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Skulls; How do I git gud
Topic Started: Feb 10 2016, 02:31 PM (137 Views)
Kewkiez
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Endless Apoptosis
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Hey everyone.

In today's lab, we were told to look at skulls and figure out where the sutures where located, what parts of the skulls were named, etc. As a suggestion, my professor told us to draw the skulls out since it's a better way to memorize 'em. I figured I'd give it a try, buuuut. I'm not artsy at all. How do you guys draw/sketch 'em? Do you just look up an image and draw/trace it out? Is there a fancy way to do it (if that makes any sense).

PS - the skulls we're analyzing today are: turtle, alligator, and cat. Buuut since all the alligator and cat skulls were taken, I decided to have fun and look at the alligator and Smilodon skulls instead. Sucks that they have some differences here and there but man, was it fun to look at.
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malicious-monkey
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For your purposes, I would suggest focusing less on things like linework and aesthetics and more on the defining features such as suture location, occiput shape, and dentition. What you want is a diagram where these things are "readable" and shading and stuff will only be a distraction, both while drawing and after. Try drawing each skull from different angles.
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Monster
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Yes, exactly. You only need to convey specific information, so you don't need a beautifully shaded, proportionaly accurate study.
Just draft out the basic shape of the skull, and plot the main elements onto this. Measuring the skull/image will help you determine the placement more accurately. You just want proportion rather than accurate measurements eg, eyes halfway down, this thing or that thing half way between this other thing...if you get me.
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malicious-monkey
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Just to add to myself and Monster, when I was in college my notes weren't pretty. If I held every diagram to the same standard I hold my Ilion art, I would have failed half my classes.
"My recommendation would be to just draw things now and draw good things later." - Nanotyranus

Ilion: an illustrated tour of a tidally locked planet
Spoiler: click to toggle

malicious-monkey.deviantart.com
sunriseonilion.wordpress.com
supermalmoworld.tumblr.com
Redbubble - Ilion art prints and more
Commissions are OPEN
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Kamidio
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Yeah, if you can draw a circle, a couple of rectangles, and a few triangles, you can get a pretty passable skull for school notes.

You don't really need anything fancy, as they've said above. I know that some people just use semi-stylized doodles to help bring focus to the parts of the skull they're labeling.
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Kewkiez
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Endless Apoptosis
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Alrighty, this works for me. Thanks guys.
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