SHOP

MOBILE

MORE

SUBMIT

Upgrade

1,431

226

SUBMIT

Note

Share

Share

Tweet

ANATOMY LESSONS: HOW TO IMPROVE FASTER IN 6 STEPS!

THU FEB 21, 2013, 1:36 AM

In Favourites

More from SirWendigo B

Character
Design: An
introduction

Spreading
Semi-Realism
appreciation!

Arvalis-2012
by arvalis `

'Cloud

Winter
Couples
CONTEST
2011-12
CLOSED

Some
talented
artists you
should follow

Slice of life
CONTEST CLOSED! WIN
5000points

ASKtheARTIST:
Interview
with
ElephantWendigo

How to get
noticed on
deviantART
Hi there!
People asked
me several
times when
I've became

Another
SPECIAL
feature
DONORS :iconirenukia:
because I
:iconangrykoalas: discovered

SPECIAL
<thefluffyshrimp>
DONORS
to
:iconelephantwendigo:
ASKtheARTIST.
My name is

'Slice of Life
in Winter'
CONTEST Epic Prizes!

SPECIAL
DONORS
:iconelephantwendig

View Gallery View Prints

Featured in Collections
Journal Entries by
What Ruins A
Painting?
What Ruins A
Painting?
(or makes it
better)

'Life Drawing 5' by algaegoblin

Do you know how to sketch human figures but do you want to refine your anatomy skills? Or do you not
know anatomy at all and you are tired to trust your imagination? Did you notice you create disproportions in
your drawings?
If you are aspiring artists and you already have your own style, you might as well believe you have no need of
a guide, but you are wrong. Before exaggerating human proportions and begin to have your own style, you
first have to know the basics.
This little guide is the result of an accurate research and 5 years of high school of art, and it's created for all
those who want to learn something new or just make a useful review.
For those who have already studied art, my suggestion is to go to step 6 or trying to repeat all steps in Digital
format.

STEP 1
First of all, if you want to learn faster you should draw using traditional tools. It may seem a stupid or banal
rule but it is not.
You will need a piece of paper and a pencil, preferably a medium-hard pencil or HB ("H" stands for
"hardness," while "B" stands for "blackness"). If you have already familiarity with this hard drawing
medium you could obtain different soft pencils instead: B, 2B and 4B will be fine. A putty rubber and a white

gogospirit

10 beneficial
things artists
should ask
themselves
Here's 10
important
questions to
ask yourself.

Become a
better artist
To improve and
become really
good at art.
Isn't that what
all of us,
artists, secretly

INSIGHTFUL JOURNALS by
KURIZKURIZniKALAI
Get Better At
Drawing
(Without
Drawing
Anything)
Art is a
process.
Like that of the

journals by
Five Tips to
Starting
Freelancing

10 ways to
become a
better artist

Inspiration:
art blogs
(part 1)

Dear,
deviantart
fellow artists
How to become
better at art?

Dear,
deviantart
fellow artists
Here are some
of my favorite

missi-alicja B
Anatomy
books

I'm frequently
So, you're tired
asked how I
of being
learned to
unemployed. You've draw and the
been stuck at
answer is very
home for the
simple - a

View More

More from DeviantArt

How to Win
Friends and
Influence
Deviantart
Part 1
*Title stolen
from a wellknown and

rubber from a good brand will work fine.

However, I'm not here to describe which tools are better for drawing traditionally, and for me a hoe would
work fine as well: it's the passion that counts!

Fast lane to
becoming a
better artist.
I often get this
very question:
How did you
get this good
this fast?
Do's and
Dont's of
Digital
Painting

PE: Power of
Perspective
PE: Power of
Perspective
Perspective is
the angle and
depth of a
piece of art.

Where to get
started
before you
can apply for
work
There is no
such thing as
suddenly

Advice for
Aspiring
Artists Pt. 1

Advice for
Aspiring
Artists Pt. 2

Do's and
Don'ts of
Digital
Painting

So this has
been on my
mind a bit
lately and I
was just struck

Here's the
continuation of
yesterday's
journal
discussing the

PE:
Importance
of Anatomy

What do do
as an artist in
training.

The manic
mania when
you're Arting.

The
importance
of anatomy.
Understanding
anatomy is

There are
many ways to
Rome they say.
But I find most
aspiring artists

Whenever you
create
something you
go through
various stages

Browse More Like This Shop Similar Prints

Featured in Groups
seniormentors g
Seniors Mentoring Project

Now that you have a pencil and F4 paper (F2 is less thick and if you erase often you could ruin it, that's why
F4 is ideal) you can start your work. You can also make out with A4 paper which is thicker than normal,
otherwise you will pass the sheet if you use a hard mine (or if your hand is too heavy, if you know what I
mean...).

