Animal Anatomy for Artists
This is a wonderful new animal anatomy book from 3DTotal Publishing out of the UK. I’ve always really enjoyed the quality of their artbooks and their company has a wonderful ethos that you can read on their website too!
I have collected a couple of Joe Weatherly’s animal drawing books previously, so it’s nice to see that he was one of the two main artists featured in this great book. I love the walkthrough at the beginning going through different considerations to make when drawing animals. It is great for beginners as it demonstrates how to draw animals from the most basic forms, and then it gradually layers on the complexity in an approachable way. The second 3/4 of the book the goes through so many different animals and their similar anatomy, but shaped in different ways.
Author / Editors: 3D Total Publishing (Edited by), Joe Weatherly (Introduction by, and Artist), Shannon Beaumont (Artist)
Publication Date: April 29, 2025
Edition: 1st
Print length: 304 pages
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Mastering animal anatomy is fundamental to creating dynamic, believable animal drawings. Whether sketching from life to capture realistic depictions or designing creatures from the imagination, an understanding of the animal form is essential.
Authoritative and accessible, Animal Anatomy for Artists will equip you with the knowledge, tools, and reference material you need to take your animal drawings to the next level. Introductory chapters by artist and instructor Joe Weatherly focus on a structural approach to drawing, exploring core topics including gesture, rhythm and posing, construction, anatomy basics, proportions, and more. This is followed by the visual reference library, an expansive collection of stunning animal photography with detailed overlaid illustrations showing the skeletal structure, musculature, and contour forms of a wide variety of animals, illustrated by artist Shannon Beaumont. The library also contains numerous pose sketches, both stationary and mid-action, of each animal. Whether you are an oil painter, traditional sculptor, or digital concept artist, the informative resources within this book will help you to improve the quality and accuracy of your art.
With an enlightening foreword from artist and teacher Marshall Vandruff, Animal Anatomy for Artists is a key resource for artists of any skill level who seek to capture animals realistically, or aim to exaggerate the animal form to create fantastical creatures and characters. The clear presentation and incredible details provide a keepsake resource that will enable you to create anatomically correct images for years to come.
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Really helps to break down a very complex artform into accessible steps
Animators really need to understand how to draw just about everything, and that absolutely includes animals!
Joe Weatherly and Shannon Beaumont do a great job in fully exploring animal anatomy and how to draw a huge variety of animals (often not featured in other animal anatomy books!)
If you can draw animals competently, you can figure out how to animate them too!
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