#it's a fantastic book but even I'm squeamish of the first chapter

[teaforce-steph]

Art Resource Recommendation

One of my all-time favourite art resources that I often come back to when I'm stuck on something and would recommend to most* regardless of skill level is Anatomy for the Artist by Sarah Simblet (Link leads to publisher's website).

*It's a really useful resource, but be warned it is not for the young and/or squeamish; From memory was ok with most of the contents it when I bought it at 18-19ish? But please use your discretion and judgement as some parts may be distressing. It contains nude photography, studies and descriptions of all parts of human anatomy (not that unexpected for the subject, but worth mentioning). It also has some pretty elaborate diagrams and mentions of historical dissections, anatomical studies and death (mostly in the first chapter). Some included Illustrations like the ones by Jacques Fabien Gautier d'Agoty in particular can be pretty unsettling, and include anatomical studies of infants, pregnancy and birth. With that warning out of the way, here's why It's so useful:

It bridges the gap between scientific, historical and artistic understanding of the human body, and presents it in an orderly and informative way that's easy to flip through. This is as huge blind spot I had/have as a self taught artist (as I assume is the case for many) and even if you're using other references or drawing from life or photos, it really helps to make sense of what you're actually observing and end up with a better result.

The book goes into detail of muscle and skeletal structure (as well as fat distribution in parts, but not as much detail there), and is supplemented by photographic references (that double as good lighting studies) and some nifty transparent overlay diagrams with notes. It has sections devoted to the body as a whole and breaks down various parts into different chapters with greater detail. There are also a few 'Masterclass' segments throughout, where the author provides analysis of several historical works focusing on anatomy and posture to a level of detail I haven't seen elsewhere.

I admit I still haven't read the whole book from end to end (I think I've read most chapters at least?), but I've had it nearly 10 years and frequently refer back to it when I'm stuck on something. Even if the book doesn't have a pose relevant to what I'm working on, I can find and look up "brachioradialis" or whatever and find heaps of medical and photo references online that give me a better understanding of what I need to know.

It was pretty pricey at the time (50-60AUD) honestly it's one of my favourite art book purchases and definitely worth getting a physical copy for.

[xiaowhore]

hi :) first of all! good morning and i hope u have a nice day,, ily lots bestie <3 but um for research purposes can i ask what this is and where do u read it skdjfjwj

*pulls out powerpoint presentation* IM GLAD YOU ASKED, ZALY

explanation for my current fixation under the cut cuz yes i do know i get noisy when it comes to stuff i like,,,,, AND I ADORE TGCF OK I LOVE HUALIAN WITH ALL MY HEART

as you may have noticed, i've been babbling about something called tgcf recently,,,

heaven official's blessing (tian guan ci fu) is a chinese novel by mxtx that has been adapted to a manhua (comic) and a donghua (animation)! season 2's release date hasn't been announced yet, but we do know it's in production.

the manhua looks like this, drawn by our lord and savior STARember:

and the donghua like this:

hover hand bc chinese censorship is strict 🙃

synopsis:

Eight hundred years ago, Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of the Xian Le kingdom. He was loved by his citizens and was considered the darling of the world. He ascended to the Heavens at a young age; however, due to unfortunate circumstances, was quickly banished back to the mortal realm. Years later, he ascends again–only to be banished again a few minutes after his ascension.

Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends to the Heavens for the third time as the laughing stock among all three realms. On his first task as a god thrice ascended, he meets a mysterious demon who rules the ghosts and terrifies the Heavens, yet, unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this demon king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time.

when they say a very long time, they're not kidding

you can see english translations of the novel here! i read chapters 1-25 from sakhyulations then 26-40 from deep dream translations. the whole novel has actually already been translated by yummysuika, but they took down their translations because tgcf is getting an official english release (you can get pre-orders now! im also saving up money to buy the physical book ughh) but if you search hard enough, you can find the whole novel (244 chapters + a few extras)

i recommend watching the animation first, then read the novel if you want to know what happens next (preferably from the beginning, the novel explains more details compared to the donghua)

the comic is a bit ahead of the animation, but i reckon you wouldn't be too happy to see the exact same events play out in three different mediums, so i recommend leaving that for last when you're left empty after finishing the novel and you're desperate for more content haha

i guarantee you that this book is fantastic. the story just pulls you in with the interesting plot and loveable characters (xie lian is one of my favorite protagonists ever) the romance is super good! you can see how much the main couple loves each other *sobs uncontrollably* and it's not just there for fan service, their relationship is very important to the story and UGH DAMN IT I JUST WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY-

a few words of warning: it's... angsty. like hella. it burns. it stabs you in the gut when you least expect it. heck, it stabs you even when you expect it. it hurts a damn lot. it's got a happy ending (according to other people, i'm still in book 3) but the road towards it is thorny.

also it has some body horror (in the novel, the donghua doesn't show much). not very explicit but it can gross you out if you're squeamish.

tldr: Y'ALL SHOULD GO READ IT, COWARDS