“Marshall's classes... little gold mines of knowledge.”
—Ruben Procopio, 25-year-veteran Disney Animator
 

Animal Anatomy

If you've ever wondered how masters of drawing can draw a horse leaping or a bear dancing without copying photographs, this crash-course is for you! It will show you how to confidently draw animals from imagination as well as to interpret what you see when drawing from real animals — those mysterious bumps on a lion's limbs will make sense when you know the underlying structure. This course is similar to the Human Anatomy for Artists Seminar but focused on animals. We will compare various types of four-legged animals with humans, always with an emphasis on how to master “form in space” so they look realistic, alive, and authoritative.

Click here to sign up or to check if this course is now open for registration.

This course meets for four 4-hour sessions.

SESSIONS & TOPICS
Session 1

Comparative Torso Anatomy;

Form Studies of Horses
Session 2 Comparative Hind Leg Anatomy; Form Studies of Big Cats
Session 3 Comparative Foreleg Anatomy; Form Studies of Deer & Cattle
Session 4 Neck & Head Anatomy; Form Studies of Miscellaneous Animals

This seminar focuses on Anatomy, Form and Gesture — the three essentials for mastery.

For those of you who took my Animal Drawing courses at CSF or Laguna College, this concentrated crash-course boils down the best of those semesters. These sessions are packed with instruction so be prepared to learn.

Materials:

Bring a sketchpad and a mechanical pencil or pen or some other non-messy point media. No charcoal or dusty media or anything that leaves shavings.

Note:

This is not a university curriculum course and you will not receive college credit for it.

Endorsements

“You are one of the most engaging, informed instructors I've ever experienced. I learned volumes from the Animal Anatomy course. With joy and fond appreciation....”
—Ed Eyth
Senior Character Designer, Henson Studios
 
“Your Animal Class was a great experience. It gave me exactly what I wanted and made me the draughtsman I wanted to be. Thanks for that.”
—Eric Beltz
instructor of Animal Drawing UCSB
“You have no idea how much your teaching has helped me. Of all the teachers I have ever had, of all the professional experience I've had, none has impacted me as much as your classes. I only hope I can manifest half of the enlightenment you've brought to the class room — I wouldn't want to let the students down. It's hard to follow in your tracks!”
—Tina Leah-Schmidt
Current instructor of Animal Drawing at CSUF
“How To Draw Animals is the best compressed, to the point, how-to bit of instruction I've ever seen. Thanks a lot.”
—Ellis Goodson
“You are a fabulous teacher and I'm happy to hear the word's getting around about it.”
—Mary Eaton
“The animal series was great. After a seemingly short lecture series I can confidently approach animal subjects like I never could before.”
—Jacob Glaser