Ecorche Armature Design

Available here is my design for the Ecorche Armature

I've assembled detailed plans and explanation for building your own Ecorche Human Anatomy Armature.

I currently teach Artistic Anatomy- Drawing the Human figure at the Woodstock School of Art in Woodstock, New York for the last six years. I have also taught a class in Sculptural Ecorche.

My first Ecorche was with Eliot Goldfinger at the New York Academy of Art in New York.

I've had quite a bit of experience in building these Ecorche armatures as I've fabricated about ten of these and have perfected my design on each succesive one that I build.

For those interested in purchasing one I have a few available through this website as  well as detailed plans for how to fabricate your own Ecorche armature.

They can be obtained here:

Full sized Armature with base:  $200.00 plus shipping.

Complete plans and instructions on how to build an anatomical armature
download pdf. file

$ 40.00

Life Drawings

From Sketch class

Ecorche and Artistic Anatomy at the Woodstock School of Art

Ecorche and Artistic Anatomy at the Woodstock School of Art

Ecorche Class

Ecorche Armature

Here's the basic armature I created for my Ecorche class at the Woodstock School of Art .

Based on a single pole concept rather than a side mount, I felt that the side mounted galvanized pipe occluded too much area so I opted to hang the armature off a single thin threaded steel rod which was made rigid through wing nut compression. The base had a countersunk void to accommodate a locking nut. I spent alot of time poking through the plumbing fixture bins at the hardware store. This is actually the second prototype of my ecorche, which  was later improved upon. Hands and feet were added later, fab'd from smaller gauge wire and the pelvis and rib cage was refined to avoid any metal poking through the clay skin. This was especially evident around the lumbar and sacral area as I had to attach the leg wire assembly to this  junction and have it still appear delicate. More pixs to come.

Biomechanics of Human Anatomy- Three Classes of Levers

Biomechanics refers to the study of the mechanical principles of living organisms, particularly their movement and structure. In the human body this is known as kinesiology.

Most movements of the musculoskeletal structure  are determined by the three classes of levers.

Levers are classified by the relative positions of the fulcrum and the input and output forces. It is common to call the input force the effort and the output force the load or the resistance. This allows the identification of three classes of levers by the relative locations of the fulcrum, the resistance and the effort:

 Class 1: Fulcrum in the middle: the effort is applied on one side of the fulcrum and the resistance on the other side, for example, a seesaw, a crowbar or a pair of scissors. Mechanical advantage may be greater or less than 1.

Class 2: Resistance in the middle: the effort is applied on one side of the resistance and the fulcrum is located on the other side, for example, a wheelbarrow, a nutcracker, a bottle opener or the brake pedal of a car. Mechanical advantage is always greater than 1.

Class 3: Effort in the middle: the resistance is on one side of the effort and the fulcrum is located on the other side, for example, a pair of tweezers or the human mandible. Mechanical advantage is always less than 1.

Ecorche Brachium

Here's where we are so far with the life sized Ecorche. Presently we're examining the mechanisms inherant in and around the Brachium.... the arm and shoulder apparatus as it attaches to the torso.

Half Skeleton Muscle Demo Prop

I've been using this armature I made from an articulated plastic skeleton to demonstrate muscle origin and insertion. It's a old somso cast I believe, so the detailing is better than a Bucky. After extensive use, it started to fall apart so I tweaked the armature using 3/8" galvanized pipe and a 1/2" conversion coupling to 1/2" nipple and phlange.so now it's ready to go.

This time I'm going to use the kleen klay unsulpherated terra cotta color.... it's more life like.

Comparative Anatomy- The forelimb

Here I have superimposed the actual bone on a demo drawing to illustrate how the radius has evolved/devolved based on survival imperative.I've laid out the human dog, and horse brachia to illustrate this.Most obvious is the lack of clavicles in the dog and horse and the gradual restricted movement of the radius in the dog to total fusion of the ulna with the radius in the horse into permanent pronation.

Muscles of the Neck- Anterior

Here's a survey of the Anterior Neck muscles for the Ecorche.

The Hyoid and deep neck muscles

Before we drape the outer muscles of the neck onto the cervical column , there are a few muscles that the artistic anatomist might like to consider including.on their Ecorche.

These are the muscles that either insert and originate on the Hyoid bone.

The Omohyoid muscle, interestingly enough, can be readily seen on a model with low body fat - a strap like muscle that originates on the Coracoid processof the Scapula and like a fountain travels up the nexk to the Hyoid.