TutorialHouse g

Well, now that you have the tools, sharpener included, get in a bright spot of your house, preferably on an

A Casa dos Tutoriais

inclined surface (otherwise your future drawing will look in perspective, and you may not be happy with the
result!) and copy the hand your not using for drawing. Try not to erase too much. Try to grasp the

IndieGraphicNovels g

structure of your hand through many sketches in which you should only draw the outlines of

Indie And Self-Published Artists

your hand and fingers, you should forget about the shading for a moment.
Fill the paper with these sketches of your hand in different poses and please include your wrist if you can.

Cool-Arts-Factory g

Continue your workout every 2/3 days (preferably daily) for 2 weeks, what am I saying? Do it

For art lovers

until you could see significant improvements!

Write the date on each work you have done and keep them carefully without rubbing them. The first step to

WeArePopular g

be a good artist is to give value to your works. When the hand really looks like a hand and not a mass of

Reaching for the stars

sausages then you're ready for Step 2.

Traditionalists g

The result will be similar to this, only the folds of flesh and contours of the hands should be visible.

Traditional Art Hub

animecapital g
Chamber-of-ART g
Traditional Masters' Hub

Add to a Group

Details
Submitted on

February 21, 2013

Submitted with

Sta.sh Writer

Link
http://fav.me/d5tut64
Thumb
:thumb352477228:

Stats
Hand proportions work this way...

Views

176,340 (31 today)

Favourites

4,790 (who?)

Comments

212

License
Some rights reserved. This work is licensed
under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NoncommercialShare Alike 3.0 License.

Report Deviation

STEP 2
So now we better move to the second point. Ok guys, do you remember your own hand? That hand you
copied so many times, that fist, that cramp that came while you deformed it? Here you are, you should
repeat the procedure but this time you will not have to copy only the outlines of your fingers. You must work
hard and point on your hand the dramatic light of a lamp, because this time you should draw your hand
and shade it.
If you are drawing using a HB pencil then shade using a B or 2B. You will realize soon that it is not so
difficult to find the darkest points: the hard part is not to make the whole drawing uniformly black or
uniformly gray and creating well balanced halftones.
You may find some difficulties, yeah right! all normal, because in fact you're seeing your hand in colors (as
long as you're not color blind) and you're just simplifying your hand colors using the greyscale instead. So,
don't give up! It was hard for everyone at the beginning.
Repeat this exercise every 2/3 days until you can see a clear difference between the first hand
(remember to write the date on the drawings!) and the last hand you drew. Are you satisfied with your
improvemente? Good, because you will have more fun following STEP 3.
These are practical examples of a good result.

STEP 3
Since you are already conversant with your left hand (or right that it is) and you say you know it by heart (if
you say so...), now I'm asking you to take your colored pencils and do an experiment. This time I'm
asking you NOT to do a preliminary sketch in pencil of your drawing: just draw one or both of your feet,
using colored pencils only on semi rough paper F4 of different colors (I recommend a white, a
grey, a blue and a black for a good start). Again, do not stop until the result satisfies you. Write the date on
the work because now the interesting part begins.
The result should be similar to this, of course in colors.

Feet proportions works this way...

STEP 4
Now that you have experimented with various techniques and you quite understand how your hands and
feet are made, you need a model for understanding how the face works.
Ask one of your friends, your parents, if nobody wants to pose for you then use a picture (but it's always
better to do life drawings first!). As tools you will need a ballpoint pen, preferably black or blue, and a white
smooth paper (A4 copy paper is fine too). Now make a copy of the person in front of you (face, neck
and shoulders), and remember well that you can not/must not erase this time! Yes, I'm evil. Try to
do several sessions of the same person until the drawing is really similar to the original and recognizable
from others.
Begin with a front and profile view, then try out 3/4.

'Portraits 2' by ArandaDill

The proportions of the human face work this way...

STEP 5
It 's time to understand how the human proportions work. A tip? Never stop taking references from the
human figure (as long as you're learning) or you will make a lot of mistakes or exaggerate many anatomical
features without even noticed it!
Now use your live model of choice, or look in fashion magazines and copy a full human figure in
different poses, focusing on lines, shading, dynamism and execution speed.
To improve your speed you should first start with 15 minutes poses, then reduce the time to 10
minutes and 5 minutes at last. Use a timer: leave the drawing unfinished and start another one when
the time elapses.
Do many of them, every day.
The results should be something like this...

'Life Drawing Collage 4' by travelingpantscg

If you didn't understand how the anatomy works, you can study some good tutorials for the human body...

