, th e lack o f u n d erstan d in g o f
certain key p rincipies w ill be ali too
apparent in yo u r fin ish ed piece. A n a rtists
style can be reflective o f their lack o f
in v o lv in g p eo p le, it s im p o rta n tto have, the easier it w ill be to solve u n d erstan d in g just as m uch as it can be
un derstan d h o w to d raw th e hu m an p roblem s an d reach d ear-cu t solu tion s a sh ow case for th e total sum o f their
figure, bo th in a static p ose a n d in action. for a n y d raw in g y o u m ake. know ledge. A void that trap.
Ron
Figuring it out:
tw o ways to draw
Lem en
COUNTUY: US
éé Frank Reilly's fígure drawing approach is a an d d efin e the core o f the pose.
linear one, starting with the structure of the Arm s and legs
O nce th e core o f th e p o se is
figure and advancing on to the anatomy §§ established, the arm s an d legs are
attached to com plete the action.
cam e from several sources, startin g w ith T h is sim p le con stru ction creates
D ean C o rn w ell an d Frank B ra n gw yn , as the structure o f the pose. T he
w ell as G eo rge B rid gem an (on e o f Reilly's
teachers) an d Frank V incent D u M o n d .
Capturing the action of the character‘s pose
Frank R eilly s system b ecam e a should be foremost in your mind. The action
fash io n ab le m ethod in rnost o f the begins with the head and radiates from there
Beyond Reilly
T h e fu n d am en tais o f th e R eilly m ethod
are e a sy to grasp, but it's flexib le en ou gh to
adapt as y o u r d raw in g sk ills develop. • - w h e r c
Exploring the
Industrial Design
drawina method
Use basic geometric shapes to make your
figures feel solid and three-dimensional
H ere, I'm g o in g to lo o k at a sec o n d
ab stra c t a p p ro a c h to fig u r e d ra w in g :
th e In d u str ia l D e sig n m e th o d . Its
o r ig in s a re a g e -o ld , b u t it w a s
p erfecte d at th e A rt C e n te r o f P asa d e n a
in th e 1950s.
I fin d In dustrial D esign th e m ost
practical tech n iq u e to u se w h en creating
the figure for an y p u rpo se. It m akes it ea sy
to control th e p o se an d ach ieve con vin cin g
fo resh orten in g painlessly.
First, y o u need to sort the head, neck an d
shoulders. ITiese p rovid e a startin g p o in t to
b u ild the figu re gesture from . V iew ed from
th e front, th e head is an o v al shape, w h ile
in p rofile o r sid e view , it's a bloated
tria n g u la r fo rm . T he corn ers o f th e trian gle This cartoon character is fully realised using the
depict th e tilt o f th e head. shape design approach from life drawing. The
technique can be used for any figure.
T he p an ei b e lo w sh o w s so m e exam ples
o f cylin d er figures in gesture poses, w hich It sh ou ld b e graceful, an d is id eally
Here the figure is rendered with hatch lines.
creating an immediate illusion of form. The lines is w hat y o u have to fin d n exi. T h e gesture o f established in o n e o r tw o c u r v y lines.
Crossing over the form are Crossing in the short th e p ose is a flu id , flo w in g line: it s th e big A dd to y o u r first line a secon d line,
stroke direction.
sw eep in g m ovem en t th a ts m ade betw een w hich describ es the w id th o f the p ose. T h is
th e u p p er an d th e low er h alves o f th e body. helps establish the o verall vo lu m e o f the
figure - h e av y o r lean. T hese tw o lines
should m irro rea ch other, m o v in g in
DRAWING CYLINDER relation sh ip to o n e another. Lin e three is
Torso muscles
T h e fro m o f the b o d y is m ad e up
o f six m ajo r v isib le m uscle grou p s:
th e p ectoralis m uscles, the ab d o m in al
m uscles, th e o b liq u es, th e serratus m uscles,
the trap eziu s m u scles an d the lattisim us
m uscles, w h ich y o u can see i f th e arm s are
lifted. U nfortunately, tw o o f these m uscle
grou p s have m ultiple heads to them , but
are w ell organised , so ren derin g them is
just a m atter o f fin d in g the larger sh ap e
that keeps the sm a ller on es organised
an d harm on ised .
The b o d y w edges d o w n from the
Its striations, or muscle fibre divisions,
acrom iu m processes - the b u m p s at the radiate in a fan-like shape, with the F e m a u e : V • )
shou ld ers - an d tap ers to th e b ase o f the clavicular portion sitting on top of the
mass. The female breast sits on top of
- V --- '
crotch. T he vvedge fo rm s th e true front the pectoralis. roughly between the \ f> o j M M A S H A P f
seventh and eighth rib. It has a
p lan e o f th e b o d y ; th e m asses on eith er side
comma-like shape. tapering back under <>\TS o\je* W 6R.
o f th e w ed ge taper at a sh arp angle, an d the arm toward the scapula.
rttwp o v ? e a c M i x z
becom e a part o f th e side p lanes o f the
figure. T he w ed ge form p asses through
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w * r e w b e f c ,T W t ;
3abdominal muscles frB E ftUL.
each ftave a different type of contour. The
top twp muscles are^ôngular: the top heads « jr e e T O íe b ,.»
predominantly face up over the ribcage and
the second set of heads face downward.
The middle heads face flat forward and
the lower abs bulge at the top in a rounded
taper towards the base of the pelvis. The
muscles have this structural design to help
when the body leans forward.
The figure on the far right has been f -pr
drawn using construction forms to keep ^ 1 ’
the anatomy geometric, planar and simple.
The right side is pinching or bending in; as
a result, the shapes on the right profile
1 'u e v jP -
ali take on a bulging appearance from
compression. The left side of the figure is
stretched out, and the shapes relate to this. C.o T t\ « 0 O frV \
- T V e S U R F E S P .O .
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AU. th c
CAN WORKING THE SIX-PACK
Ali the abs stacked up on each other have a
rhythmical relationship to one another. asall the
head divisions can be connected together at a
point to the side of the body. This relationship
keeps ali the muscle heads organised in the
W V\< , T t M P Í S ' architecture of the bones of the torso.
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th e frm The serratus muscles
connect the scapula to the
UPTEb S c a P U tA ribcage from beneath the
scapula. The muscle heads
< A T T ftC r t originate along the inside
edge of the scapulae on the
iu i * j o < s it> e o f back, closestto the spine,
TO and terminate halfway
along the first nine ribs.
TH6 \S+ °\ These muscles insert snugly
into the obliques, and
radiate in an arc on the side
of the body, with aII the
^ U T U S muscles fanning out from
top to bottom.
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T r tE N R fte fU F X E t?
The obliques are the big muscles that bend and rotate the torso of the body. The ftank portion of the
muscle sits between the ribcage and pelvis on the sides of the body. The flank drapes over the iliac crest,
giving the pelvis what looks like a downturn on the tops, rather than the upturn of the bones' design.
They have three distinct visible planes from the side of the torso. The rest of the oblictue traveis up the
ribcage and laces together with the serratus muscles. and blends to the abdominal appaneurosis.
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— O lu iA V ® -p"LAMlL The drawing is never
u w e s m ia V "P l^ E T C SF correct until the whoie
has been established.
\JP TO THÇ This means that to
understand the
u e tx ! relationships of the
parts, you must see them
ali assembled together.
Don't become criticai
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of one drawn line; try
t^LAMC to draw the entire pose
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On the disc
Find reference
Master your depiction of the limbs sketches by Ron in
the Legs folder inside
O b o d y an d p o w er m uch o f its
m ovem ent. Like th e a rm , the
leg has g roups o f m uscles that
o p p o se o n e an oth er in their action . For
exam ple, th e q u ad ricep s at th e fron t o f the
th e hips are fu sed together, u n lik e the
shoulders, w h ich float in d ep en d en tly o f
each other. T he tilt o f the hips o p p o ses the
an gle o f th e shoulders, m e a n in g that the
action at th e top o f th e b o d y is counter-
b o d y are u sed to exten d th e leg, w ith the b alanced b y th e p osition o f th e low er body,
bicep fem oris, sem i m em b ran osis an d w h ich creates stability. T h e hip s can be
ten d on osis actin g as flexo rs. Both th e arm s d raw n as on e o f several d ifferent m asses,
and th e legs start w id e at th e torso and d ep en d in g on y o u r preferred d raw in g
tap er to about h a lf that w id th at th e w rists m ethod ology, but th ey a li serve th e sam e
an d ankles. T he biggest structural fun ction : v o lu m e an d con struction .
differen ce is th e o rganisation o f m uscles
arou n d the kneecap, w h ich d iffers to the Leg bones and muscles
ridge o r rotator m uscles in th e elbow. The p elvis is a n arrow sh ap e fu n n ellin g
Now, w ith o u t gettin g too caught u p in inw ard tow ards its base. T h e w id e p oint o f
th e n am es, let's get d o w n to d isc u ssin g th e th e hips is created b y th e fem u r an d the hip
shap es a n d rh y th m s in a leg, breakin g the m uscles, w h ich are m ostly responsible for
d raw in g d o w n into ea sy steps. c o n n ectin g th e leg to the body, an d fill in
Y ou sh ou ld start w ith a sim p le gesture: th e space betw een the p elvis an d femur.
a lin e con n ected to th e h ip s w ill d o. T he These h ip m uscles fla ir o u t in an A shape
hip s a i? th e pij[ot p o in t fo r th e legs, an d act an d act in a bro ad ly sim ila r w a y to the
vje\G çH r/
Ç C l o v ;
OKI
Part The legs
éé Remember that
both sides of the
hips are fused
together, unlike SH O vtO tfc. i. j
y
Drawing ares between ali the joints and key
features relates the left and right sides
TO r ( X f T
the shoulders, • ofthe pose. Understanding figure
proportions related to skull size can
help you to interpret these ares
which float with much greater clarity.
independently of
each other
sh ou ld er m uscles, w h ic h w e lo ok at in m ore ■SH
d etail on page 38 .
M o v in g d o w n lh e legs, the fem urs both
tap er inw ard, fo rm in g a sem i-V sh ap e
betw een them . T he fig u re lo o k s knock-
kneed at th is stage, but that’s n orm al until
w e place m uscles over th e b o n es. In a
stan d in g p osition , th e k nees are alm ost
d irectly b e lo w the iliac crests o f th e pelvis.
T h e th igh is d ivid ed into three m ajo r
m asses: th e front m ass, w h ich consists
m ostly o f th e q u ad ricep s an d sartoriu s
m u scles; th e in s id e o f the th igh , o r adductor
m u scles; an d the back o f the thigh, o r the
bicep m ass. A li o f these m u scle grou p s start I
ou t large - th e m u scle h ead s account for
abou t tw o third s o f th e length o f the leg
an d tap er arou n d th e knee as th e m uscles
term in ate in ten don s, ex p o sin g m ore b o n e
th a n th e y cover.
c vu n s& xz
\N I T H
"á a i V o f w s
f» v js < M W
2, M U SU t
Z ' <J -
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PART4
Lc l L / u
DRAWING FEET
Discover how to use form to create solid-looking feet - and
See more of Ron’s work
at his website
w w w .s tu d to 2 n d s tre e t.c o m
why you shouldn’t use too much detail when you draw them
On the disc et’s clear th e a ir ab o u l feet - j so m e point. F,ven ify o u intend to o n ly w ant to d raw a full figure from head to
Find reference
sketches by Ron in
the Feet foider inside
Human Anatomy O th e u g ly cou sins to th e hand s
an d a part o f th e b o d y that
m a n y artists d read to draw.
