It is unlike Rubins or Goldfinger’s book in that it is not “pure anatomy.” It teaches draftsmanship of the figure as well.
mvĪtlas of Human Anatomy for Artists by Stephen Peck
It does not teach you how to draw, so it is as applicable to sculptors as it is to draftspersons, but very valuable to all as reference. It is the most complete of all the “pure anatomy” textbooks for artists and once you know anatomy, you will refer back to it often for every detail. I got through it after having taught anatomy a dozen times, and it was slow going, so don’t start here.
He uses all technical terms which makes it impossible for the beginner to understand. Human Anatomy for Artists by Eliot GoldfingerĪn exhaustive artistic anatomy book. You can study them both in tandem and seek to unite Rubins’ clarity and Bridgman’s strength. Rubins is easy to understand, but dead-looking. Bridgman’s figures are expressive but hard to understand. I recommend George Bridgman (linked below) to counteract the stiffness of Rubins. By the time you’ve gone through the whole book and colored all the deltoids red and the biceps yellow, you get familiar with their names, the fact that they exist, and where they are on the body. It has the advantage that it is printed on cheap paper that takes colored pencils so you can go through it and “color code” all the muscles. I learned anatomy primarily from this book. But it shows all bones and muscles with clear, detailed illustrations.
Even the fleshed figures look shrink-wrapped. Inexpensive, complete and comprehensible. This is my list of my old-but-worthy favorites, with comments. Even if you can afford to buy books indiscriminately, you’ll still have to trudge through them (like I did) only to find that some aren’t worth the time. You can learn anatomy from books, but buy wisely.