STEP 6
The time has came. It is time to finish something guys! You should be really excited: you reached execution
speed and some anatomy skills but you lack accuracy.
Use your awesome live model again and ask him to pose for a longer session (2/3 hours minimum).
Use the tools you like the most, sit comfortably, tools in the hand and start your session.
Here are some good results you may find inspiring.

I really hope you will find this journal useful and I really hope you enjoyed the journey. ^^
Ps: Sorry my English is not my mothertongue.

212 COMMENTS

Anatomy Lessons: How to improve faster in 6 steps!

by SirWendigo B

Journals / Art Features

Amilozzi - Add a Comment:

50

Nested

Newest First

WolfCrestSox5X

1 day ago

Hobbyist General Artist

Thank you for this tutorial!!!!

Reply

dixiekasilke

Feb 10, 2015

Hobbyist General Artist

Nothing wrong with your English! and thanks for a cracking, re-assuring tutorial!
Reply

neophobica

Feb 3, 2015

Professional Digital Artist

Great guidelines! thank you for sharing

Reply

sebyZart

Jan 20, 2015

Writer

This is my bible from right now. Thank you so much!

Reply

I'm ok for art trade and request. Just ask!

Je suis ok pour les art trade et les request. Demandez !

the-absolutus

Jan 1, 2015

I it come in useful, thanks.

Reply

Mabelyad

Nov 28, 2014

These lessons are very useful! And your english is good too! Thanks so much babe, keep
IMPROVING! ;D
Reply

Mabelyad

Nov 28, 2014

This lessons are very useful, and your english is good too! Thanks so much babe, keep improving!
Reply

SuzumeMizuno

Nov 13, 2014

This is amazing!! Thank you so much!!

Reply

SafiriaBloodFlower

Sep 26, 2014

Hobbyist General Artist

This seems like it's going to be really helpful

Thanks for posting!

Reply

VaneFox

Sep 14, 2014

Professional Filmographer

The idea of absolutely HAVING to use traditional is unfair.

Reply

"We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us. We are born able to sing to
birds and read the clouds and see destiny in grains of sand. But then we get the magic
educated right out of our souls." - Robert R. McCammon.

acidarteries *

Sep 17, 2014

Student Digital Artist

well, you don't necessarily have to. it's just a strong suggestion...you really do learn it faster
IMO.
Reply

VaneFox

Sep 18, 2014

Professional Filmographer

Yeah I get that a lot. I guess I'll have to use traditional a little more. But I probs won't move past
pencil and paper.
"We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us. We are born able
to sing to birds and read the clouds and see destiny in grains of sand. But then we
get
the magic educated right out of our souls." - Robert R. McCammon.
Reply

topcat-sama *

Aug 14, 2014

Hobbyist General Artist

May I ask why should one use a ballpoint pen for step 4

Reply

Website www.koshokreations.com/ @
Tumblr topcatsama.tumblr.com/ @
Commission Journal topcat-sama.deviantart.com/jou
_TYKI_

SirWendigo B

Aug 14, 2014

Professional Digital Artist

Because you shouldn't erase, plus you will learn how to use another medium.
Reply

Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow.

Romanetor

Aug 11, 2014

GREAT REVIEW, PERSEVERE, PERSISTENCE,ARE THE KEYWORDS

Reply

j3f3r20n

Jul 11, 2014

This is one of the best things i've seen here in a while....Thank you so much for this, helps me a
lot.
Reply

thelineking

Jul 1, 2014

Awesome, Thanks for sharing!

Reply

Catmanofthemoon29

Jun 12, 2014

Student Artist

Amazing work, you are a master D:

Reply

wanyabeach

Jun 5, 2014

great site im about to tackle anatomy

Reply

Annabells117

May 26, 2014

You're a fabulous figurative artist! Thanks for sharing.

Reply

Clareesi *

May 18, 2014

Hobbyist Traditional Artist

You've inspired me. Thank you

Reply

Sarebear16

May 13, 2014

Student General Artist

Amazing and very Helpful, thank you so much!!

LIKE A BOSS!!!

Reply

Avatar base: Hetaliamoldova

Amekuma92

May 4, 2014

wooowww it's very helpful article.....thank you

Reply

gottie

May 1, 2014

Hobbyist Digital Artist

very good tips

Reply

Sumit92artist

Apr 29, 2014

Professional General Artist

A helpful article.... & a really good exercise...... Thank you so much

Reply

Warshin

Apr 28, 2014

Student Traditional Artist

Santo cielo, una guida cos dettagliata, ordinata e magnifica! Personalmente faccio schifo con
l'anatomia, magari le mani e visi mi vengono ma il corpo... sono senza speranza. Ho visto che hai
tradotto il tuo talento anche nei manga, il che ammiro molto. Complimenti, sono davvero felice
che hai potuto sfruttare al massimo le tue doti, sia coi mezzi tradizionali che digitali.

