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

[mogumogu.livejournal.com]

It's an old post, but I felt the need to comment after reading the comments.

The funny thing is that the fat Scarlet Witch is actually sort of drawn in an appealing way. (if you ignore the cans and chicken leg). She'd be a pretty interesting character to have, I think.

I guess the whole point of the argument that some don't understand is, to summarize: We understand the conventions, and there's nothing wrong with a little fanservice. However, fanservice is a side helping to a greater main dish. When it comes to mainstream comics, the kind of comic considered the "regular" comic, the one trying to appeal to a wider audience, fanservice should be the cherry on top, not the (contorted) backbone of female characters and the only thing to draw people in. It makes a quick buck, but it takes away credibility. Do superheroes need credibility? Well, how many people would be proud to say they're fans of comics created for a target demographic of pubescent horny boys? Sounds like something one "should" outgrow. Think about how fast kids reject any association with their once-beloved Barney when they're older, never to return. I remember feeling such a violent need to disassociate, but I don't remember that being the case for Sesame Street (though, it's more saccharine now than when I was younger, so times may have changed).

And that's my big post that's too late for anyone to read.

[rurouniidoru.livejournal.com]

*applaud* Exactly. Thank you.

That is all.

[mogumogu.livejournal.com]

XD YAY! I got read!
If it interests you, I recently did a rambly pants... ramble-thesis on Sexy in comics.

[mulato1.livejournal.com]

Are you serious???? why are you applauding???? You where singing a different tune earlier....make up your mind "corky".

[rurouniidoru.livejournal.com]

I wasn't...No, I....

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING ATTRACTIVE WOMEN IN COMICS. I never said that. It's that they're meant to look attractive first and be good characters second.

I'm sick of seeing fanservice be the main course in the feast that is women in comics. Mogumogu just had a more succinct, simple metaphor for it than I ever could. I'm too verbose for that. XD

[hsavinien.livejournal.com]

...Unless we too are coming to it late. Well done, mogumogu.

I'm working on an original superhero universe (fiction, not art) that features a heroine whose weight varies throughout the spectrum from obesity to near-anorexia because of her power/source. Much fun to deal with different kinds of charas.