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Anatomy for the Artist is like having your own life-drawing studio in the privacy of your home. Carefully constructed photographs of the human form allow you to see the structure and function of the skeleton and main muscle groups. Six imaginative drawing lessons, each supported with photography, show how to portray the bones, head, rib cage, pelvis, hands, and feet in perspective, from different angles, both in still poses and in movement. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Simply fantastic!
I'm an art student taking a life drawing class, and I have looked at a number of books on anatomy and own several, most of which I find unequal to my needs. Some are geared to people in health-related fields, and some are geared to artists.

Of all the books I have seen on artistic anatomy, this is one of the absolute best. The translucent paper overlays of anatomical structures are very helpful to an artist trying to figure out how bones, muscles, and skin all fit together. Additionally, the photography is amazing, modern, and not at all cheesey. There are many different motion shots and poses depicted, and the drawing lessons and "master classes" are truly useful to any developing artist and should help people refine their skills and gain confidence in this difficult area of drawing. My only quibble: I could have done with fewer explicit shots of genitalia, but they were necessary to a book that covers its topic as completely as this one.

The bottom line is that this book is worth its weight in conté crayons.

A worthwhile anatomy book
This book doesn't try to contain all the knowledge there is related to anatomy and drawing the human figure. That would take several volumes or more. It just does a few important things well. I think the main strength of this book is that it gives you an intuitive feeling for the human body's structure. It does a lot more than just list parts. It tells you how the body works, how the parts work together, and the nature of those parts. She gives you more scientific and historical information than other books generally do. The second strength is the large number of well-lit photographs of fit, lean, muscular models in many informative, useful poses. The models are pretty good for seeing the contours of muscles, bones, and connective tissues. I think the inclusuion of a few body builders might've been good too. The latter chapters of the book deal with poses and the body in motion. They include many photographs of models. I appreciated this, and it's something not a lot of anatomy books have.
As for the overlays, I didn't think they were all that important. As for the drawings of the muscles and bones, they were useful and good, but they could've been better. I would've prefered some sort of smoothly shaded renderings instead of scratchy pen & ink drawings. It would also have been nice to have the muscles in different colors so they'd be easier to differentiate. Although vellum is nice, it tends to warp from humidity and it's not transparent enough. Therefore it would've been better to make the overlays out of plastic.
While this isn't the be-all, end-all of anatomy books, I think it is one of the better books to include in your anatomy library. I have several other great anatomy books besides this one.

Excellent photography. Average content.
This is an interesting book in that the photography is excellent. Do you like nude bodies that are in very good shape? This one has it in excess. As one who has studied artistic anatomy for over twenty years I own just about every book written on the subject. One of the things I appreciate are sources showing surface anatomy; with models that have muscle definition. The odd thing about this book is how much could have been done with it. There are about 7 or 8 transparencys that over lay the photos. All but one of these show the skeletal detail over a photo. When I am looking at the surface anatomy of a figure and trying to determine which muscles are which, I would rather have an overlay of the muscles than of the skeleton. This must have been the decision of an editor. The drawings depicting the muscles are good, no better than what has been done. Goldfinger's Human Anatomy for Artists or Richer's Artistic Anatomy are very hard to beat. The other odd note about this book is the bibliography. It's as though the items chosen were selected for their quirky nature and not their value as a source of information. Five stars for the photography, negative two stars for the anatomical content.

decent
decent book but could have had a heck of alot more poses. The book splits the body into categories which is helpfull but I would have also liked to see a whole section of various poses for study.

A must have for serious artist
This is the best reference guide for drawing people that I have found. The poses and lighting are excellent! Most artist references on the figure show the skeleton and muscles but this book uses semi-transparent overlays so an artist can see a photo of a person then, using the overlay, see how the skeleton or muscles shape the body. A must have for any serious artist. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Don't be put off by the illustration style.
I've been really struggling with learning to draw hands. The best help so far was Bridgeman's, but I was having serious problems nonetheless. However, this book by Hogarth kept coming up whenever I looked at reviews and recommendations.

I'd been avoiding the book -- I love Hogarth's illustration style, but I wondered whether it would be a serious art instruction book. Feeling a little bit guilty, I decided to look at it at a local bookstore before buying it at Amazon. I spent about five minutes reviewing some of the key concepts.

Bottom line: I made more progress on drawing hands in that one evening than I had in the previous week. I ordered the book that night. In order to qualify for super-saver shipping, I also ordered "Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery" also by Hogarth, and it was an excellent purchase as well!

Excellent reference
This is a wonderful reference, like all his drawing books, for copying and observing the different positions of the hand. With over 300 outstanding drawings he demonstrates all manner of positions and expressions, while incorporating important insights about anatomy and structure. Important for drawing students on any level. Get all his books if you are interested in figure drawing.

Beyond words...
This book, like any instruction manual by Burne Hogarth, is beyond compare. He provides excellent instructions on technique and application. The samples are superb, and they offer outstanding reference for a multitude of illustrations. Two thumbs up!

Knowledge and emotion on the fingertips of every page.
I bought the book in order to gain a better insight on the movement of the hand. It was not untill I opened the pages that I found an entire world of intrege and emotion. I was lost in the form and I admired the shere power that lay within.

A good book for aspiring comic artists.

As the father of the Tarzan character and art, and the co-founder of the School of Visual Arts with silas rhodes, Burne Hogarth is far qualified to teach the fundamentals of great figure drawing. His Drawing Series of Books should be on the shelves of any aspiring comic artist.

For more information on his books and a short collected listing of other useful books for aspiring comic artists and illustrators available in Amazon.com, visit der Mudgecko's Reading List for Comic Artists at: ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A necessary book for advancement
This may not be the very best "first" book of drawing instruction, but it ranks among the books that any figure-drawing student must eventually study. When some satisfactory skill is achieved, read Hale. Hale is definitely not for the "drawing on the right side of my ambition" crowd.

