Sketchbook : Skeleton Anatomy

We were tasked with researching, observing, and finally illustrating the human skeleton. This was to encourage us to explore how the human form works; I looked in particular at how the different joints meet eachother, and the different lengths and proportions of the bones. This task really improved my understanding of the human anatomy, as I haven't really looked in depth at the human body and skeleton in years. I found that I had settled into a way of drawing wherein I often assumed certain proportions and shapes based on what I thought I knew, but this task has really helped develop my understanding, and from now on I think I'll definitely be using my knowledge of the skeleton to improve my character designs. I would also like to look at muscle structure closely at some point, as I think that is another area where my understanding has been somewhat fabricated in my mind, so I would definitely benefit from delving into the actual muscle structure of a human. Here are some of my initial sketches which focused on detailed parts of the skeleton like the pelvis.

Here is the final anatomy illustration of a surprisingly cheerful skeleton, because apparently it's impossible to draw a skeleton without making it look like it's smiling (trust me, I tried).