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

My two cents

[(Anonymous)]

I'll throw in my two cents to those who just don't seem do get it;

- It's a bloody comic! It's not SUPPOSED to be realistic! Men are also drawn unrealistically!

A: Read the blog. Nowhere does ratcreature mention anything about the characters being unrealistic. S/he merely points out that while the male heroes are portrayed as very athletic and strong, with firm, intimidating poses and with emphasis on their strength and superheroicness, the emphasis on female heroes is their sexual appeal. The chapters describe in painful detail how to make the women "sultry", how their eyes should slant and how thick their lips should be, how big their boobs ought to be, etc. Also, the ways the heroines pose in backbreaking, uncomfortable manners serve no purpose but to titillate the (male) readers. Even during battle, as illustrated by Jim Balent, the young artist is encouraged to “make sure to keep her feminine looking”, and thus always having the focus on her sexiness. The chapters teach that the men are strong and courageous and the women sultry. It has nothing to do with how attractive they look.

- I found the illustration tips VERY helpful, thankyouverymuch!

A: How is that even an argument?

- I’m a girl, and I didn’t find it offensive!

A: If you don’t think it’s offensive that the heroines’ - meaning the people who represent you and your gender - most important trait is their fuckability, then fine. The blogger and many of the commenters do, however.

-OMG, if u don’t like it then don’t read!!!!!!!

A: The blogger has made it perfectly clear that s/he likes comic books, and so do I. If I was to shun everything that is sexist/racist/homophobic/anti- Semitist then I would have to lock myself up in a chest. Shunning the problem doesn’t help, ignoring the problem doesn’t help, but complaining does. Whether it is just to vent out frustration or to force the comic industry to change.

- Why don’t you make your own comicbook then?

A: My job isn’t as a comics writer/ artist. Try applying that logic elsewhere; if you think the President is doing a rotten job leading the country, do it yourself! If you think the police aren’t doing enough to stop crimes, do it yourself! If you think David Beckham is a bad soccer player, then be a goddamn professional soccer player yourself and stop bitchin’!

- Sexualityisaverynormalpartofbeinghumanandsoonandsoforth!

A: We have porn mags/ videos for that. If the comic writer/ artist was so concerned with the characters’ sexuality, s/he would make sexual interactions between the characters in the comic, not try and arouse the reader (and only the male reader, that is).

-Girls don’t read comics! Most comic book readers are men, and that’s the reason comics are aimed at them!

A: That’s a very simple argument. If you appeal solely to one gender, the other gender is not very likely to fancy what you have to offer. A gender-neutral approach will increase the market – and it’s silly to believe that that would turn boys off.

- Sex sells!

A: Not necessarily. Try googling “sex doesn’t sell” and you’ll get plenty of articles, one like these; http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/14/1081838798087.html

- ur fat and smelly and smallboobed and jealous!1!!!!!!1! …. 1! You feel intimidated by their appearance and you should get in shape and stop eating, you noobs.

A: Ha ha ha ha. Oh, dear. I’m not even going to comment that one. Other than; Stop trolling and get back when you have read the blog, processed the information in it correctly and collected enough rationale to make an intelligent argument.


Excuse me, I’m going to make me some tea now.