Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy

by Christopher Hart

Book Overview

From head to toe, the human form, in all its complexities, is visually simplified to such a degree in this remarkable workbook that even complete beginners will soon be able to draw accurate,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0823024970
• ISBN13: 9780823024971
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.6" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

This book will be good for you if...

...You are an artist who is looking to draw more realistic human figures. I've only recently purchased this book, but already I can tell that it's a wonderful resource for someone like me. I've been drawing for years, but have never studied human anatomy or figure drawing. I was looking for a way to make my human figures more life-like and realistic, and I think this book is the key. The author assumes that you already know how to draw, at least as far as making lines and shading. His examples are all done in pencil, though I intend to convert his lessons to a digital medium, which I think will translate nicely. It is really more of a quick resource book, with a lot of examples, breakdowns, and illustrations to help you visualize your figure. There's not a lot of text that bogs it down, just illustrations with simple explanations. The only criticism I have is that Hart uses the male figure, especially the face, throughout most of the book. It would have been nice to see more female faces divided into steps, just for reference. But all in all, 'Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy' is perfect for the intermediate artist who doesn't have the patience to wade through pages and pages of traditional anatomy, and is looking for a way to enhance what they already know about the human figure, though even beginners will find useful information on the building of the human body in two dimensions.

I wish I had had this book in childhood!

Christopher Hart's book can be an incredibly good way to begin one's study of anatomy. He describes everything VERY simply...for example the difference in the curvature of the male & female forehead, and the relative thickness of the knuckle parts of the hand. I do not think that this book is meant to be used as the be-all, end-all of one's study of anatomy. But it is extremely readable and makes many significant points that stick in your mind very quickly. I REALLY wish I had had it in childhood, when I drew & drew & was wishing for instruction. I think that once one has absorbed this book, one is better primed for taking on other, more extensive anatomy books without becoming overwhelmed. But ultimately, it comes down to your own personal learning style. Some people would prefer to start right away with a very artful and extremely detailed approach. This book is more shorthand, but actually covers many essentials. And for me, this is the book that makes further study accessible. Remember that one could always go deeper & deeper into the study of anatomy, many artists spent their lives on it.

Does the job admirably

First, I would like to say that this book is aimed at the non-professional, amateur artist who needs to learn correct anatomy. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a 'how to' book. As an amateur artist myself, I have looked for a book that would help me understand the basic anatomy of the human body. With 520 muscles in the body, it seemed a little overkill to have descriptions of all of them - even the ones no one sees. Despite what some other reviewers have said, I personally have found Mr. Hart's book very useful and educational. There is nothing in the book that would cause anyone to pursue any particular style. There are no 'style' teachings in the book. Merely good depictions of musculature, skeletal structure and close-ups of problem areas for the average artist struggling with anatomy. I have reviewed quite a few anatomy books, some of them quite in-depth, and decided on this one for its ease of use and practicality.The drawings are very useful and the order in which the material is presented is well thought out. Granted, Mr. Hart is a cartoonist by trade, but he does know his anatomy. This book is easy to understand and makes anatomy a joy. If you want something more in-depth, buy 'Gray's Anatomy'. If you want something that will teach you the basics of anatomy without anatomical overload, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of 'Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy'

A good study on the human body

Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy is a very good exposition of human anatomy for the illustrator. It includes sections on skeletal structure, musculature, flexation, and how various poses are affect the illustrating of a human figure. This is not a book on how to draw a likeness of someone in particular but a good study on the human body and a foundation of its structure and illustration. If you are looking to draw a likeness then it is still valuable as a basic understanding of anatomy but there are better book choices. While the book is filled with illustrations that are very helpful they often fall just a little short of being as useful as they could be. For example, when drawing the human face it has some good metrics such as noting that when drawing the eyes the distance from one side of the head to the other is approximately the same as five times the width of the eyes, the eyes are approximately in the middle of the head and similar items. Yet it fails to not other very basic items. While it shows that the head is not circular it does not provide any metric for how tall it is in relation to width. Other books note that it is generally about 1.5 times taller than wide. In short it does a good job with what it has in it but just isn't quite as complete as it should be. Still, the book is a good buy for those who are interested in learning underlying anatomy in order to create accurate and detailed illustrations.

Not the only book you'll need, but one you should get.

This book is an excellent compilation of advice, techniques, and tips combined in a useful format that, simply shows how to draw the human body.Don't expect any repetitious "boxes and balls" lessons here. This is a book with detailed deconstructions of the nose, examples of eyebrows, advice on visualizing perspective, muscle groups, and more.This isn't a complete book, in my mind - you'll need some artistic skill and experience to get use out of it. However if you have that, or if you're studying a beginning-drawing book, this is an invaluable purchase.