Hale's credentials speak for themselves, and his work places him far beyond the herd of drawing authors that rely upon gimmicks such as catch-phrases such as YOGA, or ZEN, RIGHT-BRAIN, or INNER THIS or INNER THAT, in the title to push bland intruction to increase sales. Rather, Hale's work is striking because it reflects the singular focus of an artist who can teach figure drawing without mis-directing the student with irrelevancies.

Hale is also humble, in that he directs the student to genuine Masters of drawing: Durer, Rembrandt, Cambiaso, Rubens, Bruegel, da Vinci, Degas, and Carracci, rather than filling a book with his own drawings. He writes, on page 33:

"BY SIMPLY DRAWING A CUBE, you can understand some of the significance of line in creating the illusion of reality."

That is so refreshing because it stands in diametrical opposition to the DRAW-WHAT-YOU-FEEL genre of instruction which has become the fashion of the day. FIVE STARS is deserved.

michelangelo ,leonardo beware!
this is a wonderful must buy book by robert beverly hale , renowned art teacher,his understanding of the works of the great masters is truly astounding. what you can get from this book? all artists who wish to become masters of drawing the human figure can find a system to grade yourself for your entire lifetime compared to the great masters.that means you will never be easily satisfied by your own work, and you have the luxury of studying from a vast collection of drawings from almost all the well- known figure artists of the last six hundred years.each artist has his own strength and weakness . hale has very intelligently pointed out the strengths but misses out on the weaknesses thats where you got to have many more books on anatomy and drawing to cross refer and also finally you have to try identifying these strenghts and putting them down in your style while doing life drawing or imaginary drawing. you have to understand that we are at an advantage compared to all the artists featured in this book(even though hale would like you to beleive otherwise) because of the vast resources available to us in the form of great master works and anatomy books ,medical and artistic.buy this book and chart the path to great figure drawing. finally i beleive that its possible to acheive unparalled success at figure drawing through regular training in a systematic manner.anyone with any questions can email me .im an animator and an advanced student of figure drawing.

Hale is a Master teacher
As an artist that did not go to art school, I have constantly searched for instructional books only to be disappointed in finding stupid books written for people who are not serious about art and have no discipline. All of Hale's books, especially this one, are supremely intelligent and extremely insightful. after reading his book you'll gain insight to judge good drawing from a bad ones, a skill every serious artist should strive to have. Hale will help you see drawing in a new light and send you on your way to growth. Since he uses drawings by artists such as Raphael, Tintoreto, Rembrandt and Rubens, you'll be learning from the masters themselves, not from some mediocre artist. The only negative about the book, if it can be called a negative, is that after 100 drawings you want more. I learned more from this one book than through all the art books I have read before, and more than almost all the art classes I have taken, put together.

Not a "how to"; but a reference book
Robert Beverly Hale's "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters" certainly deserves 5 stars. It even comes at a 5-Star price; but I must point out that it is essentially a reference book of master drawings rather than a "how-to" book for those learning to draw. It is not, per se, an "instruction" book on "how-to-draw". With that proviso, I would not be without this reference, if I wanted to be informed of the great masters.

Intriguing on many levels; plausible for the serious artist
This is an extroardinary study of the anatomical knowledge and ideas implemented by the greatest (anatomically informed)figure drawers artists of all time. It is quite inticing and the author is obviously intelligent enough to handle the analyzations of the pictures supplied, but the tips and exercises involved would be fit for somebody who views drawing as more than a hobby (for in that case one might be discouraged by the incredible extent of the anatomical knowledge of the "Great Masters"). ... Read more

Reviews (33)

THE definitive work on quality figure drawing!
As a practicing artist I have to say that this is the finest book of its kind I've come across. If you are serious about taking a traditional approach to figure drawing and want to produce artwork of the finest quality, this is the book to look at. If you just want to learn to do quick sketches then you might look elsewhere, since the approach discussed is time-consuming and painstaking. But it is THE way to go if you are serious about fine art. If I was only allowed to have one book on my shelf this would be it.

Beginners to expect some learning curve. Great book though!
I just finished reading this book at one sitting of several hours straight. It is a great book, and without any hesitation, I'd like to give it a FIVE-STAR. The following are my opinions to readers who have not read the book. These opinions are NOT based on beautiful works presented in the book, although they are also a strength of this book.

1) I enjoy a lot the method presented by Mr. Ryder. Incidentally, it is also my approach in life figure drawing. To me, this approach is very NATURAL and INTUITIVE, and largely based on the artist's OBSERVATIONS of the objects. This may be the key to the approach, as the author emphasized not on "how to draw", but more on "WHAT TO DRAW".

2) Figure-drawing beginners, who expect to learn from the book how to use simplified 3D shapes, such as an egg (for the head) or deformed cylinders (for torsos, limbs, etc...), will NOT see those techniques in this book. Instead, they may find it NOT TOO EASY to learn the "block-in", "contour", and "drawing the inside" presented in the book. A learning curve is expected, but in the end, it will pay off when this approach has been mastered. Readers who follow this approach would be able to draw "what they see" in a very natural manner (like a pro artist!)

3) I enjoy most the chapter about shading. In my humble opinion, however, it will be the most challenging task for beginners to distiguish and render different shading shapes and tones.

4) Keen observations seem to come naturally in the so-called "borned artists". For the rest, it takes practice. This is a good guideline for any of us artists (borned or not) who would like to sharpen our observational skills in drawing such complex (yet intriguing) objects as human figures.

Not for beginners but my best book so far!
I have studied numerous drawing books and by far this book I have owned. I often reread and reference it to inspire me, and i can honestly say my work has improved immensely.

I had been a portait artist for about a year and the face is not a problem to me but the figure was a time-cosuming challenge, that is until I was opened to Anthony Ryder's technique of envelopes, blocking-in and contours. It made drawing the figure so much easier, well proportioned and realistic. Using cylinder and blocks just doesn't do it for me.

The rendering is awesome and it already has an impact on my art.
This is not to say I simply copy his style but rather to combine his with mine to produce even more amazing results.

Lastly this is NOT your beginner basic learn-how-to-draw book. You should have sound drawing ability inorder to tackle this book. So don't complain if it doesn't instruct you step-by-step on drawing the hand or head 5 eye-widths apart(a pretty bad method anyhow). You'll learn to draw the figure as a whole and not as broken down indivual figure elements.

