Ragged Claws Network

Nick Zuccarello put together a set of six anatomical reference sheets for a class he was teaching, and he has kindly made those plates available on his blog for others to download. The drawn diagrams are from one of Zuccarello’s “favorite anatomy books,” Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier, which I recommended here, and the photos are from the 3dsk site. The sheets, which cover the basics in extremely condensed form, focus on the torso, legs, and arms, and at the very least, will give you a preview of what the diagrams in the Strength Training Anatomy book are like.

Here’s a classic art instruction book by George B. Bridgman (1864-1943), first published in May 1920 and now in the public domain (see Wikipedia: “According to s. 6 of the [Canadian Copyright] Act the copyright of a work lasts the life of the author plus 50 years from the end of the calendar year of death“; “In the United States, all books and other works published before 1923 have expired copyrights and are in the public domain“), available from Ragged Claws Network as a free download (click the cover image):

Here are some teaser images:

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.