Anatomy for artists

A good life class can teach you more about anatomy than text books ever can, but its is useful to have a basic knowledge of musculature and bone structure to enable yout o see how the body is contructed. Years ago I religiously went to life classes under Tom Greenshields but haven't done so for a long time. I am currently searchin out some classes. The only ones I have found so far, run during the day and as I work, its impossible to attend.

I have a copy of Gray's Anatomy, well thumbed, as well as several other books on human anatomy. These were mine when I completed human anatomy for my herbalist certification and they've come in handy to revisit from time to time when I need to see how a part of the body fits or how a muscle is shaped.


Figure Drawing and Portraits is a good place to get started on drawing the human figure and portraits. I was sent a link to Artnatomia which is an interactive program that looks at musculature of the face and how they move.

The Anatomy for Artists Seminar is a concentrated study of the human body for artists, not a Life Drawing course. I use a full-sized skeleton and hundreds of slides to show you every significant bone, muscle and form of the figure, and we take time to "draw notes" from the slides.

Basic Anatomy on Wet Canvas provides a good introduction to anatomy. Human Anatomy for Artists hosts a varity of human figures for reference.

There are hosts of books, videos and classes to help you explore and enjoy painting or drawing the human figure. Explore locally, regionally, globally and see what you come up with.

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