Anatomy and Character Sculpture - Exercise
Ting Wen Yi / 0361799
Anatomy and Character Sculpture/Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Exercise : Fundamentals of Anatomy and Digital Sculpting
INSTRCTIONS
In these exercises series you are to produce outputs (digital drawings and sculpting test) that demonstrates the understanding of anatomy. You will have to produce out as listed below:
- Skeletal studies (Human)
- Head Studies (Sketch and Sculpt)
- Muscle Studies (Sketch and Sculpt)
- Hands (Sketch and Sculpt)
- Feet (Sketch and Sculpt)
- Facial Expression (Sketch and Sculpt)
- Posture (Blockout)
*Note that this is an exercise, though polished version is great to have but more importantly you need to showcase the anatomy understanding and breakdowns clearly.
EXERCISE
Mr. Kannan asked us to find many anatomy study references, and I have found some references for my anatomy studies and made a Pinterest board.
1. Skeletal Studies
The first task was to learn about the skeletal. To start off, Mr. Kannan instructed us to draw skulls from different angles. Through my drawing, I also learned that the TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is the joint that allows the mandible to move when we open and close our mouth. I referenced a lot of drawings and sketched out a few that were the best for learning.
 |
| Figure 1.1 Skull Drawing - Week 3 (6/5/2024) |
To study the limitations of human movement, I did some research and drew some sketches. I obtained all this information from a biology book. All of these are very common movements that humans do in their daily lives, and this could help me when I do my blockout in ZBrush.
 |
| Figure 1.2 Limitation of Skeletal Movement - Week 3 (7/5/2024) |
 |
| Figure 1.3 Limitation of Skeletal Movement - Week 3 (7/5/2024) |
Mr. Kannan asked us to draw the full skeletal structure of a human body. To start, I traced out the simple shapes using spheres, cylinders, and rectangles. Then, based on the guidelines I had drawn, I sketched the skeletal bones. I did this for both men and women. Mr. Kannan said we don't have to learn the name of every bone; we need to understand the form.
 |
| Figure 1.4 Body Tracing (Men) - Week 3 (8/5/2024) |
 |
| Figure 1.5 Skeletal Drawing (Men) - Week 3 (8/5/2024) |
 |
| Figure 1.6 Body Tracing (Women) - Week 3 (8/5/2024) |
 |
| Figure 1.7 Skeletal Drawing (Women) - Week 3 (8/5/2024) |
 |
| Figure 1.8 Skeletal in Men and Women - Week 3 (8/5/2024) |
2. Head Studies
I have previously drawn and learned head structure from Kesh Art. To refresh my memory, I drew what I learned from his classes. Dissecting the head into different structures definitely helps to remember the easier way to get the face shape right.
 | |
|
3. Muscle Studies
I've created a series of detailed muscle drawing, which focus on human muscle anatomy. In these drawings, I've color-coded each muscle group on the human figure to differentiate them clearly, covering various views such as front, side, and back. I've also included focused illustrations of the arms and head from multiple angles. Each muscle group is distinctly colored and labeled, making it easier to identify and study their functions and relationships within the human body.
 |
| Figure 3.1 Muscle Studies - Week 4 (16/5/2024) |
4. Hand & Feet Studies
I focused on capturing the movements and forms of human hands. I drew a series of sketches with various hand gestures and positions to better understand their anatomy and the subtleties of their expressions. Each sketch explores different angles and degrees of openness or closure.
 | |
|
 |
| Figure 4.2 Hand Studies - Week 7 (5/6/2024) |
I focused on sketching various foot positions and angles to understand their structure and movement better. Each drawing captures different aspects of the feet, such as the toes, arches, and overall contours. This series of sketches helped me improve my skills in depicting feet realistically in my artwork.
 |
| Figure 4.3 Feet Studies - Week 5 (23/5/2024) |
 |
| Figure 4.4 Feet Studies - Week 7 (5/6/2024) |
5. Expression Studies
 |
| Figure 5.1 Expression Studies - Week 7 (5/6/2024) |
6. Posture Studies
I drew some quick sketches from references I found on Quickposes.com as a practice to improve my ability to capture dynamic poses. Each sketch captures the essence of its corresponding photographic reference, ranging from subtle standing poses to more vigorous actions like martial arts.
 |
| Figure 6.1 Poses Quick Sketch - Week 7 (5/6/2024) |
I study different positions, such as sitting, running, jumping, and stretching, highlighting a broad range of movement and form. This set of sketches captures the essence of human motion and form in a simplified manner.
