A prolific author of books on wildlife, the great naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton was also an accomplished illustrator. Noting a dearth of general zoological anatomies for artists, he took it upon himself to create one. This volume is the result of his efforts. In it, he provides a definitive artist’s-eye view of the exterior anatomy of animals, helping readers depict surface features such as hair or fur, as well as basic body and facial structures. Chapters cover a number of domesticated and wild species: the anatomy, size, and proportion of the lion, tiger, leopard, and other members of the cat family; bears (including the grizzly, European brown, American black, and the polar bear); as well as the camel, Indian elephant, and the caribou. Additional sections consider the horse in motion, the gallop of a dog, and bird feathering. One of the most widely consulted books on the subject, Art Anatomy of Animals will be a valuable addition to the libraries of both instructors and students of art.
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42 reviews for Art Anatomy of Animals (Dover Anatomy for Artists)
3.8out of 5
★★★★★
★★★★★
4
★★★★★
2
★★★★★
4
★★★★★
2
★★★★★
1
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★★★★★
Kindle Customer –
I ws a but disapointed there wasnt more anatomy pictures as i needed to make a large clay model of a tiger but it did help me in making a liger which is whatv i dodnt want to do, it was another more dettailed book that ended up really helping me.
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★★★★★
R. Zoller –
I purchased this book based on the review above and the cover art. I was disappointed when I opened the book to find that the majority of the information in the book is presented in text format and is not very useful to me as an artist’s reference. Some of the plates are interesting but I would not recommend buying this book if you are looking for an artist’s animal anatomy guide.
This is a great book for artist that are drawing or painting animals, particularly horses. Text is excellent and the drawings are very correct and helpful, especially with bone structure and muscle mass.
Ce livre est en anglais et comprend essentiellement des textes descriptifs de différentes espèces animales. On trouve à la fin du livre un répertoire de dessins anatomiques des espèces avec les cotations scientifiques. S’adresse peut-être à des experts (peintre animalier, vétérinaire…). pour le quidam pas beaucoup d’intérêt malgré la très belle couverture…
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★★★★★
matterb –
I have an older version of this book in paper, and it’s wonderful, with excellent plates and visual explanations of the text. I thought I’d get a Kindle version for portability. The Kindle version has NO plates. That is, in an art book, they left out the visuals. Next in the series, “The Sistine Chapel, A Description”. I don’t fault Dover for this, just a lazy digital transcription from Amazon, most likely. I’m returning my copy ASAP.
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★★★★★
J-F –
Ce livre présente en première partie des relevés de mensurations d’animaux divers. Des planches anatomiques complètent l’ouvrage. 2/3 de textes et 1/3 de dessins. Je regrette un peu le léger panel d’illustrations. Ce volume peut servir aux taxidermistes, peintres, modeleurs, et sculpteurs.
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★★★★★
Lane –
I really like the bird anatomy section. Bird anatomy is kind of hard to come by–I’m not talking about chicken anatomy. This artist has a very interesting style.
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★★★★★
Nhewyt –
What this book IS: A very detailed anatomy reference with many more pages of precise measurements of animals than there are artist plates of the animals. For the purpose of understanding the relationships of proportions, this book is excellent.
What this book IS NOT: An artistic tutorial on how to draw animals, or even how to draw at all. That is not the purpose of this book. For the purpose of this book, see What this book IS above 🙂
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★★★★★
candace onnen –
great book for referencing on different animals and birds. I still use this book after a year of buying it.
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★★★★★
David L. Witt –
Almost every contemporary writer would be thrilled to find out that his or her book would still be in print 118 years after first publication. Art Anatomy was Seton’s third book and his most ambitious when it came out in 1896 during a period of art study in Paris. Seton understood that an artist could not adequately depict an animal by just paying attention to its surface. Understanding the underlying muscles was critical to representation. In the history of art, going back to its beginning 35,000 years or more ago, painting and drawing animals has been of the highest importance; Seton pushed it to a new level. His stunning capacity for detail in his text and drawing still stands out more than a century later. In the book he wrote, “In every case art is a conventional abstract from nature, and its appeal to the imagination must necessarily be influenced largely by nature.” The lessons Seton conveys are as important now as when this book was first published.
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★★★★★
Eli maw –
This book had a lot of strong descriptions that I found useful in some areas. But there is little drawing to be produced from words alone; I had expected more references and plates.
Kindle Customer –
I ws a but disapointed there wasnt more anatomy pictures as i needed to make a large clay model of a tiger but it did help me in making a liger which is whatv i dodnt want to do, it was another more dettailed book that ended up really helping me.
