How I Study Anatomy for Art

Quick sidenote, I learned what exactly bulletins are today, and it made me think about this one post talking about how no one really responds to them anymore, which is why it's so dead on here, but like honestly... I'm just here to post like... yknow what I post... which is I guess short form essays and whatever? ANYWAY

Truthfully, I don't actually study "real" anatomy. I should, but I'll do that when I take my anatomy class in the fall... I have a lot of trouble following along with books that tell me how things work, but only through words and flat pictures (which is why I suck at chemistry). So, anatomy books, although I think they're really interesting and cool because I love anatomy, I can just never remember how things align, which is... y'know, a problem if I'm going to draw a person and not remember how they're limbs should look. However, I watch a lot of doll customization and makeup videos. I, in particular, like the ball-jointed doll (or BDJ) OOAK (one of a kind) videos. The dolls are structured in a way that almost mimics the movement of human bodies without the extra bones and bits. It's like a very simplified, and slightly exaggerated in some parts, version of a human body in a medium that is 3D and can be analyzed from every angle. They aren't like those wooden positioning art models that have no detail because the BDJ dolls show the curves that might be seen on a real body, like on arms and legs. Obviously, doll customization videos can't replace studying anatomy as a whole. They're more just there to show you how certain ranges of motion can be achieved. It's like having a 3D model of what you're drawing, but in your head, if that makes sense? This wouldn't work if you have aphantasia but I can imagine things sooooo... Anyway, being able to see what I'm drawing in the 3D sense is really helpful and was a skill I gained from watching doll artists. Also, they just have incredible fashion sense. Also also! If they draft a pattern and/or sew something like a jacket or shirt on camera, you can scale it up without having to make a digital mock-up! Of course, some of the proportions would be wrong, but at least you would understand the basic shapes and how they fit together! 

If you can't tell, I just love watching doll customization videos. 

For the more detailed part, like a face, I watch makeup videos!