Lion Musculoskeletal System
A study of the lion's musculoskeletal system combining observational drawing with digital anatomical reconstruction. The muscular form was drawn from a plaster cast, while a vectorized skeleton was developed and superimposed to reveal the relationship between the superficial musculature and underlying skeletal structure.
The project explores how different visual treatments can be combined to communicate anatomy at multiple levels, using the contrast between graphite and vector illustration to distinguish the muscular and skeletal systems.
Layering Systems
The skeleton was developed as a separate vector illustration and superimposed onto the graphite rendering of the muscular system.
Keeping the two anatomical layers visually distinct allows the viewer to easily distinguish between them, while varying the degree of transparency and overlap creates depth and helps communicate their spatial relationships.
Capturing Movement
Before constructing the skeleton, I studied how the different types of joints articulate and interact throughout the lion's body. These studies helped me understand the range of motion and spatial relationships between individual bones, providing a structural foundation for the final skeletal illustration.