T h e y ’re b o n y , th e y r e c o m p le x a n d , le ts
face it, they're not th e nicest th in g s to look
ever d raw characters w h o have sh oes on,
y o u r d raw in gs w ill o n ly b e c o n v in cin g if
yo u have a g o o d grasp o f h o w to structure
th e feet inside the shoes.
Storybo ard s, pin-ups, covers, character
toe. T h is m ean s that y o u have to put feet
011 the legs. A s p ain fu l as th is can b e to
master, it is a m ust-do, m ust-learn
situation. I lere are som e h elp fu l hin ts and
solu tion s to tack lin g these little beauties,
at. But an y o n e w h o s seriou s about figure designs, m o v ie posters, com ic b o o k s ... help ing y o u o n y o u r w ay to ach ievin g the
d raw in g is g oin g to have to tackle feet at ali o f these are instances w hen you m ight sweetest feet.
Get a foothold:
drawing perfect feet
Put feet into perspective and start with footprints
as the foundation for the correct overall pose
Let's start b y lo o k in g a t s iz e . T h e ty p ic a l B o o ts a n d sh oes u su ally cover th e feet, them apart from each other. U se sim p le
fo o t is b e tw een 10 an d 1 2 in ch es in but I recom m en d that y o u start w ith the ton es o r light gradation s to jo in th e m ass
le n g th . R o u g h ly s p e a k in g , th a t's a b o u t foot w ith ou t a cover over it, so th e re s a an d separate th e toes.
a s lo n g as th e e n tire s k u ll fro m to p to p roper scale o f fo ot size to th e figure T oes step d o w n w ard like stairs from the
c h in . T h e fo o t's w id th is a b it le ss th a n before a n y d istortion created b y the sh oe m etatarsal b o n e to th e toe's tip. T here are
h a lf th e w id th o f th e h e ad , o r a b o u t th e design occurs. Feet are so m e tim es d raw n m a n y little co m p lex surfaces, from bo n e
s a m e w id th as th e h a n d 's fo u r fin g e rs oversized for w eig h tin g o r stylistic to p to knuckles and nails, that can be
(e x c lu d in g th e th u m b ). Y o u can re a d ily reasons, but I w o u ld still d raw th e fo ot rendered o r shad ed to give th e feet m ore
se e th e se m e a su re s fo r y o u r s e lf w ith d im en sio n an d com plexity.
y o u r o w n h a n d a n d fo ot.
To start a fu ll-figu re d raw in g o r even
Begin with the ground Defining the toes
a three-qu arter d raw in g o f a figure, it plane to work out the correct Be carefu l not to add too rnuch d etail to
w o u ld be w is e to begin w ith th e grou n d
p lan e to w o rk out th e correct perspective perspective in the shot th e toes i f th e foot is sm a ll in the
illustration: too m uch ren derin g in such
in th e shot, relating th e fig u re to th e rest concentrated spaces can force th e rest o f
o f th e en viro n m en t so it feels tru ly bare before coverin g it w ith a th e illustration tow ards a direction o f
p lanted in the w orld. ITie p erspective w ill big sh o e d esign, so that th e foot over-rendering. It can also p ush th e fo cu s
h elp keep th e fo ot in correct scale to how relates back to the scale o f the rest to th e bottom o f th e picture in th e sam e
y o u see th e action, to th e character's head, o f the character. w a y as un der-scalin g th e feet, u n less you
a n d to th e view er, as w ell as keeping it at Toes are b u lb o u s at th e end, catch the m istake early en ough .
th e correct skew - i f there is a n y - from w h ich m ean s they're rou n d ed like a T he bottom o f th e fo o t h as an arch on
cam era distortion . bu b ble, but sq u ish flat w h e n pressed the in sid e an d tw o separate p ad s that
I b e g in b y d raw in g footprin ts o n th e again st a surface. W hen th is h app en s, th e sq u ish to w h atever th e y press against,
flo o r (o rstep s, o rs lo p e ; w h e rev erth e foot toe m ass spreads out a bit fu rth e r th an the creating a straight line. T he toes bend
is to b e located ). T h is can m ake it easier to toe's actu al size, u su ally jo in in g toes about a th ird o f th e w a y back b eh in d the
d raw th e legs w ith th e right foreshortened w h ere th e y com e together. I f th is is the bali o f th e foot. W hen th e toes spread, the
lo ok to them an d w ith th e correct action case, don't d raw lin es in b etw een each biggest sep aration occurs betw een th e big
to the pose. toe: th is h a s the v isu a l effect o f spreadin g toe an d the secon d toe. T h e little toe is
u su a lly d raw n as a b u lb o u s sh ap e. It
ty p ic a lly flo ats a bit m ore o f f the
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Sf RELATING A FIGURE
fi< TO THEGROUND
Whether they’re drawn from head to toe
^T à or cropped, ali figures have a better
►* chance of looking convincing if they Z z .
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v Everything in space is reiated
^ to perspective: the figure is terms of the
no exception. Once the ground plane to help
ground plane is established, elevate the foot correctly,
» stamp out the footprints on it and draw in relationship to the
^ your figure to meet them, or draw up surrounding space and to
from them to complete the figure the viewer. Drawing from
pose. This also applies to feet the footprint to the torso
i W elevated from the ground plane. sometimes helps solve tough
’’ Determine where the figure is in foreshortening problems.
LEGS OF YOUR
CHARACTER
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DRAWING THE
SHOULDER AND
UPPER ARM
DorVt allow the complex interaction of muscles in this area Ron
Lem en
to distract you from anatom y’s guiding principies COUNTRY: US
©
at his website
I th e a rm atu re o f th e figu re spots 011 the b o d y to draw. T he place to o rterm in a te . Keep in m in d that the w w w .s tu d io 2 n d s tre e t.c o m
start is at the skeletal structure. d iagram s I have d raw n are m ostly fleshed
On the disc
U nd erstan d th e sh ap e o f th e scap ula an d over, so th e p oin ts w here th e m uscles Find sketches by
1 an d its u n d e rly in g gesture,
before startin g to flesh o u r
figu re out w ith th e torso an d legs. We
h um erus, esp ecially the edges o f the
scap u la an d the e n d s o fth e h um erus.
YVithout k n o w in g th e b o n es an d their
attach are covered - but the shap es are
solid an d d irectio nal, because o f w here
the m uscles attach to th e bones.
• Ron in Shoulders
and Upper Arms inside
Human Anatomy
- qCVrutS
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Here are the two approaches previously described to start the figure drawing: the abstraction
method. and the shape-finding or Industrial Design method. Both methods lead to very similar
conclusions. Remember: the most important concept you can get from both is that it's only about
starting the figure to get it set up for the finish. where the drawing really counts.
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SHEATHING
OVER THE
MUSCLE MASS
Anatomy books and live models are
very different to look at. Here are a few
poínts to help make studying easier.
First, anatomy books have no skin. A
quarter-inch of volume, if not more,
needs to be added to the muscle mass.
Think of ít as a blanket resting on the
muscles. This brings up the second
point: skin is a cover. When the arm is
pulled behind the body, the skin creases
vertically through the shoulder instead
of following the muscles horizontally
across the back. The muscle fibres go
one way; the skin creases perpendicular
be altered w ith care to en h an ce o u r i This version of the shoulders shows the arms from in front and below the figure
to them. This occurs every where on the Note how the muscles of the deltoids. pectoralis. serratus and. eventually. the abs
body. Finally, more important than in d ivid u al w ays o f w ork in g, w h ich are ; and obliques ali f low seamlessly together in their striations, and radiate from the
memorising the muscles is as u n iq u e as w e are to o n e another. j shoulders through to the pelvis on either side of the body. using the shoulder as the
knowing when to draw point of radiation. The deitoid muscles are draped over the amns, seen both from in
them. A chart shows you
By e x a m in in g not o n ly th e lim b, but front and behind. Think of the muscle draped like a towel over the shoulder.
how the human each an d e v ery p art o f the lim b, y o u w ill
machine works, have a better u n d erstan d in g o f w h at to needn't b e d ifficu lt on ce y o u con q uer the
but muscles
d raw an d h o w to m ake th e actions basics. B reak in g each lim b d o w n into
are only
clearly 1. look con vincin g. Stu d yin g the section s not o n ly helps you tak e in the
visible lim b s o n e section at a tim e inform ation quicker, but also helps to
when active.
m ak es learn in g an d isolate th e im p ortan ce o f each part o f the
At rest, the muscles
blend into a more m em o risin g the b o d y an d the im p ortan t in d ividual
generic, simpler shape, in form ation m uch characteristics related to th o se regions.
similar to the visual
easier to digest. Practise 'til it hurts, then practise som e
metaphors you’re using to
decipher drawing the body. A n ato m y is a large m ore. M ileage is th e k ey to artistic
subject to tackle, but it progress. linjoy!
DRAWING THE
FOREARMS It may seem like a simple area of the body,
but the forearm is more sophisticated -
and elegant - than you suspect
FILE
O
n the p revious b o d y operates the next on e d o w n the
i section, I w em chain. For exam ple, the m uscles o f the
over th e actions sh ou ld er fu n ction to lift th e arm , the
o f th e u p p er arm , biceps an d triceps operate the forearm ,
startin g w ith the shou ld er an d the forearm m uscles dictate the
See more of Ron s work
at his website blade. T h is tim e w e '11 tou ch on action s o f the hand . T h is ru le is im p ortant
w w w .s tu d io 2 n d s tre c t.c o m th e rest o f th e arm , from the to rem em ber w h en draw in g: it h e lp sy o u
elb o w d o w n to th e w rist. to avoid stiffn ess in y o u r com p osition by
On the disc
Find reference B efore d iscu ssin g th e specific m a k in g y o u th in k not so m uch o f
• sketches by Ron
in the Forearms folder
inside Human Anatomy
an atom y, how ever, I w an t to
m ention so m e th in g about
fu n ction . Each segm ent o f the
in d ivid u al segm ents, but o f the action as
a w hole. T his is s o m e th in g w e can th in k
about an o th er tim e, but it's im p ortant to
MUSCLE MOVEMENT
This diagram shows the way the muscles cross over the
bones, or spiral from one side of the arm to the other.
The muscles as a group are ali attached in roughly the
same location. then spread across the wrist before
terminating in the hand or at the f ingertips.
or
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E-yre Study anatomy from every book you
can find, including muscle magazines
CAf f and fitness books. Don't just copy the
drawings: examine the construction,
memorise the names and the bones.
Then practise whenever you can.
redraw the charts and labei them from
your head. Drawing the chart once or
twice is not enough to memorise them.
'\ !o s Drawing from memory helps you reflect
o
polhót E-v Vova^ / -E.PÍ on how much has been absorbed.
