The easiest way to start is with a stick figure, anybody can draw one and it also means they can draw a full body.
Most people find it easier to start by simplify the body into shapes without necessarily knowing the actual muscles and bones that compose the body.
There are many ways of organizing these shapes, here are some examples:
The important thing to know about these is that when muscles contract they change shape and bones can start poking under the skin, creating different bumps depending on the body’s position.
We don’t need to learn about each muscle’s name and place to know how to draw people in different poses, just knowing the muscle groups and the shape they take can do. Knowing how to draw a skeleton however is pretty helpful, and much easier than knowing about every muscle.
❗ In my opinion, sculpting is THE BEST way to learn anatomy, whether you’re learning simplified shapes, the skeleton, or the muscles. So open Zbrush or any other sculpting app and do your best with tutorials and references.
Be mindful to the differences in shapes and proportions between the male and female bodies.
Some tutorials & series covering the basics of figure drawing:
I encourage you to learn about each individual muscle once you’re familiar enough with the general muscle groups and can pose a character under most angles and poses.
Anatomy:
- Muscles originate as tendon > muscle tissue > tendon
- "Belly" = the thickest point of the muscle
- "Heads" = The multiple divisions of a muscle, connecting to different insertion points.
