Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To When trying to send a message about your subject, camera angle counts. You may find that, subconsciously, you prefer certain views more than others. Why?
Consciously making your pinups 'greater than', 'less than' or 'equal to' will thrust the observer into a dramatic role, whether they realize it or not. They will revere or be intimidated by that which they look up to, subjugate or treat with more care that which they look down upon, or relate to that which is on their own level. Observe these relationships in the following photographs.
The Canopy Effect You might wonder what tree canopies and beautiful women have in common. True, they share an organic nature, composed of many broad and subtle curves, but their simplest geometrical outlines reveal other similarities.
Look at how, in each instance, we are able to break the tree into flat, sawed-off diagonals. Notice the very few (if any) incidents of 90 degree angles, and how the diagonals oppose each other strongly.
Compare that to a similar treatment of the images below. Again, notice the deficit of 90 degree angles and the abundance of opposing diagonals.
Once an angular 'girl canopy' is established, it is easier to introduce subtle curves to the outline / interior while maintaining the very structural -- and very natural -- shape of the figure.
POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
The Cleavage You Know
POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Action / Repose Think of someone driving a car with automatic transmission : One foot works the gas/break pedal while the other stays idle. One hand grips the steering wheel while the other rests on their leg or by the window. Many activities are like this -- with some parts of the body in action and some in repose.
We can use this knowledge when inventing poses for our pinups. In these photos by Bunny Yeager we can see these action/repose states in evidence.
A) The model's upper body is in action while her lower body is in repose. B) The model's left leg is in repose while her right leg is extended, tensed -- in action. C) Here we see the model's right side in action, with a comparatively reposed left side.
When every part is active, the body will appear to be in spasm. When every part is in repose, the body will appear limp and dead. By balancing active parts with reposed ones, we wind up with a more natural look. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Full Tilt If you're looking to up the "cute factor" of a girl, a very effective way is to tilt her head and feet. It shows a reaction -- veers the drawing away from static neutrality and more toward "Awwww!" As a compositional bonus, the inward-tilting feet create a "closed
circuit" which keeps the eye moving within the pose, and the tilting head combines with the tilting torso to form a graceful arc. See how far you can push this!
POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
"What Strikes You?" - Cézar Brandão It's time again for"What Strikes You?" , where experts on the female form share their impressions of random cheesecake. Digital sculptor Cézar Brandão was asked to share five things that struck him about this image.
1) "The first thing that I see here is her eyes. I mean, they're very open, so it looks like she's surprised or seeing someone, or in this case, someone took a picture of her and she's surprised about that. Anyway, why this called my attention is because I see a lot of drawings and sculptures of girls with very big, open eyes, and they always look scared or something. For me it looks soulless, and a lot of times that's not what the person wanted to transmit in his/her sculpture or drawing. The eyes are so important in a character. They transmit what they are feeling at that time."
2) "I don't know why, but I keep looking at her arm. It reminds me of a chicken wing! Haha ! It makes a very cool silhouette but, at same time, it's really weird if you pay attention to that."
3) "The colors are trying to indicate a grape with the purple and green, so I immediately associate this with wine. I could be wrong, but that's what pops in my mind."
4) "I see curved lines all along her body (right side of the image), and then the arm there breaking those curves, making a nice change of silhouette."
5) "When I look at her face and the leaf, it's almost like she's thinking, "Oops! That leaf fell on me. Can you grab it?" Haha ! That's weird. You know that leaf is there for a reason. Your eyes will always be there! Haha!"
Thanks Cézar!
POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
"What Strikes You?" - Jon Troy Nickel In this new segment, "What Strikes You?" we ask top artists to reveal their observations and thought processes. This time we've asked 3D artist Jon Troy Nickel to list five things that come to his mind when presented with the following image. Take it away, Jon!
1) "The hair, handlebar ribbons and lack of significant grounding shadow gives the impression she’s just come off an epic ramp and got some wicked air."
2) "The whimsical grip on the handlebars is interesting because of my number 1 observation. It makes me think that’s all she needs to control everything that’s about to happen on the landing, and is totally confident of maintaining posture / poise / persona and carrying on her merry way after completely sticking the landing."
3) "Her left leg is obstructing view of anything resembling a seat at all, which is both curious and exciting, especially given her posture and expression."
4) "Red, white and blue color combo screams ‘USA’ to me."