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u u ja p .
superh eroes o r so m e oth er idealised C&gST
b o d y fo rm , th e insid e o f th e arm
(flexors) is a big b all-typ e shape, vvhile
the exten sors are a series o f p ipes
radiatin g from th e elbow .
A li o f th e forearm m u scle ten d on s are togeth er is a better w a y to begin th an but learn to con solid ate th em into groups
protected as th ey p ass o v er th e vvrist b y d ra w in g th e in d ivid u al shapes. D raw in g as an o th er exercise - an d as a m an tra for
the retinacu lu m . T h is m igh t lo ok like a th e figu re o n e m uscle at a tim e is p ain fu l y o u r w ork.
w rist ban d , but it attaches sep arately to an d m ore th a n lik ely goin g to g ro w into D raw in g is not ab out parts: d raw in g is
bo th th e top a n d the b ottom o f th e hand. its o w n u n iq u e sh ap e - o n e that doesn't ab out susp en sio n o fd is b e lie f, fo o lin g th e
T h is keeps th e ten don s from p o p p in g out n ecessarily resem ble a real figure. T he eye into b e liev in g w hat is seen. W e study
a n y old w a y fro m th e arm . v isu a l sym b o ls in th e im ages here should p arts to id en tify them as a fun ction , o n ly
W hen d ra w in g th e arm , y o u shou ld help m ak e so m e sen se o f w hat I m ean by to th row th em back into th e p ile o f tools
keep in m in d that grou p in g th e m uscles this. Stu d y th e m uscles as on e exercise, called intuition . 9
On the disc
Find videos and
sketches by Ron
in the Hands folder
inside Human Anatomy
Many artists fear drawing this part of the body, but apply
the principies youVe learned and learn the anatomy, and
youll find the process much easier
O
efore d ivin g into further them . The fingers are not p arallel w ith others, but in reassessing y o u r w ork in g
d raw in g ad v ic e , le ts th in k each other, althou gh som e action s m ay order. Learn it right, then break the rules
about a few concepts to help m ak e it seem that way. Fin gern ails and an d tools ify o u ch o ose, an d fin d y o u r
m ak e th e process o f d raw in g knu ckles are d etails: leave them until last. o w n voice.
a com p lex sh ap e such as the hand easier. Its im p ortan t to keep steps in their H an d s can be c o n v in cin gly d raw n
T h e h an d actu ally h as v e ry few m u scles p articu lar order w h ile y o u ab so rb the interacting w ith ob jects o r surfaces. I can't
in it: its m ech an ics are g u id ed b y the process b e h in d th em : w h eth er the stress e n ou gh that learn in g from life is the
fo rearm , an d its d esign is based m o stly d raw in g y o u r e m ak in g is sim ple or key to u n d erstan d in g ev ery th in g y o u ’ll
o n b o n e an d fatty tissue. T h e th u m b is a com p lex, i f so m e th in g falls apart, it's ever need to k n o w in art. W h ile art b o oks
distin ct sh ap e rooted to th e h a n d m ass easier to detect w h ere it w en t w ro n g in the m ight give a coo l trick for g e ttin g a certain
an d sh ou ld be d raw n into th e im age after process. O n c ey o u 're con fid en t an d w ell- lo ok o r ap pearance, so lv in g the problem
th e bigger m ass h as b een designed. T he train ed in y o u r craft, its u p to you to fin d d im en sio n a lly o r from ev ery an gle w ill
fo u r m ain fin gers ali radiate tow ard a y o u r o w n w a y o f w ork in g, an d y o u m ay giv e so m uch m ore w isd o m an d insight.
Starting with the
co m m o n point: th e in d ex fin g er an d the w ell deviate from th e ac ad em ic o r school- I f y o u can't take an art class, use a m irror. overall gesture
of a pose helps
p in k ie cu rve tow ard each other, an d the taught way. T his is w here you w ill fin d You can use y o u rse lf to study from , and you design
o th er tw o fin gers fit so m e w h e re betw een y o u r independen t style - not in cop yin g y o u d on 't h ave to p ay a m o d el fee. realistic hands.
A
s im p lify y o u r th in k in g a n d d r a w in g d o w n ob ject o rsu rface. T he h a n d then con form s
to th e co re e ssen c e o f th e se sh ap es. to th e sh ap e o f th e object it holds. T his
Finger b o n es h ave a p articu la r design to last d etail can really th row o f f th e best o f
th em . T he fin gers are m ore th an 60 p er cent u s at tim es - u n less y o u rem ind y o u rse lf
v isib le b o n e sh ap es d efin i ng w h at w e see, o f a few basic concepts o f con struction SOFT SPOTS .( V
so u n d erstan d in g th e fin ger b o n e o r knu ckle that y o u can fali back on.
shap es is k ey in m ak in g a m ore con vin cin g
d raw in g. T he fin ger jo in ts are spo ol-shap ed, Mechanics of anatom y
depressed slig h tly in th e m id d les for the D ifferent h a n d s can lo ok like th e y are
ten d on s o f th e exten sor m uscles o f the differen t sh ap es - babies' han d s, for
fo rearm . T h e m etacarp al k n u ck le - th e big exam ple, are ch u b bier th a n old people s.
o n e th e fin ger is attached to - is barrel- But w e are bu ilt sim ilarly, o u r hand s
shap ed , not to tally spherical, an d the included. T h e h a n d is b lo ck y b y nature: it
ten d on s that sit in th e grooves o f th e spo ol has m ass, a top, a bottom , sides, a front
shap es on o u r fin gers sit on top o f the an d a back. T h e h a n d is also circular, a s it
barrel-shap ed knu ckle. A s research, lo o k at sw ive ls a n d pivots in th e wrist.
N o rm an R o ck w ell's h a n d s in h is paintings. W hen the fin gers are pressed together,
H e d id it better than alm o st a n y oth er th e h a n d lo ok s like a spade. T h is is w here
illustrator out there. y o u w a n t to start d raw in g the hand.
T h e h an d has a sq u ish y sid e an d a firm Im ag in in g th e h a n d as a soft, b lo c k y
side. T he sq u ish y side - th e p alm - is w here fo rm , so m e th in g akin to a sp o n ge in
the m ajo rity o f m u scles o f th e h a n d are texture, helps y o u to rem em ber w hat
^ocated. T he o th er v isib le soft spot is y o u r e d raw in g is a physical object.
BONE SHAPES ME N» h C Í
■ M PTA C M b l ~
■J2
HAND HOLDING
A BALL J
Start with the object to be held (the
bali. top). Next. add the arm rhythms and
the bali shape for the palm of the hand. then
attach the finger wires to the bali mass. These
wires should represent the absolute middle pro
contour. the middle of the finger mass
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The finger wires are about
the same length as the
palm ofthe hand
A C T IO N t < _ * A * .A C re X
L i> Je i
One method of
drawing the hand
interacting with an
object is to draw
the hand print on
the object first
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fo rm al sh ap es, th e h a n d block, th e fin ger D raw d etails - fín gern ails, knuckles, ^ G to rV cT w t \s +
m asses, an d so on. w rin k le s - last. T h ey sit better 011 the The different-coloured lines here indicate
T he lin e that s h o w s th e con n ection w ith fin gers w h en th e y are w ell designed the gesture o f the hand and the character.
showing how the object sits in relation to
th e object is th e w eld line. Press it firm ly d im en sion ally. Before this, ren der the the character.
against th e o bject, sh o w in g o f f the o b ject’s surfaces: fin d th e sh a d o w patterns, and
4-
fo rm m ore th an th e h and. N o m atter ho w u se p lanes to chart valu es across the
m uch y o u see a little space betw een the surfaces. T his is w hat it m ean s to render
joints, don't m ak e them im p ortant. M ake a fo rm ; m ak in g a stronger v isib le shape,
the w eld lin e sh o w o f f th e action. n o ta d d in g details.
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hen d raw in g th e h u m an body, o f th e fig u re w ith con fiden ce, help in g y o u n o th in g beats h an d s-on practice. G et a
© on e th in g th a ts essential to
perfect is y o u r m eth od for
d raw in g th e head. T he sk u ll
is th e trad itional acad em ic m easu ring
stick o f th e h u m an fo rm : fo rm u la e h ave
to m ain tain th e correct p ro p o rtio n s an d
scale for the figu re as a w hole.
I lere, I'm g o in g to t a lk y o u through
m y basic process for creating w ell-d raw n
heads. T lie th e o ry is im p ortan t an d can
frien d o r fa m ily m em b er to m od el for
y o u at ev ery op p ortu n ity, hire a m odel
or, w ith the help o f a m irror o r photos,
d raw you rself. T h eo ry alon e can n ot give
you en ou gh exp erien ce a s an artist to
PROFILE
been created that en ab le artists to u se the o ffer a certain degree o f freedo m from w ork th rou gh ev ery problem y o u ’ 11 See more of Ron’s work
sku ll as a tool from w h ich to d raw th e rest reference - but, as I’v e said before, en coun ter in y o u r career. at his website
w w w .s tu d io 2 n d s trc c t.c o m
On the disc
head forrris
Put your head in a box to ensure that
youVe got the correct dimensions
B e lo w is m y sketch o f a h e ad in fro n t shape. T he head is really n either an oval
a n d sid e p ro file s, sp lit in to th ree n or a block, o f course, but th in k in g about
r o u g h ly ev en s e c tio n s. M e a s u rin g th e b o th w h ile d esign in g th e sk u ll w ill help
s k u ll fro m th e sid e (in c lu d in g th e n o se) y o u ach ieve realistic d im en sion s.
it fíts r o u g h ly in to a s q u a re b o x (as y o u So, like a child, begin w ith an oval.
c a n se e to th e rig h t). From th e fro n t bu t D raw a lin e to fin d th e inside corn er o f
e x c lu d in g th e ea rs, it's a b o u t tw o -th ird s th e face, o r th e ch an ge o f p lan e from th e
th e w id th o f th at b o x at its w id e st p o in t. front to th e side. T h is is u su a lly w here
W hen children d raw a head, th ey p ortraits fa li apart: w ith ou t a three-
u su ally start w ith a v ag u ely o v al o r 'egg' q u arter line, th e features d rift from the
TO *
T in ^ i n í ,-
••
•
< *M B T
Í jo í- K TS
St A P T ^
L jO c fc lV JG f
♦*© \%UL
When drawing anything organic, it's business. lfy o u 'r e d raw in g th e head first, it'sat th is p oint that the
rest o f th e p ose is ab out to be d raw n . ITiis con n ectiòh w ill help
best to think about the shapes with y o u to d evelop an d d efin e the shap es o f that pose, en su rin g that it
fits correctly w ith the head y o u ’ve alread y got.
edges and comers first. The top of the Attach th e head (bali) to the neck (cylind er), then attach the
c ylin d er to the ribcage (b a li), l h e shou ld ers float over the ribcage.
skull can be drawn as a block T he o n ly p oint w here tw o bo nes connect together is at th e pit o f
the neck, w h ere th e c lavicle con n ects to th e ribcage. Therefore, the
The top o f th e sku ll, w h ile rou n d ed , can h a ir correctly to the sku ll an d keep ribcage is the m ost im p ortan t structure after the head an d neck.
a ctu ally be d raw n as a b lock. W hen e v e ry th in g lin ed u p aro u n d the head.
d raw in g th e h air 011 to th e head, th in k in g W hen d raw in g an y th in g organic, th in k
about th e sku ll as a block can ad d extra ab o u t th e sh ap es w ith edges an d corners
d im en sion to the h air m ass. first. T h e perspective o f a form is fo und
T h e best w a y to d raw th e h air is to start m uch m ore easily i f there are p oints to
w ith th e hairline. I d o th is as fo llow s u se as lan dm arks, an d a straightish line
(refer to m y sketch b e lo w to help): draw co n n ec tin g th e m .
