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

[viistar.livejournal.com]

disgusting, but not unexpected. socially engineering yet another generation of young boys to view females as sex objects. just as bad as the old lois lane comics... *blarf*

reminds me why i don't waste my time and money.

thought the don't emulate japanese anime / manga comment in the pro tips was great, cause they just must see too much of it...

...as if they don't get inundated with tits and ass all the time. how different can boobs look between artist to artist... and oh look! it's a semi realistic muscle explosion man in brightly colored spandex fighting another man who is also wearing spandex... we don't see that often at ALL... *sarcastic*

[(Anonymous)]

Can i give my opinion as a male aged 20 years of age? Most, and i emphasise MOST, males know these drawings are unrealistic. those who dont are obviously idioits. Its clear by looking at these works that the female spine doesnt bend that way, as it is also clear that they don't have super powers! it was mentioned that they were drawn this way so that another generation of males would grow up to view women as sex objects. i personaly dont apreciate the anti male sentament, this is 2009 not the 1950s. Its time to give the feminist man hateing agender a rest, right now you have far more rights than we do, so what the hell do you want from us? let us have our unrealistic comic women. we, like you, enjoy a fantacy and yes we know thats all they are! dont assume you have us worked out because that in essence is the deffinition of sexism!

Sam

[viistar.livejournal.com]

wow this is an old post! ^^

you have every right to your opinion as i do mine.
though i do disagree with you about women having more rights than men.

and you can keep your marvel women.