This is the first in an excellent series of blog posts by Sandy Scott about horse sculpture. Refer to her blog, linked in the right hand column, for the rest of the series.
#616 In the studio: Quadruped anatomy reference for the artist
Several days ago I received an email from a student who had taken one of
my bird sculpture and anatomy workshops asking where to find quadruped
anatomy reference for the artist. I only teach workshops about bird
sculpture but a large portion of my portfolio depicts a wide range of
quadruped species and over the years,
I've collected many books about the subject which I use in conjunction with online data.
Quadrupeds - animals with four legs - as well as humans all have the same general skeleton design.
All mammals, including horses, dogs, cats, deer, humans, etc. evolved
from the same prehistoric source and it's logical that their skeletons
are fundamentally the same. Keep in mind, mammals, like human, have two
arms and two legs . . . their two front limbs are arms and their two
back limbs are legs.
Humans have evolved in such a way as to not walk on all fours like quadrupeds.
The spine is the main support or armature for the body, the skull houses
the brain, and the ribs form a protective cage around the heart and
lungs. Quadrupeds come in different sizes and shapes depending on how
they evolved and were designed by nature according to their
surroundings and way of life. Despite the diversity of design, the same
main bones such as humerus, femur, etc. are in each creature. The
artist who understands this can easily interpolate known functional data
about specific species such as a horse, dog, or cat to other species in
the wild which are difficult to study from life.
It's easier to pick up your dog and note how the joints articulate than to attempt handling a wolf or grizzly!
I have posted two previous blogs about this subject which gives much more information:
Blog #448, Nature's one pattern - posted July 31, 2013 www.Blog #448
Blog #450, Comparative anatomy - posted August 7, 2013 www.Blog #450
Below, are eight anatomy books that are directed toward the artist. . . I continue to use them all.
I've included the publisher's name and to my knowledge, they are still available and in print.
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| Author: Gottfried Bammes Chartwell Books |
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| Oxford University Press |
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| Dover Publications |
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| Dover Publications |
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| Dover Publications |
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| Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers |
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| Dover Publications |
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| Dover Publications |
Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish
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