Z. A
<r^>9F
O F ____ „ — ^
"THE
CofcvjefcS IN Ç L v u .
\ / 1 0 w i «s.
Workshops
Explore animais in six parts
6 0 Basic forms
Begin your exploration of creature
anatomy by seeing the shapes
beneath the skin and fur
. 66 The torso
, Find out how the core of the animal
body operates and how you can use
it to bring life to your animal art
72 The hind legs
Explore the real-wheel drive of
animais, and how this part of the
body can propel your art forward
78 The forelegs
Use your observation, skills and
knowledge to build the pillars of
balance and grip in animais
ir
8 4 The neck and head
Discover what part of the animal
body tells you about the creature -
and the traits ali animais share
9 0 Animal faces
Find out what animal faces have in
common with human faces, and the
crucial ways in which they differ
PARTI
BASIC FORMS
Begin your exploration of creature anatomy by
seeing the shapes beneath the skin and fur
limais are something I love learned that there are secrets to animal
ÓW Ü „rf
f * r(-
t ) r f fr ? - £
Befei tiirfítfy tbe fduiU
hw t - m y fr « v jg « d t.z u
fwpwTuiru- C i^m e the }c ^ l <
jP ‘
lm/et, nrJ, yrn çnn. it< r w r < k x .I r • f>
tame tn jirm . ÍiIlí hmei
rsU Am, <Vt 9^-ltt íurdf.r M r - fo i-* *
'Nken. f*c s<< irnsic slut/fcí, we (o
see s*Me <Ufftreyicei, / f f f '/)» /(
HOMEWORK
PROPORTIONS ASSIGNMENT
Master
uN0eEJT/\N'0!NC THE ÍIMIMCJTOf A ^ õ O iFPBlEN C K W iTHín PONÇ
proportion
CJLOUK CAn LEAD t o GUEArçCL A m ATO m i CAl AW/4BjENKí... D iagram an anim a l fro m
th e side. M easure a box
Mammals, reptiles and birds share most being studied from the front. Its arms that are good for playing th a t fits th e big p a rts o f
th e torso : th is tra in s you
o f the same bones and muscles, but at like trying to judge the length o f instruments, drawing and
to see b ig th in g s first.
different sizes and ratios. That's w h y you a ship b y looking down one end. hugging, but not made to By re d u cin g heads, hind
should study proportion. W hen you look Proportions reveal what an support our weight. Four-legged legs and ribcag es in to
boxes, tria n g le s and
at two-legged beasts (bipeds) like animal does. O ur bones show anim ais have deep ribcages
eggs, you le arn to see
humans, or other plantigrades that plant that people are designed to with shoulder blades on the co m p le x c o m p o n e n ts
feet on the ground, you can begin with stand up: w e have long legs, sides, and arms that act as as sim p le shapes. T h a t’s
th e u n d e rlyin g secret to
front views. But creatures who run around shallow ribcages, shoulder legs. Different functions,
m aste ring p ro p o rtio n .
on four legs (quadrupeds) don't take to blades 011 our backs, and different forms. *►
P e lv is (h ip bone)
S c a p u la (shoulder blade)
F e m u r (u p p e r leg)
Otflér/W
CrwcW<Jí
v b ^ O
MUSCLES &
TENDONS
How THEYATTACH, ano How
THEYÜjEMTEro each otheil.
Muscle charts are more confusing than
bone charts - not just because there are
more muscles, but because muscles are
layered. Surface muscles can be so thin
that the>' disappear on a fleshed creature,
while buried-deep muscles can show as
large bumps on the surface.
Let's start proceedings with some
general observations:
• Muscles anchor close to the trunk
(proximally), and insert distant from
the trunk (distally) to move the limbs.
• Muscles are thick near the trunk, lean as
they m oveaway. On hoofed animais,
& ///* the distai limbs look like shrink-
f„ StU H k-of wrapped bones.
( fk fy • Muscles can be simplified by grouping
them. Several extensors with hard-to-
remember Latin names can make a
single easy-to-remember egg shape.
• Muscles work in pairs that pull against
each other, shown in the illustrations
to bo<i/ I*") usi ng complementary colours.
We'11 study specifics later. First, look at
these images to see how they work.
FORESHORTENING
How to k-eep f>e.opoejroK'f coejiEcr wHemorAmng
ANimAlí PELOMDlFFeeJcMr^NCLEf...
-
10b '* * * * * * n c «1
,r í /tf> f^ Ç /ÍX /s
T h e le n y r k trf r k *
Learn from lhe rabbit «fpMr rv tfarrtn nhtn. It Cftrjí
L o o k at a side vie w o f an anim al. N o w d ra w it
fumuni TÁ/rr’; fvrahrtlniny
as if sw ivelled in to a th re e -q u a rte r fo re s h o rte n e d
p o s itio n . It's d iffic u lt, b u t n o t im possible. Bçjwntnftnr it ienmi
R em em ber to reduce co m p le x fo rm s to sim ple S tv jU n n AVri. tr . t f . M * lt< n
ones to help yo u visualise th e pe rs p e c tiv e . i
prttcrut. i t t i m e ..
$ -b rrfi/ a * dhr*mj'v0J
c°n1 re^ulf- in j-fif-f cnnjvres.
/ ■ / " Care-
-f -b r f t i M t * r 's ;
Animal anatomy
PART 2
THE ANIMAL TORSO
Find out how the core of the animal body operates and
how you can use it to bring life to your animal artwork
hen I first saw a famous art parts o f anatomy first - which is the best
'f h fh c r / )
/> *
A H<e
ç p if ie
tz f/trfwkiS
r J P '/ í 1o * r
P í c - h ft r l t* n c < e t +> "
p j t I S r J » I * * U íf'^
B /\C K
3 Ç c ro '
Mix movement R fb c ív s / ) b J w w
and angles
Try d ra w in g v a ria tio n s o f
th e p itc h , yaw and roll
l£ lL l
m o tio n d iagram s fro m
d iffe re n t angles: above,
a t eye-le vel. below , and
in variou s fo re s h o rte n e d
p o sitio n s. If you use
p h o to reference, see if
yo u can ca tch glim pses
o f th e to rs o m uscles at
w o rk. T h e y‘re su b tle and
usually cove re d w ith fur,
b u t th e y occasionally
show u p in e xtre m e ly
w e ll-c u t s h o rt-h a ire d
anim ais, like racehorses.
o -cg = c^r> o i
TORSO FORMS
u N Ü B L ír /W O fN G m v lT T P lE V iE W í Bv il õ in ç fr p m
Ç lM P L E C O M P O N E N í T T . . .
Studying side views isn't enough - they only give us two dimensions
o f a three-dimensional animal. W e need anotherview to see width
measurements, as witnessed in theexam ples above.
f c m i G é M bt.
h tn u rh n *y -~ 's < **b **s
5 , M p k b * fp v s S t c f ! < r < & V
MORE TORSO
Sort out the
big things first
FORMS
LM SLN TO D M W T H E C O M P u M T E O
A nalyse refe ren ce o f
horses and cats. You'll
T H IN G Í P y aM k j n g t h e m Çi m P lE.-
fin d th a t horse torso s fit
Look for the basic structure that simplifies
bone and muscle into a single form. It can
rig id . Cats how ever tw is t
a round , so y o u ‘ll need
be a big bean from which appendages
separate form s fo r th e emerge, or any invented form that helps
pelvis and th o ra x. Solve you twist or add body to the spine.
those b ig fo rm s b e fo re
The important thing to remember is
yo u conce rn yo u rse lf
w ith lim b s o r textures. that torsos are complex, so you must
simplify them enough so that they
can be drawn in any position you
care to choose.
A bt * «. it e r s it r r r ftM tsrer
ORSO FUNCTIONS
WEVe DokíE ove. TECHmiCAl HomEvvobjc - n o w lET^í
TCice /\ fu je c h lo o ic /\r
w H y w e ?twdy ro R ío f f i r s t .
A torso serves several functions: as a core for the body; a
hub forthe limbs; a trunk from which branches emerge; a
chassis to support a craning neck. A ribcage is a cage to
contain soft parts and protect them. A spine is a spring
(especially with cats), or a bridge, or a flatbed truck that
can carry a load. A bird's sternum is both a boat’s keel and
an anchor for m uscles... t
PART 3
THE HIND
Explore the rear-wheel drive of animais, and how you can
use this part of the body to propel your artwork forward
hen the first artists drew their illusions seem real, as if the picture smooth skin, mottled, groomed, light,
Leg mechanics
T k t m t m y ftr u t U t n t w U A n a u ísy t k t i r
fitn c w s n . T ry nr í t t t k t t n m fü r ftc H y l a g M í L
w e í í c W ‘vstwMes.
MUSCLE GROUPS
HwmAim <4N0 lEGí ffOTH MOVE £Y THE ÇAm G
ÍOUE£ E - THE PULL OF MUÍCLEC...
There are over 16 muscles in the hind leg that artists can study - but
even if you carne to know every one o f them, it would help you less
jl ' Qjw lnibeil tr*udt cM rti
than knowledge o f their groups and functions. Here are the simplified
' ní£ (U fferent m tm tó ftr
structures for understanding hind legs.
' tke Mruttmrj. ÍMt tkere
Hr( fWf cmwSCefityrwjn
• tke frty jw t ik tke lApjxr
A big pair ley, W tke smaller jm s
^liuvlncepi kw w tnM i íí/y tke n^íiui eu tke lw(r Im .
jrçnj> ir f tke íçy. The .fMVÍrLCtpi (re/)
tke frm t t f tke tkiyk /mII m- tke hxei’.c4f> n
itrALjkte*- tke Itwer itj. Tke katnitrinys
Çyreen) u»v tke frnck. t f tke tktyk fmII tn tke
bpuer ley Unes n herJ. tke Içy.
Camjwre tke cctmv trvyi t f tke A kew i kirU [çj u reyrwhiky iu r Jw
n <7 w rw C s, nviudy íecx*.se k ew mlw
kiAtrjtr. n^ilcleqnuts U tkme t f tke
Ma m - tkeu- feet cm- tkejrnwd-.
ktrse <W tke íe*r.
A smaller pair Tke keel t f tke ktríe, híe m y kmved- fmjrjií, u kiyk lk tke nu-.