 |
| Figure 6.2 Posture Studies - Week 7 (5/6/2024) |
6. Block Out
Mr. Kannan taught us how to block out and landmark the major shapes of a human. While I start to block out, I am also exploring ZBrush at the same time. Since I am not familiar with ZBrush, I watch tutorials online.
 |
| Figure 7.1 Block Out - Week 4 (16/5/2024) |
This week, I merged all the objects together and started adding volume to the body. The toenails and fingers are very hard for me to sculpt; they look horrible at this stage. The head too. I found that the body was easier to do compared to the head, hands, and feet. They look horrible now.
 |
| Figure 7.2 Block Out - Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
During the Week 6 class, Mr. Kannan taught us how to block out a head. I followed his tutorial and sculpted the head. I tried to make it look as decent as possible, but it turned out looking kind of like an old man.
 |
| Figure 7.3 Block Out Head - Week 7 (6/6/2024) |
I separated the head and the body into different files. I reconstructed the muscles from the block-out I did in Week 4.
 |
| Figure 7.4 Block Out Body (Progress) - Week 7 (6/6/2024) |
Head Block Out
For the head, I followed Mr. Kannan's technique to extrude the hair. Although it looks funny, it's a way for me to try out how to make hair.
 |
| Figure 7.5 Block Out Head - Week 8 (13/6/2024) |
Hand Block Out
For the hands as well, Mr. Kannan taught us how to sculpt.
 | |
|
Feet Block Out
 | |
|
Muscles Block Out
For my muscle block-out, I realized that my hands were a little bit longer than I wanted, so I shortened them when I merged it in Project 1.
 | |
|
 |
| Figure 7.9 Block Out Muscles (Male) - Week 8 (13/6/2024) |
Hair Block Out
 | |
|
| Figure 7.11 Exercise Compilation - Week 8 (13/6/2024) |
FEEDBACKS
Week 6:
No need to do six-packs. Just do the block-out.
Week 5:
Name the important muscle; when you clench your hand, the fingers move diagonally.
Week 4:
The skull drawing for the last angle is off. You can just use distortion to adjust it.
REFLECTIONS
Experience
Throughout these exercises, I've had a hands-on approach to understanding anatomy through both digital drawing and sculpting. Initially, the skeletal studies were challenging but crucial in establishing a foundational understanding of human anatomy. Drawing the skulls and skeletal structures from different angles helped me grasp the complexities of human bones. Moving on to muscle studies, the detailed sketches allowed me to learn the specific functions and placements of various muscles. Sculpting in ZBrush was particularly insightful; it was my first time using the software extensively. Blocking out shapes and adding volume to different body parts, especially the head, hands, and feet, provided a practical understanding of human anatomy and its complexities.
Observation
One key observation I made was the difficulty in maintaining proportions and realistic details in both drawing and sculpting. For example, in the skeletal studies, I noticed that the pelvic bones in females are larger, and overall, male bones are denser and larger. While working in ZBrush, I observed that the interface is quite different from other software like Cinema 4D, and managing high subdivision levels without lagging was challenging. The process of blocking out shapes taught me the importance of starting with simple forms and gradually adding details.
Findings
From these exercises, I realized that understanding anatomy is not just about memorizing names but also about visualizing and breaking down forms into simpler shapes. This approach makes complex structures more manageable. The skeletal and muscle studies emphasized the importance of knowing how different parts of the body interact and move. In ZBrush, I found that using basic brushes like the Standard Brush, Move Brush, Clay Buildup Brush, and Smooth Brush is effective for beginners. Overall, these exercises improved my anatomical knowledge and technical skills in both drawing and digital sculpting, providing a solid foundation for future projects.
Reflection Zbrush (Week 2)
I have played around with ZBrush and noticed that the app lags when going to high subdivision levels, around 7. I also noticed that saving the files of the work is tricky; after saving, we needed to delete the quick save so that it wouldn't take up much space. One of the challenges I face is navigating the tools. There are too many options and it's easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start. I am also not familiar with the interface. I used Cinema 4D before and I feel like it's very different from it. I did watch tutorials on the introduction of ZBrush. For so many brushes I have tried, like what Mr. Kannan mentioned, I will just stick with the Standard Brush, Move Brush, and Clay Buildup Brush, and Smooth Brush. Understanding brush settings, managing polygon count, and optimizing performance can also pose difficulties for newcomers like me.
Comments
Post a Comment