Customer Reviews

Constructive Anatomy (Dover Anatomy for Artists)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

Mainly for intermediate-level artists- it's actually *GREAT* for enthusiastic beginners. It has a little bit of *everything* depicting anatomy construction from memory. It's also great for general improvement; a few tips & tricks- an *excellent* reference for all working artists.
This is the book that really turned me on to the genius that is Bridgman. At first glance it may not be immediately impressive, but flip to page 167 for a quick look at his cubed-construction of the head. It's Bridgman's brief but effective treatment of cube-construction in this book that really, really impresses me. Many books *mention* cube-construction for heads; many books show a brief picture or two. But not many show it with the precision & detail that Bridgman conveys in just a few short pages. It deals with figure construction mainly in its parts- for full-figure movement, check out Bridgman's Complete Guide, or his less overwhelming Bridgman's Life Drawing. Constructive Anatomy begins with hands, which in my opinion is the weakest part of the book. (Bridgman's 100 Hands is much, much better.) Arms are next and they're easily among Bridgman's best, although not all the drawings are crystal clear. Many of the BEST drawings in Bridgman's Complete Guide are taken from this book, and his depiction of arms here is definitely among them. The shoulder & neck briefly follow, and are above average in their depiction. Then it's time for that excellent section: the cubed-construction of the head. It's only a FEW pages- I don't want to oversell it. But in my opinion at least, it's worth the price of the book. Individual features follow: eyes, nose, ears and mouth are simply & accurately treated. This is a more *in-depth* book than Heads, Features and Faces- which is mainly a simple introduction to the basics. Maybe the BEST section in Constructive Anatomy involves the Torso. He describes more in a few pages than most books ever do- and with a precision & beauty that few seem to match. The pelvis, legs, knees, feet & toes finish this truly excellent work. If anyone's overwhelmed by Bridgman's Complete Guide, Constructive Anatomy is a simple & effective choice to make- Highly Recommended!
In short: Along with Book of a Hundred Hands & Bridgman's Complete Guide, Constructive Anatomy is currently in my Top 3 by Bridgman.

One of the few books that I constantly refer to in figure drawing. Although the content was written way back in 1920, the concepts are still as valid then, as now.

The simple pencilled illustrations provide easy guidelines as to where one muscle stops and another begins. This enables one to draw a muscly figure with a few lines and shapes to show bulk and depth, especially with comic book illustration.

Finally, the price is perhaps as great a drawing factor as the content. Some comic book artists swear by Geoge Bridgman's books. You might also want to try some publications by Jack Hamm.

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.

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.

I have several Bridgman books, and I absolutely love him. I was very exited about this book, and as they say "don't judge a book by its cover" I did,because the cover is so nice,in fact it is the only good thing about this book, the jacket. I thought the reprint was going to be awesome, like the Dover publication books. When I got it, the reproductions are super faded, can't read the script either, I suggest getting Bridgman books from Dover publications.

In fact, I can safely say that this really is the most important book on artistic anatomy one can learn from. Many seem put off at first glance (I know I was) and say one of or all of the following...

1 - "the drawings look sketchy sometimes"
2 - "the anatomy seems exaggerated"
3 - "the look might "cramp" your style"
4 - "will copying the drawings really teach me anatomy?"

Well, after having gone through the book once, reading how others go through it, working on form & exercises, and since I'm going through it again, I'll address these points.

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1: The "sketchiness" isn't there for the sake of being rough. Those lines & curves are there to show the rhythm and flow of how this part leads into that part. Keep in mind that not every drawing in the book is like this.

2: The anatomy isn't really exaggerated. Consider that Bridgman's approach is on how muscles wedge into one another. If you study form, can analyze it, and can combine verious forms with overlapping, and then look at the drawings, things will click. The forms of various muscles stand out to show how the wedging works and sometimes the muscles happen to look flexed, that's all.

3: This was an odd comment I read at [...], and there's no way that going through this will "cramp your style." If this is the first anatomy book you're considering, and if you've never gone through a drawing book at all, then you don't have a style. Don't worry about finding your style if you're just starting out - take the time to learn foundational principles & techniques, and make that your goal.

4: I imagine that alot of people would think of copying like this: "Draw this line, put that curve right here, draw the line next to it, now move the pencil over here and draw this curve, repeat." Don't do that. It wasn't until I had a better grasp on form & the "classical approach" when things began to click. Once you learn the fundamentals of rhythm & gesture, observing angles, form, and "sculpting in the paper," use that understanding to analyze not only subjects for life drawing, but also drawings. As Glenn Vilppu says, "Don't copy the model, analyze it."
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With that said, this book will show you anatomy as a set of forms, how they look from different views & actions, and, overall, how everything fits together. It's the perfect book to pull out once you can draw those geometric skeletons. Take your time and understand the text as Bridgman will explain what you're looking at. Analyzing the drawings is one thing, but the text does mention a lot of aspects on how the anatomy works.

There is one flaw in the book, and that is the layout. I found myself having to flip between a few pages to look at the right drawing with the appropriately labeled parts so I could flip back to the text and better understand the stuff. This got a little frustrating but if you're patient, you can pick up alot of things from this. Like I said, take your time.

"Constructive Anatomy" is unique in that George presents the viewer a 'real world' application of the muscles, by telling you what each muscle does.

I'd be wrong in saying this book is a one-stop source for learning to draw people. Let's face it anatomy is tough and artists can use all the help they can get! What this book offers that other's don't is different views and applications of perceiving the limbs, muscles, bones, joints, etc., of the body. For the price it's listed out, ya can't go wrong!

Highly essential to any serious and commercial artist.
I am a working comic artist who uses this all of the time as a learning and reference tool.
If you aren't serious about improving your anatomy drawing skills then go buy something else.

This still remains as one of the top anatomy books I use the most. I actually like the fact the figures and illustrations are not super detailed and more loose sketches. A beginner might find this frustrating, but as a person that is trying to develop my own style I find it more important you get a loose interpretation and fill in your own details and personal touch. Otherwise you'll just have clone artists of these anatomy books.

The other reason I love this book is the price. It's small size makes it very easy to carry around too.

I feel I've improved tenfold since I've purchased this book on making my anatomy look more real.