Week 6: Human Musculature

In this class we'll be doing a very brief overview of the major muscle groups, without going into too much detail. When looking through anatomy books, don't be overwhelmed by all the muscles and their names, try to focus on groups of shapes and landmarks that will help construct a more convincing drawing. Knowing anatomy in great detail can' hurt, but it's not as important as making good observations from your subject while drawing.

You'll be doing a homework assignment where you will be drawing muscles based on the style in your "Art of Drawing Anatomy" (see pg 47). Please bring that text to class so you can follow along.
For additional reading, pp63-87 give an overview of the musculature of the arms and legs. The images in these pages will be used for completing your assignment.

In addition PLEASE BRING CONTE with you to class, either pencils or sticks. We'll be experimenting with conte as a new medium for life drawing, for both short and long poses. Conte is not as easy to work with as charcoal, it has a more 'clay' based content but it can be blended and erased. The trick is to use a very light touch and build up your drawing in layers, and use the side of your pencil to block in the shading.