your anatomy is so good!!! do you have any tips or things you recommend to improve in that area??
Hi anon :) I’m sorry I’m getting to this so late.
I could give a short and straightforward answer, but I’d be making it up. Structure isn’t my strong suit. I’m constantly learning more about executive functioning and how to make adjustments for myself. If you relate, then I hope this will be helpful.
Apologies in advance for how long and scattered and wordy this is. I tried to cut it down but... such is my brain, I guess.
I timed it, it’s a 5-6 minute read. yoikes..
There’s a TLDR at the end. (I wouldn’t want to read this either)
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The truth is that I’ve actually barely scratched the surface of understanding anatomy. When I have the time and resources I’d love to take a proper course on it. I am by no means a qualified teacher.
BUT that’s not to say I have zero grasp, and I’ve improved significantly over the past few years!
I’m going to place my anatomy progress in two categories: PRACTICE and STUDY.
Practice
Naturally, my anatomy was godawful before I started to take art seriously, at around 14. I don’t think I’d be anywhere near my current skill level if not for the excessive drawing I did through high school. Mostly while in class, so I had no phone/other materials to use for reference.
The fact that I was bored and didn’t care to pay attention was, of course, an important motivator. Not going to recommend that to anyone. But if you find yourself in situations where checking out a bit won’t affect your responsibilities, keep a sketch book handy!
Think of it like a new pair of shoes. You have to break in, get blisters, scuff them up for them to be comfortable. Your sketchbook doesn’t need to be “aesthetic” and polished. It needs to be a mind dump.
Quantity beats quality in this case. I drew as much as I could. When a sketch came out bad, I tried not to dwell on it. I’d figure out what looked off to me and try to mend it in the next. And so on.
I filled those pages so fast once I started prioritizing the process over the result.
But the cool thing is, there were results.
Some pages in chronology:
2020
2021
2022
I got tired of compiling pages so I’m stopping here, but I think it’s enough to indicate the progress I made (and will continue to make).
> Note: I’ve always aimed for stylization/semirealism. I was also drawing lots of fat/soft body types. These things meant that the complicated lines of muscle anatomy weren’t as crucial for a satisfying result. And yes, my definition of a satisfying result expands as I learn. Every standard along the way is important. Set realistic goals for yourself instead of trying to produce “professional” looking work off the bat. And keep in mind that even what I’ve shown here is curated.
Because I was drawing so much, I felt a real push to see improvement, which brings me to the second category.
Study
There was a big shift when I started making reference a priority. I may have been stuck in my desk, but after school I pored over material I found online. Videos, step-by-step tutorials from other artists, portrait photography, etc.
Pause—that’s overwhelming. If you’re like me and freeze up when there’s too much to think about, all of that as a single task is ridiculous.
Let the material come to you organically. I did these things over a long period of time. Still doing them, actually.
What platforms do you spend a lot of time on? Step one is building an algorithm. It’s the easiest, too. You just need to scroll and look at things you like.
For example: make a habit of saving images on Pinterest instead of just scrolling. If you like videos, watch speed-paints or other satisfying clips. If there are professional artists you admire, visit their accounts. You’ll have a tailored feed in no time.
What’s important is curiosity! When something piques your interest, follow the path, so to speak.
- An artist mentioned who inspired their piece? Look them up.
- The anatomy building in that speed-paint was cool? Try to replicate the technique.
- Appreciating an animated character? Check out the designer’s concept sketches.
- See a side-by-side of a sketch and its reference? Compare them.
- You like the stylization an artist uses to draw limbs? Spot the pattern across their work and figure out why it works.
And so on. (The same ADHD that freezes me up when things are too general gets me locked in on specifics.)
My favorite resource: Real people! The human body is a wonder. Yours included.
Portrait photography and even stock photos can teach you a lot. Expose yourself to all types of bodies and features, doing all sorts of actions. Observe how skin folds, fat bunches, and bones protrude on different individuals. Observe how your own body morphs as you move. Seriously, next time you’re standing in front of a mirror try flexing or twisting or bending—how did your body change shape?
Keep your eyes and mind wide open. You’ll find yourself absorbing knowledge without meaning to.
And of course, if you’re able, seek out academics. Books and short courses are excellent. Youtube tutorials, too. For anatomy specifically, look at things like skeletons + muscle diagrams, and illustrations of muscle contraction. (Watch out for AI. It uses averages, not practical knowledge, to generate an image. There will be inaccuracies.)
A bit on how I applied this:
At some point I wanted to incorporate more “realism” into my style. I decided to learn the basic structure of the human body, starting with shapes and then honing in on musculature in important areas. While I don’t have all the muscles of the body memorized, I do have some basics down.
I started with the areas I drew most: arms and legs, since I was drawing clothed characters. I learned the bones and the shapes of the most visible muscles (biceps, deltoid, femoris, sartorius, etc).
When sketching, I built structure instead of going directly to lines. It gave me a better feel for mass and gravity. I often do this with a colored pencil, even now. It helps differentiate, and it’s also good for gesture drawing, since it makes smooth, thick lines in a range of values. (Traditional is awesome because it forces you to work with mistakes, but I’m sure you can adjust for digital.)
Looking through my old sketchbooks, I saw that a lot of what made my anatomy passable was the looseness I drew with. Akin to gesture drawing, though I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing. Where my drawings lacked anatomical accuracy, they often had movement and readability.
This was only possible when I trusted myself. Not to create a masterpiece but to create, period. I pretended I knew what it meant to “push shapes” and make confident strokes. I kinda just followed my pencil instead of calculating what to do next.
Basically, every aspect counts. HOW you do it is just as important as WHAT you know.
