Big text this time because this is going to be a long one. As always, I apologize for my English. It's not my first language so I'm not great at it, and I'm always open to clarify anything. Also please remember that I have had zero formal art training, so everything I'm saying is completely from my own experience as a self-taught artist.
LonelyAstronauts wrote:any tips on getting better at anatomy and poses? Mine always feel flat and idk why
I'm a huge nerd for everything about anatomy, especially how to use it in art, so I'm going to answer this question in chunks. Typically, artists will find themselves struggling with one part of this more than others, so I hope the format makes it easier.
Before I really start, I just want to say: Realism isn't what makes art good. I kinda focus on realistic poses here only because I like to learn the rules before I break them, but I personally love cute styles more than I'll ever love realism. Don't let any frustration with these elements get in the way of your style.
1 // STUDYING
- ART STUDIES
Before you begin drawing full pieces, I highly recommend doing studies of your subject. There are several ways that you can do this, and they don't have to be long. Five-minute warmup exercises are a fine way to get comfortable with anatomy. I personally like to do light doodles of various lines of action, with only suggestions of the head and limbs of my subject. I won't elaborate too much on this, since it ties in with the rest of these suggestions, but make sure you warm yourself up before drawing a full image. I promise it will improve your art quality drastically.
GENERAL ANATOMY STUDIES
If you're a nerd like me and enjoy delving deeper into what's under our skin, do so. Bodies are kind of like one large piece of tight fabric pulled over a bunch of soft, squishy machines, and I love learning about it and applying it to my art. By getting a basic understanding of musculoskeletal structures and how they vary between species, you can better visualize your art in dimensional, dynamic spaces. I'll go more in-depth in this throughout this post, but I fully support studying science in order to build yourself as an artist.
2 // USING REFERENCES
- Always use references while drawing, and learn how to use them. There are a lot of different ways to reference things as far as anatomy goes, so I'll cover a few things that I use personally.
- REFERENCING IMAGES ONLINE
The easiest way to get good references is by looking up whatever you want. By understanding the different shapes and the different mass that you can see in photos of living creatures, you can better understand their anatomy and how they can be posed. My best tips here are:
- - Don't reference other art. It can be inaccurate or stylized without you noticing, and is, therefore, an unreliable source if you're looking to create a more realistic anatomy in your own art.
- Don't use images that you aren't allowed to. This includes copyrighted images. No, Google Images is not full of free stuff. Use a free image search engine like the ones listed below.
- For humans, try to get a good grasp of different races. To be blunt, I hate seeing artists get what I call "white face syndrome". Learn to draw features that aren't button noses and thin lips. This will be a huge help when you design characters too, and it'll make your art more accurate when you draw anyone else's characters.
Line-Of-Action - Not linked because it has an option for nude models. If you're comfortable with having that option, feel free to Google it at your own will. This tool includes options for humans, animals, hands/feet, and expressions. This also allows you to time images, so it's great for doing quick studies.
Unsplash - Search engine for royalty free images.
Pixabay - Search engine for royalty free images.
SketchDaily References - Not linked because it has an option for nude models. This tool includes options for figures, animals, body parts, and more.
QuickPoses - Not linked because it has an option for nude models. Includes a ton of pose resources and great tips.
Animal Photo Art References Search - I love this one. It's primarily for animal heads, and it allows you to search for images of specific animals at the angle of your choice.
REFERENCING POSE MODELS
Pose models are another great tool when you're looking to make your poses more dynamic. You can use physical versions, such as this guy, or use digital versions. I personally use DesignDoll because it's extremely customizable and allows me to have a stick-figure type reference. It's also free. I mainly use it because it's free. Tools like DesignDoll are extremely helpful if you struggle with perspective, too, because they have adjustable cameras. As I explain below, a lot of flat poses are the fault of poor perspective points, so I recommend this if you think that could be your problem.
REFERENCING SKELETONS AND TAXIDERMY
This is what I do a lot of! I love skeletons because they give me more room for stylizing the character. I own two articulated human skeletons who I often reference for anatomy purposes, and I collect taxidermy, which often gives me a really personal look into how animals can function. Of course, you don't have to shell out upwards of $3000 in order to get a good art reference. But you might want to. I'll cover both.
- GETTING YOUR OWN SKELETONS
Plenty of skeletons can be bought online or cleaned in your own backyard. When purchasing skeletons (for US citizens), I recommend Skulls Unlimited, The Bone Room, and Bone Clones (these are fake). Skulls Unlimited is the biggest bone seller I know of, and they're great to work with. Most of their smaller skulls are pretty cheap, so if you want a good cat or dog reference, they're great. If you're looking specifically for human bones, private sellers like JonsBones are really good too. Owning human remains is legal in every US state expect for Louisiana, Georgia, and Tennessee. I think you can buy bones within the state in the latter two, but do your research. It's a lot of money to spend just to be arrested. Also, if you're getting your authentic art references of endangered or threatened species, make sure you keep the paperwork or else you can have it confiscated and you can be fined. PM me if you have any bone-related questions. Please.
USING OTHER PEOPLE'S SKELETONS
If you're not interested in selling your soul and half your life's savings for your art just yet, you can reference skeletons that aren't yours. Visit natural history museums in your area and photograph their displays at various angles. If there aren't any around you, try emailing other museums or collections. Plenty of them will be happy to provide photos upon request. (I don't personally provide photos of my skeletons due to the cultures they once belonged to.)
3 // CREATING GOOD POSES
- USE A LINE OF ACTION
The line of action is the backbone of a dynamic pose- literally. This term refers to the line that flows through the figure in a piece of art. It usually flows from the base of the skull down through the legs. It can be used it nearly every style of art and gives a really good sense of unity. That brings me to my second point here:
FOCUS ON COMPOSITION
When you're only drawing figures, your pose is the essential element of your composition. Even with a flat pose, you can make good art by having a good composition to it. There are a lot of things that I could cover here, but the basic point is that you should have a pose that fills your canvas properly and is appealing to look at.
EXAGGERATE WHERE NECCESSARY
Stiff poses can also be caused by too strict of an adherence to anatomy and proportions. When the character is being influenced by an outward force or dramatic movement, you can make the viewer understand the force by exaggerating the pose heavily. This is an element used strongly in cartoons. Cartoons usually try to stay pretty simple, so the heavily stretched and contorted shapes of the characters can give audiences a good grasp of what's happening to them.
VARY YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Super secret art hack here, but you don't have to draw characters from the direct front. Try to think of your subject in three-dimensional space to do this. Again, DesignDoll and similar tools are good for this because they show you exactly how a certain pose will look in your selected perspective.
It's now half past two in the morning and I'm very tired, but I might add more in the morning. Let me know if there's anything you want to see covered here!