The ctiíf ntU ertemcrjnMjn uuert cmv tke feet. Tke jrrtjmtLHK u very ikfferent fnn\ n kunwn. Içj, but 11 ktv nviny
They w i le«Mr tknn tke tkiyk tnusda íecume ‘tMÍcywl fivn. tíemerrder tkitr mesclei nre t^Iíoer ruew tke ttrlt
Target the tkey ktti/e leu »n/tt! n i w í |^ and letiMr nt rkçy tna/e d-unn tke LtrA.
muscles g r if a i
O nce you u n d erstand
th e basic gro u p s, you
G r e v fi
can separate th e m in to /i-fe
in d iv id u a l m uscles. For
fo / fT
e xam ple, th e ham strings
are d iv id e d in to tw o
parts: th e m e dia i (in n e r)
a nd la teral (o u te r) sets.
The m e dia i set actually
d ivid e s in to tw o m ore:
Tke cxifyaMp
th e sem itendinosus and ImIU tfn animal
sem im em branosus.
K v c ts sMt its tw,
Nam es like th a t can pu t
’n Á prtfieLt it -
o ff d e lic a te learners. b u t
n o te th a t, on a horse, th e
sem im em branosus
m uscle alone is la rg e r The urcrutrj n n f lifti <r fmt, w i /m IIi
than a h um an’s e n tire
tva íttcL Tke temUn.i t f tke e x te r n
u p p e r leg.
ctver twst t f tke jnvilt /nnjcía w. tke fm t
Naming parts
Zvery detadjets a m w ^atnes let nr p i f tkoxys
c*t and talí aífn f tkem.
K W \L L £ S
tW A S T fcN V Ç -
T I S K J D íJK I
INTERNAL STRUCTURE
t h e w s l f a c e o f a n a n i m a l is o e t e i l m in e o py t h e í w g a ^ c E Exercise your
inííioe, ?o d e v e lo p x - r/iy V is io n r o o h a w wtx A A v rH o m ry ... X-ray vision
Choose yo u r fa vo u rite
Study animal anatomy from books, and drawing, any name will do. Yourconcern p h o to g ra p h s o f anim ais
you'11 find that four books m ay use four isn't the name, but that its the wide point in va rio u s p ositions.
Place vellu m o r tra cin g
names for the same part. The part that 1’ve o fan anim ais haunch. Pelvic crest is fine. pa p e r over them , o r
labelled pelvic crest on this cat can be Most names, however, are consistem. m ake a layer in
found in any book - but it m ay be called The ischium is the ischium - theres no P hotoshop, and try to
d ra w th e pelvis. fem ur.
the pelvic point, the tuberosity o f the iliac need to distinguish it as the ischial
patella, tib ia , fib u la , and
crest, the tuber coxae or the anterior tuberosity. But you do need to know that ankle bones in th e ir
superior iliac spine. If youre trying to its the back-most part o f an animal's p ro p e r p o sitio n s. You
W eu A m ay fin d it to u g h , b u t the
impress people, you should learn ali the haunch, and always narrower (on the X
a tte m p t w ill help you to
names. But ifyou're trying to master measurement) than the pelvic crest. see th e substance un d e r
O f f im J f
"N 0té -—
O fT lK ti
Knee clarity
Sausage legs i<~nees htve seventl fmnfí t k t t
Cnartúlei dnCt kave intecaps, j<r tke ÍMe deesnt kave tke altemate fcr atUMurn. Tke
cns/> plarve-lrreak. tka t " e see en. a dvy nr a deer. /?«f tkey fatelU (kníe-caf) u
hwe tke iatne kasu> bme.t as ntker ivw -lç^ed anuwls. tke rrutst pntrw.erf Repositioning
tuice tkew owUrtceys tend<mi ccnsiect dcrectif n tke fiant, 6>*t vt ítrnitfcts J *vhe^yçvíj t t jw d- a t
tá w Lhe a hlt-straj?, tkey kave (tt tke m se t f tke vtMaltsuiy tke wUeAyu^
tevertwe and can nwe very fast- tina, wktck u a im.es, Py repfliMusy tke
fix'ed friAtry m. tke * [eys and redrawiny tkerr.
Ivwer ley. Tke <Mter s^ell ck
tk i fenwr, and tk< fa t f>ad
tk a t asven tke patella \
*/ken a kvrse U rebwed,
can ali seem kU tke ínee.
HIND LEG
FORMS
p o e jv iç l e t y o v i n v e n t l e c í p - M r o o K J ’r
e x i í r - u n t i l y o w c r b a t e t h e m ...
'■ R o u n d ito u t
Y Huut Ítfí to n t fact fom arit in nmson they iplity
<Mt H<r< I a way ftr idv< if- ■ t e Acw tn tir{ Udy
r f tb c fifí lm v a cy L m lc r.
Segm entation
The -fUÍL ftrrtn t f tke kiiy
tatus ilvxpe ífjo * w w w
i t anÀ- woriL m tack part Block it up
as a xparatt mdt~ Black, /srmj fvrcíjovi íaítt ifxufic
cktutí aim t jpÍAn< írtah, and kelj> j
cku<l tke fonn intv cnsfntss. i
n«T also that frttn htkurjL, ym I
can í « tke legs facunj ruf a t a 1
50-<).o anale. 1
Wired forms
G et o u t th o se fa vo u rite
p h o to g ra p h s th a t you
used to exercise yo u r
X -ray Vision (p a g e 7 5).
Instead o f lo o k in g fo r th e
bones in side th e legs, try
to w ra p w ires aro u n d th e
Iegs. If y o u fin d it to u g h ,
tre a t each p a rt o f th e leg
as a bar o r a block, and
visualise a ru b b e r bartd
aro u n d it. From there, it / £ F fir jS
b e g ins to take on form .
'A PJC
Ron’s robot
My It^dent 6j«- Creen uwinted- thu
cm tnw tún. <ts strm ye, h*t «-iefA fsr
iw U ritrtm iíny hvw fa. ttnürwl leWS fr irtn UJ -
huví leys. Tíy^ycur uvm, bttsed- <rn OMtvrny- J
V
m ,
Q o < < ic o (x 4
Spontaneous art
T h e cr d y *wty n y n m te r À M W tA ^ u tn drtXM,
Ànw < W drtw - k ncr n Mrefuüy- Forelimb fandango
OjutL. aettural stwkei ^Lthjxn nmi m i Wí íteuwL cn. 8w hir~d IçyJ Hnd,
durCr alíewjfUH tvjetf* u y, env,e w l fvc, w í «,!( (MC <vmi w v l Ivtruü tr
th e y f r z t t c t j / o k f m t n c r e n tx n y í í W t v t retC > w i. jK» ptrftrtn*- deltatte tnih
theit Imil di'.fui - nlvit )ne Wenthedy edis
ttWlderiny". You’II lA^ftfnjíOvo- jhlll ky warU,. (iMdnWÀs swxd-
abm/ung uwnttàxrely fn m kfe, wfr<4i£ptUe m thew tvtns. The
«rd> MtU tV it rniM íe. dcfftrtMts ktween.
« \ i m d -fvrelitnfa
tv e w w ttr tluvx
' W kvw en. l(jl
WÂ- huut Içm. In,
the next CMf>t<r,
>ve’tl itv4y the
ftreLirós: anní
m leys.
THE FUNCTION
OF HIND LEGS
rH EY JUMP, THEY V\MLX, T>(EY RWN, THEY tc/Oc...
Once you know how they’re made and blink o f an, eye they can become a
how they're shaped, you can go back to weapon. A lever. A catapult. A spring. Rear
the reason legs exist. Legs help support an wheels. O r a bludgeon. Seeing legs
animal. They get it m oving to find food, through their functions reminds us w hy
or to keep it from becoming food. In the they're worth studying. •
PART 4
THE
Use your knowledge and observation to build the pillars of
balance and grip for the animal kingdom
ometimes you have to take how bones move. Another solution is to
On the disc
© things apart if you want to
knovv how they work. With
animais, that gets messy.
Beatrix Potterand herbrotherdissected
dead animais together, which served her
assemble bones on your own. I've
assembled a horse's leg bones with glue
and rubber bands. It's full-sized, it's real
and it impresses friends and family, but I
could never have done it without at least a
F ind sketches b y well as an illustrator. But dissection is not reasonable amount o f book knowledge.
• M arshall in
The F orelegs fo ld e r
in side A n im a l A n a to m y
an easy business: you can end up smelly
and confused.
There are better ways to study animal
The lessons that follow will help you
understand bones and muscles enough
to look at living animais and see their
anatomy. One is to observe museum structure, so you can exaggerate 'Ne stnf w n y tke swrfnct <íf nr. anwvil
skeletons from varying angles to be sure proportions, make planes crisp and n see •vlvtt tnxieí w w r i Artutit
o f their forms and connections. But invent your own animais - imaginary w jttm y ieyuns *mtk ti^ sí/letm..
assembled skeletons are often poorly put beasts with real legs to stand on. The wsre -fiwuluvycu. art fJutk tke
together and locked into a single position Let's have a look at how forelegs are inmcfJtri, tke w ot u n JmU tke
that teaches you next to nothing about made, and how they work. M y nrmnd tke bhhíi.
fo tL ^u m d
C L tH \c ie
fiK D lU S
CW H. u s ,* e t n
OLfC^MOW
r fftO C ÉÍJ /
of
O lc c r **» *
p r o t » .* 5 K VLNh
i>ir f r)
/*\£-f*cftKfaL5
IS ® « l / - jy n ií 5P nS to
a- M T<
firmí fireivmi ipin nrmrji. ! t w lf>ui n kit. l ^ j f t r t tw ttln< ! Ivi-tk w Içyi, è u f use o u r tírtn i t t j n t s f l to v l
Sttne tire fiXÚL Ui tt ftrwttni f)tiUitK. rke Am toesrit sfttv. Ml i t «o», to u ketU *vU stmtykten tke ttrm vkt
r<\ÀV*s, IS sejxtmtz ttwi revtL/fí ttrmtuí tke ni/ul t t Sftn tke W . wAtfn. it)
ptrMltl n tke A m , nctk tke tlwynh c*t tv tke sUe, ws s^uie- wken tke
nttons crwes tver tke A m , CíVrtytM tke tk»*trd ttwurd tke ktdy, w) j>nne.
i V
HOMEWORK
ASSIGNMENT
Stick-bone
forelegs
QjvUnyeto ui
tkeur w dtíy (1r sfun tktu-
Ivtrjfa. Cttts to Lt tpute
usually best to dra w the
ulna b e fo re th e radius,
^ell, tops M t "is well.
because th e radius HttfM nnur^L w í t
d oe sn’t a ffe c t th e u ln a ‘s Sfin tkeur ftrelçys ttt ML.
position. Keep it sim ple.
Tkeir rtvU*s 6me u
Don t t r y to learn
fore leg an a to m y by Ív.setL irjv tk t Àtut,
dra w in g fore legs: rather. Itcked. st th t t tkey atn.
learn by d ra w in g th e ir
5 0 fM U K T )9 tf ruK, (fn-t n tt rexck t* t
sim ple com p o n e n ts.
wuk tm «j/reuseM- jxti/n.
fVl i)f~ P*/m d a v J /1 -
C o '/ ô
O Ô Ciidt b Jf gl&fAT Ooír
FORELEG MUSCLES
THB m v SCUES IN! FOfcRECí ç im il A r. FOIl A ll A n im A l í,
e v r r H e v a z j A ttonç a h e m a n y...
