Skull Reference

[Eden]

I’m on the skull portion of the Russian Academic Drawing course. The 3D model is great, but I am also thinking about getting my own skull reference. I really want to understand the bones and how they fit.

I’m wondering what other people have to say about it? In the course Iliya mentioned that part of the course was to be able to draw each skull bone from imagination.

Should I get a skull and/or individual bones? If so, what are the best resources for that?
I’m thinking it will both help anatomy and increasing my understanding of forms.

[Eden]

On this website, https://www.skullsunlimited.com/

Would it be better to buy a standard human skull or a more specific replica skull?

[Joshua Jacobo]

Real skulls are fantastic but expensive, especially the ones where each of the bones is removable. Boneclones and Somso make the best casts. It’s good to have several of different origins and sex. Otherwise you only have one mental template that won’t fit some heads well.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by Joshua Jacobo.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by Joshua Jacobo.

[Joshua Jacobo]

Btw if you REALLY want to learn the skull sculpt them. 👍🏼

A sculpture study is worth hundreds of drawings if you do it carefully and analyze it from every angle.

[Eden]

Okay interesting…. Sculpt each bone individually and see if they fit together? Maybe I’ll have to get started in sculpting soon. Thanks, Joshua!

[Joshua Jacobo]

To start I’d say sculpt a full skull. The pieces are too small and delicate to be practical as a sculpture study.

[Josseline Jeria]

Hi Eden,

I have a medical anatomy textbook that has cadaver photographs of the bones and muscles of the body (as well as organs) It is: Color Atlas of Anatomy – A Photographic Study of the Human Body, by Rohen et. al. There are photos which show the articulation of bones quite well, as well as individual bones, and whole structures. Though I think these kind of things just support knowledge of anatomy rather than necessarily learning to draw anatomy, I did find them useful, especially for understanding these forms organically, which is not common to find in artistic anatomy texts. I attached an example here. If you want I can send you a couple or even take a number of photos from various sections of parts of the body and have them available for other NMA students. Not sure but yeah a thought, because the textbook isn’t cheap. I got it a number a years ago for anatomy studies at university which is why I own a copy. But if someone is very keen to learn anatomy very in depth, say if their goal is to specificall draw anatomy at a high level, not just to have the knowledge to support your drawing.

I hope your studies are going well!

 

[Josseline Jeria]

I think the valuable thing from seeing these kind of anatomical photos is to be able to envision drawing portraits and figures more organically, rather than them looking too graphic or formulaic, which is a tendency, unless of course if that is the goal of the artist.

[Joshua Jacobo]

That’s a great book. I used it extensively when I built my anatomy head:

https://www.nma.art/3dmodels/the-nma-anatomy-head/

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