How to Study Bridgman - Student Anatomy Critique

Bridgman is a great artist to study from if you have some anatomy experience. It can be confusing if you’re not sure how to analyze his drawings. In this student critique for the triceps lesson, I talk about how to learn from Bridgman and apply the concepts to your drawings.

The most common mistake when drawing after Bridgman (I was guilty of this one), is copying his marks. Instead, look at what he’s trying to show you. His drawings are exaggerations of the form analogies he’s trying to communicate to his students. Bridgman is all about 3D form. He simplifies form better than anyone else. He shows us how the forms lock together and flow through the body. Even though he’s so heavy on structure, his drawings are super dynamic. Once you learn how to study Bridgman, his teaching becomes priceless.

If you like this critique, this other one about drawing dynamic anatomy is useful:

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CREDITS:

Students - Eryk Szczygiet, Joe Walker, Sonal Prabhune, Alejandro Farrera Hernandez, Sharleen Cu, Donald Sandor, Miguel Arguelles, Sun-Bop, Yingbo Zhu, Shameem-Ahmad, Sun Wei, Neville Harvey, Heinrich Zaunschirm, Edward Zou
Music Used with Permission
Intro - The Freak Fandango Orchestra

#GeorgeBridgman #FigureDrawing #AnatomyForArtists

[ProkoTV]

It’s important to not study his lines. Instead look at what he’s trying to show you. His observations about the body are the gold. His lines are rough. They’re only detailed enough to get the message across and no more.Understand his forms and apply it to a real person, don’t copy his marks. Can you find subtle versions of his forms on real people?

[jacobpolansky]

I was doing horrible at my Bridgman studies until my teacher suggested simply pulling up an anatomy diagram of the muscles in the human body. From there it was simply seeing which parts Bridgman was showing and how he added the flow, which helped immediately. Just some handy advice.

[peter_panda]

If you are a beginner and you would like to study Bridgeman dont be scared. My first anatomy book was a Bridgeman book and it was a bit scary and complex, but a few weeks in I got the hang of it and it helped me to improve alot.

[carrmx]

oh lord i tried to use his book as my first anatomy reference and i got pwned

[Emaleign]

If you could go through more Bridgman like this it would be so helpful

[deadzombies]

This video was the key that unlocked Bridgman's books for me.

[RobertMarzullo]

Great translation! I am studying him now for the first time and I was taking it to literally. It was also why I didn't fully appreciate what he was teaching at first glance. Thanks Proko and keep up the awesome work!

[alfredart]

This is great. I'm teaching an anatomy sculpture class, and the main focus is Bridgman's "Constructive Anatomy". Explaining to the students about how to study Bridgman, was a major part of the opening lecture. I think he's an invaluable resource, but often misunderstood. People see it as a drawing guide, when really its a structure guide. I loved the thing you said about not sacrificing gesture. I'm going to add that to future lectures, as I believe it's crucial when creating studies (illustrative or sculptural).

[kingzlo]

For those who have book “Bridgman’s Complete Guide to Drawing from Life”, the Arm-Back View example in video is on page 161.

[BaresarkSlayne]

Great critique. For the longest time I tried wrapping my brain around human anatomy without the basic forms. For example, my forearms got significantly better once I fully acknowledged the blockiness of the wrist compared to the roundness of the muscles of the forearm. Anatomy looks universally better when it looks solid fundamentally versus the over rendered softness that my work used to have.

[srank]

oh thank God I have his book and it's just been collecting dust because I'm intimidated.

[roryherman]

Thanks for the info, Stan. I have been studying Bridgman for years and have never heard anybody mention this!

[roiferreach]

Your critique is really helpful Stan. Thanks for this.

[protanomania]

this is one of the best videos i have seen on how to trace your own anatomy feedback loop. awesome stuff.

[tiagodagostini]

This is the most useful video you have published ever! For me at least because 2 weeks ago I just bought all bridgeman books to study :)

[toaster]

So nice to be able to observe my arm while watching this, totally helps to see what’s exaggerated and where it lives and how it feels to move each area literally, at least that tactile vibe helps me a lot when anatomy studying.

[gheedra]

I guess everyone visualizes things differently. A lot of people here seem intimidated by Bridgman's drawings, but to me, this actually makes the human form make sence and it relates to how I view the human body. Ordering his book because of this video.

[mulchmeat]

Thank you, this has helped me a lot. I was just using it as reference. Now I know what I need to be looking for and trying to understand and apply in my own art.

[lariellenramos]

You just opened my eyes widely!#!#!#! I was studying anatomy missing those informations. Thank you, master.

[LeifOftedal]

I’m going through this book and it’s such a powerful tool. It’s helping my anatomy in my comic book art so much. This video is such a great analysis of how to read this book correctly.