Think through the whole object

Drawings of a mug and bowl showing the difference of allowing for the thickness of the edge

The little things like these make all the difference. Comic artists can only draw realistic bulging muscles because they know what muscles are actually where. Thinking through an object carefully, not superficially, makes a huge difference in being able to represent it well.

Published 12 Mar 2014

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Biceps, triceps and quadriceps: muscles drawing showing the 2, 3, and 4 connecting origins of each, respectively

Biceps, triceps, quadriceps

Square cube law illustration with volume increasing faster than length and an elephant, an ant carrying a giant leaf and a child on the monkey bars as examples

The Square-Cube law

One day after swimming front crawl, which works the triceps nicely, it all became clear. The triceps muscle has a curious shape at the top on account of its three 'heads' — or connecting origins. And the name derives from tri-ceps from Latin meaning three-heads. And so it goes. The biceps is a two-headed muscle attached with a long and short connection at the top. And the more complicated quadriceps has four heads that attach at the top, though they're a little harder to see. Beyond this concept finally clicking for me, it was fun to emulate some of the anatomical graphical style of Leonardo Da Vinci — perhaps the ultimate at sketchplanations? — which I have long admired. For inspiration, this is a cracking collection: Leonardo Da Vinci the Graphic Works.…One day after swimming front crawl, which works the triceps nicely, it all became clear. The triceps muscle has a curious shape at the top on account of its three 'heads' — or connecting origins. And the name derives from tri-ceps from Latin meaning three-heads. And so it goes. The biceps is a two-headed muscle attached with a long and short connection at the top. And the more complicated quadriceps has four heads that attach at the top, though they're a little harder to see. Beyond this concept finally clicking for me, it was fun to emulate some of the anatomical graphical style of Leonardo Da Vinci — perhaps the ultimate at sketchplanations? — which I have long admired. For inspiration, this is a cracking collection: Leonardo Da Vinci the Graphic Works.

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