5) "My eyes always fall back on the prominent silhouette of her breast on her right hand side (left side of image). The saturated red on her pale skin makes it the clearest line in the whole image for me."
POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
More or Less? The next time you see an advertisement like this, do a quick size comparison of the constituent parts. Which side has more? Which has less?
By virtue of how we typically see things (i.e. not straight-on), you will notice a general trend of 'more on one side, less on the other.' When we remember to differ these sizes in our drawings, a more natural look results. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Amplification Exercise In our ongoing quest to understand the poses we're drawing (rather than simply reproduce them) we must be real with ourselves about what we're seeing. Once aware of these realities, we're free to amplify them.
Let's identify some of the things going on in the photo below...
It's a girl sitting on a couch, fiddling with her garment.
We can see she's leaning over, and that there's a high/low shoulder and knee relationship. Push these things further and what happens?
Front/back relationships : The thing that's furthest from us in the photo would appear to be her right elbow, and the thing closest to us would appear to be her left foot. Therefore, we have license to push that elbow even further back and pull that foot even further forward.
In the photo, it's unclear as to whether her garment is being slid off orpulled on. In the drawn version, we can make a decision about this. We can also tilt her head down even more, so it looks like she's focused on the action.
Finally, we can tell the couch she's sitting on is soft. Would sinking her into it more sell that better?
Drawings don't have the fidelity of photographs, so they must speak louder to be noticed. Amplification is communication! POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
The Body At Rest On Itself pose analysis
Between activities, the body strives to conserve energy by using itself as a brace, a platform, a pedestal. A hand cradles the head so the neck can rest. An arm settles at the side rather than being permanently suspended. Alleviate puppet-like stiffness from your poses by letting go of (or at least loosening) some of the "strings."
Drawing notes : Drawing contact is a challenge, but don't be afraid to obscure/overlap large parts of the body to achieve a look of relaxation. Accept that you can't show everything; in fact, it's best that you don't. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Hand / Face Combos pose analysis
What's on display : face (Babe Lab also threw in other stuff for good measure. You're welcome.)
Why it works : Getting the hands into the facial area creates an expressive frame, and draws attention to yet another area where a woman is soft and smooth.
What's important : As with overlapping the face with hair, we need to come to terms with the fact that, by introducing hands, we ADD TO and SUBTRACT FROM the head. The hands and head fuse into one positiveshape, and what's left of the face is a broken, negative shape. Be bold about these overlaps and let go of drawing every part of the face the way you're used to. Your audience will fill in a missing lower lip, cheek, jaw etc.
Get physical : This is a splendid opportunity to showcase physics/tactility. In an aghast expression, you may have the hands physically lowering the jaw, whereas a pooped expression may show the hands smushing the face up. If you've ever seen a model tug at her lower lip, it's hot. Use it. Also, depending on the position of the arms, there are all sorts of ways the bust will contort, which you may find infinitely more interesting than the standard droop. The more fun you have with physics in the softer areas, the more fun your pinup will be to look at.
What exciting hand/face combos can you think of? POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Over The Shoulder pose analysis
What's on display : buttocks
Why it works : The voyeuristic audience has been caught in the act! In this electrifying moment of discovery, the subject seems to affirm with her expression "Yes, I see you checking me out. No, I don't particularly mind." Or, alternately, "What the -- HEY!" Either has a distinct attitude.
What's important : We see many parts of the body in dynamic opposition to each other. The torso twists in conjunction with the neck. There are creases at the trapezius and the back. Eyes are looking at the viewer, whatever it is (sometimes us), in a flirtatious or startled manner. The shoulder nearest the chin presents a good opportunity for overlap. The breast is often seen in profile or semi-profile.
Hair for cover : Don't like drawing necks or backs? Let her hair down! Hair tends to whoosh around slightly when the head turns, so this can be exaggerated and otherwise exploited to the lazy artist's advantage. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Both Arms Crossed, One Arm Grip pose analysis
What's on display : breasts
Why it works : These are, for the most part, guarded positions. Depending on how high the shoulders and hands are raised, they serve either to obscure or frame the bosom. Models with pendulous, u-shaped breasts will often hoist them up in such a fashion to de-emphasize the drooping effects of gravity, or any cosmetic scarring on the undersides (obviously not a concern in the pinup world).
What's important : Bosom heaves and is squashed. One or both arms make contact with the ribcage and each other. Particular attention is to be paid to overlaps. Flesh is pinched in and pooched out at all contact points, particularly with a voluptuous model.