Human arms and animal forelimbs have Quadrupeds have smaller and simpler
many, but not ali, muscles in common. deltoids than humans and apes.
Not only do our upper arms extend out O ur lower arms spin partly from the
from our bodies, but they reach above our pull o f two special muscles called
heads. It takes a deltoid, anchored to supinators, which make up the ridge o f
clavicles and scapulae, to lift our arms. the extensor group.
lfo'l<Í
Simplify complexity
<i*j>uvitmAre A,ynMf>tf twr
nw icíes. Ç m m m Are a tf
three- Ftertri c m , ire sepAmted
W hat arms do to hands
tnrt- ~fwe tr mure, lW th a t s tw
BíTtnjars fMÜ cn the k<vk- iid t cf th e httnd.
trw ch Ln.firfníttWH. They Mirk. Ai
f^lttfrs fM.ll m the j>A.{in Side. dench j/n ur
jrn u fs , Io surnfkfy.
fvst, AndifcU lL fie l the fíew rs cn^yow UUIÁe
fureArm lutrden.
On tn a t m u m Ii, the fiertrs Are (Mcked-
w id e r th e tnjU e t f thew fvr{Arm<, frAreiy
vuiM e cn the M titÁe.
d n
Chest muscle
The jU cixm Li in yo r Anchers on the chest And uuerts in tt the Iw tn tru j (r
f>Àl the <Áffcr Arm i í w v a r-Á íc fr the imdy. ir s th e SAmt m *sdej<M m e tn
iU <rg fM tluyi. i f j/kwj on the m rftvt Ai fw r vA tyiny ftrm i tn ecther
sU c t f the e w t n itr^ 0/ th e chest-
On th e htrne, M tice the rhythm t f c tn vef A tvl cm cnve lü iei. The cviter
cmUTMr.í tenÀ n ie m tre cani/ex. The u in er iim h frvm the f m t i/LfH M ve
M ticeA Ü y mure ctncAVity.
FORELEG FORMS
/4N/VTOMY FOR. rtRJTíTT fí V/ÇÇLKí UNLEfÇ
THE ^EJÍfrC iV /E f íT F O ItM ...
The scapula and humerus create the point
o f the shoulder. The scapula hugs closely
to the centre line at the top and spreads
out to the sides as it goes d o w n ... but that
gets complex. When you construct a
horse, it helps to simplify by seeing a
wedge form, which is true enough to the
anatomy o f horse shoulders, but simple
enough to master from memory. #
5K w \d tr
\ v ta ie
-A MS a f£
Horse legs
C o lle c t a dozen
p h o to g ra p h s o f horses
th a t in clude th e ir
shou lders and fore lim bs.
The im ages can be lo w -
re so lu tio n - in fa ct, th a t’s
an adva ntag e, as it w ill
keep you fro m being From form to function
te m p te d to copy
surfaces. Try to d ra w A cttt i W<v k*s textwe nrul s*rfau tk x t 11 « « nr see, o w m h nwst lewn
th e w e d g e fo rm o f th e nr see tke fim*.. An/ttryry kelt>s, é vt vt rw y o e t wneceswrtly crtnblejc. A
shoulders, th e blo ck f w li <? sunfile Meck., « w tv tke fnmt, like n wkiiky fieuk- Moiwotm. km/e
fo rm o f th e ca rpal mass,
<r unynníon tk*Tf- kelfsjfu see tke frrtn, «v*ntwe, mÀ- dnw it.
fe tlo c k jo in t. W hen you vke reltftvnuktjf r f whisky fÍAih nr <t a tts f w enÀs tkere tkey kme very
can d o it successfully. tUfferefit functicn.!. Cnts knve cUws tv survive tkraviyk vlAence. Ç v e n jw
m ove to th e n e x t g re a t
cha lle n g e - d ra w th e
kmsecnt, wktse mdjf renitrn fvr M t ettiny^yM- u tk a tjw r e nnr Uiye, cak da
shou lders and fo re le g s in jç\a lerurns dAtrAye
a new. unseen po sitio n . For fAnctim, t t ytjm be better nr see n cnts j>w <u » stnpler, iwuzMlrUe
To m aste r fo re le g s, you
m aster th e ir form s.
tr Twr cf tkese <ve nr /Mree. Tive rf tktnn tve sjnny-
íxwUd Ali tkree remmti kí r f nlutt n cittiv tUes.
tkey,J*st went strALykr tr.tv tke kw- Aí CUuf nw -it^-t fv r je t tke fw s tiv K . a chw u a set a f
é iM ttm a lD Qt/Mr
they ei/aived, they « « ju/en feet. knw ei tv itvjxúe, cr A ifAÁe tv t y , vr A AccjL.
t
))
PART 5
NECKS AND HEADS
*!• -• -
'r t o d '
p i V t f f / fls io e .
lie n<-cK
C onnfcts -b M . s K o ll
(cccvicil)veffcbr*c
»■>
s/j Neck muscles have inconsistent cephalo humeral (from head to humerus)
names because the structures or other variations.
f TO. vary. The muscle that goes The names must not bo gyo u down
\ from your collar bone to the from your concerns. Lets look at what
a. bump behind your ear is animal necks have in common that artists
'Í V j the sterno-cleido mastoid. need to know.
Cleido refers to the part that
connects to your clavicle - but most
animais don't have clavides, so that
A shoulder base muscle m ay be called the sterno-mastoid
r k c tcrsc u t k t fiM ir M ttv m i f ! (sternum into mastoid process) or the
tk t neck-, mkick m tAr-.i t k n t V
W í usuxüy ítst n tfy u i «ttk,
tk t ferirj s f t k t sknuUer n c r tA tt A core of bones
A n tc k - l^ tc k l A r t k i w tlly A h t t k c c k t r A í w c tk AÍÍ A M tc m y , dçr. t wvrry
tVHArd, t k t VASt un, cnsi-stctun: tk ty u rt A tm ut k u U e n tltfrull unltisycu rt
n v e t í / tu s u t ( li ^ A tn tn t , n w -ícit AnÀ- fa in a rtstArck. í t t i t k t sit n f k a t y
f n t ) , S c y re w u y p u lli t k t m i/ v f r if t k t neck- cs rt T k x t ccmts first,
A d t f k H y t t A n ln f i- lc v ii n f skupt. tk tn . tnu.scltj.
'f h iM c y t r í* n u k V trk w e .
>fc cx**fKy~ .• 4*00/& M fi yooclfe*) t fc k i
\ 'f h r o q f if(1o
C o U to r jj r ô u p
Squash
and stretch
You CAn. stt tk t Anwwtcrs
prmafle f f stfuAík A rJ,
strtttk irvst omWy A t
tk t neck.. Wktn. A kcrst
tums uts ktAÀ, (r Imk.
frtkíwi. utstif, ene stt t f
sUt muscles cmtmcts,
nkile tk t ctktr íUt rthvCtS
’ 3 * !
•s ; j « í
i i 1 1 :
' t % 3 3-:
j» S f I
Part 5 Necks & heads
Animal anatomy
1 jo in f
CMWL
eM Íiejs u nr drtw n kctU un. spwe *nd keep tra ti <rf tke pnpotians.
K it#
crA»ités
^ ò u J ÍK
CKH\H£S
Relying on X
NiirfWí tknt wketker n crentv-ns n w tk li
1/ Placingeyes
'h e eyes cn prty tvattvtll Uch m t tc tke suie - Scrt tf. rf ct
«*« ( M f surrpV’., n cfluvler dcrcss tke sÍm II *vcntó scit/e tkeur
pliteerneM-. Om, m/at prey (tnvwiís, tke eyes w e M t ctsmpiereiy w r
tc tke sute, k * f nim eil skyktiy frrmrd,. rfj/vu. pUce a cetxtre pcuit
eirni crente tw ccnes duüryuM frct« tknt centre,jc * Ivive a stm ctwe
uv which tc fb w eyefaüs.
PART 6
ANIMAL
Find out what animal faces have in common with human
faces, and the crucial ways in which they differ
! began this animal workshop observing the world - the fact that living simple forms based on anatomy. Then,
UNDERLYING
STRUCTURE
NECW H olô HEAOÇ, A n d H E A M H o l D FAC&.
l e t ’í rjeview b a í i c íto jc tu c ^ í ...
Bones provide the hidden structure o f
HOMO M E W O lH the body - most obviously with the
A ■SSI
GNM ENT head, where the skull makes most o f
Eggs, boxes
and cylinders
Using th e sam e heads as
above fo r reference.
dra w th e cra n iu m as an
e g g , th e facial stru c tu re
as a b o x o r cylin d e r, and
th e eye sockets as
cylin d e rs o r cones. A li
Forms first
o f th is is p re p a ra tio n fo r P y AÍi chi A ttiM vsnjt* Lhí nr íwmps Atui- [ yqu must mXSfír first■ <f ctMuUnny a kewb mnítiry t f Itaslc ftrmi m y tokt mmtks
featu res. Alw ays b u ild jrw li And detAils. ifll miAn thvrjw \ AS A ktX, A Í aII or ah i j y siim s t n SUnpU, t f Stwiy, riweirdiny bicA^Si tk i kuUin.
th e house b e fo re you | «<tcr víK tãjt H try WS A sU fficA t Ím T srrwtw-i t f shdi ferms ecffitts tk i jnSLtim.
dmWLtvji ivdi iirfriss jutpii, tMt W m#y
s ta rt han g in g curtains...
ikítrActj<M from tbc Íaíu. stnu-twi r M f \ riw rd w y fm L D ifficA t iacm si thi t f ii/iry ditAii cm. An AnimA ’s hvU.
THE FORM OF
FEATURES
E Y E í, EARS, M O f B ANO M O v /P -fí H A V E R J E M A f c M g t Ê
V /A rjE T Y , A n o a c o m m o n ío u o í T Y ...
Features are not painted on like colours or textures. They have their
own shapes and thicknesses. Here are some observations to help you
see them not as surfaces, but as smaller forms within bigger forms.
Eye as bali
Ali eyebntli nre spheres.
The \U. u n shenth, níMÚy
mther thu-i, thnt Mrnps
nrewÁ the M i
Curved surface
Ever. th&yh m or t f the
eyehtâ rests tn. the stcíet.
the surface u stiM c*wed.
Cet thu cMn/e !><yy<A
isefsre renÀtriHy.
Ja w s as hinges
Jíftvi are lU ^fle frcm . tk e lU e tk e y rt
k n y e jn n ts . Fnrm ctker anyles, tkey
nv\y appear q^ire tnAnyÀAr - Moder
a t tk e back a n d n a rre* a t tke frvnt.
