Anon asked me about anatomy and I deleted the post (my bad)

The question was regarding what I use to study anatomy so I figured I’d just post it anyway, since I think it could be broadly useful for people getting into art and character design.

I have a couple of tips and tricks for studying anatomy, so here goes!

  1. Zephy.fr on Instagram. Their stuff is everywhere for good reason - they’ve got exhaustive looks at muscles and anatomy, along with tricks to help you remember what it all looks like if you can’t handle all the fancy names for things (like me). Just Google their name, and their Instagram will be there. I pinky promise.
  2. Photo reference! You can find cool stuff literally everywhere, but my main source of reference is Pinterest. I have a behemoth of a Pinterest board with over 2000+ pins on it - I don’t use it all, but it’s a very useful thing to have nonetheless. Build your own library of references, and using Zephy.fr’s tips (or anyone else’s, if you come across them) study the muscle blocks and facial structures within them. It’ll give you a good foundation for your own work later on.
  3. Study from other artists that you like the look of. It’s not a crime to trace over their anatomy - just don’t claim it as your own work, and if you want to post it, ask the artist for permission first and credit them if they say it’s okay. Figure out what it is about their anatomy that you enjoy, and apply it to your own work/style.
  4. If you’re unsure about a certain bit of anatomy whilst drawing and you don’t have the energy to study it, just cover it up with clothing and folds. That’s what I do - just make sure that you’re decent at folds. You don’t want to make it too obvious that you’re avoiding it.

I hope I can be of some help! Although if I’m really honest, I haven’t properly studied anatomy since I learned the basics 6-7 years ago. I’m not really the right person to ask about this kind of stuff :’)