6 Books You Need To Master Drawing The Human Figure

Unlock the secrets of human figure drawing! Dive deep into the world of artistic anatomy and discover indispensable resources that will elevate your drawing skills to new heights. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, these books are your gateway to mastering the nuances of capturing the human form.
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Human Figure and Anatomy BOOKS
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Anatomy for Artists by Barrington Barber
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Anatomy For Artists Drawing Form and Pose by Tom Fox
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Bridgmans Complete Guide to Drawing from Life
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Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth by Andrew Loomis
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Drawing the Head and Hands by Andrew Loomis
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How to Draw Comics The Marvel Way by Stan Lee and Steve Buscema
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#drawingforbeginners #drawingtips #drawingbook #figuredrawing

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Become an Artistic Avenger TODAY! www.artisticavengers.com/

[@SilkCityStylings]

“Notes don’t always have to be words” 🤯 that turned the lightbulb on! All these books seem great, and you’re insight makes it so much easier to use! Silly me thought all sketch/illustration books were the same… thanks again for all the helpful tips!

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Sketch notes? Fun! Right!?

[@seanharris9777]

Dude! think you’ve already given a lot of good tips.. Then you seem to have more helpful hints under your belt. Thank you as always, and keep them coming.

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Happy to help!

[@disfortunate]

Wonderful Video! Cant wait for your tutorial video on How to draw comics marvel way!!!!

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Right on! It’s in the works! I have another recommendation video for all us creatives coming soon too.

[@SuzukiDave_]

Earned my subscription for sure!!

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Thanks for the support! More content in the works

[@joshwyatt3498]

nice recommendations!

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Glad you like them!

[@Omegawerewolfx]

Burne Hogarth should be on the list too

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Great recommendation! Thanks for sharing.

[@Silver77cyn]

I've never seen a hardcover version of How to draw the marvel way. Also, it looks like I have all these books, minus the Barber one.

[@the_artistic_avenger]

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way Hardcover was a little hard to find at a decent price. But I consider it a must have. I prefer hardcovers and currently still tracking down a few. What's your preference? Anatomy for Artists by Barrington Barber is a terrific resource for any artist looking to improve their figure drawing skills. Its clear and detailed illustrations, combined with practical advice, provide a solid foundation for understanding the human form. It's great to break down each individual body part when practicing.

[@carlhwilsonart]

Great recommendations Brad - I own most of these but have never gotten serious with studying figure drawing until recently. Specifically for the Loomis book, how do you go about studying this book since it's not really a step-by-step? Of course reading the book is a given but as you go along is the practice to draw what he has drawn - page-by-page?

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Thank you! and thanks for watching! Great question! In the next video, I’ll be reviewing best practices for studying figure drawing with Andrew Loomis's "Figure Drawing: For All It's Worth" We'll break down some actionable steps to get the most out of this foundational book. In the meantime, here’s a couple tips! • *Focus on the Basics* : Loomis emphasizes foundational elements like form, proportion, and structure. Don't get intimidated by details at first. • *Break Down the Steps* : While the book isn't strictly step-by-step, Loomis often breaks figures down into simpler shapes. Try identifying these and use them as a guideline for constructing your own drawings. Let me know what you think!

[@carlhwilsonart]

Thanks Brad. I look forward to that next video. I’m going to review Loomis’ “Fun with a pencil” as I’ve seen it mentioned to check that one out first and then onto the figure drawing for all it’s worth.

[@the_artistic_avenger]

@@carlhwilsonart rad! I’ve been meaning to pick that one up myself. If you haven’t already, you should jump on our Discord channel. Lemme know your thoughts on “Fun with a Pencil”!

[@carlhwilsonart]

Love to. New to Discord. What’s the tag or channel name?

[@the_artistic_avenger]

@@carlhwilsonarttry the link in the channel description! Stoked to have ya join

[@zangcs]

Andy Smith book also good

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Fantastic Artist! Are you referring to the book Drawing Dynamic Comics?

