Recent workshop - anatomy for artists

Students at Sussex Sculpture Studios

Billingshurst in West Sussex has a hidden gem in the form of the Sussex Sculpture Studios, run by Marji Talbot and hosting a wide range of courses by leading sculptors such as Hazel Reeves. Last weekend I taught a class on artistic anatomy to a group of enthusiastic painters and sculptors. 

Anatomy encompasses a huge subject area - so when I teach it I like to focus on the practical aspects rather than naming and describing every single muscle. I'm interested, above all, in the features that create structure and surface form. Over the course of the weekend I introduced the key bony landmarks and the major muscle masses, but for the most part we explored ways of giving believability and solidity to figurative paintings and sculptures.

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During the two-day session, we looked at examples from a range of sources, including classical sculpture, academic painting and 1950s magazine illustrators to understand what gives them the ring of truth. Students traced muscles and bones over a selection of these images, in order to understand and absorb various key elements of structure.

The course will run again in February next year. Please contact me or Marji Talbot for further information.

Focusing on the structure of the skull

Helping students analyse anatomical features