The Disarticulated Skull

The Disarticulated Skull

The Larynx

The structure of the Larynx

 

Cartilage of Nose

The cartilage of the nose

Frontalis muscle

The frontalis muscle, also known as the occipitofrontalis or epicranius, is thin, of a quadrilateral form, and intimately adherent to the superficial fascia. It is broader than the Occipitalis and its fibers are longer and paler in color. It is located on the front of the head.

It has no bony attachments.

Its medial fibers are continuous with those of the Procerus; its immediate fibers blend with the Corrugator and Orbicularis oculi, thus attached to the skin of the eyebrows; and its lateral fibers are also blended with the latter muscle over the zygomatic process of the frontal bone.

In the eyebrows, its primary function is to lift them (thus opposing the orbital portion of the orbicularis), especially when looking up. It also acts when a view is too distant or dim.

From these attachments the fibers are directed upward, and join the galea aponeurotica below the coronal suture.

The medial margins of the Frontales are joined together for some distance above the root of the nose; but between the Occipitales there is a considerable, though variable, interval, occupied by the galea aponeurotica.

It could be part of occipitofrontalis muscle.

Levator Labii Superioris and Corrugator muscles

Superior to the mouth are the Levator muscles.

Levator Anguli Oris( lying underneath the Levator Labii Superioris)

The Levator Labii Superioris has a medial portion which continues superior toward the corner of the eye.

The medial fiber is known as the Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque nasi muscle.

The levator labii superioris (or quadratus labii superioris) is a muscle of the human body used in facial expression. It is a broad sheet, the origin of which extends from the side of the nose to the zygomatic bone.
Its medial fibers form the angular head, which arises by a pointed extremity from the upper part of the frontal process of the maxilla and passing obliquely downward and lateralward divides into two slips.
One of these is inserted into the greater alar cartilage and skin of the nose; the other is prolonged into the lateral part of the upper lip, blending with the infraorbital head and with the Orbicularis oris.
The intermediate portion or infraorbital head arises from the lower margin of the orbit immediately above the infraorbital foramen, some of its fibers being attached to the maxilla, others to the zygomatic bone.
Its fibers converge, to be inserted into the muscular substance of the upper lip between the angular head and the Caninus.
The lateral fibers, forming the zygomatic head, arise from the malar surface of the zygomatic bone immediately behind the zygomaticomaxillary suture and pass downward and medialward to the upper lip.

The two Zygomaticus,minor and major,extend from the lateral and posterior portion of the Zygomatic bone( far back on the cheek and attach on the oris and lip tissue.

There are two sections of the Obicularis Oris muscle, i.s., the palpebral section (eyelids) and orbital section(sheathing out the socket anteriorly.
Medial and extending from the bridge of the nose lateraly toward either side is the Nasal muscle

 Just above the obicularis muscle is a angled fibrous section of muscle that covers the glabellar swelling.
It is known as the Corrugator muscle.
The Corrugator supercilii is a small, narrow, pyramidal muscle, placed at the medial end of the eyebrow, beneath the Frontalis and just above Orbicularis oculi.
It arises from the medial end of the superciliary arch; and its fibers pass upward and laterally, between the palpebral and orbital portions of the Orbicularis oculi, and are inserted into the deep surface of the skin, above the middle of the orbital arch.

The Corrugator draws the eyebrow downward and medially, producing the vertical wrinkles of the forehead. It is the “frowning” muscle, and may be regarded as the principal muscle in the expression of suffering^]. It also contracts in order to prevent high sun glare, pulling the eyebrows toward the bridge of the nose, making a roof over the area above the middle corner of the eye and typical forehead furrows.

Muscles of the Head

This is a compendium to the Ecorche survey.

In this installment I'll be presenting an overview of the muscles of the skull and their
influences on surface anatomy.function, and expression.

Edward Lanteri, in the classic  Modeling and Sculpting the Human Figure, divides the muscles of the head into seven groups.Masticatory, Epicranial, Auricular, Ocular, Palpebral, Nasal, and Labial.. Palpebral refers to the palpebral fissure or the "eye opening" which together with the Ocular,Nasal and Labial and with some limited movement being contributed by the frontalis of the epicranial group, compromise the muscles of expression.The Masticatory, or muscles of chewing, include, the Temporal, the Masseter, the Internal Pterygoid, the External Pterygoid, and the Buccinator muscles.For the student of Drawing and Sculpture, the moving muscles of the head can thus be further simplified to the muscles of chewing/nourishment acquisition which are primarily side plane, and the muscles of expression which are primarily front plane.

For further reading a detailed illustrated course text is avaiable here: