Need help drawing human anatomy and perspective again.

June 30, 2013 11:55 AM

Are there any good exercises online (video or otherwise) that help? Or possibly some books?

Lately I've noticed that my ability to draw human anatomy and perspective correctly has suffered. To the point where I can't even draw a body or a room correctly. I took art classes in college years ago and I feel like I need a refresher course. Relearn some tips that I've forgotten. I'm looking to sign up for some classes at a local community college but for now, I want to save the money and see if I can improve myself.

I'm not a beginner and have been drawing for years. I know there's a vast amount of YouTube instructional videos out there but a lot of them aren't very well done. Also, some book recommendations would be great! Thanks

posted by morning_television to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

For perspectives, get a Francis Ching book. For anatomy/people, get Hogarth's book.
posted by Specklet at 11:57 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

I am very fond of Nancy Riegelman's 9 Heads: A Guide to Drawing Fashion. There are some great tips and techniques, and virtually every item of clothing or accessory is listed with advice on how to draw. And once you can draw a 9 headed figure, it is of course easy to draw the more naturally proportioned 8 headed figure. This is a professional's reference book, so the new edition is about $115, but you should be able to find earlier editions in the $30-$40 range, and they are just as good. It's an invaluable resource and I don't know how I got along without it. She also has a great book on color. Don't let the "fashion" labels on these books scare you away-- they are just what you need for a refresher course on drawing humans. As far as perspective, just lay out your three vanishing points on a piece of paper, and sketch away-- it will come back pretty fast.
posted by seasparrow at 12:33 PM on June 30, 2013

Stan Prokopenko's ProkoTV
http://www.youtube.com/user/ProkoTV
posted by overeducated_alligator at 1:47 PM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

There's a huge section in Figure Drawing For All It's Worth that goes over foreshortening. The book's for sale on Amazon, but there are probably a lot of PDFs online from before it wasn't in print.

Life drawing and observing carefully will probably be the most help. If you're out of practice, practice.
posted by jumelle at 2:15 PM on June 30, 2013

I came in to suggest ProkoTV too!
posted by Glinn at 4:51 PM on June 30, 2013