ArtSpots Forum Topic - Female anatomy help

Lone Wolf28

Mon, 05 May 2008 22:22:07 -0000

Cool, thanks Kynliod, I did'nt notice that before.The leg will be fairly easy for me to correct,since I was using carbon-based ink. Same for the arm,too. :) On a side note,how is this drawing remininsent of Adam-Ant? ~The Lone Wolf

Sidney Eileen

Sun, 04 May 2008 08:54:12 -0000

You're definitely making some good progress. Keep drawing stuff like this, and I'll have to break out my old Adam Ant albums. ;) I agree with Kyn that the right arm is a bit long. The elbow is usually about even with the bottom of the rib cage. In this drawing it's at about the level of the top of the pelvis. The other thing that jumps out at me is that the head seems a bit small, but I could be wrong on that. Head size on anthros is one of those things that I have trouble with sometimes....

kynliod

Fri, 02 May 2008 20:34:23 -0000

It looks better than the original, definitely an improvement. My only crit off the bat is that her left arm seems a bit short compared to the right. Also, the left leg is closer than the right, but the right leg is thicker. The nearer leg should be close to the same size, if not slightly larger.

Lone Wolf28

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:28:50 -0000

ok, here's the slightly altered version of the first sketch that you redlined.(I know,I know...the lighting persective is a little off, but I'm still working on it.) Anyway, here it is, the partially-finished version that I went over with pen/brush and ink....did I mention I like drawing with ink? hmmmm....guess I did'nt ...ah, well here it is anyway. :) ~The Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf28

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:56:29 -0000

so, the proportions are adequate?

Sidney Eileen

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:28:06 -0000

Looking great! Also, no offense taken. I'd actually recommend finding multiple nude reference books. I have a couple myself, and they really help.

Lone Wolf28

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:49:04 -0000

Hey, thanks for the reference sketches, Sidney. They help alot! :) Though,no offense intended, I do not realy believe that I need an entire reference book on the nude human figure.... There is plenty relalistic examples in everyday life,movies graphic novels, whatever.... anyway(now that I'm done ranting), here are a few of the many gesture sketches I've been doing to figure out the female-anthro anatomy. Thanks again! ~The Lone Wolf

Sidney Eileen

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:23:38 -0000

Kyn, I am one of those unusually broad-shouldered women as well, such that I sometimes have trouble finding jackets that fit. I should have given the skinny guy on the right broader shoulders. He looks kinda like he has super-tense shoulders the way I drew that. ;) Another interesting thing to note about female hip shape is that the widest part is actually at about the same level as the crotch, and the curve usually continues from there down along the thighs to the knees. Guys thighs are usually a much straighter line, unless he's exceptionally buff (I'm thinking steroided-out, here) or significantly overweight.

kynliod

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:57:46 -0000

Sid's sketches are a great start. Just think of it this way. Males are broad of shoulder and narrow of hip. Women are narrow of shoulder and broad of hip. Even very thin women will generally have more "hippyness" to their form than they will broad shoulders. I actually come from a long line of athletic-looking women, and we all have pretty broad shoulders. But along with that comes more accentuated hips and larger busts (I'm an exception, having the broad shoulders, but I'm kinda scrawny and little, go fig). And Sid, thanks for the book reference--and *excellent* point about European publications! It's something I've noticed as well, but on a subconscious level. Never really considered the fact that because they are more natural about models and such, their art books must be more thorough in these areas as well. I'm just guessing that mine is an American publication, though I have had no time lately to actually check, hehe.

Sidney Eileen

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 06:41:19 -0000

I had time to sketch a couple comparisons today. They're far from perfect, but here they are anyway.

Sidney Eileen

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:07:54 -0000

A nudes book I have (specifically an artist reference book) is called "The Nude Figure", by Mark Edward Smith, ISBN 0-8230-3232-9. It has a few different models (mostly women, but also a couple men) of drastically different body types. It was produced in Europe. I've noticed that it's much easier to find varying body types in European-produced books rather than American-produced books. From what I've seen, the latter often only includes the photographer/editor's idea of the "ideal" figure, and maybe a token couple images of other figures (usually some chubby girl, as thought chubby was the only other option), but I digress.... I haven't had a chance to draw the comparative sketches, but it's still on my to-do list. It looks like I might end up moving in just a couple weeks, though, so it might be a bit. Oh, and for reference, my redline was assuming an athletic girl with a full figure, to match the breadth and tone on the arms. By "meaty", I meant muscle, athletic. Bad wording, sorry....

