I think, you perceive things better that you can name and that you’re aware of. Off course, it’s not done by reading anatomy book after anatomy book and the informations presented there are sometimes not fitting one to each other, sometimes even nonsense. So, it’s important to start practicing as soon as possible and to do it as often and as much as possible. The anatomic details found in the human anatomy can also be found in the anatomy of animals so that for example birds have fingers too although it’s not obvious at first sight. I find anatomic knowledge especially important for retopologizing and rigging. For animating facial expressions, just to mention one example, it helps that there is a circular muscle around the mouth as well as around each eye. So, I would say that anatomic knowledge and practice are equally important and that practicing is there for making mistakes from which you learn. Many people, I think, fear making mistakes or stop practicing after their first mistakes because they falsely think they were untalented instead of seeing this as an opportunity for developping their skills. It also helps to learn together with other people so that you’re here at CG Cookie at the right place where you get concentrated informations as well as encouragement to continue your artistic progression.