Hack art instruction at a rip-off price
"The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition" by Anthony Ryder 1999,
List price $24.95 ISBN 0823003035

Ryder employs a teaching method which one reviewer has termed, INVISIBLE PROBLEM SOLVING, where the book is illustrated with finished illustrations, without showing the student any of the intermediate steps it took to arrive at the final work. It is becoming a common flaw in the rush to publish some of these How-To-Draw books. Displaying finished works does not impart knowledge to a pupil.

The title term "contemporary perspectives" turns out be be little more than gimmick language for watered-down anatomical instruction.

Perhaps we should be more demanding when the title includes words like: "COMPLETE GUIDE TO..." because the book must actually BE a "complete guide" and this book is not. The art work is flat, torpid, and uninspiring, lacking in dynamism and vitality. The models are listles and possess no dynamism, no life.

It is not a book for beginners, because it doesn't begin with what Jack Hamm refers to as "simplified figurettes", and is termed elswhere as "human puppets" etc. The title claims the book is for "Artists" but anyone who is already qualified as an actual "artist" will already have covered the material in a first year of drawing instruction.

The methodology of Invisible Problem Solving is the crux of the issue however, showing that the author is out of touch with his audience. For the weighty list price of $24.95, buyers should demand better.

It does a body good ;-)
As other reviewers have said, this is a good to excellent book for those with some experience in drawing. The works presented, the methods, and the explanations are fine. There is a wealth of information in this book. However, I give this book a 4 stars because:

1. It would have been more helpful to have examples of the Envelope and Block-in techniques leading to the Contour WITHOUT overlays. In other words, to see the building blocks/steps as they would actually appear on paper while one is doing a drawing.

2. The drawings reveal outstanding technique and fidelity to the models--notwithstanding that even Ryder makes some errors in some of his drawings. However, although this is figure drawing rather than traditional life drawing (involving different levels of time and detail), I feel that the realism and technical skill draw too much attention to themselves. One goes "wow" at just about every work but there is a major aesthetic element missing--call it, expressiveness, soul, whatever.

Still this book is a MUST READ. ... Read more

Book Description

Here in a single volume is a practical, comprehensive training course for budding illustrators working to master comic book art, graphic novels, fantasy posters, sci-fi book covers and illustrations, and computer games. The author, a highly successful fantasy artist, teaches the basics of human anatomical drawing and musculature, as well as perspective and composition. He then instructs on ways to distort, develop, and transform the human figure, giving it features that range from monstrous or magical to super-agile or larger than life. Detailed artist’s references and step-by-step instructions show how to build bodies that truly stretch the imagination—mighty alien warriors, kick-boxing cyber-punks, and mega-muscled superheroes, to name just a few. Art students also learn how to show their characters in many different dynamic action poses, such as flying, spinning, punching, and jumping, as well as how to express each character’s emotions through facial expressions. More than 300 color illustrations. ... Read more

Book Description

A unique visual encyclopedia for artists and illustrators

The representation of the human body in deep perspective (foreshortened) is one of the most challenging tasks for any artist or illustrator. This outstanding photographic reference–the only one of its kind–captures the male and female nude in eighty-four different groups of foreshortened poses. The new edition features over 650 new, high-quality photographs that include both detail shots and full-body photographs. Medical and surgical positions are also featured, making the Atlas an invaluable resource for those working in the medical field as well as in fine art, graphic design, or animation. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Very useful
There are lots of visual reference books out there. It would be easy to populate a bookshelf with them. After a while, though, they start to look the same.

Not this one. Heavily foreshortened poses are the hardest (for me at least), so this book devotes itself to genuinely distinctive views. It may sound like distorion to describe an arm or leg as being a third length of the other. In fact, it is distorion if they are the same length, when viewed from some angles.

This book gives an uncommon perspective - it has earned its place on my shelves.

[review of first edition]

Wonderful Reference Book
I have been using Mark Edward Smith's two excellent photographic references as a source for practicing figure drawing over the last year or so. I was a bit hesitant to buy this book - afraid that it might just be duplicating what I already have - but once it arrived in the mail I was really glad that I did. The quality of the photography is *fantastic* and it's printed on a glossy stock which preserves the halftones and detail which unfortunately sometimes get 'washed out' in Smith's books.

The range of poses is great too - from some very classical poses to some really "out-there" angles and poses which border on contortionism. Some of the most beautiful poses in this book are ones which a live model couldn't hold for more than 2-5 minutes, so having it captured on paper is a real bonus. All in all, I wuold say that the combination of poses and camera angles provides a fantastic reference work for studying the muscles of the body in various states of tension and compression.
I think I'm going to be spending lot of time drawing from this book.

Bad for Illustrators looking for reference!!
This book like It's title clearly indicates is not an illustration reference book.It's extremely useful to students and practitioners of the fine art of figure drawing ,it provides poses which are very diffrent from what we are used to seeing in normal life thus forcing us to see how many familiar shapes change when viewed at an unfamiliar angle,for a figure artist struggling with foreshortening a book like this one and Burne Hogarths Dynamic Figure Drawing used in tandem could work wonders.This is the only book of its kind and is in one word "BRILLIANT" .

interesting poses, bad position and poor quality photographs
The poses in this book are indeed very dynamic and interesting but the one MAJOR draw-back is that they are all with the models laying down on the ground. Definitely not a very practical figure reference book for an illustrator like myself. I mean lets be honest, how many times are you going to be drawing a figure contorted on the ground verses standing and engaged in some sort of action. It may, however, be possible too adapt some of the poses for a standing position and yet gravity affects the body completely differently when it is horizontal instead of vertical. The photographs themselves are very poor in terms of quality in that they are: muddy, bad resolution, slighty out of focus, badly lit etc. etc. etc. Basically this was a very disappointing purchase. The "Fairburn System" series is far better than this book for photographic figure reference material; however, very hard to find.

