The Anatomy of the Human Body Tutorial: Simple but Complete Anatomy for the Artist

A good understanding of a minimum amount of anatomy is necessary to be able to draw people on the fly. You don't need to be a "medical" expert but without a fundamental knowledge of the anatomy of the human body you will never be able to draw the human figure quickly and accurately. To give you this minimum amount of knowledge is the goal of this tutorial. The teaching methodology for a particular anatomical feature rests upon three pillars: 1. The Bone Structure: in this section we look at the underlying bone structure of a particular anatomical feature and explain just enough to be able to go to the next step which is the muscle structure. 2. The Muscle Structure: similarly, we discuss the muscle structure associated with the anatomical feature under consideration, always keeping in mind the final goal, i.e., the drawing of the corresponding surface feature. 3. The Surface Structure: finally, we discuss in detail the actual surface feature and how it is related to the underlying bone and muscle structure. This will give you sufficient knowledge to understand why certain body forms appear the way they do. This, in turn, will help you tremendously in drawing the surface features correctly even if they are sometimes difficult to observe. These three steps flow seamlessly together to reveal the beauty and efficiency with which the anatomical feature is put together. Note that the emphasis is always on the ultimate surface feature, i.e., the item that the artist is required to draw. In other words, this tutorial is not a medical treatise but is aimed at the artist. The tutorial contains the following sections: the arm, the hand, the leg, the foot, the torso, the head and neck, the anatomy of the human head, and put it all together.

Remi was born on 5 April, 1948, in Flanders, Belgium, the land of Breugel, Van Eyck, and Rubens. He received his education in mathematics and engineering at the University of Ghent. In 1974, he immigrated to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics. He then had a successful career in Engineering and is now a Professor Emeritus at the University of Tennessee Space Institute at Tullahoma, Tennessee. Throughout the years Remi maintained an interest in drawing and painting and since his retirement has become a full-time artist. He executed numerous commissioned portraits and other subjects both in graphite pencil and oil. He has also exhibited his work in several venues. Remi lives and works in the small town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Together with his lovely wife Linda he has four grown children (and also four grown dogs!).