These two manuals are all you'll ever need for artistic anatomy texts. See my review for Sheppard's "Anatomy: Complete Guide for Artists". These two are all that's required.

This is the book I should have bought when I spent some initially for "Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life" This is perfect for beginning artists like me who aren't overly concerned with the finer details of human anatomy but rather with surface anatomy. The textual content is in plain English unlike Bridgman's "older" English.

However, this book does have one blemish: some of the letter markers are difficult to see against heavily shaded body parts (because the letters should have been white instead of black in these areas). But after reading a few pages, you'll be able to determine where the letter should be (sometimes they are missing too or perfectly blended in) or where the indicated body part is.

I still rate it 5 though because it proved extremely useful to me personally.

I also bought "How to Draw Manga: Bodies & Anatomy: Human Body Drawings for Creating Characters" which is a visual reference rather than a "why" book. The drawings are clearer (devoid of light and shade) and should also appeal to those who only want to draw "cartoon" like human characters (i.e. manga, GI Joe, He-Man, Thundercats).

I am a high school artist and aspire to be a doctor. This book presents artistic anatomy in a straightforward and technical manner which also comes across as aescthetic. I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to draw people!

First off, this is a good book - but if you're painting for the
1st time, try some other subjects first. I don't recommend this
for the beginners.
Don't expect to paint like DaVinci your 1st week.
Even if a seasoned veteran understand this takes practice.

I would have liked to seem more techniques on how he painted.
The materials used area was very good and quite interesting.
If you're a seasoned painter, who wants to paint like they
did in the days of old, I highly recommend this book.

Trying these techniques gave me even a larger respect for "the old masters". I always loved their art, because it takes you
back to a time where really good art required really good talent & skill.

Practice & maybe we'll see your "Mona Lisa". Good luck!

I first saw this book at my local bookstore a few years ago. The paintings presented in this book consolidated my love of classic fine arts (AKA the Old Masters' works). At the time, I did not have enough facilities to pursue oil painting, I simply admired beautiful works by Mr. Sheppard and put the book back to the shelf. Briefly, my conclusion of his work at the time was "unreachable".

I recently bought a copy of this book for myself and in fact have painted, as a practice, some paintings, using the techniques of Titian (both portraiture and nude) described in the book. I fall in love with the techniques of this Old Master simply because the choice of colors and every steps were done in oil (personally, I don't like to use charcoal or other materials in underpainting; they tend to smear and cause a mess). The following are my humble opinions about this book, based on my own experience using it:

1) Don't kid yourself, this is a profound book. Objectively speaking, with only 143+ pages, the author covers the following topics: - Materials and Formulas - Techniques of Durer, Titian, Veronese, Caravaggio, Rubens, Hals, Rembrandt, and Vermeer

Due to space limit, expect some details that may need more in-depth discussions. However, the book does include a reference citation for further reading.

2) This book does not make you a "Master", but it helps to "try out" these techniques. In my humble opinion, to fully benefit this book, the reader should have the following skills before trying the techniques described in the book:

- Good craftmanship. Don't expect to create a masterpiece without a decent drawing skill to start with. Be honest with yourself, if you think you have a problem looking at an object (either live or from a photo) and render it on a canvas, you are not ready for this book yet.

- A reasonably decent ability in recognition of shade, light, and halftone; and a considerable knowledge of color mixing in oil. If you have never mixed oil colors, the book does provide, to some extent, what colors to use. However, in reality, variations occurred, due to different brands of colors or medium used. In any event, you might be able to get by.

3) Practice makes perfect. Do a few paintings using the techniques of your choice. You will eventually find out that no matter how strictly do you follow the techniques described in the book, YOUR WAY of painting will end up different. This is exactly what makes every artist unique. As long as your final work is good, it is a masterpiece of its own right. Who cares whether you tried to be a Titian or Rembrandt and failed. After all, that is even not a good idea, in my opinion.

In closing, I am happy to have purchased this book and tried out some paintings for myself. It surely is a great reference every time I plan to do a portraiture in the Old Master's way (but then again, when the painting is done, it becomes "my" way).

In a few words, "Strongly recommended".

If you are an artist and would like to have your paintings come alive is suggest reading and using Joseph Sheppard's How to paint like the Old Masters. I have found this book invaluable to the growth of my painting ability. Of the many books I have on painting this is the one I always go to when I start an important work. Beginners and advanced painters both will find this book useful.

I found this book very helpful in understanding the human figure. It doesn't cover everything that I would have liked however, but it does cover a great deal of both male and female forms. With highly detailed drawings, practical techniques, and easy to understand text. This book makes an excellent addition to your drawing library.

I found that the range of poses and angles for noses, eyes and the mouth were very useful. I also thought that it was a lot less like a medical book than some, which from my point of view was good. The charcoal/chalk images are fine for gaining an idea of where you want to go, but they do lack detail. I think this book is an ideal reference book but should be used in conjunction with others.

If you find Bridgeman a little too loose, Peck not fully clear, and others a little too medically oriented ... this might be the anatomy book for you. I have either bought or borrowed EVERY drawing book there is, and for anatomy this is the best thing out there for me. The companion text - "Drawing The Living Figure" - is also indespensable for the different views of exterior appearance built by the interior structure. Though there is always the possibility they're not your cup of tea, for most students these two are perfect and will teach you everything you need to know about artistic anatomy without costing an arm and a leg.

If you are interested in drawing the human form this book, in my humble opinion, is not only a wonderful place to start, but also an excellent reference and workbook to practice drawing from. It covers Arm, hand, leg, foot, torso, neck, head, and builds up each part from bone to full surface anatomy from several views and several positions (flexed, relaxed, turned in or out, etc.).
The complete figure is covered in the last chapter.
A bargin at twice the price!

Imagine taking a handful of very busy paintings. Take dozens of photos of each. Now add very generic comments about light, shadows, colors, etc. and you have this book. If you are a skilled artist who lacks formal training then the generic tips in this book might be of some slight benefit to you. However, if you are a beginning or intermediate artist who is looking for solid advice, detailed tutorials, or tips on painting specific textures then you should look elsewhere.

Before Modernism, oil painters were interested in developing their abilities to depict real or imagined images. In order to accomplish that goal, they needed 'technique'. Starting with the workshops of the Renaissance, young painters (e.g., Leonardo Da Vinci) learned how to represent the differing textures of objects (viz., silk fabric, satin, Persian carpets, shiny and dull metals, flowers, fruit ,vegetables, animal fur, human skin & hair). Only after gaining such facility in their painting technique were they allowed to join the guild of professional artists in their community.

In this book Joseph Sheppard shows how to paint the textures one sees. This liberates the artist who is willing to put forth the effort. Also, Joseph Sheppard painstakingly illustrates the steps one goes through in building an oil painting, from beginning to end. We see his accomplished paintings being built up layer by layer. He shows the importance of blending and how to attain sfumato. Note: I disagree with his insistance, in the book's introduction, on the use of toxic lead white (e.g., I have found that Old Holland titanium white is both more opaque and lean than lead white).

Sheppard starts with thumbnail sketches on paper to develop and optimize his composition. We are shown the various sketches he makes to reach a successful composition.

Using a toned canvas or panel, Sheppard begins the iterative painting process that follows upon the heals of laying in the drawing (i.e., with burnt umber and turpentine).

Joseph shppard is a comsumate teacher. This book is holds great potential value for the serious oil painter who wants to develop his or her painting skills to a high level.