29 Tutorial on Drawing Anatomical Structures
By Solomon R. Isekeije
Motivation.
Everyone has the innate ability to draw. Although drawing is a creative process, it involves the effective application of learned skills, for accurate depiction of objects or subjects. If we believe that drawing skills can be taught and learned then we can assume that everyone can learn to draw. Often, our inability to accurately depict objects or subjects is due to lack of trainings and familiarity with basic drawing skills. Enhanced visual acuity increase our ability for effective observation, interpretation, and ability to create drawings of three-dimensional images on two- dimensional surfaces. Economic and educational disparities against African Americans are some of the factors responsible for lower performance and limited engagement in art making processes among African American Youth. These setbacks may account for lower participation in creating and responding to visual arts among African American Youth compared to whites, Hispanic and other groups.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the work in this chapter students should be able to:
- Identify and compare basic organic and inorganic shape and forms to specific human organs and parts of the human anatomy.
- Apply a progressive drawing process in rendering selected human organs and parts of the human anatomy.
- Understand how to accurately measure the proportion of the human skeletal system.
- Draw the complete human skeletal system.
Background.
The ability to create and share still and moving images such as drawing, graphic illustrations, photographic reproduction and videos is one of the most important technological advancements of this age. Today, our daily activities are inundated with scores of still and moving images in the form of drawings, emoji, short memes, photographs and videos of friends and family, observations from nature, interesting objects, and places, and pictures of the food we eat. With so much reference to images in our daily interaction, it makes sense to develop some basic drawing skills to fully participate and appreciate our current 21st century visual revolution. The development of basic drawing skills can be linked to a heighten sense of visual acuity. For professionals in the field of Nursing and Allied Health the ability to make quick, accurate observations and act upon those observations can make the difference between life and death for their patients.
One might argue that good science is based partly on good observation. If this argument holds merit, it makes sense for a Nursing and Allied Health practitioner to learn how to accurately perceive and document their observations. ‘Observation is essential in science. Scientists use observation to collect and record data, which enables them to construct and test hypothesis and theories.’ https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/8-the-role-of-observation-in-science
To draw an object accurately, the observer must develop the a