KoOkY!

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:23:58 -0000

kynliod said:
KoOkY! said: Oooh that's a helpful red line, I never ever can get the female hips right and I think it's because I start them too low as well.
I bought an artist's female anatomy book a couple of years ago. As long as you don't mind lots and lots of drawings or photos of women with no clothes on, I definitely recommend it. Helps with getting the finer details of the female body down. Only thing I wish I'd shopped around for more thoroughly, is a book with women of different height/weight/body type. Mine consists of only 2 models, both of similar body type. I really need to learn how to draw different body types more successfully.

Hmmmms, what's the name of it? I've done life drawing of the nude male and female figure before, I'm sure I can take it. Hehe. Sounds better than just google search though. Try searching for a non-pornographic image of a nude woman. Yipes. :)

kynliod

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:42:33 -0000

KoOkY! said: Oooh that's a helpful red line, I never ever can get the female hips right and I think it's because I start them too low as well.

I bought an artist's female anatomy book a couple of years ago. As long as you don't mind lots and lots of drawings or photos of women with no clothes on, I definitely recommend it. Helps with getting the finer details of the female body down. Only thing I wish I'd shopped around for more thoroughly, is a book with women of different height/weight/body type. Mine consists of only 2 models, both of similar body type. I really need to learn how to draw different body types more successfully.

Lone Wolf28

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:05:34 -0000

Thanks, that would be great! :)

Sidney Eileen

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:42:30 -0000

I actually think you succeeded in creating an athletic look, and finishing off the female profile requires very little modification. One trick about female athleticism vs. male athleticism is that a guy will tend to add at least a little bulk/mass if he is particularly athletic, but a woman will tend to mostly gain some definition. There are, of course, exceptions. If I have time, I'll put together some comparative sketches to demonstrate what I mean.

Lone Wolf28

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:16:16 -0000

Cool,....um,as for the build,I guess I kinda failed in my attempt. I was trying for a little more of an athletic look,not to mention I'm still transitioning from male to female anatomy in my current art projects....so, I'm having problems drawing convincing female characters(that actually look female),cause' I've been drawing nothing but male characters(excluding dragons) for the past three years. So,I really appreciate any advice, critiques, and redlines that you guys(and gals!) send my way. :) ~The Lone Wolf

Sidney Eileen

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:20:33 -0000

I don't think the arms are too long, but they are very meaty for a woman, which means the legs and hips need to be very full as well. I do think the head is a bit small, though. Another difference between male and female anatomy is the curve of the thigh. Most women will have more curve along the entire length of the thigh, and most men will have a relatively straight line from below the pelvis to just a bit above the knee. There is actually an amusing 80's fashion experiment that demonstrates this. Your average guy can tie a bandanna around the middle of his thigh, and it will stay there. Unless a girl is severely underweight, the bandanna will fall off every time. (I was so disappointed)

KoOkY!

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:22:28 -0000

Oooh that's a helpful red line, I never ever can get the female hips right and I think it's because I start them too low as well. Also to add my 2 cents, I think the arms are a little bit too long maybe. Someone below mentioned the elbow should be level with the navel, though I'd always read, and seems to hold true on my own body, that it should be level with the bottom of the rib cage rather, at least in a relaxed position. Unless I'm mistaken which is entirely possible. :)

Sidney Eileen

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:34:32 -0000

I don't think the breasts are necessarily too low, but if they are that low, then they need to be more full. She kind-of has a sports bra look going right now, and in that case, yes, they should be a bit higher. The other thing that jumped out at me is that the curve of the hips starts too low. It gives her a profile much closer to a rather androgynous (pretty) guy, rather than a genuine female. There should be a bit more fullness at the point where the belt goes across her left hip, but the waistline itself doesn't need to be any larger. My redline isn't perfect (crappily done with a mouse), and I'm sure it's not quite right anatomically, particularly in the shoulder, but hopefully it will give you an idea of what I mean.

Lone Wolf28

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:43:26 -0000

Thanks for the critique....I'll be posting more sketches later. ~The Lone Wolf