Customer Reviews

Drawing the Living Figure (Dover Anatomy for Artists)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THIS BOOK IS A "MUST HAVE". It is not the only drawing book that you need in your personal library, but it is one of the most essential.

The book includes about seventy well-drawn male and female nude drawings, grouped by type of pose (standing, crouching, twisting, etc.). Each of the seventy poses is drawn three times --
(1) as an annotated finished drawing,
(2) as an annotated (identically sized) skeleton in the same pose, and
(3) as an annotated (identically sized) muscle diagram in the same pose.

The anatomy is at a level of detail designed for the figure-drawing artist, not for the medical illustrator. As such, only those muscles and bones that are significant to a particular pose are labeled, and are described with simplified nomenclature.

I remember complaining to my instructor that I could discern the rib cage in our male model, but not in this rounded-back posed female model. This book is the ideal reference for seeing the support infrastructure in such situations.

Although there are many approaches to figure drawing, understanding the effects that underlying anatomical infrastructure have on surface anatomy is essential to realistic drawing. In addition to this book, you should also have other books in your figure drawing library, that cover croquis, circles & guidelines, tonal masses, planes, gestures, cylinders, lighting, proportions, contours, and other techniques. But Joseph Sheppard's "Drawing the Living Figure" will be your primary anatomical reference.

Between the simplified cartoon anatomy books, popular today, and the detailed treatments inspired by medical textbooks, is this fine work. This book is built from the ground up for artists. By focusing on surface anatomy, showing its relation to underlying muscle and bone structure, and then presenting it all with a multitude of useful and expertly done drawings, Sheppard has produced what may be the finest anatomical artist reference.

Most professional artists recommend Bridgeman's works. I don't doubt the usefulness of Bridgeman to a true working professional, but for me, and maybe other amateurs, the concepts in Bridgeman never seem to reveal themselves. Sheppard will be useful the first time you open the book and will certainly clear much of the confusion in figure drawing.

This is the book I should have bought when I spent some initially for "Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life" This is perfect for beginning artists like me who aren't overly concerned with the finer details of human anatomy but rather with surface anatomy. The textual content is in plain English unlike Bridgman's "older" English.

However, this book does have one blemish: some of the letter markers are difficult to see against heavily shaded body parts (because the letters should have been white instead of black in these areas). But after reading a few pages, you'll be able to determine where the letter should be (sometimes they are missing too or perfectly blended in) or where the indicated body part is.

I still rate it 5 though because it proved extremely useful to me personally.

I also bought "How to Draw Manga: Bodies & Anatomy: Human Body Drawings for Creating Characters" which is a visual reference rather than a "why" book. The drawings are clearer (devoid of light and shade) and should also appeal to those who only want to draw "cartoon" like human characters (i.e. manga, GI Joe, He-Man, Thundercats).

Length:: 0:21 Mins

"Joseph Sheppard has been favorably compared to practically every Renaissance master... he is without peer among modern realists for his ability to impart warm verisimilitude to the figure" -- Artspeak Magazine

That's the quote on the back cover. I've my doubts on that comparison but after looking at the figure drawings, yes, it seems the praise is well deserved.

Drawing the Living Figure uses life drawings from models to teach human anatomy. Joseph Sheppard has included 70 drawings of models in different poses, from standing to reclining. Most are accompanied by two diagrams, one for bones and other for muscles, showing how they affect surface form. These drawings are carefully annotated and selective parts are highlighted.

I prefer this book a bit more than Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters, which has a similar teaching style. The difference is here it doesn't include rough sketches, each piece is a refined completed figure drawing. The drawings are detailed, clear and beautiful.

No prior knowledge of anatomy is required to enjoy this book. It's great for beginner to advanced artists as an alternative reference.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

This is a treasure of a book with over 60 beautifully drawn poses of female and male nudes in many positions. He dicusses the anatomy of the body as it relates to each drawing. I especially like it because I am interested in three colored chalk drawings like Watteau and Boucher did. These drawings work very well for this medium or pencil. I highly recommend it and I would pay much more for a book of this quality.

As someone else mentioned, this goes in with my George Bridgman books. The terminology is simple, and doesn't get too medical. I really loved the variety of figures used, though I'd love to see more plus sized models in the male side and a more plump female figure.

Sheppard lays out key points in observing how muscles and bones affect the surface anatomy of a figure. It shows you how for example the pelvis shows up and how muscle and fat distribution affects the legs, hips etc.

Sheppard is rather concise and to the point, where many other anatomy books become too technical and you end up getting lost in the details.

The other thing to mention is the price. Bridgman and Sheppard's books are rather inexpensive compared to many other anatomy and figure drawing books out there. This is a definite selling point!

I have a few artists' anatomy books but this one is one of the best for a beginner like myself. If you can get past the creepy looking models with their dated hairstyles you will find this book quite useful. On each double page spread there is just enough skeletal and muscle detail accompanying the completed life drawing to demonstrate the surface anatomy of the figure. The annotations are insightful and helpful. This is a good book to take along to your life drawing class or even just to peruse at your own leisure.

as a hobbyist, i've collected/seen lots of books on the figure (including bridgman's) and this one really grabbed me. very accessible book packed with useful information distilled into a manageable number of pages. i leafed through a friend's copy and was wowed by it. it's like hale's "drawing lessons of the masters" x 10. seeing surface anatomy in different poses (and with notes!) makes all the difference between this and some medical anatomy book. don't be put off by the unfinished quality of the drawings, these aren't museum pieces they are instructional aids. can't wait to receive my copy. thank you, Mr Sheppard!

i had hoped it would cover a little more on technique but its still a good drawing book. It focuses a good deal on what muscles are flexed or stretched giving the figure their shape in different poses.

I was fortunate to find this book at a used book sale. I have some of the overly simplified cartoon-like anatomy books and the almost medical artist's anatomy books that are mentioned in other reviews. This one though is thoroughly engaging, and I'm happy to have found it.

The artist laid out the book to have a completed drawing on one page, and on the opposite page is either the skeletal or musculature equivalent of that pose with its key elements annotated. While there are some "medical" names for bones or muscles, it is not overwhelming. Instead the artist calls attention to how a muscle contracts in a certain pose or what bones are prominent when the figure bends or twists in a certain way.

There are numerous poses depicted: front, back, side, standing, sitting, reclining, twisting, etc. and there are an equal number of male and female models, which is also helpful. This is a thoroughly accessible guide to anatomy.