How to draw and paint anatomy

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Creature
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How to draw and connect the simple
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WORKSHOPS

Learn practical drawing skills and
technicjues from professional artists

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FANTASY

S C M l D K JIA l.A R T

JP R ES EN T S

IIO W T O DRAVV A M D P A IN T

ANATOMY
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e lc o m

e ...

Ify o u re reading this, the chances
are yo ure an aspiringartist on
a journey o f self-improvement.
W hether you're at college, hoping
to become a professional artist or
just w ant to create art for yourself,
yo u ve come to the right place.
The follow ing pages in this

special edition o f Im agineFX are
filled to bursting point w ith the best anatom y advice around. Every
page is packed w ith easy to follow, step-by-step guidance on how to
create better hum an and creature figures, w ritten and illustrated by
professional artists. Essentially, its years o f attending art college
distilled into one magazine.
The accom panying disc provides you w ith an opportunity to get
closer to the annotated sketches, watch videos o f anatom y drawing
in action, and see high-resolution digital art files to help you learn
how to take your sketches into digital art software.
For those o f you w ho are new to the world o f Im agineFX, turn to
page 97 to see just a fraction o f the digital art workshops that we
feature every m onth in Im agineFX.
Also, make sure you check out page 115 for a sneak preview o f
what's com ing up in our FIow T o D raw And Paint series. W e're sure
yo u 'll love them ali. Ify o u have any questions, please get in touch
w ith me at the em ail address below.

Claire Howlett, Editor


From the makers o f

W e're th e o n ly m ag azin e
d ed icated to fa n ta sy an d sci-fi
art. O u r aim is to help a rtists to
im p ro ve b o th th e ir trad itio n al
an d d ig ita l a rt sk ills.
V isit w w w .iin a g in e fx .c o m
to fin d ou t m ore!

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U S an d C an ad ian readers: please turn to page 96

FANTASY

SCI-FI DIGITAL AR I

A
P R E S E N T S
The finest artists in the world offer you the best
guidance and to share their techniques and
inspiration in our figure-drawing workshops

Human anatomy

Practical advice from head to toe...
16

d

Basic form s

Improve the way you draw figures
with easy ways to establish the
underlying structure of the body

22 The torso

W ith the figure framework in place,
it's time to set your focus on the core
of the human bc
3ody

28 The legs
Masteryour depiction of the limbs
that support the body and drive it
forward into action

r

34 T h e fe e t
^

Discover how to use form to create
solid-looking feet - and why you
shouldn't draw too much detail

38 The shoulders
Dont allow the complex interaction
of muscles here distract you from
the guiding principies of anatomy

44 Th eforearm s
It may seem like a simple area of
the body, but the forearm is more
sophisticated than you suspect

50 T h ehand s

Many artists fear this part of the
body, but applv the principies here
and you'11 see now easy it can be

54 The head
Discover how to break the skull and
facial features into simple forms to
get the proportions spot-on

. \rose

n i E P IA C F.T O SIIA R E Y O U » M O ITA L ART

6 A rt sp ectacular!
A feast of great figurebased images - and the
artists behind them

Imagine

Presents Anatomy


Volume 1
ON YOUR DISC

Sketches and
videos to help
you learn...
Turn to page
114 for more

O o íiu A

' \

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pt«£ tuei.?

Animal anatomy
Your complete to creatures...
„

60 Basic form s
Begin your exploration of creature
anatomy by seeing the shapes
beneath the skin and fur

.
V /

... 66 The torso
Find out how the core of the animal
body operates and how you can use
it to bring life to your animal art

72 The hind legs
Explore the rear-wheel drive of
animais, and how this part of the
body can propel your art forward

78 The forelegs
Use your observation, skills and
knowledge to build the pillars of
balance and grip in animais

84 The neck and head
4 Discover what part of the animal
body tells you about the creature and the traits ali animais share

90 A nim al faces
Find out what animal faces have in
common with human faces, and the
crucial ways in which they differ

Digital art skills Artist Q&A

Help and advice from figure artists
98 Creature features
Combine human and animal
anatomy to create a fine-art portrait
of a monster with Justin Gerard

102 Top ten fan tasy poses
Whether you're drawing a hero or
a villain, we've got the gestures and
silhouettes to help you out

104 Strik e a pose
Warren Louw explains how to fill

vour characters with energy by
íearning the art of posing

Real-world issues solved
108 Q uick guides
Our artist panei helps you:
• Paint realistic hands
• Draw a screaming face
• Avoid static figures
• Master heroic proportions
• Draw realistic eyes
• Give characters mass
and weight
• Draw expressions that
show the right emotions
• Pose figures in motion
• Shade faces better

Imagine

Presents Anatomy


:r

Paul Bonner

LOCATION: Denmark
W E B : www.paulbonner.net
EM A IL: bonner a mail.dk

M ED IA USED : W atercolour

“ Most of what I do stems
from a childhood passion
for fairytales, myths and
legends,” says Paul. "They
sparked a myriad images
and incessant scribbling, trying to draw
my own versions.”
Since then, with the help of brushes
and tubes of watercolours, Paul has
been continuing along that same path.
“ Always knowing what I wanted to do
made it an easy path to follow,” he says.
Paul has made a successful career for
himself that’s at least partially a result of
his stubborn self-direction.
Apart from the need to try and empty
a cluttered imagination, Paul's driving
force is the basic thrill of creating
something out of nothing. Obviously
this nothing is not absolute: " lt ’s made
up of a myriad influences that seep in
over the years.” Books, films, other
artists, music and nature are allimportant ingredients.
The challenge is to make something
believable. “ I deal in myths and
legends,” says Paul, “ and if I can get
people to suspend disbelief and accept
the reality of what l’m painting although

they know otherwise... W ell, then, l’m a
happy guy.”