[@zangcs]

@@the_artistic_avenger yes....u sense the honesty of the book...

[@nataliazorinliu]

Loomis’ books would be enough for drawing realistic human figures. Bridgman gives more confusion than direction, his drawings are messy, fast and meant to be unfinished.

[@the_artistic_avenger]

Absolutely! Exploring various styles and perspectives adds depth to the artistic journey, helping each artist find their own unique expression. And it is our responsibility as experienced artists to inspire others to embrace the countless possibilities of creative expression.

[@ll1ain0]

I agree

[@ypesie]

Bridgeman is more so a advanced guide to anatomy and how to simplify it. So if you're not familiar with anatomy quite yet then no I would not recommend Bridgeman. But if you've "masterd" anatomy to some degree I would totally recommend Bridgeman, I learned so much from his book. But it's more so from the drawings than the words in the book. If you're interested in a more simple version of bridgemans theory you could watch "moderndayjames" video series on bridgemand, that one is really good. Good luck!!

[@the_artistic_avenger]

@@ypesie thanks for sharing another rad resource!✏️✏️

[@nataliazorinliu]

@@ypesie if one mastered anatomy there is no use for Bridgman’s deformed, often disproportionate and disfigured drawings. All I can see in his drawings is anatomical mistakes and a lack of artistic finesse. What did you really learn from his books?

[@matthewdavis9437]

"Drawing the Head and Hands" is not a great book in my opinion. Not for beginners. Currently looking for a more approachable book to get better at drawing the head at any angle.

[@nataliazorinliu]

All you can find nowadays are based on Loomis’ books because it’s a more classical approach and one of the best one. Other popular methods rely on blocking and shadow shapes that limits an artist making them dependent on the light source without understanding the proportions and construction. Majority of the contemporary artists use the shadow shape method (learnt in so-called classical ateliers) and they can’t draw properly. So Loomis’ ideas and methods are more approachable to get fundamental results. Good luck with your search!

[@technogiridhar]

Steve Huston method of drawing the head is a great alternative. You can check out his book and also he has a great series on head drawing in his youtube channel.

[@matthewdavis9437]

@@nataliazorinliu I have looked for books on other methods. Frank Reilly never made his own book and Faragasso's book describing it is just bad. Michael Hampton's book uses what looks like a modified Loomis Method. Bridgman and Hogarth, especially Hogarth, just display weird art. Burne Hogarth has a weirdly bubbly looking style. These are the most popular xD

[@nataliazorinliu]

@@technogiridhar the cover page of Steve Huston’s book figure drawing shows that the guy doesn’t really know what he’s doing, except that he’s trying to impress with a complicated pose. This kind of female back doesn’t exist or she was severely injured, but even in the latter case the ribs in her rib cage are unnatural (like a front view of a staircase) . This drawing is another superficial approach with the abnormal value range and a poor constructed drawing, just to impress amateurs. I don’t have this book and I didn’t see what’s inside but in such a case I always judge book by its cover. Majority of draftsmen nowadays can’t draw well so they hide either behind their interpretation of Loomis method (they claim), or classical atelier style. In order to draw as Charles Barque did one needs to know how to construct as Loomis had shown in his books. Anything else is brainless copying with a neat rendering. Rendering is the least important in drawing as well as in good painting. But drawing is foundational in classical realism, and always disclosing an artist’s level of skills and talent. See the big picture, pay attention to the details!

[@the_artistic_avenger]

@@technogiridhar Thanks for these recommendations! I'll be checking them out for sure.

[@EyeLean5280]

As someone who's studied and taught figure drawing for almost thirty years, I constantly collect books on the topic. I own all of these and many more. Honestly, Barber and Loomis would _not_ be among my top picks. Not saying they're not helpful, just saying there are even better resources out there for serious art students.

[@matthewdavis9437]

Name what you would recommend as well instead of just saying that you wouldn't recommend these.

[@hmmmnope2455]

Would you mind sharing your top recommendations please?