Artistic Anatomy

Notes and a Tutorial for Artists

Notes from several sources, primarily Rey Bustos, but including: Glenn Vilppu, Karl Gnass, Victor Casados and Jack Hamm

Comment: The purpose of these notes is focus the developing figurative artist’s attention on what is important in learning and understanding artistic anatomy.

Overview

Artistic construction, even for the figurative artist, is more useful than artistic anatomy. Learn construction first. BUT, just as a knowledge of construction helps you see relationships, so does a knowledge of anatomy.

Anatomy is complicated. There are over 600 muscles in humans and over 200 bones. The figurative artist only needs to know about 40 to 50 muscles, but the muscles themselves are complicated. They are not just cigar shapes, but more like stretched out amoebas. Know the insertions as well as what is on top of what, where.

Anatomy is 3-D so it’s easier to learn in 3-D, by constructing an ecorche with the help of a knowledgeable instructor such as Rey Bustos (L.A.) or Andrew Ameral (Norcal Bay Area), than 2-D (drawing).

“Anatomy doesn’t matter unless you don’t know it.” Glenn Vilppu

"Reycreations" by Rey Bustos

"Ecorche" by Keene Wilson

Drawing the Figure

For the underdrawing, start light – It is helpful to draw using straight lines, but don’t let curves go inside the structure created by these lines or the figure may look “rubbery”.
Too much gesture can keep you from seeing correctly.
Envision where t-shirt would be [around neck]; C-7 at back to pit of neck

Note the angle of the line between the jaw and the pit of the neck
Clavicle – sternum – clavicle lines are useful in determining direction of torso
Use the “constellation” formed by show points (acromium process, pit of neck, nipples, belly button, ASIS (anterior superior iliac spine), pubic symphysis, elbows, wrists, knees, ankles) to get a fix on the figure
Establishing the envelope is even more accurate – provided the angles are correctly established

Drawing muscles – use overlap to show what is in front
Start muscles with accent, end with accent also accent where two forms compress so there is less light

Add base lines (to emphasize where form changes) and occasional contour lines (to reinforce direction of form)

Value = sound – if you want something louder, kick it up
¾ size of head = hand, sternum, clavicles, scapula
Always separate one portion of the body from another
Practice without the model, thinking as if you are sculpting (showing the facets very clearly)

Drawing Anatomy

If the scapula’s location is not obvious, locate the furrow (”donut hole” between the trapezius and deltoid) to determine the location of the scapula and use the scapula as the basis for determining where the arm starts. Ball of humerous is directly below the acromium process; there is a plane change between the shelf above the scapula and the area below the spine of the scapula (often washed out by overhead light).
In drawing the arm, keep track of both the humerous tuberosity and deltoid tuberosity.
Spine of scapula and clavicle make a clear delineation between torso and neck/shoulders
The elbow is definitely above the level of the belly button
Show point – along side - not only teres major and lats, but where serratus anterior crosses ribs
Arc from pit of neck through nipple shows line of serratus anterior
Nipples directly below where side of head is
In especially attractive women, the fat pad beneath the buttocks is critical
When the leg bends, it bends at the great trochanter. When standing strait the great trochanter tends to have a slight bulge, with the bent leg it tends to be a dimple
Place the sartorius first on the flexed knee and it is easier to locate adductors and quads
The inside ankle is higher than the outside, calf muscles slant opposite
Biceps femoris goes to head of fibula, peroneous longus continues line to ankle portion of fibula
The bottom of the butt is below the pubic arch.

Head

The canopy formed by the jaw and digastric muscle (from side front of chin to hyoid to mastoid process) is useful in drawing the neck/jaw line - especially viewed from below
When the head is turned, visualize the centerline from the chin to the pit of the neck to understand the turn; use chin relative to pit of neck as a landmark
Eyeball – same size as a quarter
The front of the face is bounded by: forehead, front of temporal line, eye socket, cheekbone, front of massater
Structure line – at an angle, following eye socket and cheek bone
Core shadow, cast shadow
Zygomatic arch points to the earhole; jaw hinge leads to the earhole
Filtrum – groove between lips and nose
Temporal line swoops down and connects with the top of the zygomatic arch to end at the ear hole
Massater drops down lower than jaw line
Nasolabial furrow (flank of nose to corner of mouth) adds age
Lots of muscles attach to the nodes at the corners of the mouth
Fascet change from chin to jaw, but not as visible beyond jaw.
In profile, there is typically a clear line from the eyebrow, to the back of the eye socket, to the front of the cheekbone, to just behind the corner of the mouth

Mouth Open

Draw bottom of closed lip, then a second version even lower about width of lip; opening = gap betw upper lip and 1^st version of bottom of lower lip.

Feet

Changes of direction along top of foot – where tibialis anterior ligament crosses the top of the foot, separation between tarsels and metatarsals (tarsel/metatarsel articulation)
Show point along lateral edge of foot – 5^th metatarsal, ½ way between little toe and heel
The tarsel/metatarsel articulation is ½ way from big toe and heel

Hands

The second crease of the ring finger lines up with the first crease of the ring finger.
The hand bends at the knuckles where there is a the crease of the palm, but the separation between the fingers and the palm (especially noticeable on the palm side) begins about halfway along the first finger bone.

Recommended Resources:

Human Anatomy

“Turntable Animations” of Ecorche Sculptures (3-D Online) – by Rey Bustos

Human Anatomy – Eliot Goldfinger

Human Artistic Structure

Figure Drawing: For All It's Worth (online)- by Andrew Loomis

Drawing Manual - by Glenn Vilppu

Drawing the Head and Figure – by Jack Hamm

Figure Drawing: Design and Invention (pdf)– Michael Hampton

Animal Anatomy and Structure

How to Draw Animals – Jack Hamm