You m u if a n «set*. wkere tke sUe
a n d fn n t t f tk e ywMtk m eet f r m ulu
a ckanye v f planes. in. tkree- (fv w ttr
voe^s, cam nes m ake <? ccm/envent írreak,
a cti^ y <11 fr m t ccm ers cf tk e JW . »->
ANIMALS AS PEOPLE
HvmMnjí A n o S E A m HAVE THE íA m E PARTS i n VAnyiNÇ
Compare P Z D P O R IiO N Ç . LFT^Ç COm MBJE...
and contrast
G ather refe ren ce o f
Socially, it might not be a good idea to them ali. Comparisons are the most
anim al faces, and d ra w
th e m as p eo ple. The compare your friends and family with efficient shortcut, and the most fun - Precious piglet
m ost c o m m o n surprise animais. Artistically, it's a very good idea as long as they don't end up in hurt ÍO W VftM ít A ÍMnvtn 7 W LtUpUrfí At\
is h o w sm all hum an
if you want to understand facial features. feelings or violent responses. ahum I a «Mmhey, a tntuie, a lutren,
m uzzles seem c o m p a re d
to anim ais. Seeing th e There are so m any variations o f animal These metamorphoses, courtesy o f A CM&, A WASel, A c k u r f A ! M { < - A f t < r aU,
d iffe re n c e helps you features that it could take a career to learn w w w .banedarkart.com , make the point. K/htt u A cImJiá M r A tnllunf A n u n A Í*
n o tic e th e form s.
Big bear
aspirations
rf y m IacÍ. ~ftr uUas «wm.
c riA tm f ckArACtm. nr i f
■fxtU-^yavself ix. A m f
tftA tvn y tke IAIT4 luM rwn
diAi-ACtir mt r Atid w ,
try iMUny am uwL fA tts fnr
cnípWAtvm- Tnty cak
pnvnj>t vinii/tnfiL ArJ,
MnJJfM /rtcple-ty/XS.
Morphing
magic
Try p a in tin g a m o rp h
b e tw e e n an anim a l and a
hum an face, like Bane
has in his studies on this
page. The challen ge -
and th e le a m in g -
hap pens d u rin g th a t
tra n s itio n stage in the
m id d le illu s tra tio n .
Pencil head
I Iwi tT d rw : i?'s *rv
iM tiít i«r fíikn yl < W
n pUyyrtMnil ftr uCems.
EXPRESSION IS THE
KEY TO THE FACE
T H E FACE t í T H E O U W N íin g ÍO G ETTiN G T H E
EXM LJFfífON ÍU G H T WILL GlVE YO UR.O M W IN ÍG LIFE A N O M E A N IN G ...
It doesn't take a trained artist to draw an hard when the flesh stretches. Technical Anim al faces evoke feelings. Their
animal face. Children do pretty well - skill helps you understand forms so you mystery, strangeness, terror and
not because o f their skill, but because can point a snout toward or away from splendour are more marvellous than we
o f their emotional connections to faces. you, or exaggerate a creature into could ever imagine on our own. The more
Most children, however, hope to have absurdity, yet keep it looking real. Get to it! you feed your imagination, the more you
the grown-up skills that we've studied Technical skill is useful for anyone who 'Nitk d l the vnncty t f can reflect their power in your work.
in these six workshops. makes a living at creating animais, but it’s nrujnnis ft uwettf, <t I hope these pages have helped you to
Technical skill helps you understand only the structure - the heart and arteries. Icfetum ikesrir sum draw animais, and inspired you to give
anatomy, so that you can keep the bones By itself, it's dead. F.motion is the blood. f w e Icnf tM w k... your viewers the best you have to offer! Q
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art skills
Expert advice from professional
arfists, written especially for you
Workshops
The sort of advice you'11 find
in every issue of ImagineFX...
éé It extends 98 Creature features
and energises Combine human and animal
anatomy to create a fine-art portrait
your characters of a monster with Justin Gerard
personalityff 102 Top ten fantasy poses
Whetheryou re drawing a hero or
Warren Louw a villain, we've got the gestures and
on posmg silhouettes to help you out
figures: page 104
104 Strike a pose
Warren Louw explains how to fill
your characters with energy by
íearning the art of posing
108 Artist Q&A
Our artist panei solves real-world
anatomy issues, including painting
realistic hands and drawing eyes
t_V X t /X A > / f i y C/
FEATURES
COUNTRY: US
■ Justin G erard
is an illu s tra to r
j w h o enjoys
s to ry -d riv e n
O i approached by a wealthy whole. He wants to commission you to to be prepared, just in case. www.Justlngerard.com
' monster w h o w a ms to execute his portrait, to show the world ITI be doing an underpainting in On the disc
commission you to paint its that he is really a civilised and noble watercolour and scanning the irnage onto F ind Ju stin 's screen
portrait. (Unlikely, perhaps, but I've had
stranger requests.) I.et's say that he feels
he's been misrepresented in film and
creature at heart.
The followingdemonstration in
watercolour and digital will help you deal
the Computer, where ITI add the colours,
refine the lighting and work on the final
details in Photoshop.
• gra b s in th e
C reature Features fo ld e r
in side D ig ita l A r t Skills
4 A djusting proportions
PRO
Novv that I have a sketch that l'm
pleased with, I'm ready to transfer it to my
SECRETS
watercolour paper. Before doing this, Layer flair
Keep y o u r layers
theresonedevilish little trick that I use
o rganised. Som e layer
that hastotally reinvented m y work. I ty p e s can be m erg ed
scan the drawing into Photoshop, mirror to g e th e r w ith o u t
n e g a tiv e ly a ffe c tin g the
it and adjust it before I print it back out
im age. Several M u ltip ly
and transfer it to paper. This minor o r Screen layers can be
readjustment often spells the difference m erg ed. Try to keep y o u r
between glorious success and miserable, PSD file clean, so th a t if
yo u fin d la te r th a t y o u
shivering failure. Before adding this step, need to add m ore
ali my pieces had an odd tendency shadow s to an area, you
towards disproportion and unbalanced can cre a te a new M u ltip ly
layer, add y o u r shadow s
composition. So after I mirror the image,
and m e rg e th is in to
I select areas that don't look right and, your ex is tin g M u ltip ly ____
usingtheTransform function, alterthem layer. This w ill save you
headaches la te r on.
until they look right, before flipping back. y W orking in sepia
’ I'm not concerned with adding
colours at this particular stage, because
I'm effectively treating this watercolour
as an underpainting. I'U add the final
colours and effects later in Photoshop; for
now, establishing the forms within the
composition through value is the most o O p aq u e highlights
important task. W j Once l’ve established the shadows, I use a white watercolour
I could add the colours in watercolour or gouache to add opaque details and highlights. This opaque
as well if I wanted to, but I want to play to highlighting step could also be done on the Computer, but 1 enjoy
the strengths o f each medium for this the feel o f a natural brush a little more than a Wacom tablets pen.
portrait. Digital paintingisgreat for (One day, when W acom in its wisdom releases a digital brush with
bright, intense colours, but it can tend fibre-optic hairs that works like a traditional brush, 1 will happy to
towards looking plastic, for reasons l'll do this on m y Computer.)
touch on later. Watercolour, on the other
hand, struggles with achieving bright
colours but can generate beautiful
textures as the water dries on the surface,
and gives linework a wonderful variety.
g Settin g up the
w aterco lou r
N ow 1 leave the Computer and turn to
setting up m y watercolour. For this
S ta g e lighting
N ow it's time to make the monster
glow. In m any ways, this stage is the
inverse o f the M ultiply/Shadow stage, and
it's where the watercolours texture really
shows its worth.
Using Colour Dodge layers and a dark
grey, I work in much the same w ay as I did Diameter: 100%
011 the Multiply layers, brushing in and Roundness: 100%
Spacing: 49%
erasing out on several different layers SHAPE DYNAMICS
until the image looks right. Colour Dodge Angle Jitte r: 38%
reacts wonderfully with watercolour, Control: D ire c tio n
COLOUR DYNAMICS
pulling up the contrast on the texture and
the grain.
I use the effect sparingly, and only in
areas to which i want to direct the view ers
Í OTHER DYNAMICS
Opacity J itte r Pen Pressure
Flow J itte r Pen Pressure
■ To colour a m onster Normal layering. If I work too opaque in image to the printer, and hope that the
There are m any methods o f applying colours. For this Photoshop, the piece takes on the plastic client doesn't eat me. %
illustration, I'm going to use layers o fSo ft Light. 1 like working with look thats the bane o f most digital art.
Soft Light because it approximates the feel o f colour glazing in oils, and Yet there are some details that absolutely
I want to maintain the look o f classical portraiture. I build slowly, need to be sharp and opaque: the
using as m any layers as necessary. Often Fll paint an area, take the highlights on metal or teeth, the rim o f
layer's opacity down to 15 or 20 per cent, and repeat the process. a horn, the areas around the eyes.
Along with using Normal to sharpen
details in the eyes, I use it in subtle glazes
to diminish areas where the texture is too 'V
obvious. I11 the background, l've laid in a
thin layer o f darks.
n n A
SECRETS
M in o r d e t a ils
D o n’t w o rry a b o u t
d e ta ilin g every single
b it o f y o u r illu s tra tio n . i:
/jg r * W h ile th is levei o f d e ta il
m ay be im pressive on its
ow n, it d oe sn’t always
h elp th e im a g e overall.
W hen yo u focus on ali
m -H R
th e m in o r deta ils o f an
im age yo u lose a sense
o f th e w h ole; and if you
try to focus on th e w h ole * ; 7 ^ .
o f an im age, yo u lose
y o u r sense o f th e details.
A successful illu s tra tio n
m ust reco n cile th e tw o .
sttrffu keU
r w iy , ju / L n y n j eme
r f t n y e r U u tf ewtviK.
e r t
FANTASY ART 7
Tke W ls Icfrtti skfkHy
evU L h Ln-tke eUfectim.
r f t k e \w k y $
Tke lev u s tm g k t W jw w fA ,.
Whether you’re drawing a hero or blm te^ fu w ly m- t k e j r w ^ ‘V™'
a villain, weVe got the gestures and t e f w j y tke lUreavm. r f tke ^
clvm cters
silhouettes to help you out...
9 WARRIOR
EVILSORCERESS
SCALING A WALL
M Viewed from above, we see
the gripping hands and arm
WALKER IN muscles tau t w ith the strain
4 THE WOODS
Both the left arm and
o f clinging to the wall. The raised left
leg balances the leading right arm. The
upturned face and concentrated stare
the left leg extend forward to hint at a sense o f purpose and also help create
suggest stillness (motion is the illusion o f height, as the character looks to
represented by simultaneous his destination.
i _ movement o f opposing
^ ^ a r m s and legs), creating a
diagonal hip line and strong
B k leg shape. The right arm *
pulls back, causing the
| | shoulders to pull together. V
/ Tke j r w ü OTttnf- w U
-füMídi, brckiny d Stedy
y c iií the Fantasy
anatomy
These poses come
from the book
Anatomy for
Fantasy Artists
by Glenn Fabry.
w w w .d avid an d
charles.co.u k
\N A tO M Y
l ANiAbY A K jlStV i
" j K H E ’' — iM
VICTORY
1 Successful in battle
2
VILLAIN CREEPING once again, the mighty
Keeping low, the torso hero raises his muscled arms
is held parallel to and shouts his victory to the
the ground.The heavens. The straight limbs
arms are ready to lurch
forw ards and grasp the prey. it create a X-shaped silhouette
that adds dynamism. %
Digital art skills
STRIKE A POSE
W arren Louw explains how to fill your characters with
energy and dynamism by learning the art of posing...
khat I'm about to tell you are the w h ats ever been achieved in art. Learn from other
f
relationship that they have with the think about your characters in terms o f their spatial
p rofession al
illu s tra to r viewers. This is where you give your relationship to the world.
w h o spends characters life. This is where it begins.
his spare tim e
Be very specific about what you want
re verse-e ngi neeri ng
fe m in in e beauty. and what you like. Study it,
wrrtnkHiw.____________ understand it, make it a part
deviantart.com
o f you and expand with
it. Nothing is
On the disc
Find sketches by random. Everything
W arren in th e Strike has a purpose. A im
A Pose fo ld e r inside
high. A im beyond
D ig ita l A r t Skills
4 UNDERSTANDING
ÊXACTLY WHAT
YOU’RE DEALING WITH
W hat needs to happen early on is
fo r you to become fam iliar with
the shapes and form s th a t y o u ll be
w orking with. You'11 need to pay
attention to ali the curves, joints
and bo d y parts, and understand
where they need to be in relation
to each other. Finding the hidden
lines and patterns where certain
points m eet and join will be your
guide to w o rk from . Just
rem ember: every tiny line you
draw has a purpose and is
designed to w ork as one w ith the
rest. You'll notice that if one thing
is out, then others will follow.
