IMPORTANT: Make sure you READ ALL the information in the section labeled "INTRODUCTION TO COLORING" BEFORE you start coloring your first page. This is located on pages "xii" and "xiii" in the front of the 4th edition. This book is very well thought out and there really is a "method to the madness" if you actually read and follow the directions.
I've found it beneficial to read through all the NAMES first, checking for parts that have similar names. Second, choose SIMILAR COLORS for SIMILAR NAMES or FUNCTIONS. For example, I chose Red, Orange and Yellow for the "Levators"; 2 colors of Blue for the "Zygomaticus Major" and "Zygomaticus Minor"' and 2 shades of Brown for the "Depressors" (page 44). Then look over the basic diagram to get a feel for the order which they appear in the body. Assign the colors in order by location in the diagram. For instance, go from back to front as follows: Red (back), Orange (middle) then Yellow (front). This natural color transition helps solidify the order they appear from postier to anterior or superior to inferior (whatever the case may be) etc. NOTE: I realize this takes extra time planning your colors, but it really makes it easier to memorize when there is a consistant plan in place for what the colors visually symbolize.
I am using this book as a study tool for my Gross Anatomy course. Anyone who has taken an anatomy class can tell you that color-coding structures is one of the most helpful ways to remember them. There are drawings of bones, muscles, joints, organ systems and explanations of virtually everything that could possibly be covered in an anatomy class. The drawings are excellent and most of the features of the bones are labelled as well. This was very helpful to me since I had to memorize virtually every tubercle, ridge, groove, or other protuberance on every bone of the body. When I had trouble with the skull because the drawings in my class notes were horrible, the drawings in this book were much clearer and helped out a lot. If you are taking an anatomy class, this is a smart and relatively inexpensive investment that will help you remember everything better.
