Ragged Claws Network

Here’s a collection of six, classic, out-of-print books by the much-admired illustrator, Andrew Loomis, all available for download, right now, as PDFs.

Thank you, boywonder!

Two books, actually: Strength Training Anatomy (2nd ed.) and Women’s Strength Training Anatomy. Both are written and illustrated by Frédéric Delavier, and both have received terrific reviews from people involved in fitness and strength training. Now, although I myself am not terribly interested in strength training, I am interested in artistic anatomy, and I have to say, I am very impressed with the crystal clarity and precision of Delavier’s anatomical drawings as well as with the variety of poses on view. No, they’re not “classic studio poses,” but that, to me, is a good thing, as classic studio poses, which were typically designed to be held comfortably for long periods of time by live models, tend to convey little if anything in the way of dynamic movement or muscular tension. (Also, they have simply been done to death.) Although I would have preferred if Delavier had not drawn so many of his models with socks and running shoes on, thereby obscuring the connections between the lower leg and the foot, that’s a small caveat since Delavier not only has kept the socks mercifully short but also has, I think, provided enough drawings of figures without shoes for moderately intrepid artists to figure that bit out for themselves where need be. And, anyway, in my experience, there is no single, perfect, one-size-fits-all text on artistic anatomy; there are only various more or less enlightening/frustrating volumes, and these two, IMHO, are more enlightening–and less frustrating–than most of those written specifically for artists.