2 MALE VS FEMALE
If you can master the feminine, the I find my skills spontaneously
masculine will be p re tty easy. They
share m any o f the same basic
upgrade themselves after Ive worked
characteristics. W hen dealing w ith with a range of alternate styles... 9§
the male. its just a m atter of
adjusting a few things here and
there. I d o n ’t draw males much, 5F L O W
but I can do it very effectively Everything has a flow. W ith a bit of attention to anatom y
because o f my w ork w ith the and its rhythm, this will soon becom e clear. The best way
female figure. Those w ho focus to help your poses have flow is to think o f an S shape, as
prim arily on males will have a far this will be the flow leading your eye through the pose,
greater difficu lty achieving and will even help with your overall composition.
fem inine beauty and sexiness.
3 LET’S RECTANGLE
Foreshortening and perspective
can be quite the cow fo r ali o f us
artists - don't think the pros are
excluded from this difficulty. So
here's a good starting point. If you
know how to give perspective to a
box. or even a rectangle, this y * íT .W
should help you give perspective
to your figures, since both have a
front, sides and a back. Yes, the
human form is far more com plex 7 EXPERIMENT WITH A DIFFERENT STYLE
than that. w ith many o th e r things Amazingly, you can learn a lot from using a different style.
to consider. But if you can keep W orking from a different perspective on how to approach
the proportions w ithin the things can give you a fresh viewpoint. It will only expand
rectangle guidelines. things will your understanding about posing and anatom y in general.
com e much easier. Notice the I find m y skills spontaneously upgrade themselves after
consistency o f the centre point l’ve been w orking w ith a range o f alternate styles, so this is
th roughout both boxes. highly recom m ended to ali. *■*
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E ye LfivEu 12 SILHOUETTING
A great way to check if your
E Y T L ÍV C L pose is eye-catching or
dynam ic is to fill it in w ith black
o r a darker colour and reduce It
to a silhouette. This enables you
to see if your pose has flow and
impact, and still conveys the same
essence that you originally
intended, Your focus is being
. ’ centred on the actual form , w ith
no internai affairs to distract you.
____ v A
Learn from the professionals
nrofessionals as our nanei
panei of
experts tackle real-world anatomy issues
Our panei
Marek Okon
Marek is an experienced sci-fi
and fantasy artist. though he
L H M Í started out as a web designer.
■ He has worked as a digital
illustrator for two years.
o m e n 2 5 0 1 .d e v ia n ta rt.c o m
Jonny Duddle
Jonny is a freelance illustrator.
|f 9 He's working on a top-secret
i 1 project for Aardman, and
jb ■ released the picture book
R / The Pirate Cruncher last year.
w w w .d u d d le b u g .c o m
Andy Park
■■ 1 Andy is a talented concept
1 artist who works for Sony.
H jj# Among the games he has
J worked on is the popular God
of War for Playstation 2.
w w w .a n d y p a rk a rt.c o m
Bobby Chiu
Bobby Chiu is an independent
artist from Toronto, Canada.
P ^ 9 Part of the Imaginism outfit.
> *■^1 he's involved primarily in film
and TV production.
w w w .im a g in is m s tu d io s .c o m
Jim Pavelec
| Jim Pavelec lives in a world
surrounded by demons,
monsters and devils. He's the
author of the how-to monster
book Hell Beasts.
w w w .jim p a v elec .c o m
Frazer Irving
Top comic artist Frazer Questioti
P ” 2P <- spendslotsof time drawing
horrid-looking things on his How can I make the hands I
Wacom Cintiq He's worked
for 2 0 0 0 AD and DC Comics.
paint appear more realistic?
w w w .fra ze rirv in g .c o m
(
i illustrator who specialises in except fo r the
Hands are one o f the most
<■ • * fantasy portraits. Her most extre m ities o f the
1 recent book cover is for the difficult parts o f a character to fingers and th e joints,
w h ich are redder.
^ ebook of A Crown of Swords. paint. You should bear in
w w w .m e la n ied eio n .co m
m ind that they have soft,
round edges, and also that they are a tip for the base and a speckled one for the
powerful w ay o f conveying emotions. final blending. T he light is stronger and
W hen you begin a hand, think about redder at lhe joints, because the skin is
the construction lines (they ali com e from thinner there.
Full-size the wrist): d on 't hesitate to use your ow n The next step is texturing. This stage is
[iQ & A images; hands as a m odel. In general, fingers are the most decisive one. I use a basic Hard
are o n your halfway along the hand, and they are Round tip with 1lardness set to 70% and
more like cylinders than boxes. Shape D ynam ics set Size litter Control set
disc
W hen you're satisfied with your sketch, to Pen Pressure. I add a few thin lines and
start shading. Try to sm ooth as best as you folds on the skin, and som e light dots on
can here. Use a basic Hard Round brush another layer.
Answer
Frazer replies
Ali the w ay from F.dvard Munch
to Jack Kirby, every artist has
their own w ay o f depicting
screams. The type o f scream can
vary a great deal depending on the emotion
that drives this reaction: as an artist, you
need to know the differences between a
scream o f fear as opposed to a scream o f
anger, or perhaps o f pain. It's not
uncommon for a lazy artist to use the
wrong expression for an illustration and
cause much confusion in the onlooker,
especially in comics.
W hat ITI do here is takeyou through the
process o f how I construct an angry scream
for a comic, which is ali about the scream
and the power behind it.
To do this, I em ploy standard drawing
techniques next to graphic elemems, in
much the same w ay that Munch used swirls
^ A r t i s t ’s s e c r e t
to enhance his Scream painting.
Remember, though, that even the most
p u p cH z c k . i n p H o r o ç H o p
detailed-looking image is really still
tv r u r lex rt « ^ '
composed o f the most basic elements. The
W » > H irtíSítw i"
trick is to identify which aspects o f the face
drw uv, mU M - i U t Wwr Um. un-r
convey the idea most effectively.
m (xtnvM. A lútU's
sjmt <rnri **5?'
In this painting. I use various tricks to suggest m ovem ent. such as adjusting shadows
to place vehicles in mid-air, rough brush m arks and flo w in g fu r and f lags.
Question
My figures always look static in
my paintings. How can I give
them more of a sense of motion
and dynamism?
Ansiver parts o f the previous
Jonny replies d raw ing, or sketch
Its co m m o n to find that the digitally and save
m ore you w ork o n an image, different versions. You
S uesíion
ow do I draw facial expressions that convey the
right emotion and don't feel stiff or forced?
fj^ Artisí's secreí
a M ie jt p e .'
tAü névuMi, or n Iti.
Answer
Jonny replies «m m M r j
If you're painting w ith the basic anatom y o f the face, shapes in the face and h o w they Jm L x r imyuiuv t k ywkM *
figures, drawing it can be easier to paint more distort and m ove w ith different M e r& u y in u i.‘v U ^ e tk ie àtrdts
cartoons or rendering believable expressions. You don't facial expressions. A lso try
tt ifcfWHJ»**' Miti,
3 D characters, you need to nam e every m uscle or exaggerating the size o f particular
need to m ake them interesting to identify every com ponent o f the features to see h o w subtle
look at. W hether itse vil, sad, skull, but w ith practice, you can get modifications can affect the m ood.
h ap p yo rd ead p an , theirfacial to know the m ain building blocks T ry big noses, heavy brows or high
expression could be vital in o f the face and h o w they fit together. foreheads. Sm all changes can m ake
com m unicating the story or Use reference to practise drawing a big difference.
message in you r work. faces. Reference can be anything lt's also worth bearing in m ind
H ow ever different people m ay from photographs you've taken or that facial expressions work in
look, everyone's faces are m ade up in books and m agazines, D V D stills conjunction w ith bo d y language, so
o f the sam e set o f bones and or old-master paintings. W hile in most cases you'11 need to ensure
muscles. B y becom ing fam iliar drawing, try to identify the m ain the face matches the body.
Question
I nave trouble posing figures
realistically, particularly when they're
in mid-action. How can I make my Try som e experim entation.
The trun ks o f th e bodies
moving figures better? d o no t change: I only
adjust th e lim bs and props
to a position th a t I like.
Answer
M arek replies
W hen I wasyounger, i always
wondered w h y artists practised
light and shadows on such
simple objects as spheres, cylinders or boxes C ontra ry to initial
instead o f on cool robots. N o w I know that im pression, th e hum an
face is an exceedingly
the simplicity o f those objects enable an com plex object,
artist to fully understand how light casts especially w hen it
com es to an accurate
shadow and then to transform this portraya l o f natural
knowledge to more complex shapes. lighting and shadow.
In every issue o f ImagineFX, o u r panei solve real-world Creative problem s w ith helpful techniques. Em ailyour
question to help@ im aginelx.com or write to Artist Q&A, ImagineFX, 30 M onmouth St, Bath, BA1 2BW, UK.
On your disc
To support our anatom y and
painting workshops, your disc
includes a wealth of resources to
aid your Creative process. From
Imasine
f FANTASY SC H lD IC nA LA IT
J PRF.StNTt
IOW TO DRAW AND PAINT
how-to videos to step-by-step
w orkshop images, you'11 find
this disc essential. ANATOMY Videos and reference to
D raw ing v id e o s help you develop your
Learn the fundamentais of <4
human figure construction draw ing skills
with Ron Lemen
S t e p -b y -s t e p im a g e s
Follow the artists' steps to 1
creating their paintings in <!
our art workshops
ON THE DISC:
D raw ing v id e o s Learn figure construction basics
Hum an a n ato m y sk( tch c s Study from anatom y masters
C roatu re portraits Combine human and animal forms
St nkc a pe s o Sketches to help you position your figures
Im arn n erX J P R E S E N T S
ANATOMY
The complete guide for artists on how to draw the structures and forms
ofhumans and animais in easy tofollow steps
FREEDISCINSIDE
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H O W T O DRAW A N D PAINT... Prtnted In tho UK £7.99
if z o i 20K) ISBN 1 -8 5 8 7 0 -3 2 3 -9
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