Sandy Scott Art: #653 Locomotive anatomy . . . deer

Please see the previous post for more information about this blog.

The focus of this post is anatomical considerations of the deer in motion.

Every artist knows that it's difficult to sketch a jumping or running animal. Studying skeletons, muscles, and proportions of a species and understanding "nature's one pattern" and waypoints - see blog #644 thru #648 - is invaluable knowledge
for the sculptor and will initiate an understanding of all quadruped locomotive anatomy . . . deer included.

Drawing action gestures and lines in the field, will help you catch the spirit of the pose and will prevent becoming
involved in the details before you have established proportions and character of the pose.
The legs of a running or jumping deer are moved one after the other in rotation . . . a horse moves the legs diagonally.
Shown below, are quick sketches created afield.

In the field, you will observe that at the beginning of a deer's leap or jump, the head and neck are extended.
As the deer lands, the head is drawn back. Below, are additional drawings depicting the deer's anatomical structure.
Remember . . . drawing in the field is about curiosity; not the final product.
Look for the big picture . . . don't get mired in details.

Photography is an invaluable tool for the artist in the field. This little Mule Deer fawn didn't see me crouching behind a bush and ran right toward me before veering off! All four legs were off the ground and it was demonstrating a maneuver
peculiar to Mule Deer called "stotting". White-tailed Deer don't do it but some African antelope do.