DRAKAR OCH DEMONER
15x22in, watercolour on paper
Paul revels in the chance to paint rocks,
stones and water, and these guys in a
boat were a great opportunity. This
piece was painted for Riotminds.

1

Imagine

Presents Anatomy


The Gallery

2

ELD O C H SO T
15x22in, watercolour on paper
“ Dwarves, trolls, stones carved into
figures or runes,” says Paul of this piece
for Swedish R PG makers Riotminds.
“ That just about sums it ali up really.”
TRUDVANGS STIGAR
13x25in, watercolour on paper
This dwarf is in a bit of trouble: he’s been

captured by some trolls. But this piece
for Riotminds gave Paul a chance to
paint one of his favourite things: “ Nature
again... stones and roots.”

3

CONFRONTATION
27x16in, watercolour on paper
Paul admits that this piece, painted for
miniatures company Rackham, was a
nightmare to draw, given ali the figures.
“ But it was fun trying to give so many
individuais good reasons to be there.”

4

Imagino

Presents Anatomy


The Gallery
■

Tom Kidd

LOCATION: US
W E B : www.spellcaster.com
EM A IL: tkidd asn et.n et

M ED IA USED : Oil on panei

Tom realised he could draw
when he was very young.
Anything he set his mind
to, he could copy - but he
quickly realised that could
be accomplished by robots or machines.
To differentiate himself from the Xerox,
Tom began making things up to draw,
and so a career was born.
TonVs role models as he grew as a
person and an artist included Chesley
Bonestell and Norman Rockwell. Taking
on their influence, Tom began working
towards the goal of becoming a fantasy
illustrator. He won a scholarship to
Syracuse University, but dropped out
after tw o years and moved to New York,
intent on making a career for himself.
After a short while, he began to see
success in his chosen path.
Tom has worked for a number of
publishers, Baen Books, Tor and Marvel
among them. He’s won a W orld Fantasy
Award (B e st Artist 2 004) and seven
Chesley Awards. He’s also busy with a
personal project, which he describes as
“ my favourite and most time-consuming
obsession." Called Gnemo: Airships,

Adventure, Exploration, you can see lots
of art for this project on TonVs website.

n

8

HERCULES VS THE HYDRA
16x20in, oil on panei
Part of a m ythology series Tom painted.
The other characters he painted are
Odysseus, Theseus and Perseus.

1
2

PEINDEER EXPRESS
13x28in, oil on panei
If you receive Christmas cards from
Tom, you’ll already be familiar with this
image. “ As I painted it, I came up with a
children’s book idea to go with it," he
says. “ It’s an attem pt to rationally
explain Santa Claus, but as the story
goes on it, becomes quite convoluted
and even less plausible.”

Imagine

Presents Anatomy

The Gallery

D

Duc Truong Huyen

LOCATION: Vietnam
W E B : fxevo.deviantart.com
EM A IL: truong.huyenduc a gmail.com
S O F T W A R E U SED : Photoshop

Although Duc has studied
at Ho Chi Minh City’s
University of Architecture,
he had never drawn
anything seriously until
senior year in high school, when he
finally picked up a pencil in a bid to
improve his chances of being accepted
to study architecture.
“A t first, drawing was my hobby,"
says Duc. “ That was until I saw Ryan
Church, Dylan Cole and Daniel Dociu’s
masterpieces.” The result was profound
and immediate. “ I was in awe, and
decided to buy an Intuos 3. This decision
has completely changed my life.”
Although he’s self-taught, Duc says

he's had some help along the way.
“ Thanks to ImagineFX, DeviantART and
CGTalk, I have many sources to study
and improve my skills, not to mention
my knowledge from architecture."

A

ENTRANCE OF COVERED
lllustration for a personal project.
“ It’s about a girl who owns a fairy tale
book, which is actually a gate to connect
tw o worlds together."

1
2

ADERA
Ali Duc wanted was a playful
portrait “ with strong warm and cool
colour values to present my character,
the Seeker of Balance” .

Imagino

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The Gallery

Sophia Kolokouri
LOCATION: Luxembourg
W E B :
EM A IL: m ysideworlda yahoo.com
S O F T W A R E USED : Photoshop

After studying animation
and design at Gobelins in
Paris, Sophia started
working at W alt Disney
films. In 2007, having
worked as an animation producer and
art director, Sophia returned to her
personal work: "And l'm now working as
a digital hand painter and designer.”
Sophia would like to combine her
animation skills with a photo-realist
aesthetic: “ This is something I wish to
explore much more and push forward
my technique. I am still learning."
Sophia is keen to work with 3D
software that gives photo-realistic
results for humans, and there’s a book of
painted fairytales on the drawing board.
MOTHER NATURE
lt’s a sad fact, says Sophia, that
humanity is its own worst enemy.
“ Humanity commits suicide by
destroying its lungs, its health, its
inheritance. Mother Nature is praying for

us. She is praying for our sake, hoping
one day we will finally succeed in living
in harmony with our environment before
it’s too late.”

1

2

THE LADYBIRD
"The challenge here,” explains
Sophia, “ was to find a balance between
the bird and the human.” So, keeping
focused on the flamingo-inspired
creature, “ I tried to bring a fantasy and
romantic touch to the scene, while keep
the pose elegant.”

Imagine

Presents Anatomy


© Narrative Ink

The Gallery

íl

W a lte r 0 ’Neal III

LOCATION: US
W E B : no-sign-of-sanity.deviantart.com
EM A IL:
M ED IA U SED : Acrylics

As a kid, W alter always had
his nose in a comic book,
immediately in love with
anything that dealt with
fantasy or the supernatural.
Superheroes, vampires, aliens, demons:
"Any subject that deals with beings
endowed with fantastic abilities or dark
powers,” he laughs, “ and Pm sold!”
W hen it comes to his own work, he
says it’s ali about the detail: "I try to
pack as much as I possibly can into a
piece. I want you to forget that you’re
looking at a painting.” Crucial to that is
the rendering: “ I shoot for a kind of
stylised realism.”
O U SCRATCH
11x16in, acrylic on illustration board
W alter was commissioned by the
fantasy sculpting duo The Shiflett
Brothers for this portrait of their OI’
Scratch character. “ Brandon and Jarrod
Shiflett are such great guys,” he says.

I

fe Shiflett Brothers Originais

MEDUSA’S DAUGHTER
11x16in. pencil and gouache on paper
“ This shows Medusa’s Daughter (for
Narrative Ink) making a futile attempt
to tie down her wild hair using some
makeshift straitjackets,” says Walter.

Imagino

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The Gallery
t e Lucas Graciano
LOCATION: US
W E B : www.lucasgraciano.com
EM AIL: lucasgraciano a yahoo.com
M ED IA USED : Oil

©2008 Quarto Publshing

Lucas grew up with the
works of great fantasy
artists such as Frank
Frazetta and Boris Vallejo.
Straight from high school,

he started his art career as a caricature
artist at theme parks and special events.
Later, having attended the W atts
Atelier of the Arts in Southern Califórnia,
he started work on storyboarding and
concept design in the games industry.
W orking mostly digitally at that time,
Lucas wanted to attain the foundation
skills that come with working in a
traditional medium. He soon fell in love
with the traditional process and has
nearly completely switched over.
Lucas continued his training at the
Atelier and was soon asked to teach.
After developing his skills further, he
moved into fantasy illustration and
began freelancing while he taught. He
landed his first illustration job on the
very first set of the W orld of W arcraft
card game, and has since worked for
companies such as Sony, Wizards of
the Coast and W hite Wolf.

PSYCHOPOMP
16xl2in, oil on hardboard
This piece was done for the book
Drawing and Painting the Undead. As
simple as it is, Lucas thinks it's one of
his stronger pieces. “ Its strong graphic
read helped it get on the cover of the UK

version of the book.”

1

2

© 2008 Sony Onlne Entertairvnent

VALEM AIDENS
20x24in, oil on hardboard
“ I like doing work for Sony," says Lucas,
“ because they give me a free reign.” The
only description on this assignment was
‘six or seven female dryads guarding a
tree.’ “ They will often hand me their
low-res, in-game models as reference
and say ‘Make this look cool!’ I think
that’s the kind of thing almost every
artist wants to hear!"

Imagine

Presents Anatomy


The Gallery
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3

W O RD OF PAIN
24x18in, oil on hardboard

“ I like to keep my fantasy work more
grounded,” Lucas says. “ Pve never been
a big fan of the bright flashy colours of
magic, so I try and imply it in more
subtle ways.”
KALADIM W IZA R D
12x16in. oil on hardboard
Lucas is a huge Tolkien fan. “ Any chance
I get to paint an epic battle scene with
armoured dwarves, Pm very happy!”
He’s even got a small collection of
armour that he “ slaps onto some
willing friends for photo reference".

4

Imagino

Presents Anatomy


c r,


i
t»*V«

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Human anatomy

A complete workshop on bringing
your body drawings to life

lmaginé

Presents Anatomy


The more knowledge you have,
the easier it w ill be to reach dear-cut
solutions for any drawing you make &
Ron Lemen on drawing the body, page 16

Your hum an
anatomy expert
Ron Lemen has worked
in the entertainment and
illustration industries for
over 16 years. With his
wife Vanessa, he runs
the Studio 2nd Street art
school and is in demand
as an art instructor at
drawing and painting
classes across Califórnia.
w w w .s t u d io 2 n d s t r e e t .c o m

Workshops

Explore the body in eight parts
16
jUí

Basic form s

Improve the way you draw figures
with easy ways to establish the
underlying structure of the body

22 The torso
W ith the figure framework in place,
its time to set your focus on the core
ofthe human body

28 The legs

THE

Masteryour depiction of the limbs
that support the body and drive it
forward into action

34 T h e fe e t
KtoífcégfóU)

Discover how to use form to create
solid-looking feet - and why you
shouldn't draw too much detail

38 The shoulders
Don't allow the complex interaction
of muscles here distract vou from
the guiding principies of anatomy

44 Th eforearm s
It may seem like a simple area of
the body, but the forearm is more
sophisticated than you suspect

50 T h eh an d s
Many artists fear this part of the
body, but applv the principies here
and you'11 see how easy it can be

54 The head
Discover how to break the skull and
facial features into simple forms to
get the proportions spot-on

Imagine

Presents Anatomy


a
Imagine

fy o u w a n t to illustrate stories

There are several techn iq ues for d raw in g

W hat you lack in the fo u n d ation s o f y o u r

o r b o o k covers, design

th e h u m an body, ali le ad in g to

k n ow led ge w ill sh o w up in y o u r w ork - in

con cep tu ally fo r gam es or

a sim ila r goal: a three-d im ension al,

o th er w ords, th e lack o f u n d erstan d in g o f

d raw storyb oard s, it's v ita l to

realistic figure. W hile it's not n ecessary to

certain key p rincipies w ill be ali too

grasp th e fo u n d ation s o f representational

be an expert on an ato m y to produce

apparent in yo u r fin ish ed piece. A n a rtists

art. W ith m ost stories y o u 'll co m e across

illustrations, the m ore k n o w led g ey o u

style can be reflective o f their lack o f

in v o lv in g p eo p le, it s im p o rta n tto

have, the easier it w ill be to solve

u n d erstan d in g just as m uch as it can be

un derstan d h o w to d raw th e hu m an

p roblem s an d reach d ear-cu t solu tion s

a sh ow case for th e total sum o f their

figure, bo th in a static p ose a n d in action.

for a n y d raw in g y o u m ake.

know ledge. A void that trap.

Presents Anatomy


Basic forms

Ron
Lem en

COUNTUY: US
See more of RorTs work
at his website
www.studio2ndstreet.com

On the disc
Find a video and
sketches in the
Drawing Intro folder
inside Human Anatomy

Figuring it out:
tw o ways to draw
There are tw o distinct approaches to figure drawing:
observational and formulaic. It pays to master both...
L e a r n in g to d ra w th e h u m a n fo rm c an

rh yth m s o r interlocking sh ap es - b asically

artis t. T h erefo re, it's im p o rta n t to k n o w

design concepts - to b u ild on. O nce these

w h a t m e th o d s a re a v a ila b le to y o u . T h e

fo rm u las are m em o rised b y d raw in g from

tw o a p p ro a c h e s to fig u r e d r a w in g th at

life, y o u have a set o f to o ls to recall,

I feel to b e d istin c t a re th e o b se rv a tio n a l

e n a b lin g y o u to design from y o u r

ap p ro a c h a n d th e fo rm u la ic a p p ro a c h .

im agin atio n ify o u w is h .

O bservation al d raw in g h as its o rigin s in

It's im p ortant to h ave a solid

th e sight-size m eth od ology, w h ich trains

un d erstan d in g o f bo th ap p roach es if

the eye to v ie w a subject w ith accuracy,

you tru ly w a n t to be free as an

p lacin g the object an d th e d raw in g sid e by

artist. O bservation al

sid e fo rco m p ara tiv e an alysis. P lum b lines,

d raw in g sh arp en s the eye

leveis, a fix ed p o in t an d a m easu rin g line

an d m in d to c ap tu rin g a

are used to help th e artist in un derstan d in g

liken ess w ith ou t using

d im en sio n a l an d sp a tia l m easuring.

abstract concepts;

O bservation al d raw in g is a com p lex

Observational drawing in
practice, using a pencil to
measure the body’s dimensions.

Form ulaic figure d raw in g uses abstract

b e a d a u n tin g p ro sp e c t fo r a n y fle d g lin g

fo rm u laic d raw in g gives

process that requires a great d eal o f

y o u a set o f tools to

reference m aterial to acco m p an y the w ords

develop bo th from life

to be fu lly explain ed . In th is part o f o u r

an d , m ore im portantly,

an ato m y w orksh op , I'm g o in g to take a

from y o u r m in d s e y e .

detailed look at tw o o f m y favoured
m eth o d s o f fo rm u laic d raw in g.

Formulaic figure drawing systems
involve using abstract rhythms or, as
shown above. interlocking shapes. to
construct the human body. Those
shapes can then be built upon and
fleshed out for a full human figure.

Imagine

Presents Anatomy


Human anatomy
REILLY’S SIX LINES TO THE TORSO

Here's an illustrated guide to the Reilly
method of drawing the human torso.
Starting with the head, lines are

systematically added to build a template
that forms the basis of your figure

Once you’ve leamed the Reilly method, you
can go on to create figures in a range of
different poses. In this sketch of a kneeling
woman, you can still see the construction
lines. based on the sequence above.

Exploring the Reilly
method for figures
In this drawing system, you build a framework of
overlapping lines to create the basis of your figure
T h ere a re as m a n y w a ys to c o n stru c t a

A m erican art sch o o ls o f his day. H is figure

h u m a n fig u re a s th e re are a rtists, but tw o

d raw in g approach is a lin ear one, startin g

s y ste m s in p a r tic u la r fo rm th e b a sis o f

w ith th e structure o f th e figure before

m a n y a r tis ts ' w o r k in g p ractices. O v e r t h e

ad van cin g 011 to the anatom y, then sh ad in g

p age, y o u 'll e x p lo re th e In d u stria l

an d fin a lly detailin g. H is approach started

D esig n m e th o d ; b u t first, let's
lo o k at th e R e illy m eth o d .
Frank R eilly w a s an illustrator

w ith the core o f the figure: the torso.
C ap tu rin g the action o f the p ose is
probably th e m ost im p o rta m concern. T he

an d instructor in th e early- an d

action b egin s w ith th e head an d radiates

m id - 20 th century. H e created a

through the spin e into the lim bs. T o start

system o fte a c h in g th a t enabled
students to q u ic k ly an d ea sily digest
th e p roblem s o f d raw in g an d pain tin g,

the draw in g, y o u need to m ak e six lin es: the
head ; th e centre o f th e head and
neck; th e sh o u ld e rlin e ; the

g iv in g abstract concepts labels and

spine; the lin e relating the

d efm ab le schem atics, an d b u ild in g a

shou ld ers to the base o f the

n otew o rth y step-by-step cou rse o f action
to create figure draw in gs. H is system

p elvis; and, fin ally, the line
sh o w in g the neck an d hip
relationship. T h ese lines design

éé Frank Reilly's fígure drawing approach is a
linear one, starting with the structure of the
figure and advancing on to the anatomy §§

an d d efin e the core o f the pose.

Arm s and legs
O nce th e core o f th e p o se is
established, the arm s an d legs are
attached to com plete the action.

cam e from several sources, startin g w ith
D ean C o rn w ell an d Frank B ra n gw yn , as

T h is sim p le con stru ction creates
the structure o f the pose. T he

w ell as G eo rge B rid gem an (on e o f Reilly's

teachers) an d Frank V incent D u M o n d .
Frank R eilly s system b ecam e a
fash io n ab le m ethod in rnost o f the

Imagine

Presents Anatomy

Capturing the action of the character‘s pose
should be foremost in your mind. The action
begins with the head and radiates from there


Basic forms
USE LANDMARKS TO FIND YOUR
W A Y A R O U N D T H E HUMAN BODY

an ato m y is then depicted vvithin
th e structure y o u V e created.
M uscles are w o ven like a fabric

Once you've learned the Reilly
method of creating e figure, you
can move on to creating more
flexible figures and poses from
different angles. Here, I point out
a few anatomical landmarks to
help. On the disc are three videos,
each on creating a figure from
various viewpoints. A b stra ct 1.

m p 4 deals with the front torso.
A b s tra c t 2.m p4 the back. and
A b s tra c t 3 .m p4 the side.

to th e skeleton, connected to the
b o n e s w ith ten d on s - rope-like
attachm ents. T h e point w here the
tendon attaches to the b o n e is d efin ed as
th e in sertio n p oint. l h e fig u re abstraction
heips place the m ajo r m uscle g rou p s into
an organ ised an d flu id pattern, m ak in g it
qu ite sim p le to invent com p lex, realisticlo o k in g figures.
T h e h ead h as its o w n set o f abstractions
that requires a w ork sh op o f its o w n to fu lly
un derstan d. W e lo ok at tech n iq u es for

(

to

d raw in g th e head on p age 54 .

Beyond Reilly
T h e fu n d am en tais o f th e R eilly m ethod
are e a sy to grasp, but it's flexib le en ou gh to
•

adapt as y o u r d raw in g sk ills develop.

- w h e r c

O nce y o u p rop erly u n derstan d the figure
abstraction u n d e rp in n in g th e system , y o u 'll
fin d that y o u '11 con stan tly ch an ge an d
rearrange lin es to suit every p o se an d ev ery
situation. T he stan dard set o f lin es y o u start

p ro cÉ S S

The body’s anatomy is
designed into the
structure you create,
weavíng in muscles and
tendons and gradually
building up details.

v a j/

-V n S .

-T V c s e

p o»n + s

w ith are c harts fo r learn in g - they're just
o n e set o f p ossib ilities, a stock v o c ab u la ry

Its important to practise as
much as possible, so that you
can perform with clarity

4VW +

■toe
I

that w ill con stan tly flex, gro w an d reinvent
itse lfw ith each new im a g e y o u create.
I can n o t stress e n ou g h that th is is just
a system to learn from . A li system s o f
d raw in g are d esign ed for teaching an d

The large dots in this sketch are anatomical
landmarks. If you study your own body in
the mirror. you'll see that these are the
bones that show through the skin.

sh ou ld be left b e h in d as so o n as
they're m astered, like stabilisers 011
a bicycle. T o o m an y carefu lly
fo llo w ed rules can lead to pictorial
sterility. it's v e r y im p ortan t that
yo u train an d practise as m uch as
p ossib le u ntil th e ru les b ecom e

C *rv \U

backgrou n d noise, s o that w h en
w e p erfo rm , w e can d o s o w ith

fra to e .

total clarity an d fo cu s o n th e m ore
im p ortan t asp ects o f m ak in g a
picture - th e story content an d the
p ictorial intent.
Ify o u w an t to d o so m e ad d itional
research on the R eilly m eth od , 1
recom m en d that y o u lo ok u p th e w ork

Use the anatomical points
along with the Abstract 2.mp4
video on the disc to create the
perfect back view.

o f A n d rew I.o om is, a fa m o u s m id- 20 th
c e n tu ryA m eric a n illustrator w h o covers
OP t m E"

so m e o f these p rin cip ies in h is figure
d raw in g m an u ais, an d offers a great m an y
u sefu l tech n iq u es besides.

