Anthro leg gestures

From my previous post, here are a few ideas on gestures when it comes to the anthro legs. Firstly I look to draw the curves they create. I've posted before about the elastic energy that digitigrade and ungiligate legs reserve whilst walking, this is effectively why they are configured the way that they are. So simplify this to curves as if the legs were bamboo, bending, curving under strain. So long as you remember that with any stance, the ball of the foot/paw/hoof needs to be in contact with the ground under the bodies center of gravity. Keeping that in mind will help you create that curve and make your characters look more grounded.

Points when drawing plantigrade legs

I want to add a few posts about drawing anthro legs again, as they are a tricky bit of anatomy to understand and draw. First off is a few notes on what to keep in mind when drawing human plantigrade legs. It's not a comprehensive guide, but I've tried to focus on some of the key messages that will hopefully help give you a few ideas on what to think about, whether you're drawing from reference or memory.

Eyes II

Animal eye lids tend to open much rounder than a human's. We have an almond shape from the lid folds. There's a distinctive 'wave' to the upper lid most noticeable in canines that is facilitated by raising the brow closest to the nasal arch.

Wings and tails

Wings and tails are the anatomical aspects I really wanted to tackle when I set up this blog. I'll make them more of a focus this year. All too often they are just added as after thoughts rather than being physically useful!

Aesthetics tails and wings that really don't do much!

Eyes

Carnivore eyes, those that are forward facing, are actually quite dissimilar to ours in many ways. I was looking at their shape when sketching and tried some rendering of them over the holidays.

Don't just create, build

Where do you begin? Well you don't have to start with all this detail when designing a character but I wanted something specific for my Troganite horse. It's the parts that make the whole when designing anything, and the saying is true that you can't build on a bad foundation, so even if it's a drawing of a biological structure it starts with a well adapted frame.

Banners

The old anthroanatomica banner is now retired after 1 year of service. Let me know what you think of the new banner style and layout. Many thanks to you all for looking and adding to what is essentially a debate on plausible anatomy! :)