2D before 3D

[Vaan]

i have had XXX number of failed organic models. so i decided i need to step back before i can move ahead. in other words i need to study/practice 2D organic drawing. thing is, i dont know exactly where to start. is there a tutorial or something i can use. or if anyone has any advice it would be apreciated. im going for realism here. im a college student out for summer without a life/job, so i have plenty of time to practice, i just need something to practice, :) thanks!

[Malkavia]

When i wanted to improve my hand at 2D drawings (for the exact same reason as you) I found that picking up some how to draw manga books were a great way to start as anime characters (usually) have a pretty good anatomy structure and at the same time the characters are very simple in detail so its not too much too fast.

go down to your local bookstore and see if you can find some look for ones that deal with basics like poses and bone structures, really great stuff for getting a beginners grasp on anatomy and using this stuff as a stepping stone into more realistic stuff is a good move.

If your looking for freebies :) try out Athey Nansel-Moravetz's website
http://www.bakaneko.com/
shes got some drawing tutorials and even some 3D ones (one is even on 3dtotal's tutorial section though if you are looking for something more in-depth than what she presents your probably going to have to puchase some books.

Athey's tutorial on 3dtotal:
http://www.3dtotal.com/team/Tutorials_3/low_poly_character/low_poly_01.asp

[RockstarKate]

Nothing can replace a real live nude model! Check into art schools in your area. They may have some open drawing classes for cheap or free. There are plenty of books out there on anatomy. One I really like is Anatomy for the Artist. It has cool photos with overlays of the muscles and skeleton. A lot of times you can find an anatomy book in the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble or Borders.
But truly, your best references are going to be real people. You can go to a park and draw people or ask your friends. If no one is around, you can practice the 2 toughest parts- hands and feet- by looking at your own.
Good luck!

[fartbunny]

if you don't mind paying for something I can really suggest you try "Structure of man" http://the-structure-of-man.blogspot.com/

it has about 232 lessons (40+ hours) and goes from simple line forms to fully fledges anatomical correct males (and females).. first you learn the proportions, then skeletons and bones (for EACH body part), muscles (EACH muscles is discribed) and then you put it all together and learn about flow and gesture drawing.. it's hard to discribe how he explains it all but it's different from all the other books/vids/seminaires because he makes you "invent" (as he calls it) rather then memorizing the forms and in doing so makes it to much simpler to draw something from your mind..

if you want MORE.. you could go to Vilppuu's classes or buy his DVD's (which in my opinion aren't that good as Structure (although Phoenix was a student of Vilppuu) and you'll pay a whole lot more)