CV
T
T .* r

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T >**)

•n v
As you construct your figure, try to use long,
flowing lines so that the drawing starts to feel
alive, even at this early stage.

>T (ku.

Imagine

Presents Anatomy


Human anatomy

Exploring the
Industrial Design
drawina method
Use basic geometric shapes to make your
figures feel solid and three-dimensional
H ere, I'm g o in g to lo o k at a sec o n d
ab stra c t a p p ro a c h to fig u r e d ra w in g :
th e In d u str ia l D e sig n m e th o d . Its
o r ig in s a re a g e -o ld , b u t it w a s
p erfecte d at th e A rt C e n te r o f P asa d e n a
in th e 1950s.
I fin d In dustrial D esign th e m ost
practical tech n iq u e to u se w h en creating
the figure for an y p u rpo se. It m akes it ea sy
to control th e p o se an d ach ieve con vin cin g
fo resh orten in g painlessly.

First, y o u need to sort the head, neck an d
shoulders. ITiese p rovid e a startin g p o in t to
b u ild the figu re gesture from . V iew ed from
th e front, th e head is an o v al shape, w h ile
in p rofile o r sid e view , it's a bloated
tria n g u la r fo rm . T he corn ers o f th e trian gle
depict th e tilt o f th e head.
T he p an ei b e lo w sh o w s so m e exam ples
Here the figure is rendered with hatch lines.
creating an immediate illusion of form. The lines
Crossing over the form are Crossing in the short
stroke direction.

This cartoon character is fully realised using the
shape design approach from life drawing. The
technique can be used for any figure.

o f cylin d er figures in gesture poses, w hich

It sh ou ld b e graceful, an d is id eally

is w hat y o u have to fin d n exi. T h e gesture o f

established in o n e o r tw o c u r v y lines.

th e p ose is a flu id , flo w in g line: it s th e big

A dd to y o u r first line a secon d line,

sw eep in g m ovem en t th a ts m ade betw een

w hich describ es the w id th o f the p ose. T h is

th e u p p er an d th e low er h alves o f th e body.

helps establish the o verall vo lu m e o f the
figure - h e av y o r lean. T hese tw o lines

DRAWING CYLINDER
FIGURES IN GESTURE POSES

should m irro rea ch other, m o v in g in
relation sh ip to o n e another. Lin e three is
the centre line o f th e pose, attached to the
pit o fth e neck.
W ith a centre lin e d raw n , y o u can n ow
draw an ellip se o r o v a l. T h is d escribes the
depth o f th e fo rm . T h e centre lin e gives you
an o th er point y o u can n ow c o n v in cin gly
attach th e oval to, tu rn in g y o u r three lines
into an active cylin d rical form .
C ylin d ers are easier to d raw th a n a cube

Usecylindrical
forms to start every
figure if you can.
Cylinders are easy
to draw and can
easily be broken
down into threedimensional forms.

In extremely
foreshortened
poses, overlapping
ovais representing
the lengthier forms
will work.

fo rm , as y o u need to k n o w perspective to
m ake cubes look con vincin g. C ylinders,
i f d raw n correctly in perspective, g ive the
v iew er a strong sense o f position in space.
T h e should ers are th e top p oint o f the
cylin der, the p elvis its bottom . T he p elvis
varies in sh ap e d ep en d in g on w hat
character y o u re d raw in g. It can be d raw n as
a soft, sphere-like sh ap e - th in k o f it as a
m arsh m a llo w - o r c a n be m ore d efin ed .
Y ou r su b jects g en d er d eterm in es the
p elvis shape. l-em ale p elvises are m ore bello r skirt-shaped; m ale p elvises are m ore
box-sh aped . T h e front o f the p elvis
term in ates in a bullet-like shape. T h is is
d raw n inside the b o d y c ylin d er shape,

Imagine

Presents Anatomy


Basic forms

You can map shadows to the shapes
you design on the scaffolding of the
figure, with the patterns falling
appropriately over the shapes youVe
drawn rather than drawing exactly what
you see. The illusion of the drawing can
suffer if you stick too rigidly to what you
see without really thinking about how
the forms are functioning in 3D space.

THE FIGURE AS
AN S-SHAPE
Draw the ribcage as if looking
up at it, with lines arching
upward. Draw the pelvis with
lines arching down. This keeps
the forms tilted correctly to the
viewer from straight-on.

crests, th e n avel an d th e arm pits. I f y o u r
figure’s back is visible, th e scapulae, the
d im p les o f th e sacrum , the ob liq u es an d
th e base o f th e p elvis are also help fu l to
u se as lan dm arks.
If the figu re is tw istin g o r turnin g,
y o u can ea sily depict th is m ovem ent
in th e cylin d er b y p in ch in g on e
side, o r b y creating an accordionlike relation sh ip betw een the
ribcage an d p elvis m asses.
T h e o b liq u es p la y a role in

sh ap in g th e c y lin d e r th e y are the
third b u lg e on the com pressed side
o f th e cylin der. T h ese bulges are
describ ed u sin g S -c u rv e d lines (see the
p an ei to th e right), th e o n ly lin e typ e
in d raw in g that can generate p erspective
in its o w n w avin ess. T h e S -c u rv e starts
against th e outside o f o n e shape, then
sw in gs o ver an d com pletes its circuit
be lo w o n th e next succeed ing shape. Each
S-cu rve generates a m ore con vin cin g
illu sio n o f overlap p in g form s.
You sh ou ld sw itch often betw een
gesture a n d stru cture to strik e a b alance

