kevin m: What is the best way to memorise anatomy for art?
Is it simply to read in your anatomy art book, trace (and or) draw each part of the anatomy or is there a better way?
I sometimes feel like I’m wasting my time and I forget what I’ve already have learned.
Either if it’s the actual part, the way it connects or the name of the part itself.
Not to mention the best way to go about drawing it.
How can I speed up, memorize and just get the most out of it?
How do I know which book is more accurate than the other?
There always a little different.
Thank you.
Answers and Views:
Answer by Anonymous
You can buy a stick figure (a miniature drawing model) or one of those really expensive drawing models (with the muscles and tendons/skin). Or if your cheap like me just download it onto your phone.
If you’re trying to memorize by memory use circles and squares. Circles for all the joints (knees, elbows, shoulders, et.c) and rectangles/squares for the longer limbs. Draw them on a stick figure. Then erase all the connections and round the figure if it’s female and make lines sharper and more geometric if it’s male. Don’t forget to put in line indentations for slight shadows of the muscles, the lines in the neck, and curves of the body.
I can draw anatomy w/out thinking but I know people who use this method and it works for those who can’t do this.
Answer by Nicole
Actually, what you’re wanting to learn are basic body proportions. It’s much simpler than memorizing reams of anatomy terms and every little muscle and tendon. Start with body proportions. Finding an online class or program that teaches this is what I recommend.
While you can get a lot of great tips and tricks out of a book or in-person course, it’s often hard to do that. A book is pretty static, with a limited number of pictures you can use to guide you, and an in-person course can be expensive, inconvenient, and STILL not give you what you’re looking for.
I recommend searching for reputable, solid drawing courses online. It can be convenient, cost-efficient, and pretty effective. There are quite a lot of them out there. Some guidelines for choosing good ones as opposed to fluff:
1) Make sure their explanation of the contents of their course is clear and detailed. Make sure you really understand what each lesson or module is providing.
2) Make sure the price is reasonable for your budget. A site that offers a range of pricing options can be a great find.
3) Make sure there is a continuing logic through the course. Whether the artist is offering three lessons or fifteen, make sure there’s a cohesion in the entire program. You will improve your drawing skills best if each lesson builds on the previous one. In these cases, it’s best to go in order through the lessons.
4) If the site seems to be offering something for nothing, chances are, they ARE. The price should be comparable for the quality of instruction they’re promising. There should be a clear message that the lessons or program will not just draw something for you but will actually TEACH you how to do what the professional artist is doing. And if they’re offering you free instruction or instruction that only costs a few dollars, chances are very good you won’t get a lot out of it and you’ll be back to hopping around the Internet looking for good instruction.
5) Look for proof of the artist’s skill, either by seeing images of their work on their site or seeing before and after pictures from their students.
Be smart about looking for good drawing instruction on the Internet, and you WILL find it. A great place to start can be found at https://drawingsecretsrevealed.com, a college-level, 12-lesson video instruction course that uses video demonstration and PDF downloadable practice materials to teach you to draw. It teaches you the foundation concepts necessary to really SEE like an artist so you can truly draw anything you see (with a lot of practice, of course!). It has a variety of pricing options for any budget and Sarah Parks, the artist, is an extremely good teacher. You can see her paintings and drawings on the site, which shows you the underlying foundation of solid drawing skills she teaches.
Good luck!
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