The human form is unbelievably complex. All of its systems, forms and structures are complicated enough on their own, but the fact that they all change depending on the pose makes it that much more difficult to master.
It’s no wonder why this is such a popular topic among artists as it presents great challenges and offers an opportunity for improving your understanding the mechanisms and the forms that make them up so that you can finally draw this strange and miraculous body that we all posses.
As overwhelming as it may seem, many talented artists have written books on the subject that break it down and show step by step not only how to draw human anatomy, but also how it works. Once you understand that, everything else clicks into place.
Here’s a list of the top 5 anatomy art books that we’ve been lucky enough to come across. Each one is very different in its own way and all of them will drastically improve your skills and understanding of anatomy.
5. Constructive Anatomy
Constructive Anatomy by George B. Bridgman | $9.95
This little book is well-known among artists as a must-have.
It breaks down the human body into each part and explains each of these forms and how they interact with each other, as well as the nature of their movements.
Bridgman is the master at demonstrating complex things using simple drawings and explanations.
Even if you’re not one for reading, with close to 500 illustrations, this book is a reference gold mine for anybody interested in the human form.
The book is around $10 to buy, which is unbelievable considering the amount of knowledge it contains.
It has personally transformed my anatomy drawings from stiff and motionless, to dynamic and believable.
Just look at that bicep in the picture – that’s how you feel about your art after reading this book!
You can read the start of the book here to see if its for you (just tap on the main photo when you’re on the page).
This book has an average rating of 4.6/5 on Amazon.com.
Read the reviews or get your own here.
4. Anatomica
Anatomica by Joanna Ebenstein | $24.64
“Anatomica brings together some of the most striking, fascinating and bizarre artworks from the 14th through 20th century, exploring human anatomy in one beautiful volume, with over 250 images”. This is the description given about this book on Amazon and it really nails it.
Anatomica presents hundreds of fascinating, unique and even challenging artworks of anatomical images, created with all sorts of mediums including illustrations, watercolors, woodcuts, and paintings. It rips open and exposes each and every part of human anatomy, beautiful or ugly, pleasant or disturbing.
If you’re not one for insanely detailed illustrations of the insides and outside of the human body, then this might not be for you.
If you can put up with that though, then you’re about to be blown away.
Keep in mind however, this isn’t an art tutorial book. It’s more a collection of amazing and unique images to use as a reference of inspiration for your own work, as well as teach you a huge amount about human anatomy.
The hardcover book is super high-quality. It’s one of those books that becomes a valued possession rather than just a bunch of pages and a cover.
This book has an average rating of 4.9/5 on Amazon.com.
Read the reviews or get your own here.
3. Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters
Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Hale and Terence Coyle | $16.39
This unique book analyzes 100 drawings that were drawn by the masters. It’s the first time I’ve seen famous drawings broken down and explained from scratch. Want to know how Michelangelo or Da Vinci created their art? Well this book breaks down anatomy artwork made by them and many other masters and shows you how to arrive at the final results from the ground up.
The great thing about this book is, not only does it show you what they did to draw their masterpieces, it also shows you why they did what they did for each step.
By breaking each drawing up into parts, the authors show us how things that may seem impossible to draw can be done so much easier than you might think.
It invites us to view drawing by looking at the simple forms, and does a fantastic job at showing us ways to depict 3D objects on our 2D page.
Each right page of the book contains a famous drawing, and each left page contains the explanation of how to draw it which makes things super-clear and easy to follow.
You can read the start of the book here to see if its for you (just tap on the main photo when you’re on the page).
This book has an average rating of 4.7/5 on Amazon.com.
Read the reviews or get your own here.
2. You Will be Able to Draw Faces by the End of This Book
You Will be Able to Draw Faces by the End of This Book by Jake Spicer | $16.22
For most artists, the human face is hands-down the most desired thing to draw well. But because it is the single most familiar thing we know out of everything on the entire planet, you need to understand its structure to get anything close to believable artwork. The human mind is smart – one slight error in proportion and anyone, artist or not, will pick up on it instantly. They may not know exactly what’s wrong, but they’ll know something just doesn’t look “right”.
You Will Be Able To Draw Faces By The End Of This Book’s to-the-point title says it all.
It starts with the basics, explaining the how the face can be viewed as simple forms, and then goes into the details.
Though this isn’t just a book – it also has blank pages and exercises to do for each part of the face. I love this practical design and it really encourages you to get drawing and start learning.
Don’t get me wrong though, there is an absolutely huge amount of illustrations describing every possible detail of the face illustrated in Jake Spicer‘s clear and eye-pleasing style. Have a look at the beginning pages here to get an idea of its layout and style (just tap the main photo when you’re on the page).
This really is the ideal book for anyone starting out, and even more for anyone who’s been drawing for a while and is looking to take their portrait drawing skills to the next level.
It’s one of those books that you’ll wish you got earlier.
You can read the start of the book here to see if its for you (just tap on the main photo when you’re on the page).
This book has an average rating of 4.6/5 on Amazon.com.
Read the reviews or get your own here.
1. Morpho: Anatomy for Artists
Morpho: Anatomy for Artists by Michel Lauricella| $22.43
With over 1000 illustrations, Morpho by Michel Lauricella depicts the human body in many new and important ways – its bone structure, muscle structure, outer anatomy, and even the body in motion.
This book uses minimal shading, leaving things simple and clear so that the reader can learn what they came here to learn – how to draw human anatomy.
The illustrations are of the human body not just in a hands-by-side pose, but in various poses, showing how the muscles change depending on the orientation of the body, as well as how it all works biologically.
With eye-pleasing, clear, fundamentally-detailed drawings, this book is one for anyone looking to learn about drawing anatomy in depth.
If you have an idea of the fundamentals or are starting out and you’re up for the challenge then this book is for you. You’ll see your artwork and understanding improve greatly in a short time, and you’ll enjoy each and every step along the way.
You can read the start of the book here to see if its for you (just tap on the main photo when you’re on the page).
This book has an average rating of 4.8/5 on Amazon.com.
Read the reviews or get your own here.
Things to remember!
The human body is one of the most complicated things you can draw. Understanding the fundamentals of form and breaking it down is the way to go, and these books will be your best friends in showing you how.
Explore, experiment, discover, practice, and most importantly, have fun!
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When you subscribe you get a chance each month to be drawn by Smashing Pencils and have it sent to you. We also email each of our subscribers our “8 Steps to Better Artwork” guide as our welcoming gift to you.