éé If a figure is twisting or turning,
you can easily depict this movement in
the cylinder by pinching one side 99
cutting in on either sid e to sh o w the hip

o f form an d m ovem ent, h o p e fu lly in a

bones, th e iliac crests.

s im ila r d y n a m ic to M ich elan gelo o r

N o w d raw an e g g sh ap e to indicate the
ribcage, attaching it to th e sh o u id er line

R u bens - but w ith a m od ern flair, like

that o f C la ire W en d lin g o r B ru ce T im m .

an d o n ly breach in g th e cylin d er form if'

O nce th e structure is d efin ed , m ove

th e b o d y is com pressed o r tw istin g. T he

into gesture again, d raw in g th e cylin ders

rest o f th e torso is bu ilt u p u sin g ellipses

o f the a rm s a n d th e legs. W hen y o u r

o r traversin g lin es across the centre line,

lim b s are d raw n in, m ove b a c k into

to sq u are u p the tw o h a lv es o f th e torso

structure a n d d efin e th e m uscles, then

an d pelvis.

gesture again to d escrib e the m ovem ent

T h e im p ortan t lan d m ark s to indicate
are th e nipples, th e tenth ribs, th e iliac

These drawings are

fleshing out the dynamic
movement in each pose.
Using cylinders and
dividing each segment of
the cylinders into thirds.
the scaffolding of the body
is ready for muscles to be
laid over them. The crosscontour lines help guide
the muscles correctly
around the form.

o f th e sh ad o w patterns over th e m uscles,
then structure to tighten them up.

Imagino

Presents Anatomy


he torso is th e core o f th e bo d y:

head has m ore chance o f com p lem en tin g

d raw in g to a m ore correct scale

i th e co m p lex centre fro m

th e action o f the body.

th rou gh ou t th e pose.

O

w h ich ali o u r d an g ly parts

originate. O u r p hysical

First, y o u need to fin d th e action o f the
pose. T his step isc a lle d th egestu re. lls in g

N ext, d raw a centre lin e th rou gh the
m id d le o fth e torso. (Sim p ly put, th e

action s also originate from th is core -

Pon
Lem en

th e In dustrial D esign m ethod, as

centre lin e o f th e b ack is th e spine.) T he

therefore, y o u typ ic ally start w ith the

COUNTRY: US

describ ed o n page 20, y o u can fin d this

fron t o fth e b o d y is d ivid ed through the

torso in figure d raw in g to w ork out the
d yn am ics o f y o u r pose.
T h e head is the ruler that y o u m easure
th e b o d y from ; th e b o d y is th e p rim a ry
essence o f th e pose. Both are im p ortant
to d raw from the start, but the head can
stiffen u p q u ic k ly w ith no reference to the
body. Ify o u design th e b o d y first, the

lmai>ine

Presents Anatomy

See more of Ron's work
at his website

action in three lines: th e gesture, the

centre o f th e chest, o r th e sternum , and

w id th an d th e d epth. O nce the gesture

con tinues th rou gh the lin e that splits the

w w w .s tu d io 2 n d s tre e t.c o m

or action o f the pose has been established,

ab d o m in al m uscles d ow n to th e pelvis.

On the disc

th e lim bs are then attached to

4 * ^ Find reference
W sketches by Ron in
the Torso folder inside
Human Anatomy

T h e centre lin e is v e ry im p ortan t to

com plem en t th e tw ist, turn o r sw ivel o f

draw. It fin d s th e m id d le o f th e visible

the torso. W ith the head attached, you can

surface to m atch an d align th e fo rm s on

m easure o f f th e height an d vvidth o f the

either side o f it, an d it's a lso an an ch o r

torso m ore appropriately, o r adjust the

an d ap ex for m atch in g rh yth m ical lin es


The torso
from eith er sid e o f th e body. N eglectin g

to d raw th e centre line in y o u r s t r u a u r e

GETTING THE PECTORALIS MUSCLE RIGHT

is like forgetting to b rin g th e m an ager
alon g to th e big gam e.
If y o u d on 't u se boxes to d esign the p elvis
an d th e ribcage, th e next step is to fin d the

The pectoralis mfiscle sits on the upper half of the ribcage, and inserts
onto the uppe? arm borte, or humerus, around the upper third division of
its length. The muscle wraps undemeath the humerus towards the back
of the arm, and is a f ive-sififed shape.

■s+arts

three-qu arter lin e o f th e figure, or w h ere
th e fig u re tu rns from th e frontal p lanes to

Uv ic v ; u a R

the side o f the body. In m an y poses, this
lan d m ark can b e as im p ortan t a s th e centre
line: it’s a m ajo r breakin g p oint in form ,
criticai to bo th the perspective a n d the
align m en t o f th e lim b s from th e left side to
th e right sid e o f th e figure.

