how to draw female comic characters (according to Wizard)...

[ratcreature]

brown_betty asked for examples "to illustrate the exactly how and why female comic characters are illustrated differently than the male." And I thought, really, what's better to illustrate these things than the books teaching the style in the first place?

A while ago I posted some scans from Wizard How To Draw series on drawing female superheroes (here and here), and I thought I'd post a bunch more from the first book of the series on "How To Draw: Heroic Anatomy".


As everything, it starts with the basics, i.e. proportions. First the male superhero


The female example is similar, but slightly different, notice how he stands firm and straight, wheras she stands with her hips cocked a little and the leg thrust forward?


Also notice in the direct torso comparison below, how the male one is ramrod straight, but she curves and leans just a little bit in the same pose?


Now onwards to the chapter "Sultry Women". It even cautions you against overposing! Yes, it's not as if Wizard wasn't aware of the problems! (Their definition and mine of which poses are already overposed might differ slightly though, heh.)





Next, Michael Turner explains "Sex Appeal". (Or what he thinks sex appeal is.) Incidentally it also illustrates the meaning of "overposed" that was brought up in the previous chapter very effectively...





Finally for compare and contrast purpuses the chapters on "Superheroic Men" and "Superheroic Women". For the male superhero it is all about more or less ridiculously enlarged muscles as we learn:





Female superheroes don't have it that easy, they need to worry about tilting their shoulder, nipple and pubic lines attractively at all times, not to mention legs, breast size, eye make-up and hair:

Comments

[luornu-violet.livejournal.com]

Amazing how the response from the Neanderthal brigade is always 'You're fat and jealous neener nee nee'. Drawing women in a realistic fashion doesn't always automatically mean fat. In fact sometimes realistic means skinny. As in skinny with small breasts like....real skinny women have. But then again the Neanderthals always think anyone who doesn't look like a cartoon pornstar is 'fat'. (which is to say, I've lost count of the times on the Internet when perfectly normal and not overweight at all women have been called 'fat disgusting pigs' and suchlike. And I'm like are we seeing the same person here?)

And the second argument is always 'comics are meant for horny teenage boys get over it.' As a matter of fact, traditionally comics were mostly read by children of both sexes (although there were some older fans). If you look at the lettercols of Silver Age issues of Adventure Comics and Wonder Woman, or any title you like you see as many female names as male ones. Although there aways was some cheesecake, it wasn't all there was. Unlike now. No, comics aren't necessarily just for horny teenage boys. Why on earth should one group of potential readers be alienated and excluded?

When Tommy Neanderthal says "I bet you're all fat disgusting hippos lol1!!!11!!!' he means " I bet you would reject me in real life like all the other real bitches. The comic book women are my friends. They would let me fuck them and would take it up the arse and then make my dinner unlike the real women who are bitches"

When he says 'comics are for horny teenage boys stop whining' he means-"I am so insecure that any suggestion that a demographic other than my own would partake in my hobby would mean that I would be unmanned, emasculated, the one area of dominance in which I can feel supreme-taken from me, taken from me, the manly manly penis owning manly man who has a penis and is manly. Unmanned. By the bitches. The bitches who won't fuck me. Nooooo noooo please Mommy don't take that from me too, I'll be a good boy, noooo nooo Mommy not the cupboard.......No Daddy I am manly and masculine and strong and I really have a penis.....no don't hit me again noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. "

Something like that.

[mulato1.livejournal.com]

I think i just wasted a minute of my life reading that ignorant reply to my post. Stop being fat. I have met very secure women that would agree with me. Those of you crying about how unequal this is just have too much time on your hands and need to bitch at something. Needless to say if you had men in your lives you'd be bitchin at them instead of posting here. Stop hating and f you dont like it, dont read it. Inthe end you can be as disgusted as you want....it will never change. yay for that.