Sketching-People

MUSCLES
Learning the muscles is part of learning to draw the human form.
Anatomy books are an important part of educating yourself about
anatomy, and I’d suggest you buy a book specifically geared for
artists. But even that won’t tell you the whole story. Understanding
the muscles does not mean memorizing all of their names.
Learning the muscles means understanding how the human form
is designed. Muscles on a model never look like they do in an anatomy
book—they stretch and flex, are foreshortened or twisted and,
most importantly, have volume and shape that contort as a person
takes a different pose. Use anatomy books to help you identify
muscles, to help you understand what you are looking at and what
to look for, but use your observational skill coupled with your knowledge
to draw the figure. This is the first step in moving beyond
copying your observations to re-creating what you have observed.
Eventually your obser vations will give you enough knowledge
to allow you to draw what you have seen only in your mind.
THE HUMAN FORM
The muscles are the body’s substructure. They are
a big part of what gives the figure its shape and form.
Understanding what goes on beneath the surface will
help you see important details that might have gone
otherwise unnoticed.