Torso muscles
T h e fro m o f the b o d y is m ad e up

o f six m ajo r v isib le m uscle grou p s:
th e p ectoralis m uscles, the ab d o m in al
m uscles, th e o b liq u es, th e serratus m uscles,
the trap eziu s m u scles an d the lattisim us
m uscles, w h ich y o u can see i f th e arm s are
lifted. U nfortunately, tw o o f these m uscle
grou p s have m ultiple heads to them , but
are w ell organised , so ren derin g them is
just a m atter o f fin d in g the larger sh ap e
that keeps the sm a ller on es organised
an d harm on ised .
The b o d y w edges d o w n from the
acrom iu m processes - the b u m p s at the
shou ld ers - an d tap ers to th e b ase o f the
crotch. T he vvedge fo rm s th e true front
p lan e o f th e b o d y ; th e m asses on eith er side
o f th e w ed ge taper at a sh arp angle, an d

Its striations, or muscle fibre divisions,
radiate in a fan-like shape, with the
clavicular portion sitting on top of the
mass. The female breast sits on top of
the pectoralis. roughly between the
seventh and eighth rib. It has a
comma-like shape. tapering back under
the arm toward the scapula.

F e m a u e :

-

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V ---

'

\ f> o j M M A S H A P f

<>\TS o\je* W 6R.
rttwp

becom e a part o f th e side p lanes o f the

o v

? e a c M i x z

figure. T he w ed ge form p asses through

THE COATHANGER METHOD
i is $ back
?the shoulders and
baçkTof the neck. The
visible pçrfion orr either side of the neck
creates %coathanger-l!fce rhythm. which

goes from the acromium processes at the
shoulders to above the seventh cervical
vertebrae. along the clavicles and across
the stemal notch. From threequarter view to profile, the
trapezius muscle is a ramp.
taking up about half the space
of the top plane of the torso.
The ramp varies in height
depending uponathletic build.
The trapezius

T R A f> S

T


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(
IW M

Imáçtné

Presents Anatomy


Human anatomy
éé Neglecting to draw in the
centre line is like forgetting
to bring the manager along
to the big game I f

GETTING THE TORSO STARTED

rc x u c
Here are a few ways to start the torso. The first is
angular, the second box-like, the third spherical.
There is no right or wrong set of shapes. but there
may be confusion in the structural design if there
are too many shapes to start with. A more
harmonious way is to maintain a shape design
consistency throughout. These shapes are
flexible. bending on the spinal axis.

•

-

*7

th e ob liq u es, o r w hat w e u su a lly call
th e spare tyre m uscles. T hese m u scles are
th e so ft m ass betw een th e ribcage an d th e

p elvis. T h ey tap er in n arrow ly at th e ribcage
an d w id en at the hips, resting atop th e iliac
crest. T h is w ed ge can b e lin ked to th e tw o
lin es that form the neck in a rhyth m ical
relation sh ip that h elps keep th e o b liq u e
m u scles from b e co m in g to o u n u su a l in
their sh ap e d esign. T he o b liq u es form true
sid e w a lls - p erp en d icu lar p lan es to the
fron t a n d b ack p lanes o f th e b o d y - and
blen d w ith the a n g u lar sides o f t h e ribcage.
T h e torso is e x trem ely p liab le betw een
th e ribcage an d pelvis. T he fu rth e ry o u

víAÍM OMIOVi
p ush th e rhythm b etw een these tw o
shapes, th e m ore c o n v in cin g th e action
design w ill feel. T he m uscles on th e front

DRAWING THE
HUMAN FIGURE: A
FOUR-STEP GUIDE

o f th e b o d y are v e ry p liab le an d can be
stretched an d tw isted as m uch as needed
to help en h an ce th e gesture o f th e pose.
It's v e ry im p ortan t to start th e p o se w ith
th e gesture first, to s eize th e m o m en t and
th e action. T hen y o u can proceed to the
structure o f th e pose, an d fin a lly th e design
an d articulation o f t h e m uscle grou p s in

th e body.
If th e gesture is d yn am ic, th e m uscles
m ust fo llo w that d yn am ic. D on't stiffen up

C .-L -

the design at th is point in the d raw in g.
Everyth in g is pliable, no m atter how
geo m etrically you m ight d raw yo u r
pictures, an d the sh ap es y o u design for
the m u scles m ust not stiffen up in the
d yn am ic gesture y o u V e created. M an y
com ic b o o k im ages sh o w this latter trait,
esp ecially com ics fro m th e 80 s an d 90 s. If
you can fin d a few exam p les, they serve » ■

Here’s how to build up a complete figure,
starting with the core. Use a rhythmical cylinder
form to start the pose (A), then find the ribcage
and pelvis forms within the rhythm lines; look for
key bony points to keep the shapes squared up
from top to bottom, and to find the compression
between them. Then the perspective is designed
(B ) with the three-quarter line drawn into the
figure to help keep the muscle forms from
drifting too close to the right arm The muscle
rhythm lines are then added to fill out the
anatomy structure (C). Ali this should be done
lightly so it can be easily removed when the final
rendering takesform. When everything is

finished. most of the anatomy will not be visible
(D), but the bumps and little dark markings
drawn in the pose will have a more visual
believability and more accurate design to them.

Imagine

Presents Anatomy