Now we’re circling back to the first category of practice. When you have an idea of what’s going on beneath the skin, drawing body parts becomes easier. And when drawing gets easier, you’ll want to do it more. And when you draw more, you’ll gain confidence…
Thus my PRACTICE and STUDY are in a symbiotic relationship, and increasing one will automatically increase the other.
One last tip: date your sketches so you can look back at your progress!
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TLDR: Draw as much as you can. Be curious and observant. Focus on a specific area instead of being overwhelmed by everything at once. Trying beats accomplishing. Fake it till you make it.
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I hope this was comprehensible! And helpful!
Thank you so much for your ask, anon. I found it hard to draw this year due to work and exhaustion, which was frustrating. But writing this post has made me reevaluate... I never thought I’d say this, but I need to channel high school again😭 Very selectively.
Even so, slumps are part of the growth. Letting them discourage me is pretty much the most unproductive response to have. I’m working on it!
Resources
Great free apps/websites for reference.
Mannequins
Pros: Awesome for extra specific poses and building your understanding of structure.
Cons: Limited body types, simulated muscles/skin may not contract/move with complete accuracy.
- Poseit
This is an app, which is convenient for me since I mostly work off my iPad. I use it a lot, especially for posing multiple subjects.
(I paid $5 for premium/extra features but totally usable without)
- POSEMANIACS
Tons of pose presets and easy filtering.
- Posemy.art and JustSketchMe
Free features are limited but still useful web options.
Real Humans
Pros: Huge galleries help generate ideas. Allows you to compare how the same actions look when different bodies do them, which will help you expand your library of features and make distinct characters. Nothing can inform realism as well as reality.
Cons: Can be more complicated/time consuming to navigate. Sometimes you simply won’t find the pose/angle you’re looking for.
(Warning for nudity, which can usually be filtered out.)
- AdorkaStock
Popular, and for good reason! So many body types and creative poses.
- Human Anatomy for Artists / Female Anatomy for Artists
I like this one for its big, organized collection of models, each with lots of poses that can be accessed with simple navigation. Without paying, the images are lower quality or watermarked, but I still get good use out of them.
- Pinterest / misc
I rely on random images less for anatomy and more for inspiration. Especially when it comes to natural-feeling poses, since I personally love to draw candid moments. Sometimes I gather images and then pose mannequins based on what I like!
This was kinda the process behind my first post:
Big congratulations on getting this far.
Now get out there and use your irreplaceable human hands and mind!! 💖💖
Hello! I recently came across your art and I love your style! It’s quite comforting to me, it almost reminds me of a children’s book. Additionally, if you’re taking requests, I was wondering if could draw some Gansey and Henry art ( unsure if they have an actual ship-name )?
Hi!!! Some Chengsey, just in time before June ends.
Happy pride to everyone, especially the aros and aces <3
Never posted my art publicly before, so this is a bit of an experiment for me. Social media is not really my jam. Tumblr feels like the most palatable option for now.
The thing is, I’ve got loads of Raven Cycle art hoarded in my sketchbooks—the characters are virtually the only things I’ve drawn in the last two and a half years—and with the graphic novel coming out soon, I’ve been feeling an urge to share!
I’ve always thought kissing someone’s neck is a really intimate gesture, not just in a sexual or romantic context. I think it’s about it being an exposed, vulnerable, sensitive part of you and the way bodies might fit together to make it happen
And as you can probably tell by now, I love depicting people in moments of familiarity and comfort <3
This is the first “comic” layout I’ve done. I don’t know much, but I figured some of the basic rules of composition apply here too?? (not that I even know much about those.) So I’ve been experimenting with lines and values as means of guiding the eye over the page.
I am seriously bullshitting my way through this (as with everything). A brain/creativity workout. There’s so much I want to learn, and the best teacher I have right now is practice :,)
Hi all! Bit of a life update… I’m moving into an apartment in a couple days, and I’ll be going off Tumblr for a bit.
The move itself will be taking up a lot of my energy, but beyond that, I’m starting a job as well as just adjusting to daily life, roommates, expenses, etc. So while I definitely plan on continuing to post, I don’t know how soon it will be, and I won’t be able to post as frequently once I’m back :(
I can’t go too long without drawing, though, so I’ll take advantage of whatever time I have. Thank you to everyone who’s stuck around so far 🤍
Here’s a peek at one of my WIPs until then. Started it a couple months ago and hoped to finish it before this but… life. I’m sure you can take a guess at what it is ㅤ:D
I’ve been working on this in intervals over the past 3 months, but it’s been sitting around as a thumbnail for almost a year. I have no idea when I’ll finish it (hopefully within the next month🤞)
I drew Hennessy for the first time just a couple weeks ago. I’ve been so scared I wouldn’t be able to nail this glorious mess of a woman, but I ended up with a satisfying result on the third try. I need to loosen up
(The bottom right is Jordan, actually)
Same story drawing grown Declan. Avoided it for so long. Although having Ronan’s face figured out first did help
Hi all! Bit of a life update… I’m moving into an apartment in a couple days, and I’ll be going off Tumblr for a bit.
The move itself will be taking up a lot of my energy, but beyond that, I’m starting a job as well as just adjusting to daily life, roommates, expenses, etc. So while I definitely plan on continuing to post, I don’t know how soon it will be, and I won’t be able to post as frequently once I’m back :(
I can’t go too long without drawing, though, so I’ll take advantage of whatever time I have. Thank you to everyone who’s stuck around so far 🤍
Here’s a peek at one of my WIPs until then. Started it a couple months ago and hoped to finish it before this but… life. I’m sure you can take a guess at what it is ㅤ:D
yeah a bit late to the party but i finally watched season two with my friend. i said “how do i even begin to process and draw any of this?” she said “start with what affected you most”
