To further my knowledge of the human anatomy I did some figure drawing recently. See below the results – a profile study, a front view, and a study of the muscles of the back. They are based on a Roman bas-relief of Antinous – the lover of Emperor Hadrian, and another Roman sculpture. Classical models are simplified (in a good way), so you really have to fill-in the gaps using your own knowledge of anatomy.

The tools I used are graphite pencil, and Faber-Castel watercolour pencils; There is also a bit of the Caran d’Ache watercolour pencils, which are like… the best pencils on Earth… for a price! But the reason why I like watercolour pencils is they allow me to make a drawing and then go over with a brush to loosen up, make it more painterly.

Like my teacher used to say, my figure drawings are very “inventive”. Is this a good thing? I guess so, to some extend… observation is also important. But anatomy is all about the structure – and sometimes you don’t see it. From my point of view, the following equation applies: observation + anatomy = drawing. You know its there, there are bones and muscles under the skin. So you draw both what you know and what you see. I tend to put a lot of emphasis on the “what you know”, especially in the profile figure drawing above.

The reference for the back study was not a classical model, but actually a vintage photo of a bodybuilder. There is clear information about muscles in bodybuilder photos, so I highly recommend to find and use such reference.

I’m based in Dundee, there are watercolour pencils and other shiny things in our local iArtSupplies, check them out on Instagram. Previously, I did some digital portraits in an impressionist style so have a look.

Here are some new creature designs that I sketched with Sakura fine-liners, Copic markers, and a little bit Photoshop clean up.

The ancient Greek house (Oikos) was made of sun-dried mud brick, sometimes with stone foundation. The wooden roof was covered in overlapping clay tiles. Oikos could have one or two floors.

In Athens, houses had different shapes and sizes. A poor house could be as simple as 1 multi-functional room with packed earth floor. Rich houses were organized around central courtyard for light and ventilation. This patio, often surrounded by colonnade, was the common space for all the family.

It contained the altar for sacrifices to the family gods, and a well. The front wall provided security and privacy to the family. There was a single wooden gate.
Large country houses were surrounded by agricultural land, which the family cultivated as the basic economic unit.