Figure Anatomy

Understanding human anatomy will help you achieve greater
expressive ability in figure drawing. By understanding the many different
aspects of the human form, you can better grasp how the figure
works as a whole. For example, if you feel along the bone on the lower
part of your jaw, you will notice that there is a small indentation about
halfway between the chin and the back of the jaw. This indentation is to allow
a blood vessel to pass under the jaw. The indentation helps to protect the vessel.
The significance of this little indentation is that it affects the curvature of
the jaw. The jawbone is actually concave here, rather than convex. A slender
person who has little fat around the jaw will show this distinct feature of the
jaw more clearly than a heavy person will. Knowing this little aspect of the
figure can help the artist who wishes to express a thin person.
In a way, the study of anatomy increases your figure drawing arsenal. By
studying the underlying structure, you can develop a greater feel for the surface,
expanding creative possibilities. In essence, the human form is made up
of soft and hard tissue held together by tendons and ligaments. The bones
form the underlying structure of the body and in some cases act as protection
for delicate internal organs. Around and over the bones are muscles that are
used to drive movement. The whole system is controlled by an extensive
nervous system.
The human form is capable of extreme movement and flexibility. The muscles
that power body movement expand and contract, causing surface changes to
appear. Take a look at your arm. Hold it out in front of you with the palm
down. Now twist your arm so the palm is facing up. Notice how the muscle
beneath the skin move as the arm rotates. As the arm rotates, some muscles in
the forearm will expand and twist, while others will contract to cause the movement. Now bend your arm
movement. Now bend your arm up at the elbow. The muscles of the upper arm will bunch to pull the arm up. These muscles are the biceps, so named because there are two muscles. Drawing from life, an artist is often confronted with a number of organic surfaces. It is helpful if the artist understands not only why the surface changes in movement, but also what the underlying structure is doing during those changes. This will help the artist to recognize the subtle aspects of the figure that might go unnoticed if the artist didn’t have the proper instruction in anatomy.