"The only 3D facial anatomy reference you'll ever need." Now available on the Blender Market! 👈 ==================================== Developing a knowledge of anatomy is important for artists interested in creating characters. As part of my own research I built a comprehensive facial ecorche to super-charge my understanding and it taught me a *lot* about the human face. Here's 5 things I learned: 1. Fat Pads have a major effect on the shape of the face (0:25) While skull and muscles are more commonly referenced for understanding facial anatomy, the fat layer is equally important. They play a pivotal role in general face shape as well as age and weight. 2. Muscles can be misleading by themselves (1:13) Some musculature simply doesn't inform the face like you might expect. Areas like the face and chin have very different surface shapes than the underlying muscles. Remember that it's the trio of bone, muscle, and fat. Mind them all. 3. Image diagrams are plentiful but imperfect (1:59) Thankfully the internet is full of anatomical diagrams. But beware that they're aren't all created equal. All are restricted by their 2D-nature, some fudge the details, some use different terminology, and others are simply mislabeled. The only way to develop a trustworthy knowledge is by comparing *many* diagrams. 4. Musculature informs facial topology (2:48) It’s commonly understood that facial edge loops should encircle the mouth and eyes for an animation-friendly character. The time I spent building the muscles for this project solidified this reality as edgeloops correspond to underlying musculature. This is ideal for polygonal models to deform naturally. 5. The Curves of Spee and Wilson (3:15) When modeling the skull I realized for the first time that the teeth actually curve, both from the side and the front. From the side it's called the “Curve of Spee” and from the front the “Curve of Wilson”. Before I just assumed the upper and lower teeth met at a flat plane. Not true. 6. BONUS - PSA - Researching anatomy gets *real* quick (3:39) As you develop your anatomy knowledge, beware that your searching can quickly reveal *photos* of sliced and diced humans. While they're mostly medical in nature, I learned that I don't have much of a stomach for anatomical photos 🤢 Watch the Free tutorial series "Getting Started with Blender" Start your FREE 7-day trial (with 100's of Blender Tutorials) 🎉 Want Blender news in your mailbox? Sign up here for spam-free newsletter FOLLOW US: