Since man began his search for understanding of the universe and his place within it he has always been fascinated by a sense of Self and it is this same quest that lead the greeks, romans and the free thinkers of the renaissance to take up the study of anatomy. We have all seen the wonderful anatomy drawings of Da Vinci and other masters as they sought to explain the workings of the inner body. We have heard the stories of dissections that became public spectacles and recently been exposed to the dynamic movements of the body as the layers of skin are literally pulled away from bone and exhibited to thousands worldwide.

So what of the struggling young artist who seeks to perfect his craft? Today there is a multitude of books on anatomy and no reason for an artist who is interested in pursuing a career drawing the human form to be ignorant of structural anatomy. And yet it is the fundamental weakness I see in artists today, they lack knowledge of bone, frame, muscle, tendon, etc. It doesnt matter whether your intent is to draw traditional nudes or cartoon characters, anyone can benefit from a study of anatomy.

I was priviledged to attend a conference of Game Artist recently and I asked many of them as to what advice they would give a young artist today... and everyone of them said...

"Tell them to get off the computers and study and draw anatomy from life."

To that end I would like to feature artists who are pursuing an understanding of the human form, it is fascinating viewing!