Knowledge of some anatomy is always valuable. But even if one has a very limited knowledge of it, one can still draw a good figure drawing. The key to a good drawing is drawing good shapes.
Here's the steps I've taken in creating this drawing. Firstly, I established the overall shape and proportion of the figure, with the use of the Reilly head construction and some muscular anatomy markings. Secondly, delineating and darkening of the shadow shapes, while being mindful of the anatomy underneath. Then adding the whites in areas that are lit. For the final look, I decided to thicken the outline for a bit of design.
Here's the final look.
(characterdesign.com)
