Anatomy Sketch Master Post for Unabashed Robot Lovers! (Part 1)
I've had quite the artist's block lately, and figured that, during our long holiday weekend here in the States, I would work on remedying that by practicing basic human(oid) anatomy and use it to work more on my mecha drawings because, let's face it, I do love my robots.
This first post is basic anatomy practice and comparison between skeletomuscular armature in comparison to industrial and mechanical.
A must-have for all beginner and intermediate comic artists and illustrators is the Cyclopedia Anatomicae by Gyorgy Fehér and András Szunyoghy. This shows skeletal and muscular forms of not only humans but also common mammals such as horses, dogs, and cats.
One of my favourite resource books for drawing mecha is Mechaforce by the phenomenal E.J. Su. It's a great start to understanding how each body part corresponds to a mechanical structure; it is great for the beginner and intermediate artist, and I absolutely love referring back to it whenever I'm looking for some inspiration. The only cons I can say is that most of the reference images are from the front or side, and that most of the human analog sketches are the typical comic book superhero cut, without a skeletomuscular armature for a more direct reference.
AdorkaStock (formally SenseiStock) is another resource I fall back on whenever I need a pose. Lately I've been using The Handy Hand Book for practice on the one body part I am always having issues with: The Hands.
Last but not least: Kibbitzer has two amazing books (one is eBook only; the other is available as a softcover) for action and at-rest poses.
Next Post: Hand practice
Recommended Resources: (All of these are, in my opinion, must-haves for your resource shelf, whether hardcopy or PDF/e-book. I linked to the Thriftbooks site for the mass-marketed ones and directly to self-published artists who deserve the love.)
Cyclopedia Anatomicae by Gyorgy Fehér and András Szunyoghy. This shows skeletal and muscular forms of not only humans but also common mammals such as horses, dogs, and cats.
Mechaforce by the phenomenal E.J. Su. It's a great start to understanding how each body part corresponds to a mechanical structure; it is great for the beginner and intermediate artist, and I absolutely love referring back to it whenever I'm looking for some inspiration.
AdorkaStock (formally SenseiStock) is another resource I fall back on whenever I need a pose. Lately I've been using The Handy Hand Book for practice on the one body part I am always having issues with: The Hands.
Kibbitzer has two amazing books (one is eBook only; the other is available as a softcover) for action and at-rest poses.
Did this post help out? Please consider buying me a coffee! I'm still paying on a $4K emergency care bill from last year and while my head is above water right now and I'm chipping away at the bill, every little bit helps. Cheers!