Human Anatomy Reference Photos
When you're drawing the human figure from life, it helps to know what is going on under the skin. Sometimes the angle or lighting can make it difficult to see what you are trying to describe, and sometimes you need to emphasize the anatomy to make it 'work'. Studying reference sources on the skeleton and musculature of the human body is an important part of any figure drawing course. If you are learning independently, include anatomical studies in your work. These Human Anatomy - Musculature Reference Photos are simple, clear illustrations without any text, to use as visual aids in your drawing.
Related Articles:
Figure Drawing - The Head and Neck
Figure Drawing - Structure
How to Draw the Nose
No Secrets, No Quick Fixes
The quick and easy trend seems to be getting worse. We want everything reduced to One Rule, and that rule has to be Simple. And as if we weren't having enough trouble dispelling the Inborn Talent myth, it seems there's some Secret Knowlege that will make you an Artist. Seriously. Do people really think there are 'secrets' that they need to uncover, or just one special bit of knowledge that will make the difference between ordinary and excellent? It would be nice if we could shell out a few dollars and be given the secret handshake to artistic success. But there is no such magical answer.
Drawing can be as simple and as natural as speaking - but try speaking in a foreign language, and you know that that simple, natural process is actually very complex. You can't boil it down to a single rule. To learn to draw well, you need to spend time learning the vocabulary and syntax of line, tone, form, structure, perspective and composition. You need to practice and work at it. You need to think about what you are doing and be willing to change how you do it.
'The Knowledge' is out there - there's a shelf full of wisdom, for free, at your local library. And there's plenty here online. But a good teacher is valuable, and if you like an artist's work and are confident that they are reputable - caveat emptor, and all that - attending seminars and workshops can be worthwhile.
I'll tell you my Magic Key to Drawingtm. Practice drawing from life. (Yep, that's it. Well, I never said anything about it being a secret.... but it does work!)
What's Your Artistic Brand?
The problem is, however much we hate it - and most artists I know loathe marketing and would rather perish in obscurity than advertise - creating a viable career in the arts requires that you have a personal brand. This doesn't mean plastering a ritzy logo and flamboyant signature across ever piece you do. It means having consistency of style, a certain unity in your body of work, and something that sets it apart from the crowd. For most visual artists, this tends to happen organically. When your art is internally driven, there are themes and qualities that will keep appearing. It might be obvious, or it might be subtle, and it may well change over time, but if you look hard enough, there are connecting threads.
Lack of a recognizable 'brand' can be a real problem in a competitive marketplace. The value of an artist's work can be somewhat artificial and subject to fashion, as we know, but there's more to it than that. You don't want a potential buyer to look at a work and say 'Oh, I must get a colored pencil horse drawing too.' You want them to think, 'I need a piece by THAT artist.' If you're just another realist artist making generic copies of stock photos, what is there to set your work apart?
Why, for example, would you commission J.D. Hillberry over some other artist chosen at random from a Google search? He is renowned for his mastery of realism, but there are plenty of competent photo-realists around. There's a clue in his expert compositions, which aren't simple copies of photos. Most of his drawings have close-cropped composition and use a lot of white space to balance the intricately rendered textures. His trompe-l'oeil pieces have a unique combination of shallow-space illusion and quirky humor. His personality emerges in his work, even given its degree of precise realism.
A promising young artist is Stephanie Sekula. Stephanie sketches using a grid, rather than tracing, so her drawings have a more relaxed and individual feel. I'd describe her work as naturalistic, rather than photo-realistic, and there's a lovely sense of the artist's hand at work in her drawings. I hope she doesn't lose that sense of individuality as her work matures.
So what sets your work apart? If I browse through your online gallery, will I then recognize one of your drawings when I see it at an art show?
Check out some tips on Developing Your Personal Style from Marion Boddy-Evans.
Draw a Cute Tree Frog
I visited the Sydney Aquarium last week, and enjoyed seeing some really interesting creatures. I was surprised to learn how intelligent Cuttlefish and other cephalopods are. I'm not so keen on eating fish anymore! There were some less aquatic exhibits too, including penguins and a tree frog.
Life Class - Drawing the Human Body
'Life Drawing' is the term that British and Australian English-speakers use when referring to drawing the human body - 'Figure Drawing' for most Americans. Life Class is of course the life-drawing - figure-drawing class that is the lynch-pin of all traditional art courses.
Proportion in Figure Drawing
Draw the Head and Neck
Figure Drawing Exercise - Quick Poses
Figure and Portrait Sketchbook Ideas
Human Anatomy Reference Photos - Musculature
Sketching Hands
Stuck for a subject? Draw hands! They have lots of tricky bits to work on, you can change them into interesting poses - even grip objects - and best of all, for most people, there's a willing model attached to your non-master hand. Why not do a page of hands in different styles? Experiment with gestural drawing. Try making one jagged and anxious, one soft and pensive, one elegant and expressive. Draw a hand holding a steaming coffee cup, or a toy gun. Tip: when using your own hand as a model, try closing one eye to remove parallax - thats the way things look different through each eye. It makes it hard to draw things accurately when they are close to you.
How to Draw Hands
Examples of Hand Studies
Hand Studies - Page 2
Drawing for Painting
I came across an interesting video that features some Australian artists speaking about drawing - well worth watching
"It's through the drawing that the ideas come forward..." - Wendy Stavrianos
"Drawing is...the bones of a painting." - Tim Storrier
"...an artist who can't draw... has a limited future. It's as vital as that." - John Olsen
Draw a Cute Cartoon Character
Cute kids and animals are an important part of any cartoonist's repertoire. Learn the archetypal characteristics of a classic cute cartoon character, as you follow this easy step-by-step tutorial by guest cartooning genius Shawn Encarnacion. Draw a Cute Cartoon Character.Put Your Finger on the Pulse (of Comic Publishing)
Comic Books guide Aaron Albert has a comic convention map to help you locate the even closest to you. Manga guide Deb Aoki has a calendar of upcoming Anime conventions
Design a Cartoon Tough Guy
Guest author, cartoonist Shawn Encarnacion, explains how to use classic cartoon archetypes to create your own cartoon tough guy. Whether you need a tough marine sergeant, a musclebound thug or a gangster bodyguard, it's easy to follow Shawn's fun, step-by-step tutorial to draw a cartoon tough guy.