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

[vass]

Thank you for posting these.

That panel with the lipstick, and the. *shakes* I nearly threw up. I want to hurt someone over that.

I nearly put my fist through my own monitor. Oh dear. I'd better remind myself that I don't have to angry to be attractive, cute works too, especially because it has that vulnerability to it. *winds fist back again*

And now I know that if you 'play hard to get,' this means you have a 'bad attitude'... but that's all right, because it's sexy. (If 'no' actually *meant* no, that wouldn't be OK, naturally.) *spits* Flirting tips from Wizard.

I note, by the way that if you hit someone with your fist at the angle that guy on the 'joints' section is using, you'd sprain your wrist and it wouldn't even hurt them.

"Finally, take a gander at the ultra-muscleman on the right. His musculature is exaggerated to superheroic standards in size and proportion. We have no trouble believing this guy can leap tall buildings and toss cars around like popcorn."

I'm not sure about the cars or the buildings, but i have trouble believing he can wash his back, tie his shoes, or even wipe his own arse without assistance. And I hope those pecs are firm, because he *definitely* couldn't do up his own bra strap.

...his creator-owned Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose series.

Oh. Tarot. This explains everything. I've seen that in the $1 bin. The cover art scared me nearly out of the store.

[ratcreature]

I think my expectation for the representation of women in Wizard publications was so low to begin with that I didn't even bother to be truly angry anymore.

[mcgroarty.livejournal.com]

PATRIARCH: How many feminists does it take to change a lightbul-
FEMINIST: That's not funny.

iditos

[(Anonymous)]

yeah this is all stupid.i mean they only make 100's of thousands surely theyre doing something wrong.I'd like to see you guys do better you asses youre just jealous.