Excellent Book
If you are an artist looking for dynamic poses this is the book for you. It is a great guide to help you get some very interesting perspectives of humans. I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

To the standard material on bone and muscle has been added a section dealing with the types of human physique:a section on anatomy from birth to old age, and on death; an orientation on racial anatomy; and an analysis of facial expression. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

a hidden treasure
Copyright 1951? Wow, what a stimulating discovery, and what fun! Besides the skeletal and musculature illustrations, "Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist" is full of Peck's own drawings of basic anatomical features. These are not just the "final" drawings, but the beginning "rough sketches". I find this delightful because every beginner needs some inspirational guidance in drawing's first steps. A simple rough sketch of a nose, with shading; or bones drawn as a simple hinge joint. Peck's general reduction of the human figure to basic shapes is of inestimable help. The reader may just find himself saying, "Hey, I can do THAT!!!" And that is the wonderful thing about PECK's book.

Peck has impeccable credentials and must be compared to Robert Beverly Hale. Peck's is not merely an alternate duplication of the same material Hale covers. There is a 'personal' touch in Peck; but the problem with any/all anatomy books, for beginners, is that they are simply intimidating, in their detail, their precision, their absolute realism. PECK overcomes this anatomical intimidation. I would venture that PECK ought to be included in at least the first several "drawing" books that one acquires. Sometimes it seems that several pages offer more practical instruction to a new student than entire chapters in the books coming out in recent years with gimmicky titles.

"Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist," in combination with any beginning book on figure drawing is a must. With Famous Artist's school, Willy Pogany, Walt Reed, Jack Hamm and similar instruction, any book-buyer/beginning artist will find themselves on a solid footing. I rate this in the top 4 of figure drawing books for the beginner.

The chapter on "Distinctions of Age, Sex, And Race" is highly useful. PECK may be in danger of getting shoved aside with time and the publication of new pablum texts containing nothing vital; but PECK has written a timeless text that commands respect. I rate this book a very deserved 5 stars*

The best anatomy book I've seen
The photographs are too dark in this book, but honestly, who needs the photos? They are the least instructional part of this book. The magic of this book is in all of those little off the cuff-looking diagrams that compare the ribcage to a truncated egg, or the joint of a finger to a sideways spool. Study them well until you can reproduce them from any angle from memory. Those simple, blocky diagrams and the accompanying handwritten teacher's notes are like gold. If you seek a solid understanding of human anatomy as a foundation for figure drawing, then buy this book. If you are really just in the market for reference photos of a particular pose then go buy a book of reference photos.

the best anatomy book i've seen
I've never actually seen a five-star anatomy book; each is different and has its own strengths and weaknesses, but this is the best and most balanced book I've found.

The muscle and bone diagrams are good, but seem very stiff. Fortunately, he supplements them with his own soft pencil drawings on other pages, and he includes detailed (and surprisingly readable and relevant) descriptions of how different bones and muscles connect. He does give the proper names for muscles and bones, but he doesn't bore us with overly scientific discussion.

The few photographs don't illustrate much, but they serve as fair examples for differing body types and positions. Peck puts uncommon effort into facial features and expressions: he doesn't just draw the muscles on the face, but he indicates the directions they pull and how they work to express temperament.

A previous reviewer expressed dislike for the racial comparisons - but I liked them. I don't think Peck means to say "all white people look like this, all black people look like this, etc." but he gives the artist characteristics to watch for when drawing from life (to base your own drawings off of his descriptions, well, yes, that would be silly).

He also describes proportions and motion in good detail. If you're going to buy one anatomy book, make it this one.

An invaluable aid to beginners and professionals.
This book is neither a tome of detailed anatomical examination or an attempt to encompass a politically correct set of social photography so as not to offend female teachers. (two reviews pointed to these issues as detractors to the book)
What it is, is a superb tool to aid the artist in understanding the complexity of human anatomy in a visual, easy to grasp manner.
It portrays the human form in ways that allow the artist to understand the underlying mass, weight and structure of the human body and gives answers to many questions most artists don't even realize they had until studying this book.
True, it hasn't been updated since its original debut, but it hasn't needed to be. As far as human anatomy is concerned, it hasn't been updated since my original debut either.
Get this book if you are serious about understanding human anatomy and how to portray it convincingly in your drawings, paintings or sculptures.

Looking for a Reference book?
I bought this book for reference but when I wanted to look at the bones and muscles in detail, the pictures were too dark and not clear. I ended up buying "The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing : A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition" ... Read more

Reviews (38)

secrets of figure drawing from imagination revealed
This is a must buy book for artists,animators comic book artists,or enthusiasts of figure drawing,who have dreamed of drawing foreshortened human figuresand human figures in action from memory/imagination. This book doesnt contain realistic anatomy,the author uses his own verson of human anatomy toexplain his methods andprinciples,these have to be taken as tools only and not rules. But after you have practised from this book hard enough you will find that your life drawing speed and skill is miles further than when you started,i also recommend the other books by burne hogarth ,dynamic anatomy,drawing dynamic hands, dynamic heads,dynamic light and shade and dynamic wrinkles and drapery.Only one word of caution its very easy to get influenced by burne hogarths work,and your work might start looking like a clone of his.So the key is get inspired not influenced ,keep your own style and use this book to add to that.

Not an anatomy book for everyone
Subtlety is certainly not the strong point of this book. If you want realistic figures, look elsewhere like the Barcsay anatomy book. DYNAMIC FIGURE DRAWING doesn't explore the nuances of quiet poses or the beauty in overweight, underweight, or aged figures.

But if you aspire to draw or paint powerful, idealistic, and expressionistic figures, combine the lessons of this book with drawing from athletic models. If you're into Michelangelo with his use of larger-than-life figures that use exaggerated poses and anatomy to convey strong emotion, you'll like this book.

After practicing the lessons inside the book, you'll be able to spot and draw them better when you draw from a model. Your powerful figures will have more authority to them. And with enough figure drawing under your belt, plus what you've learned from this book, you'll be able to draw figures out of your head in any position you want them in.

The Disney animated feature "Tarzan" was obviously inspired by Burne Hogarth's version of the comic strip "Tarzan." The animators learned many lessons from Hogarth, including foreshortening and dynamic poses and anatomy. I'll bet this book was an important reference to whoever worked on that film.

