Dynamic Anatomy: Revised and Expanded Edition

Now THIS is the good stuff.I reviewed the companion volume to Dynamic Anatomy here on Amo recently and it's good but to truly understand how to draw the heroic male or female figure, you need to study muscular arrangement.This being the revised, expanded and updated edition, this information is presented here with several new plates, existing images flipped over or reversed and some images appearing in colour, tinted orange and blue. Compared to the original edition of Dynamic Anatomy, there isn't a whole lot of difference between the two volumes.If you were on a budget, you wouldn't be missing out on just buying the original book, put it that way.Rather than learn the outline of the human body, Hogarth's classic book shows you WHY the human body looks the way it does by providing scores of expertly rendered muscular studies at rest and in motion. You'd need to sketch these illustrations yourself as supplementary exercises to either copying photos of nude models from books like Erik Ruby's The Human Figure for example, or going to life drawing classes. That way, you'll begin to add it all up once you start doing your fine art studies in oils or >>!!!GASP!!! << comic book art!!!!What!?! Comic books??? Comic books are for idiots, some of you may be saying while choking on your green tea or Absinthe but author of Dynamic Anatomy Burne Hogarth was indeed a comic book illustrator, rendering the Tarzan newspaper strip for years in his own classically trained style. Along with fellow American Hal Foster, whose artwork on the Prince Valiant strip set a new standard in realism and accomplishment beyond crude cartooning, Hogarth is a Titan in modern art and when he lectured in art, he would draw full size anatomical studies freehand and without any preparation.To further illustrate the comic book connection, the foreword to this new edition is by one Todd McFarlane, creator of the US comic book character Spawn. Co-founder of Image Comics in the early 1990s, McFarlane rose to prominence at Marvel Comics drawing the Hulk and then Spider-Man. He credits Dynamic Anatomy with adding the finishing touches to his knowledge of art, by helping him to understand anatomy (helpful really if you're drawing muscle bound super heroes). Now the wealthy owner of his very own comic book empire, Dynamic Anatomy was the book that got him over that last hurdle of having his artwork being accepted by comic book publishers.So, if you buy this book, remember - mimicry is key: the only way to learn muscle structure and placement is to copy from the pictures with a soft pencil like a 4B until it all sinks in.Classic DC Comics Green Lantern artist Gil Kane's artwork from the mid-60s looks exactly as if he'd absorbed Dynamic Anatomy intravenously; his heroes don't have skin almost, just perfectly rendered toned musculature, with beautifully drawn shoulder or Deltoid muscles standing out in sharp relief!If you're a sculptor, a fine artist or even a fledgling comic book artist wanting to go 'old school' and enhance your artwork, get this book. It's tailor made for you.An effortless five stars from me.

If anatomical drawing is your genre, this well written, illustrated and researched book is likely to become a useful tool for many years. The exaggerated style of drawing is reminiscent of comic book art, as Hogarth was the artist who gave us the Tarzan comic strips in the 1940s, but the exaggeration helps to understand the underlying form and function of the body. It's great for practice and the historical chapters are fascinating.

One of the best anatomical drawing books out there.My daughter used this to improve her anatomical art for a University interview. She was really happy and got into University :).

I use this everyday and my art has improved DRAMATICALLY. Please ensure to get a copy!

Great book. looking forward to trying out some of the tips n techniques.Well worth buying if you are lo9king for help and have an inrerest in comics or drawing.

My wife found this a useful and instructive book that assisted her during an art course. She would recommend it.

It is very helpful. More like an encyclopedia but it is well written and answers major questions regarding the body proportions

This really is an incredibly useful book. It provides a few chapters of history about the development of figure drawing and then works through the body piece by piece giving examples from every angle, and a few famous examples. The drawing style of the author takes awhile to get used to, but when you do it really does help you to understand how the figure is being constructed.

El libro es MARAVILLOSO

Un libro complejo, con un sistema propio "dinámico" enfocado al movimiento, sin duda diseñado tras la experiencia de años dibujando comics. Quizá no el mejor para iniciarse en anatomía, con un estilo muy personal, cuestionable para muchos, pero sin duda la obra de un genio del dibujo. Enfocado a la anatomía en movimiento y escorzos desde todos puntos de vista imaginables.

Livro extremamente indicado para quem estuda desenho ou escultura tradicional e digital!Aborda a anatomia de uma forma muito didática artística e eficaz.

Ce livre est absolument génial, assez brute de décoffrage, sans fioritures, il va droit au but sans faire des détours. Vous aller beaucoup progresser en anatomie si vous suivez et notez les nombreux conseils que fournit l'auteur!Si vous être en prépa art plastique ou autre, vous DEVEZ vous procurez ce livre. Je le sors souvent quand j'ai un doute sur comment dessiner une partie du corps ou d'un certain point de vue. Vraiment l'alpha et l'oméga de la référence en matière d'anatomie en générale. De plus le papier des pages est de très bonne facture je trouve. Je recommande!(PS: je vous recommande de prendre son petit frère "Dynamic Light and Shade" du même auteur si vous êtes plutôt dans la BD ou les comics)

This is a great reference for those who want to get serious with muscular anatomy.Though this book only focuses on 'superhero' physique and might be a little 'too much muscles', it is still a great reference for muscles mainly because how detailed the muscles were drawn and placed.Worth my money and time.