R. Zoller –
I purchased this book based on the review above and the cover art. I was disappointed when I opened the book to find that the majority of the information in the book is presented in text format and is not very useful to me as an artist’s reference. Some of the plates are interesting but I would not recommend buying this book if you are looking for an artist’s animal anatomy guide.
ジャムおにいさん –
洋書かつ通販の上、タイトルだけでは本の中身が想像出来ないと思うので、簡単に本書の構成を説明します。
まず全ページ数の３分の１が動物の筋肉、骨格、皮膚などについての説明文です。図はありません。犬を例に解説しています。
次の３分の１に、各パーツの比率や長さ寸法を動物ごとにひたすら挙げています。犬や熊、狐にジャガーなど幅広いです。全長〜フィート、尻尾〜フィート、肩までの高さ〜フィートといった具合です。
最後の３分の１が各動物の筋肉図、骨格図、内蔵図などです。正面と側面からを中心に丁寧に図解してあります。簡易寸法を入れた図も参考になります。このチャプターは図で埋め尽くされています。
以上が簡単な内容説明です。
個人的に最後の図解オンパレードは完成度が高いと思います。骨格図と筋肉図が並べてあるので、体の構造がわかりやすいです。
僕はデザインの勉強資料として購入したのですが、すぐにスケッチの役に立つとかそういった感じではないと思います。これを読んで、その後図鑑を見るというステップになるかと。
先に説明したチャプター分けについても、後ろ２つの項を一つにまとめてくれるともっと見やすかったのかなぁと思いました。寸法が羅列してあっても結局は後ろの全体図を見ないといけないですから…。
そうそう、全ページ白黒ですよ！
値段の割には満足しています☆
coahuilagreeneyes –
This is a great book for artist that are drawing or painting animals, particularly horses. Text is excellent and the drawings are very correct and helpful, especially with bone structure and muscle mass.
Coahuila Green Eyes
Amazon カスタマー –
半分以上が英語です。日本語がなくても、絵だけで大丈夫だと思っていたので、星3です。英語が読める方はいいかも知れません。写真を見たい方は黒い本がいいと思います。
foxounette –
Ce livre est en anglais et comprend essentiellement des textes descriptifs de différentes espèces animales. On trouve à la fin du livre un répertoire de dessins anatomiques des espèces avec les cotations scientifiques. S’adresse peut-être à des experts (peintre animalier, vétérinaire…). pour le quidam pas beaucoup d’intérêt malgré la très belle couverture…
matterb –
I have an older version of this book in paper, and it’s wonderful, with excellent plates and visual explanations of the text. I thought I’d get a Kindle version for portability. The Kindle version has NO plates. That is, in an art book, they left out the visuals. Next in the series, “The Sistine Chapel, A Description”. I don’t fault Dover for this, just a lazy digital transcription from Amazon, most likely. I’m returning my copy ASAP.
J-F –
Ce livre présente en première partie des relevés de mensurations d’animaux divers. Des planches anatomiques complètent l’ouvrage.
2/3 de textes et 1/3 de dessins.
Je regrette un peu le léger panel d’illustrations.
Ce volume peut servir aux taxidermistes, peintres, modeleurs, et sculpteurs.
Lane –
I really like the bird anatomy section. Bird anatomy is kind of hard to come by–I’m not talking about chicken anatomy. This artist has a very interesting style.
Nhewyt –
What this book IS:
A very detailed anatomy reference with many more pages of precise measurements of animals than there are artist plates of the animals. For the purpose of understanding the relationships of proportions, this book is excellent.
What this book IS NOT:
An artistic tutorial on how to draw animals, or even how to draw at all. That is not the purpose of this book. For the purpose of this book, see What this book IS above 🙂
candace onnen –
great book for referencing on different animals and birds. I still use this book after a year of buying it.
David L. Witt –
Almost every contemporary writer would be thrilled to find out that his or her book would still be in print 118 years after first publication. Art Anatomy was Seton’s third book and his most ambitious when it came out in 1896 during a period of art study in Paris. Seton understood that an artist could not adequately depict an animal by just paying attention to its surface. Understanding the underlying muscles was critical to representation. In the history of art, going back to its beginning 35,000 years or more ago, painting and drawing animals has been of the highest importance; Seton pushed it to a new level. His stunning capacity for detail in his text and drawing still stands out more than a century later. In the book he wrote, “In every case art is a conventional abstract from nature, and its appeal to the imagination must necessarily be influenced largely by nature.” The lessons Seton conveys are as important now as when this book was first published.
Eli maw –
This book had a lot of strong descriptions that I found useful in some areas. But there is little drawing to be produced from words alone; I had expected more references and plates.