Great great stuff, but definately NOT a medical anatomy book
This book , though I have only seen it for one night has shown e thigs I never would have thought of about drawing comic book-esq figures. Its definately a great book for people who aspire to professionally pencil comic books, like myself. But it is not medically accurate, so in that case, not meant for realist drawing.

I see that a few of the reviewers have been rather harsh with this book. Well in that affair, let me say that they are cases of people not looking at this book as a comic book referrence, but rather a realistic, fine arts way. So if that is what you are looking for, I do not suggest this book.

As to the explanations in the book, they are a bit tough to understand, but if you study carefully the illustrations, then the instructionsbecome much clearer.

Also, as a side note, as its been stated this is NOT a good book for beginners in the comic book field. In that regard, I suggest "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way," by Stan Lee, and John Buscema.

To sum it up, this book is for the small group of people who are not beginners to comics, but still need to refer or learn about the comic book style male body.

Gotta watch that foreshortening!
Superior to almost any human anatomy art book you care to name. Hogarth shows us that there are no shortcuts to any place worth going --the nuances of human musculature, skeletal structure, and basic laws of movement MUST be studied before anything approaching saleable results appear on paper. That said, this book is an immensely rewarding journey --it helped tremendously in getting my illustrative career off the ground and there frankly isn't enough praise I can heap upon Mr. Hogarth without sounding ridiculous. Forget "tips and tricks" from comic book artists --this book will propel your work to an entirely new level of kinetic realism. FOR SERIOUS ILLUSTRATORS ONLY.

Yech!
Since when does Dynamic = Preposterous, Awkward and Just Plain Silly? I would not recommend this to anyone who is serious about improving their drawing abilities...Maybe to the animators of Dragonball Z, though. ... Read more

Book Description

A concise but comprehensive book about all matters pertaining to drawing the human figure, this well-illustrated and accurate guide demonstrates the interplay of structure, anatomy, design, and expression in effective figure drawing; and shows how the integration of these four factors is essential in drawing the figure in a compelling and lucid manner.Topics covered in this book are the structural, anatomical, design, and expressive factors in figure drawing. The book's text is supported by many illustrations, photos, and works of art.For professional and amateur artists. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (9)

Kinda hard to understand
This book is filled with pictures. George B. Bridgeman did a great job with this book. The reason I gave only 4 starts is beacuse it was kinda hard to understand. I mean I spent 20 min. figuring out the introduction and still dont full understantd it. But farther into the book it was easier to understand but still difficult. I am only 13 and this book may have been written for college students or adults so that may have been one reason I dont unerstand so well but once you start picking it up you learn a lot of stuff about the human anatomy. THIS IS GREAT FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER ARTIST.

Still the best anatomy book around
I have nearly ten anatomy books and this is the one I grab for most when I need to solve an anatomy problem while drawing or sketching.

For the most part, Bridgman first simplifies complex anatomy problems into simple structures before exploring the muscle patterns into more complex detail. This allows the artist to see the particular anatomy problem as a proportional mass rather than a complex network of muscle fibers. For me, this makes the human anatomy much more accessible.

For instance, he will take the torso and break it down into simple objects like cubes, triangles, and planes, illustrate them in their proper proportions, and then move forward into to more precise detail.

I find this book not just educational but as a great reference as well.

best value of any book i've ever purchased!
this book is by far the best on figure drawing that i've seen. bridgman is an absolute master of the human form, and he breaks everything down into simple shapes to help even the novice. his realistic and beautiful drawings are anatomically accurate, and quite nice to look at! buy any of bridgman's books, including the brilliant "book of 100 hands", and you'll be treating yourself to an extremely inexpensive lesson from a true master.

Wow!
Lemme tell you something right now. This is one sweet little book! It gets two stars right off the bat because it's really cheap(unlike Hogarth). For a student who doesn't have an income, this really helps out. When I bought this this book, I thought I knew a little about human anatomy. Well, put it this way, I was wrong! This book is PACKED with anatomy! Thanks to it, I've been getting alot better. Now I'm starting to do a real study of this book, and I don't think I'll be disappointed.

lord loves a workin' man
Just when you think you nailed anatomy, this man ability will put you back in line, sucka. these books are small, portable and afforadable. top notch. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I respect Parramon, wish I could rate it even higher
Jose Parramon's book, "How to draw the human figure" in my opinion, barely missed defining the genre of "figure drawing" texts for beginners. He covers fundaments of anatomy well, and yet leaves me wanting for some illustrations of specific muscles in master drawings such as Robert Beverly Hale uses. Parramon also uses simple block figures in a variety of poses and dynamic motion, which every beginner needs, but he could have included just a couple more pages of illustration also. I guess this is where I take exception to Parramon's text, for I find myself strangely wishing he had done more in nearly every chapter.

One added bonus in this book, is on page 24, where a reproduction of Luca Cambiaso's block figure drawing is shown. I haven't found that on the internet. This demonstrates the method the Renaissance masters used to learn figure drawing, and is the singular key omitted from the faddish and gimmick drawing books ("Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain" etc) on the market today.

The pages containing a pattern for a cutout figure, referred to as the "articulated doll" seemed entirely unnecessary, unless one is so poor as to be unable to afford a wooden articulated artist's model for $10.00. It's a disappointment to feel that an author is personally masterful of his craft, but somehow produces a book that yields only a glimmer of his brilliance. I am happy to have one in my library, just the same.

Typical
Typical but with many repeated drawings as seen in other art instruction books.

Draw like this !
See those figure drawings on the back cover? If you can make those, you understand the basics of figure drawing. They show a feel for the figure, in a general sense, the basic proportions and how things relate to each other. These exercises teach the basic shapes and positions. You will solidify your understanding of how the body moves and carries itself, to create more natural and flowing sketches. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Awkwardly worded but still interesting
The art, in my person opinion, is rather ugly but it serves it's purpose. I did have a problem with the wording. It was often too technical and a bit awkward. The sentence structure was a bit odd. I guess the point of the writing style was to be different and not seem oversimplific. However it was not simple enough. A book like this should be simple and easy to understand. I also think there are some terms that should have been clarified or defined but they were not. I got the impression that this book was not aimed at beginners but more at intermediates who were familiar with some of the terminology. Don't get me wrong, the terminology was not that difficult to guess the meaning of, but it did detract from my enjoyment of the book. I am just not fond of this particular style of writing. Other people may like it. And the book has some valuable information.
Mildly recommended.

