Customer Reviews

Anatomy For The Artist

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a well-known, outstanding & classic reference in drawing the human figure. It's also maybe too much anatomy for most artists, I believe. If you're looking for a book that'll detail & depict more than you probably need, this is certainly a good place to start!

First off, I just have to say: some of these pencil drawings are absolutely amazing(!). Beautiful & detailed- It's the biggest selling point to this book. Usually it's his rendering of individual muscles here that seem to be his best- his completed figure work being certainly above-average as well. Bones & muscles are rendered in super-clear detail, and simplified drawings & outlines are included to help with artistic representation. It's not an all-around figure drawing book though. For better treatments on proportions & basic shapes see: Walt Reed's The Figure; Jack Hamm's Drawing the Head and Figure; and Andrew Loomis' Figure Drawing For All It's Worth. A highly detailed treatment, I usually prefer anatomy books that are even more simplified, concise, and smaller in size. I think most artists do; there're too many anatomy books to choose from these days, and big books can be hard to frequently carry & use.

Sterling publishing seems to agree: they just released a new, tiny, 'concealed spiral' hardback version to meet this very need. And it works pretty well, if you can get over the shockingly small size when compared to the original, *full-sized* hardback! That was the biggest surprise when I received this & opened the amazon box: I didn't even think to consider this new version's size & dimensions. I actually have the original sized hardback, with its dimensions of about 12-7/8" x 9-5/8" x 1-1/8". This new, tiny, Sterling spiral edition is exactly as listed: 8.2" x 7.6" x 1.2". My 'original sized' copy is copyright 1953, printed in 1995 by Barnes & Noble Books. I've never seen the paperback version. Truth be told, between these 2 versions I have, I kind of prefer the bigger sized hardback. I'm glad I have both though: There's no denying the convenience of Sterling's tiny, spiral edition; and production quality is top-notch, with its glossy paper, complete with its 'new car' like smell(!). But you lose some of the gorgeous detail in the pencil work in a book so small in size. To Sterling's credit, most of this minute detail is still very visible. But if you'd compare the 2 versions, I think you'd agree that the bigger, original version is a bit easier on the eyes. Both versions have their benefits.

If you want an even more simplified, concise, and smaller anatomy book in pencil, try Louise Gordon's How to Draw the Human Figure: An Anatomical Approach. It's a pretty solid, small, paperback work, although Barcsay's effort is far more beautiful in its rendering.

My other favorite anatomy books include Bridgman's Constructive Anatomy, and Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy. Both available today!

This book was the standard text for the anatomy class I took in art school and it's obvious why. Every part of the anatomy an artist would have to know to draw figures convincingly is shown. And the figures are not idealized, but realistic. They have some fat to them, just like most of us do. There are plenty of anatomy books out there if you want idealized or superheroic figures, such as the Dynamic book series by Hogarth. But if you want to be able to draw figures the way they really look, study and sketch from this very thorough book.

I am learning to sketch and have this and another book of the same title. Despite the shared name, what a world of difference inside!

This is a detailed guide to human anatomy for an artist at any level. It teaches you both the physical and mechanical aspects of the body inside and out -- from what bones and muscles look like to how joints fit together and move, and what the resulted motion looks like. It also looks at all the different elements of the body, whether large or small, from several different perspectives, and from inside to out. The images are both highly detailed and natural.

In addition, all the images in this book are beautiful sketches done by a great artist. Rather than showing glossy photos (like the other book I have) that do not reveal the same kind of details an artist might, this book shows how a pencil and paper might be used to create acurate anatomical images. I find the various plates in the book not only helpful in illustrating what the body looks like, but also how one might depict it.

All in all, this is an extremely well-put together book for its purpose.

I love the information this book has, but I get frustrated with dark lighting and small drawings. I also hate the way naming and numbering goes into figures. It takes a lot of time to find the name of a particular part of a bone or a muscle. Even that is fine for me, I wish drawings in this book were larger and clearer with clear rendering (it's too dark for me). I get most out of this book when I use another reference book for clearer picture of bones. Some information like the use of muscles is really great and also how they deform. It's not useless book, but it's not a complete book as well.

This book is very helpful for anyone interested in sketching the human figure. It is filled with illustrations showing the human figure in different positions. It defines their muscles and bones. The drawings are all black and white and sketched with graphite. Each illustration has a description of how a certain body part moves and its function. The skeleton drawings have description on how they are connected to each other. Most of the figures are male models and very few are females. The sketches are made out of simple shading and contour lines. Each drawing defines muscles and light. This book is a nice addition to anyone who collects art books. I got it for $14.95. Hopefully you find this information helpful.

We were very happy with the perfect condition that the book came in and how speedily it arrived. It was a gift for a friend and the recipient was thrilled even though she knew it was a used book. Finding this book in pristine condition was great.

Great price and condition! My aunt was a student of Jeno's and my teacher used this book throughout her studies in Europe- it's a MUST!

I took advanced drawing from a very exacting instructor who expects students to learn where and how the bones and muscles express themselves in a variety of poses. This was the recommended book. Many large, detailed illustrations. Well organized presentation; plenty of useful notations. Hardcover, but weighs less than I expected --a good thing.

I'm a self-taught artist, and one of my biggest complaints with Anatomy books is a lack of examples. Drawing is about studying visuals with your eyes and then practicing the reproduction of that image. This book doesn't have a lot of nonsensical writing. I mean, you're learning to draw. It's a medium that demands the visual learning process. This book basically gives you a series of drawings--extremely well drawn drawings I might add--and then a few pages later it gives you the scientific names for the biological forms you just studied, using not more than a paragraph or two. If you're a visual learner, and you should be if you wanna be an artist, this book is for you. Anyone who is serious about learning to draw human Anatomy should probably purchase this book. It's one of the best in my collection.

I really like these books too: Figure Drawing Design and Invention by Michael Hampton (my personal favorite on account of all of the images); Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life by George Bridgeman (it's a hefty read, but probably one of the most comprehensive books you'll ever read on the subject. In fact, I'm fairly certain he taught anatomy for artists in New York for about 50 years--give or take a few. It's also a very common textbook for art schools);and Anatomy A Complete Guide for Artists by Joseph Sheppard.

When I was learning to draw Anatomy, I purchased a dvd set on figure drawing as well. It's called The Structure of Man by Riven Phoenix, which was probably one of the most helpful Anatomical resources I've ever used. It's basically a 5 dvd set(40hrs and 227 lessons) of Riven Phoneix drawing and explaining his process, which he terms inventing the human form. The quality of video is clearly low budget, but the material is incredible. I've never seen anything like it.

I've purchased a little over $600 worth of "Art" books in the last two years, and I only consider myself an expert because I've read A LOT! But if you want general advise about art books, a pretty good rule of thumb is that if it's under $15, it's probably not a good book, unless you purchase a used one.

this is a nice book. I wait for it for a longer time, but I got this book now. like a new one. thanks.