Aah I Love Your Art, And Liro's An Absolute Darling! I Hope It's Not Too Much Trouble That I Ask But

aah i love your art, and liro's an absolute darling! i hope it's not too much trouble that i ask but how did you get so good at visualizing canine anatomy? i always have trouble making anatomy look convincing, they seem to always look one dimensional and flat. thank you and have a nice day!

Aaa thank you so much (and I know, right? I would be completely lost without Iiro). <3 

Well, I was lucky enough to grow up with dogs all around me (my first neighbourhood was inhabited by many German Shepherd Dog enthusiasts, including my parents), so I’ve spent a huge portion of my life observing their body structure and movements. I may not know all of the dog anatomy tips and tricks whatsoever but I’ve developed a strong sense of knowing what ~*~looks~*~ right and what does not. On top of that I’ve had a ton of repetitive practice.

I bet anybody can get better at doggo anatomy though. Genuine interest in learning all about your drawing subject goes far. Most of those Really Damn Good Artists that I know of use references and do regular life drawing sessions, so those two things are another key to effective learning (it should also help your brain to understand perspective and forms better! You mentioned that your dogs look “flat”, I’m by no means a professional and haven’t seen your drawings so I don’t know for sure but that to me sounds like you could benefit from practicing forms and perspective?).

You didn’t ask for this asdfg but here’s a handful of woof tutorials etc. that have helped me in the past, maybe you/somebody else reading this will find them useful:

Wolf Anatomy: Body and Skull

Wolf Anatomy: Poses

Notes on head/muzzle

Front legs

Hind legs

Notes on leg anatomy

Paws

Paw pads

Noses

More noses

Ears

Teeth

Canine (+ hyena! :D) Differences Chart

Canines vs. Felines: Paws and Legs

Canines vs. Felines: Facial Anatomy

Canines vs. Felines: Chest Anatomy

Stylized expressions

Balto concept art

101 Dalmatians concept art

References I personally like to keep around while drawing:

Basic reference part 1 / part 2

Muscular system

Skeleton

Muscles and skeleton front view / back view

Head part 1 / part 2 / part 3

Front leg part 1 / part 2

Hind leg part 1 / part 2

Paws

Videos of dogs in motion:

Animated walk and run cycles

Canine running, animated by Aaron Blaise

Various breeds in motion 

Galloping Greyhound

GSD running

GSD jumping and barking

Greyhounds

Malinois jumping and playing around