Artistic Anatomy for Beginners: In the Footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo

Studies of Shoulders from Michelangelo's Last Judgment, red chalk on paper

Have you ever wondered about the role anatomy plays in figure drawing? This course is designed to both practically and comprehensively satisfy that curiosity. Whether you have never attended a life drawing class before, or have felt overwhelmed by the apparent complexity of browsing through an anatomical textbook; from week to week, this course aims to, in an easy to grasp and yet systematic way, address all the skeletal forms and major muscle groups of the human body as they relate to figure drawing. Students will also learn to identify anatomical landmarks in both the drawings of flayed figures and the living model by both Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, relating these back to the weekly poses held by the life model. Cost of life model included in fee.

COURSE OUTLINE
  • Week 1: Geometry and the major masses of the body: We will address the major masses of the skeleton and their relationship to basic geometric shapes, such as spheres, ovoids, cubes, cuboids and cylinders.
  • Week 2: Anatomical landmarks of the skeleton: Observe and identify how visible bony protrusions and underlying skeletal forms define the structure, weight and action of the human figure.
  • Week 3: Muscle groups of the front of the torso
  • Week 4: Muscle groups of the back of the torso
  • Week 5: Muscle groups of the arm
  • Week 6: Muscle groups of the legs
  • Week 7: Muscles groups of the head and neck
  • Week 8: A comparative examination of human anatomy with other animals.

PLANNED LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
  1. Utilise artistic anatomy for figure drawing, integrating it with a structural and geometric understanding of the human form.
  2. Identify the major masses and protruding bony landmarks of the skeleton.
  3. Identify the major muscle groups of the human body.
  4. Make an informed use of historical and anatomical drawings within a life drawing practice.
  5. Gain an understanding of the interrelationship of muscle groups within the human body, the origin and insertion of specific muscles and their appearance and function as contingent to flexion or extension.

MATERIALS LIST
  • Either charcoal, 2H or H pencil or oil based hard sanguine red chalk
  • Kneadable eraser and razor blade for sharpening pencils.
  • A3 sketch book
  • Two metal paper clips

When:
Monday 9 October - 27 November 2017

Where:
WEA Sydney
72 Bathurst Street 


Student feedback:

'All I was looking for . Massive improvement in my figure drawing.'

'Great framework for drawing the body and identifying key parts week by week .'