It was great!
This was a great guide, it really had structure. It helped a lot. George B. Bridgmam realy knows what he's talking about. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

hmmm
I haven't actually read the book fully yet, but as an (beginning) artist I was more interested in the illustrations anyway. I was shocked to see the awful quality of the illustrations in this book. Some are allright but most are either very faint, with very ugly and confusing lines, like very quick sketches with a piece of charcoal. And they all look like they were printed on my antique black and white inkjet printer. Okay so the book is cheap, but that's no excuse for image quality this bad.
I gave it two stars since I'm sure the information on anatomy is good reference and you might get something out of some of the images despite the quality.

Superb!
It's amazing, I haven't even begun to read it, I've only copied the pictures, and I'm already doing much, much better! Obviously, I intend to read the book, since it would make my work even better. This is one of the best anatomy books I've ever looked at. Even though I haven't read it yet, it's indespible. Five stars.

Great
After purchasing too many sub-par reference books on anatomy for artists, I highly recommend the Bridgeman books. This one stresses the hinges and joints of the body and how their bending and twisting movements affect the external shape of a figure. Nobody has studied the figure as long or as intensely as George Bridgeman and it shows in the superb illustrations, many apparantly constructed from memory. For economy of line and accurate sence of under-structure, the illustrations can't be beat. Incidently, "Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life" incorperates much of the above book, along with several others, and is a better buy. (It's also a larger format book!)

I also recommend "The Human Figure: An Anatomy for Artists" by David K. Rubins.

The best figure reference available
I am a commercial artist and an illustrator in training, after coming across a lot of artistic anatomy books over the years I say honestly that this and all the George Bridgman books are the best available. A couple of reasons for this are 1) his clear and totally accurate drawings and 2) he shows us muscle groups that act together rather than just naming every single muscle and leaving it at that. Also, he uses a very visual teaching method, showing the shapes of the muscle masses that are easy to remember. I would suggest that every beginner start with Mr. Bridgman.

Still one of the best.
Even though Bridgman's anatomy books have been around for a while, I haven't seen anything better yet. This and his other books helped me tremendously. Keep in mind that these series are not a step by step instructions, they are schematics that you must study and draw at every possible angle and preferably use it as a reference for real figure drawing classes.

The illustrations are somewhat badly printed and hard to make out at times but it's still very helpful especially for the price of these books.

Four stars because of poor print quality. ... Read more

Book Description

From head to toe, the human form, in all its complexities, is visually simplified to such a degree in this remarkable workbook that even complete beginners will soon be able to draw accurate, well-proportioned faces and figures every time they try. Avoiding complex charts of muscles and bones that are more helpful to doctors than to artists, this book's refreshing approach teaches anatomy from a cartoonist/illustrator's point of view. For example, there are many large and small muscles in the neck, all rendered in great detail in most anatomy books, but here, master teacher Christopher Hart shows only the four that are visible and need to be drawn. His clear instruction helps readers to visualize and portray shifting body weight in a pose without the need of a model, and instead of showing a mass of facial muscles and bones, he translates them into the simple planes an artist needs to draw a range of expressive faces. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Does the job admirably
First, I would like to say that this book is aimed at the non-professional, amateur artist who needs to learn correct anatomy. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a 'how to' book. As an amateur artist myself, I have looked for a book that would help me understand the basic anatomy of the human body.

With 520 muscles in the body, it seemed a little overkill to have descriptions of all of them - even the ones no one sees. Despite what some other reviewers have said, I personally have found Mr. Hart's book very useful and educational. There is nothing in the book that would cause anyone to pursue any particular style. There are no 'style' teachings in the book. Merely good depictions of musculature, skeletal structure and close-ups of problem areas for the average artist struggling with anatomy. I have reviewed quite a few anatomy books, some of them quite in-depth, and decided on this one for its ease of use and practicality.

The drawings are very useful and the order in which the material is presented is well thought out. Granted, Mr. Hart is a cartoonist by trade, but he does know his anatomy. This book is easy to understand and makes anatomy a joy.

If you want something more in-depth, buy 'Gray's Anatomy'. If you want something that will teach you the basics of anatomy without anatomical overload, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of 'Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy'

Amazing!!!!
I own this book for just 2 days, and after reading a first chapter I have to admit that IT IS AMAZING book! Right after reading I started to draw( I am not a proffesionall, and I do not go to art school, do not take any art classes, just started to draw about two month ago)and I CAN SEE the improvment I made. Everybody who saw what I draw said that I improveied. I suggest you buy this book before any other ones, and read it, and do not even think- yes, or no- just buy it and you will be pleased with all articles and illustration he put in this book. Very easy, and clear he explanes anatomy. Just what you need to know. Then, all you have left to do- is practising!!!!

This book stinks
The quality of the drawings is awful, anatomy weak and aesthetic is indifferent

A Good book.
I was looking for a good human anatomy book to purchase and came across this. The book is very detailed but lacks alot of detail in some areas. Such as hands and feet. But expains the anatomy of the head, arms and legs very well. Overall It has helped me to understand anatomy and it's a good buy.

Way to simple
The problem with this book is that you don't really learn anything about drawing anatomy. He just says 'This is what this looks like or 'This is looks like that w/o giving any real tips. Like all of Hart's books he just makes you "think" that you've learned something. ... Read more

Book Description

The leading textbook for college figure-drawing classes, DRAWING FROM LIFE provides a clear, comprehensive, and thought-provoking guide to drawing the human form for anyone interested in exploring this time-honored artistic tradition. For centuries, drawing the human figure has given artists the tools and vocabulary for creating paintings, sculpture, drawings, or printsfrom Renaissance classical to contemporary expression. In addition to working from the model, the figure-drawing student needs instruction in anatomy, history, and conceptual approaches to drawing the human form; such instruction is often missing from life drawing classes due to time constraints. DRAWING FROM LIFE offers these elements, along with a tremendous selection of drawings that represent the broad range of approaches, techniques, and media for drawing from life. The chapters follow the natural development of a student's growth, from fundamental sketching and gesture drawing to creative expression and exploration. An entire chapter on drawing the figure in perspective offers information that is not available in comparable textbooks. Students begin with quick sketches and gesture drawings, giving them a non-threatening introduction on a level they can readily understand and master. The cohesive presentation of anatomy, including a chapter on the human head, helps students understand the human structure and its impact on visible form. The final section brings the concepts, vocabulary, and history presented in the earlier chapters to bear on contemporary use of the figure in art. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Figure drawing books don't get any better than this one.
"Drawing from Life" is a treasure an artist, teacher, and drawing lover finds once in awhile. It is very logically layed out. I enjoyed variety of illustrations, the learning exercises, and glossary. Alas... some negatives: the price, the quality and detail of the reproductions, especially the anatomy ones. The book needs to be bigger in size and make use of detail enlargements to show the beauty of the drawings ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Jack Hamm approaches the student with respect...#1 book
"Drawing the Head & Figure" by Jack Hamm

'Practice the "rough"! Hamm writes. Jack Hamm's book is refreshingly straightforward. There's nothing here for the "drawing on the right side of my ambition"
crowd. Hamm's freehand illustrations are absolutely PACKED into this book, from 10 to 25 illustrations generally, on each and every page with brief but concise text.

Hamm's presentation does not overwhelm the beginner because he does not use a confusing style of teaching. It's as though he took Stephen Peck's "Atlas of Anatomy for the Artist" and reduced it to its bare essential text, while at the same time, increasing the number of illustrations in the book. I'm truly amazed at how much good basic instruction Hamm has packed into only 120 pages. He is to be complimented.

$11.95 is the list price, but Amazon discounts that down to $9.56, and with the many clunky HOW-TO-DRAW books are approaching $20 and $30, this is one of the best bargains on the market.

Want to know how to draw the shoulder, the "six-pack" (abdomen), the pectorals, upper body and the neck? Hamm shows how better than 95% of the drawing books on the market today.

Hamm devotes an entire page each, to show how to draw lips, nose, eyes, etc. Likewise, there is an entire page to show closed hands, and another entire page to show the open hand. The Nose page shows 21 different styles of noses. And on page 41, Hamm shows the SIMPLIFIED FIGURETTE, with an Egg-shaped head, egg-shaped chest, egg-shaped pelvis, a couple of stick legs and arms, and illustrates its use in dynamic action poses. BRAVO!

Another feature I like about Hamm is that he has acheived clear mental focus. That is to say, when he offers a book on "drawing" there's nothing in there on Working With Color, or Painting, or Composition, or worse, attempts to burden the student by imposing metaphysical ideas. Hamm approaches the student with respect. When he titles his book "DRAWING" then drawing is exactly the subject he treats, and not other complicated and non-essential matters. By the way, Hamm does offer separate books on the subjects of:

"Still-Life Drawing and Painting" "How to Draw Animals"
"Drawing Scenery: Landscapes and Seascapes" etc. all at bargain prices.

Hamm reminds me of the working draftsmen of the Rennaissance era with his uncomplicated teaching method, and he's a teacher for the working day. If I could rate it higher, I certainly would. Jack Hamm's book belongs #1 of all beginner drawing books.

The complete one-book reference on drawing head and figure.
This book is a clearly written, easy to follow, detailed and concise handbook to drawing the head and figure by using several different approaches and understanding the anatomy of the human body from the outside without going deeper into its musculature or skeletal structure. This fully illustrated reference contains over 900 diagrams and illustrations and is structured into fourteen carefully organized sections that pack into one book, without leaving anything out, all the information that usually takes other authors 2 or 3 volumes.
The author covers general topics like figure and head construction, basic lines of the figure, head patterns, angles and comparisons, movements, proportions and simplified figures. He also goes into specific topics like facial features, hair, torso, neck and shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet. As an added bonus he includes not so common topics such as youth and age, and clothing, but as a warning, note that most fashion elements like clothing, hairstyles and makeup are from the 1960's since this volume is a reprint of a book originally published in 1963.
By studying this book as if it were a textbook on a course, doing all the exercises and reviewing each section afterwards, I have noticeably improved my drawings in a very short time.
If you are a beginner, this is the first book you should buy to understand the fundamentals of head and figure drawing before going into deeper, more complicated and not so thorough figure drawing books. If you are a seasoned or professional artist, get this book to discover new principles and techniques to experiment with. This book is a must for any artist's bookshelf.

The #1 Best Figure Drawing Book
I've read several anatomy and figure drawing books and flipped through a bunch more. I think this is probably the very best figure drawing book of all. Anatomy books generally just throw a bunch of bones and muscles at you and teach you nothing about drawing them. You soon forget the names of most of the bones and muscles and you're not much better off. In the opposite extreme, Anthony Ryder's book gives you a few good drawing tips, but that's all. Jack Hamm's book is different and far better than the others. He points out the shapes of the human body in many different positions and shows you how they are defined by light and shadow. He tells you hundreds of details about how different parts of the human body look and should be drawn. He makes you aware of so many things that help you visualize and draw the human body. Finally, he gives you a much deeper understanding of the body. I wanted to be able to construct bodies from my imagination instead of being limited to copying what I see. This book helps you do both. You can draw something better if you understand it better. And even though this book seems modern, by the time I finished it I got the feeling that this book taught me a lot of what the great old masters knew, before modern art took over the art world. This is the real book you should get if you want to be good at figure drawing, not that horrible hoax of a book "The Natural Way to Draw" by Nicolaides.

LOVE This Book!
Can't really say too much that hasn't already been said! This is a wonderfully detailed and informative book. Although over 40 years old...these techniques are timeles. Kinda like Mozart. What I like most about this book (and Jack Hamm books in general) is although the book is instructional, it doesn't teach you how to draw it teaches you techniques to improve your drawing. Too often (especially in the past couple of years) art instructional books tell you what to. Line here, cirle there, shade a bit after--this book provides the information and allows you to work it into your style. Every artist's work is like a signature and this book nurtures that.

Great Book-Thank you Jack!
Drawing the Human body may be perhaps the most commercial aspect of drawing and may also be the most aesthetically pleasing as well. Moreover, it is also perhaps the most difficult of subjects to draw as well.

Jack Hamm has produced a commendable piece of work. He breaks down the drawing of the body into its constituent parts and does not rely on one technique alone to describe the basic building blocks of each part. He reviews the process of drawing the body in many different ways. Each of these ways will def. assist you in becoming more familiar with the body form and lead on to more confidence in drawing the body as well.

Its will def assist you in drawing the human form.

Thank you Jack for sharing your knowledge so clearly as well. ... Read more

Book Description

The power of the image of the nude--the expressivity of the flesh--has inspired artists from the beginning.An understanding of human form is essential for artists to be able to express themselves with the figure.Anatomy makes the figure.Human Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form is the definitive analytical work on the anatomy of the human figure.

No longer will working artists have to search high and low to find the information they need.In this, the most up-to-date and fully illustrated guide available, Eliot Goldfinger--sculptor, illustrator, scientific model-maker, and lecturer on anatomy--presents a single, all-inclusive reference to human form, capturing everything artists need in one convenient volume. Five years in the making, and featuring hundreds of photos and illustrations, this guide offers more views of each bone and muscle than any other book ever published: every structure that creates or influences surface form is individually illustrated in clear, carefully lit photographs and meticulous drawings. Informed by the detailed study of both live models and cadavers, it includes numerous unique presentations of surface structures--such as fat pads, veins, and genitalia--and of some muscles never before photographed. In addition, numerous cross sections, made with reference to CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging, and cut cadavers, trace the forms of all body regions and individual muscles. Information on each structure is placed on facing pages for ease of reference, and the attractive two-color format uses red ink to direct readers rapidly to important points and areas. Finally, an invaluable chapter on the artistic development of basic forms shows in a series of sculptures the evolution of the figure, head, and hands from basic axes and volumes to more complex organic shapes. This feature helps place the details of anatomy within the overall context of the figure.

Certain to become the standard reference in the field, Human Anatomy for Artists will be indispensable to artists and art students, as well as art historians. It will also be a useful aid for physical and dance therapists, athletes and their trainers, bodybuilders, and anyone concerned with the external form of the human body.With the renewed interest in figurative art today, this will be an especially welcome volume. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Very disappointed with the lack of quality information
After purchasing this book I was very disappointed with the information the way it was presented. This book is extremely biased towards using male subjects as the so-called norm.

What is dangerous about this type of book is that it teaches artists only about stereotypical male anatomy. The skulls depicted are all male caucasian skulls. Therefore it would lead people to believe that the alpha-male skull is a generic skull, which to me is simply biased ignorant thinking.

Personally, I was hoping for a resource that would not only give information about male & female skull differences and body differences, but also to compare and contrast differences between the races.

Not only does it leave out the differences between the male and female skeleton and musculature, but it bases all of its drawings on caucasian male anatomy, which to me is very incomplete. Also, the book skimps on discussing proportions. I have seen amateur websites that do a better job discussing facial proportions than the information covered in this book.

Lastly, I am giving this book a 2 because about the only good point about it is that is does a good job describing muscles.

Personally, for a serious artist I would look elsewhere.

the best anatomy reference available
this text served me extremely well as i learned figure drawing and is the best anatomical reference i have ever seen, a genuine encyclopedia of anatomy. however, artists should be warned that the approach is analytical (anatomy is broken down into its elements) rather than illustrative (anatomy is presented as pictures of different poses). goldfinger (a sculptor) attempts to explain surface form structurally, from the inside out -- starting with individual bones, then joints, then all visible muscles, facial features (eye, mouth, nose, ear), fat pads, surface veins and arteries, skin folds and finally a gallery of "mass conceptions" of the head, hand and full figure as blocks, continuous planes, cylinders, ovoids and photographed models. (some internal musculature is omitted because it does not affect surface form, but there is extensive information and photo documentation on the facial expression of emotions, largely based on the classic research by ekman and friesen.) this "inside out" approach also determines the content of the 1 to 3 page descriptions of each bone and muscle. in the section on muscles, four diagrams show the skeletal muscle attachments, isolated muscle form, form within surrounding muscles, and surface appearance in lean models, usually from two different points of view. schematic diagrams analyze muscle form into its basic shapes, or show the mechanical effects of muscle contraction. the text is often heavy going but presents unusually detailed and clear explanations of muscle attachments, action, form and interaction with other muscles or joints. there is also much information not available anywhere else, and all sex differences in anatomy (for example in the abdominal musculature and hip bones) are described in the text. goldfinger's goal is to provide the artist with the information necessary to identify the bones and muscles contributing to surface form in any model, any physique or any pose, and i have never found it to fail that purpose. for a breezier and visually more attractive approach, simblet's book is preferable.

comprehensive, well-organized
Obviously, no one book can completely cover the subject of human anatomy, but this is the most complete reference for muscles that I know of. Basically, every muscle has it's own section: a page of illustration & photos, and a page or two of text. As a result, virtually everything about the muslces is clear, and I cannot say this about other books.

There is also information on bones, facial expression, and drawings that simplify the structure of the body. However, I reccomend the book mainly because of how well it covers muslces. This is an especially nice reference if you can also study a real skeleton and live models

Awesome reference
This is an extremely exhaustive book and well worth the price. As far as I know, there exists no more comprehensive book on how every muscle interconnects in the human body -- it is truly an encylopedia of the human anatomy.

A few things keep me from giving it a 5 star review.

1: Goldfinger's illustrations are fair, but not masterful, particularly those of the human face.

2: Strangely, there are almost no fully rendered full-body illustrations or even any fully rendered "body part" illustrations -- almost all the good ske