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Nova-MadArt — Thigh Construction Tutorial
Published: 2014-03-17 06:52:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 124011; Favourites: 2497; Downloads: 2728
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Hi, again
So I'm working my way up the body and have just finished my thigh/upper leg tutorial. I wanted to draw the figures in a way that is easy to understand and nothing explains form better than planar blocks.
please note: THE BODY LOOKS LIKE A MACHINE, BUT WE ARE NOT MACHINES! keep your lines embedded with life! Stretch or compress that figure if it feels right. Bend proportion for effect, but don't break it.
WE LEARN THE DETAILS SO THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE THEM AND ONE DAY FORGET THEM.
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Comments: 28
these are really interesting but they kind of hurt my brain. haha. i'm wondering if you think a scientific approach is the best approach towards figure drawing or if it's just a good thing to know in order to have a better understand of the form?
i'm definitely going to take notes and try this tutorial but drawing from figures is a bit easier for me. still, i want to achieve a better understanding of how the body moves so I can draw dynamic poses from memory . any tips on how to go about this?
thank you for taking the time and creating these <3!
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If you want to do the best you possibly can, research in detail. Find medical anatomy textbooks, learn the shape and name of every bone and muscle, learn the function of each, and how they move in relation of each other. Figure out the mechanics and limits of each piece. If you don't understand why a muscle or bone is there, look it up. Find as many examples as you possibly can, preferably from real life, learn to see what they truly look like, not what you think they look like. Learn as much as possible. Incredibly tedious, but it is the fastest and best way to get quality results. If you know what the muscles actually are and what they actually look like, you can't draw them wrong.
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Thanks for the comment.
I think it's all about how deep you want to go and how your brain works.
I still draw from figures and do life drawing + draw from photo reference and models. To me it's important to know what I'm looking at, so I learn the names of the parts of body and their individual functions. The scientific/biological approach is not better/worse etc... it's how my brain works and it works for me. I know that David Finch who works for marvel and DC has very anatomically inclined art, but he hasn't memorized the names of each part (he said so himself to me and well as in one of his gnomon dvd's).
Usually I mention at some point in the tutorials that the body is not a simple machine. Artists have to include the drama and character by using tools like dynamic posing, line weights for tension etc... to express what characters are feeling and doing. Breaking proportion for the sake of conveying a feeling the way mannerism has is fantastic and I recommend it fully, because creating an academically correct, yet boring picture, is not what I am trying to do at all. Frank Frazetta is a the best example of a perfect balance b/t solid anatomical knowledge while keeping the dynamism, so y.e.s. it can be done.
As for learning how the body moves, I've had great results by drawing athletes and paying particular attention to what's happening at the joints, trying to duplicate them exactly on paper (shoulders, elbows, wrists, upper thigh etc...). Just type in a sport in google images and go wild.
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Thanks. It's good that they are helping. Damn shoulder girdle was so friggin hard for me for years.
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yeah. Fortunately, this will come in handy.
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Thank you so much for the help! The comparison between thighs is a lifesaver.
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Thanks. I know, drawing muscular thighs can be pretty tough. I need to go back and review sometimes myself. This is why I try to draw characters with pants.
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been looking for something like this for a long time.
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no problem. I'm happy to help, my friend.
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no problems. These things seem to be working for people.
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no problems. Stay tuned. The next one should have a lot of info 
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Vous êtes le bienvenu. J'espère pouvoir faire plus.
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How did you know I was french? Is my English that bad 
And your french is good by the way ^^
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I saw "France" written on your page.
I'm trying to learn french, but it is slow. Not many people speak it here in Toronto, Canada. I also have so many other projects going at the same time.
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Oh Ok! ^^
French is pretty difficult uh?
You're so lucky to live in Toronto! Well I'm trying to learn English but I'm not so good at it :/
Anyway, thanks again for this deviation cause it's really helpful for me
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yes, french is difficult, but one day I will understand it well.
and your welcome about the tutorials. My next one is going to be on the shoulder area with the collar bone, shoulder blade etc...
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Awesome, can't wait to see it
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Thanks so much for this!
It's exactly what I need for my figure drawing class.
No more thighs that look like sausages...
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hahaha! Well, the sausage is a great start. No problem.
Looking at your work it seems this stuff will come easily to you. You already think 3-dimensionally, and hatch along the form.
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Much appreciated!
I can't wait to see your other anatomy tutorials.
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tonight I'm going to post the mid section tutorials. It's pretty long b/c it has to take gender into account.
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Thanks, Matt. Good to connect w u here.
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