Brödel's underlying artistic philosophy is best described in his own words: “The artist must first fully comprehend the subject matter from every standpoint: anatomical, topographical, histological, pathological, medical, and surgical. From this accumulated knowledge grows a mental picture from which again crystallizes the plan for the future drawing. A clear and vivid mental picture must always precede the actual picture on paper. The planning of the picture, therefore, is the all important thing, not the execution.” He developed a technique where he examined every medical sample under a microscope at low, medium, and high (magnification of x40, 100, 400) power to form a complete picture of it in his mind. Just two months prior to his death, he wrote in a journal article that “the artist must know his subject so thoroughly that he can even shut his eyes and coax into existence a mental picture of great clarity.” His emphasis on anatomically accurate visualization prior to artistic actualization was manifested in his incredibly lifelike renderings.