Oct 2018
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Oct 2018
Oct 2018
Fierce_Chai
Oct '18

How to you practice human anatomy and do you know any ressources, websites, videos, tutorials etc ?
Lately I just noticed how poorly drawn my characters are and started to feel ashamed of it so it would be a good time to find ways to work on that

You can also share your comics and advertise a bit for me and other people to see.
Here is mine:

Thank you!

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    Oct '18

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okellymx
Oct '18

If you have the cash this is the greatest thing ever https://www.nma.art/46 I've yet to find a free course that covers this much content. I even have the proko's course premium and I think it pales in comparison. I don't work of them nor am I associated with them in anyway I just really think this is the best resource I've ever found. Honestly I can't afford it to keep the subscription going, but every so often I save up money and just go for a month and watch a bunch of videos and draw along with them.

There is also this for figure drawing exercises NSFW by the way. https://www.youtube.com/user/onairvideo/featured43 It is very different than looking at Photographs all the time. The also have hand drawing ones and other stuff.

Here is my series

After looking at your comic I don't think anatomy is your problem as much as drawing 3D forms and perspective. Also your characters seem to change a lot do you have model sheets and designs for them? That can also help with how your characters look. Plus make sure you always use references from real life. Even with my heavily stylized work I study all this stuff and use real life references all the time.

I hope this is helpful to you.

punkarsenic
Oct '18

this youtube channel is really helpful for working on anatomy

life drawing classes are..... SO valuable. look around to see if there are any open-entry life drawing classes in your area, theres a good chance therell be at least one. otherwise, you can sit down in the town centre or park and quickly draw ppl around you, or draw from photos

okellymx
Oct '18

Wise words and there honestly isn't a substitute for this. I feel like photos are a big help but actually seeing with your own eyes to me makes a huge difference.

keii4ii
Oct '18

^ Agreed. There is a significant difference between how my brain processes actually, physically 3D things (e.g. a real model in front of me) and how it processes 2D representations of 3D things (e.g. photos or even videos).

The only sorta-substitute I've seen was... you know those "look at this cross-eyed and it becomes 3D" things? I've seen figure drawing model photos designed to look 3D the same way. But it's not really viable because you get a headache if you look at it for longer than 5 seconds.

onyisart
Oct '18

FIRST off DO NOT FEEL ASHAMED. Feeling ashamed ain't gonna make them look any better

SECOND - Start drawing figures. Do anatomy studies even if you have to break the body apart.

THIRD - Set aside time to do figure drawing DAILY/WEEKLY from the Croquis Cafe (or anywhere really) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAZZ8kXStsAD_SJS9LWNdEQ6 (20 mins a day)

FOURTH - Do non-timed figure studies from Line of Action when you can and try to focus on the body https://line-of-action.com/6

FIFTH - check out tutorials on rhythm and line of action for better fluidity

You don't have to practice everyday but if you can the better. Give yourself 1 or 2 days a week then increase it when you want. They say it's best to spend 4 hours a day on that this but start off small then increase. I can't stress that enough!

ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO THE BODY
(sixth start taking my own advice LOL)

kamilMurzyn
Oct '18

One point - in the end drawing anatomy is a different thing than drawing people. Find that point when your proportions and structure is fine. Don't be afraid to simplify things. Comics are not about drawing things but communicating things.

My series: https://tapas.io/series/Circles-of-Magic1

A-weird-girler
Oct '18

Alright, this is what I've learned so far from all the art channels I watch-

  • the ribcage is 1 and 1/2 heads long, but at its thickest point only 1 head wide
  • the elbow is at the end of the ribcage, wrists are at the crotch
  • feet are the same size as your forearm
  • heads are 1/8 of your height
  • legs are half your body
  • the nose is 1 eye turned sideways under the eyes
  • listen to proko, and also fine-art tips


my stupid little series-

storytimebiondi
Oct '18

I'm going to have to look into a lot of what is shared here! I've been looking for new ways to study. However, I always find that sitting in a coffee shop and doodling the patrons is a good, cheap way to do some life drawing.
....
Yes, it's creepy. But it is helpful.

Aside from that, here's a YouTuber that has been very helpful for me figuring out anatomy. He breaks it down in very digestible bits.

UrMom
Oct '18

To add to what has already been shared, I'd highly suggest checking out Andrew Loomis' books4! They're free to read, and great 'how to' books! Humanae1 is a resource blog dedicated to cataloging the faces of people varying in age and race. I'd recommend it for learning facial structure and variety. Fuck-ton of Anatomy References4 is also a great resource, while this blog no longer updates it has great tutorials and anatomy diagrams. If you have some cash to spare and if you're alright with full (in your face) nudity, Anatomy for the Artist5 is an amazing book for learning structure and proportions through nude photos and the occasional muscular/skeletal diagram.
Lastly, Draw This is a Youtube channel dedicated to showing free online life drawing sessions.


You can also do life drawing anywhere else. People always associating drawing from life with paying for classes, but you could just go out and do quick sketches of people at the park, on the bus, on a plane, at the mall, etc. You can even sketch family members while you all are watching tv, or draw yourself in the mirror. There's nearly no limit to what you can do with life drawing.

Can't say much about how good my anatomy is now (I haven't studied in ages) but back when I was really pushing it my strategy was referencing classical realism paintings, nude photos, and people walking around at the mall and such.

spadesart
Oct '18

i'd say drawing from life/live models is a really good way to learn naturally, i have a habit of drawing my characters' torsos super super short and it's been helping me a lot (gotta get used to them being nakey still, though). fast gestural drawings are good for loosening up and conveying motion too. posemaniacs has timed pose sets for getting gestures done, i have to use it for homework this week (you do need flash player though).

MK_Wizard
Oct '18

The best thing to do is to research and use real people as references. Plus, practice drawing different body types. That will be an asset to character design.

Luminosophy
Oct '18

Agree with everyone saying you don't necessarily need life drawing classes, I just started a sketchbook for the first time ever and I found it pretty invaluable. You just jot down sketches and for the most part it's not meant to be pretty, you just get down as much of the basic information as you need to. Trying to plan more outings to go to coffee shops, the botanic gardens and the zoo.

dawgofdawgness
Oct '18

Bleeh I struggle with anatomy too but here are some stuff that helped me:

I would say start with practicing gesture and becoming familiar with the rhythm of a human body. Even if you do know anatomy down to the bone (ha!!) your drawings are gonna look stiff, awkward, and dead if you don't know how to apply movement to your figure.

Some tips for drawing gesture:

  • draw really big - use your entire arm if you have to
  • when you're studying a pose, it's usually easy to start by drawing the shoulder and hip lines
  • Pairing curves with straight lines creates some sort of harmony. Try to experiment with those!!
  • Try doing stuff with charcoal. It really forces you to focus on "the big picture".

And then to really learn anatomy, sorry, you just have to observe and practice. It might help to do contour drawings to really focus on details. :slight_smile:

hjfsdh2222
Oct '18

Learn the origins and insertions of muscles. I just started relearning all the superficial muscles because learning the origins and insertions are SOOOO helpful when drawing from imagination

Shanny8
Oct '18

I try to learn from various resources- YouTube videos, books, tutorials; anything that I can find that will help.

Fierce_Chai
Oct '18
okellymx

Thank you very much, your advice is very helpful! I didn't notice the inconsistency on the characters at first and you're right, I should make some refs and concepts
I checked your webtoon and I gave you a sub, I like the artstyle very much and Im curious how it continues!

Fierce_Chai
Oct '18
punkarsenic

Thank you for the link! I will definately check it out! :smile: And life drawing classes are very useful indeed, I will try it out!

Fierce_Chai
Oct '18
keii4ii

This is really interesting, I actually never thought about drawing real life models and seeing everything from a 3D perspective than a 2D one! :smile: