Customer Reviews

The Artist's Guide to Animal Anatomy (Dover Anatomy for Artists)

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

 

 

Again, I find Gottfried Bammes really good at finding ways to explore the form of figure, in this case it's animals. There are many diagrams of geometric illustrations for horses and carnivores such as the big cats. The problem with this book is that it's somewhat unbalanced. While I find what Bammes covered helpful, there are no pages on avians or reptiles. I'm not expecting Bammes to cover every animal in existence, because that is a huge undertaking. (You might have respect at how many animals Veterinarians need to understand) I do expect at least a small section on birds and reptiles at least. Besides that, I like his diagrams on comparisons between the lower mammal and human form.

Bammes is still worth the purchase overall, but I do have to admit that the book needs a title change.

This is the best guide for artists I have found. It is not like a scientist's manual, which is far too detailed to get the visual sense of an animal. And it is not like so many artist's manuals, which are far too superficial. Instead it shows several levels of detail, from the skeleton to muscle on up to the outside appearaance. It also shows how a specific animal moves, which alone reveals so much about its anatomy. And it shows some lovely brush and other drawings for inspiration and perusal.

I was quite pleased with this book. I found that Bammes can be a difficult read, but the illustrations are well worth the investment for the artist studying animal anatomy. He presents a systematic approach of understanding the bones, muscles and surface planes of the torso, front legs, rear legs and head of some iconic animals. Animal anatomy understanding wouldn't be complete without the gestural freedom of Hultgren as well. I recommend Hultrgren for your right brain and Bammes for your left brain.

This book is one of the best book on animal anatomy I have ever read. A perfect companion to Ken Hultgren's The Art of Animal Drawing.
If you need any additional one (besides those two), check out some of Joe Weatherly's titles on the subject.

The author's original book included both Human and Animal Anatomy. I knew it had been separated and translated into English. I saw the Human Anatomy one and thought this is what was on Amazon. Instead of a book that was over an inch thick, what arrived was a book less than a 1/4 inch!

No wonder it was so cheap. Having said this, I do think it was worth the few bucks it cost.

Gary Smith , Art Coach