How can I best approach learning to sculpt anatomy and character art?

Varoun

Hey there! As the title might imply, I'm looking for some advice on how I can best utilize my time when learning to sculpt the human anatomy. I should preface that I've got basically little to no experience with sculpting (or traditional art like drawing) in general, so I'd basically be going into this blind. Do you think I should spend time learning how to sculpt individual pieces of the anatomy first? If so, which ones are considered the easiest for beginners? Or should I try and block out a basic but anatomically correct mesh of the total body and work from there?

Any help or advice for getting started would be really appreciated - that includes courses, tutorials, things like that. If it matters, I'll be using (and learning to use) Zbrush.

Brian "Panda" Choi

You're going to want to not look into anatomy first actually, but figure drawing.

If elements like "gesture" or "line of action" don't mean anything yet for you, you're going to want to look into figure drawing first before getting technical with anatomy.  Bad figure drawing can't be fixed with great anatomy.

JunkieKong

I've found this series super helpful https://gumroad.com/d/f287610417eabf41fc5d1f8c520f4c2e

Varoun

I should've mentioned that I'm working on my figure drawing skills as well - starting with gesture drawing. I kind of wanted to work with 2D and 3D simultaneously - I figured maybe it would help me to understand the forms and structure of the human body better. 

sacboi

Varoun wrote:

Hey there! As the title might imply, I'm looking for some advice on how I can best utilize my time when learning to sculpt the human anatomy. I should preface that I've got basically little to no experience with sculpting (or traditional art like drawing) in general, so I'd basically be going into this blind.

If you're inexperienced, particularly in terms of traditional drawing I'll suggest reading comments I had offered on a couple of similarly aligned posts from people seeking guidance where to begin:  

Starting to learn to draw, i feel lost from start, how to start. (scroll to 4th reply)

Some help getting started (scroll to 10th reply)

Plus further insightful linked resources I'd mentioned on this thread:

Should i bother with drawing? How to people make art like this? (scroll to 17th reply) 

Do you think I should spend time learning how to sculpt individual pieces of the anatomy first? If so, which ones are considered the easiest for beginners? Or should I try and block out a basic but anatomically correct mesh of the total body and work from there?

And for 3D I'd strongly recommend Scott Eaton's "Anatomy for Artists Online Course" an artist who is a pioneer of digital sculpture: 

http://www.scott-eaton.com/anatomy-for-artists-online-course 

""The course is online to share the anatomy lessons of the old masters with artists intent on mastering the human figure. The course takes the daunting task of learning human anatomy and distills it into artist-focused lessons that cover the critical foundation that every figurative artist needs to know."

I should've mentioned that I'm working on my figure drawing skills as well - starting with gesture drawing. I kind of wanted to work with 2D and 3D simultaneously - I figured maybe it would help me to understand the forms and structure of the human body better. 

I'd be surprised if you'd managed to interpret the human form artistically without the benefit of Foundational Knowledge, much less translate in 2D using tactile analogue media a 'near enough' representation of the aforementioned above quote. It's a common misconception I see time and time again, where either through well meaning advice or an uninitiated thought by the novice that attending a life drawing class will somehow spontaneously enable an intuitive familiarity implementing the most challenging foundational skillset without first investing a hell of a lot time and effort practising the necessary preparatory steps HOW too draw, long before finally progressing onto drawing from life...actually, personally I find it astounding why this particular (...for want of a better description) mentality even persists?! 

Well possibly...I can only guess, is due in large part, to a constant "on demand" lifestyle developed economies seem to have morphed into over the last 20years, when a given expectation is typically pursued and resolved with minimal delay...  

 - I figured maybe it would help me to understand the forms and structure of the human body better. 

No! again a misguided assumption, also at this point it may read like I'm being a dick but the total opposite is my intent here, based upon experience over three and a bit decades as a formally trained traditional artist painter/base relief wood carver alongside working professionally for a number of years as a Portraitist.

The sole intention behind my remarks is to be helpful whilst hopefully in doing so not offend anyone in the process.       

Varoun

sacboi said:

...

Dang... thank you so much for all of this advice! I really do appreciate it, and I certainly didn't interpret it as offensive in any way. I read all of your posts mentioned, and I'll take the advice to heart. From what I can gather of what you and others have been saying, traditional or 2D art is a major necessity even when considering 3D sculpting. Learning anatomy and figure drawing in a two-dimensional context before I move into a full 3D space.

sacboi

You're welcome and I also appreciate the positive acknowledgment. Now here's where the 'fun' begins  

All the best man.

thinkinmonkey

Sacboi, thank you very much

JunkieKong said:

I've found this series super helpful https://gumroad.com/d/f287610417eabf41fc5d1f8c520f4c2e

JunkieKong, sorry, I'm trying to open the gumroad link, but it asks for my email and it doesn't go over that, could you please write down the title/artist of the gumroad tutorial? Really appreciated.