Reply

SirWendigo B

Apr 28, 2014

Professional Digital Artist

Mi fa piacere che tu l'abbia trovata utile.

Sapere le basi di anatomia importante per disegnare ma la pratica ancora pi
importante.
Comunque non disegno manga.
Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow.

Reply

Warshin

Apr 28, 2014

Student Traditional Artist

Non potrei concordare di pi, solo con la pratica pu un individuo migliorare le sue
capacit, e scusa colpa mia, non riesco mai a distinguere disegni di gente in digitale con
manga. Sono comunque bellissimi!

Reply

SirWendigo B

Apr 28, 2014

Professional Digital Artist

Grazie mille.
Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow.

Reply

Eyra9

Apr 28, 2014

Fantastic guide, I tried it out and loved it!

Reply

Diamond-Stud B

Apr 28, 2014

Student

This is extremely helpful!

I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a

Reply

diamond.

the-vinsomer

Apr 28, 2014

Student

Unf <3 Thank you <3

If you can dream it, you can do it

Reply

- Awesome saying by Walt Disney

ishzark

Apr 28, 2014

nice
Reply

Panjimas84

Apr 28, 2014

Student Digital Artist

Awesome
Reply

Eirenare

Apr 28, 2014

This is one of the most amazing anatomy tutorials that Ive ever seen.
So this one goes to my folder dedicated to anatomy lessons and, well, drawing tutorials in
general! ^^
Thanks for sharing this! Love it!

Reply

SirWendigo B

Apr 28, 2014

Professional Digital Artist

I hope you'll find it useful.

Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow.

Reply

Eirenare

Apr 29, 2014

It will be, indeed, since I need to train more drawing realistic bodies : )
Reply

Thanks!

ianakitten73 *

Apr 28, 2014

Student Traditional Artist

Okay~~ Challenge Accepted!!!

BRING. IT. ON.~~
Reply

Arahiriel *

Apr 28, 2014

Professional General Artist

Wow, thanks for putting this all together!!!

Reply

My soul is like the wind: fast, wild and irrepresible.

KooboriSapphire

Apr 28, 2014

Student General Artist

This was beautiful! I've been killing myself with anatomy for around a year now, & I just can't
take my anatomy class anymore unless it's out of my pocket, so this helps a lot!

Reply

...and that's how I met your mother.

-R.I.P Walt Disney animation 1937-1999, 2000, 2002, 2009, & 2010.
-I do Fakemon Dex entries kooborisapphire.deviantart.com

hackformore

Apr 28, 2014

great!
Reply

rotsentu

Apr 28, 2014

Professional Digital Artist

great stuff! super

Reply

Visit us at the Covent!

[link] @

Kinglucifer

Apr 28, 2014

Thanks for sharing

Reply

fadeddreamss B

Apr 27, 2014

Student General Artist

This is an amazing article! Great, really ;3 Also, I'd like to share with my fellow artists a website
that I've been using a lot. Many of you may already know it, but it's worth sharing anyway...
www.posemaniacs.com/ @
They have a session with an app for 30 second drawings. Actually, you get to set up the time you
want, but it's always very short. The app will change the pose shown when the time's up, so all
you have to do is change to the next drawing. It's great as a challenge to try to finish one pose
in, say, 45 seconds.... and also, it's amazing to train your eyes to see only the anatomy and
movement. Great for flow, etc...
Catastrophic Damage

Reply

ABJD Face up Commissions - Open!! - S para brasileiros!

KupiecKorzenny

Apr 28, 2014

Student General Artist

Other site like this is artists.pixelovely.com/ @ . It has a separate tool for pracicing full human figure,
animals, faces/expressions, hands and feet.
I was doing these fast sketches daily and after 3 months it resulted with great improvement and great
wrist pain
So I highly recommend some wrist streching!
Catch
Replyhim! Give him a pie!

fadeddreamss B

Apr 29, 2014

Student General Artist

Oh, I didn't know this one! Totally gonna use it from now on too, thanks for sharing!
And yes, we really need to take care of our wrists, since they are very important in
drawing
Stretching and wrist exercises is very important!
Catastrophic Damage

Reply

ABJD Face up Commissions - Open!! - S para brasileiros!

Previous

Next

Amilozzi - Add a Comment:

2015 DeviantArt. All rights reserved

About

Contact

Developers

Careers

Site Tour

Help & FAQ

Advertise

Premium Membership

Etiquette

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Copyright Policy