Anatomy.

Bird explains that throughout history, people had to derive their knowledge of the human body through what they could actually see. So, for some this meant strictly observation, while others went straight to dissection of cadavers. The most famous artist for this practice was Leonardo DaVinci, with his mastery of the human figure due to his anatomical knowledge. Later there would be publications of cadavers in which artists could use as a reference for learning.

I had one of these similar publications in a drawing class and found it quite helpful. I would like more students in art to practice drawing muscles and bones out of anatomical structure, as it does increase your understanding. I think it is smart for students to do so while drawing a model, preferably one with defined muscle tone. This way the student is learning how to see the human body accurately, without assumptions. Students learn a great deal about proportion and how each human body is unique and beautiful on its own.

• Students could do drawings in which half of a cropped area of a person is anatomical, while the other is naturalistic. 
• Students could photoshop this digitally as well to line up their own anatomy with their own image. 
• Students could take a large scale image of themselves, wash it out, and draw the muscle tone over it.
• Younger students could trace a partner on a large sheet of butcher paper and start to draw bones and/or muscles where they would be accordingly. 
• Students could draw a still life from observation of a posed skeleton with a similarly posed model. 
• Students could take a piece of plexi glass, have their partner hold it over their face, and draw the bones/muscles as to where they would be with dry erase markers. Photographs could be taken afterwards.
• Students could draw an anatomical body part, scan it into photoshop, make it look like a stamp, and "print" it digitally over altered backgrounds.
• Could draw an anatomical body part, scan it into photoshop, print it on a transparency, and use a UV sensitive block to print it on content driven backgrounds.