Mood Implications : Different postures, head positions and facial expressions accompanying these actions indicate different emotional states -- pride, indigence, squeamishness, shyness, boredom, patience or impatience. Add to this the physical state of being cold.
POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
The Crawler pose analysis
What's on display : eyes, arms, breasts, legs
Why it works : This pose taps into the animalistic side of human nature. The prowling model is the predator and we are her petrified prey.
What's important : This is an action pose! Alternating limb configuration, high/low shoulders, alternating high/low hips. Her head being raised shows a catlike alertness that's preferable to her head being lowered like a sniffing bloodhound. The above illustration shows her looking ahead, but she could (and probably should) be staring us down.
Twisted movement : If you're feeling extra adventurous, you needn't choose a one-way crawl. She could be changing direction while crawling, causing her torso to twist, and her hair and breasts to lurch back.
POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
The Sitter (variations) pose analysis
What's on display : legs, breasts
Why it works : These low-to-the-ground, up-gazing, sitting poses imply patience, tranquility, obedience and/or submission.
What's important : Since both arms are supporting her upper body, both shoulders are raised and we see some hyperextension at the elbows. The waist is twisted and the hips are resting on a peculiar axis. Ribcage is low and pointed down, so breasts are likewise low and pointed down. The head can be doing whatever, but avoid cloning the hands and feet!
Touchdown : Be especially mindful of the ground plane in such poses, as extremities will appear to "clip" into it if not properly positioned.
Flexibility : Women are more flexible than men, so it's not implausible to see stretched-out sitting poses like the one above. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
The Dual Hip Plant pose analysis
What's on display : breasts & legs (forward), buttocks & legs (reverse)
Why it works : This is a confident, powerful stance. "I am woman, hear me roar!"
What's important : Bosom heaves, butt goes up, shoulders are back and the hands are at rest on the hips, or otherwise hooked around the waist area. Weight is more evenly distributed than a contrapposto (though this can fluctuate) as the legs are further apart and pointed at opposing angles. Note that the knees are fairly locked, creating a stair-stepping effect. Since this is a fairly symmetical pose (unless you cock the hip), it will help for the head to be facing in a different direction that the torso, and/or tilted at a different angle.
Interesting note about the arms : This is an opportunity to show off your foreshortening abilities by not making perfect, repetitive clones of each arm. Since they're angled out and away from the body, but also going backward, we will see one more in profile and one more dramatically foreshortened at this 3/4 viewing angle. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
The Pushout (Upper Body) pose analysis
What's on display : breasts, buttocks
Why it works : Again, it's an offering. "Look at what I have going on upstairs." As a bonus, the buttocks are pushed out. When the arms are placed together, behind the body, we are give the impression of someone bound.
What's important : The shoulders are flung back, staging the breasts, and the pelvis is now behind. We see the top and bottom of the ribcage. The bosom heaves!
Trouble spots you'll encounter : Giving the hands something to do in a pose like this will be difficult unless you give your girl a prop -- a flower, a hat, anything. The alternative is to have her grabbing her butt or twiddling her thumbs, which looks awkward in the above illustrations. A better solution would have been to have one hand grabbing firmly onto the fingers or wrist of the other. To accurately draw such a complex interplay would most certainly require the use of reference or a mirror. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
The Pushout (Lower Body) pose analysis
What's on display : hips, genitals, legs
Why it works : This is basically another version of the contrapposto above, but since contrappostos can be seen in a number of poses, it should be noted that the lower body pushout (like its counterpart, the upper body pushout) is meant as a sort of offering. "Look at what I have going on downstairs."
What's important : The shoulders are extended back to their limit, and the pelvis is thrust forward. Nude, we are afforded a
gracious up-shot of the mons pubis and labia majora. Notice how all the "meat" of the pose is given to one side, literally pushed there by the arms (hands contact hips). Hair has been directed to compensate for this, compositionally.
Variations include... : (1) a lowered chin, with eyes staring down the barrel of the torso, the head angled in opposition to the drastically tilted ribcage (2) a non-contrapposto version with wider-stance legs, both feet planted firmly on the ground. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
The Recliner pose analysis
What's on display : hips, legs, breasts...pretty much the whole package
Why it works : Recliners are luxurious and relaxing. The figure is either just settling down or in the process of getting up. The viewer is given the impression of someone sprawled out on a bed, couch, beach blanket or whatever. It's a somewhat vunerable
moment you don't typically get to witness unless the subject is incredibly comfortable. It could also be interpreted as a prelude to intimacy, and the perfect opportunity to draw a coy or "come hither" expression.
What's important : Tactility! We are looking at a collection of forms (mainly) at rest, so there is resulting contact with herself and the surface she's reclining on. Parts lie on top of each other, wrap around each other, smush together (B), get hooked on each other (C), etc. Also, if one arm is bracing her up, it should show a little hyperextension at the elbow, and have a higher shoulder (A).
Watch out for... : extremely foreshortened, fully-reclined views that don't create pleasing or readable silhouettes, extreme upangles on faces that emphasize the chin and nostrils (not flattering). Plan your pose and camera angle accordingly! POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
The Contrapposto pose analysis The eraser marks in this hip-jutting contrapposto are left in to demonstate just how much difficulty a generic pose like this can present when drawing one from scratch.
What's on display : hips, legs
Why it works : (1) In a contrapposto, we see weight shifting from one side to the other, an alluring action in-and-of itself. (2) A good hip/waist ratio is an indicator of health and fertility. (3) There's some nice opposition between the hips and shoulders, getting us away from the redundancy of symmetry and into the exciting realm of angles.
What's important : (1) Center of gravity runs from the weight bearing foot to the sternum. (2) High left hip, high right shoulder. (3) We see some mild hyperextension in the weight bearing leg. Hyperextension is something women's limbs can do, and it should be exploited when drawing them.
How to improve : In the above shot, her visible hand appears to be pushing her hip out, so we really ought to play that up and, while we're at it, overlap her thumb. Since her left shoulder is so low, we can also safely drop her left breast slightly, placing it behind her ribcage, which is facing away from us. As a bonus, this eliminates an ugly tangent (A). Finally, since her left leg is locked and carrying most of her weight, we can freely bend her right, getting a bit more motion into it.
Rear contrapposto : Note the high, tensed buttock on the weight bearing leg and low, slack buttock on the non-weight bearing leg.
More or Less? - Mons Pubis Women aren't Barbie dolls down there! The mons pubis is a subtle rise that has curvature, and thus is especially prone to the "more or less" spatial division discussed in our previous tutorial. Though symmetrical, there is rarely a mirrored repetition in its halves.
Note how, when tilted away from us, or when the legs cross, the center split is pushed more to one side, or becomes partially enveloped by the fatty tissues acting against it. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Pure Vs. Impure Compare these three images. What do they have in common?
The anteater, the man at the bar and the long piece of fabric are simple on one side...
...and complex on the other!
The simple sides could be said to be "pure" because of their lack of abrupt changes. They form smooth curves and straights. The complex sides could be said to be "impure" because of their many lumps and corners.
Seeing "pure" and "impure" sides can aid us in our depiction of women (both observed and imagined), for once one has been identified, the other is never far away! First, look for the "pure" sides. Because of their relative simplicity, they usually stand
out.
Next, find the "impure" sides. When combined, their contrasts create immediate impact!
Reasons for purity : -extension (stretch) -anatomy (spine) -resting on a surface (floor, wall) -gravity flattening out the top of something -gravity forcing something directly down -streamlining/aerodynamics
-momentum being gained Reasons for impurity : -compression (squash) -objects pushed upward by surface impact -gravity drooping fat/muscle down -momentum being lost This happens on a micro level as well as a macro level. Look for the "pure" and "impure" sides of limbs, necks, fingers and toes.
How many "pure" and "impure" sides can you spot in these images?
Not everything about drawing women should be complex. Seek "purity." The rest will take care of itself, resulting in a more pleasing, balanced design. It's everywhere!
Normal Nachos You don't know it yet, but this nacho chip is going to help you draw better arms and legs.
If we think of a nacho as a flat, 3 sided polygon, the direction its top is pointed is referred to as its 'normal.' [facing up here]
Tilt the nacho, and its normal points in another direction. [facing down here]
Now, imagine that nachos came in all different triangular shapes, some lopsided, others razor-thin.
What happens when we map nachos to the triangular shapes of the arms and legs? What are the sizes and shapes of these nachos? In which directions are their normals pointing?
Knowing 'the normal of a nacho' will help you determine which planes of a limb are top planes, and which are side planes. The axis of the elbow/knee runs parallel to the direction of the normal.
Knowing the size/shape of a nacho will help you determine how much a limb is foreshortened. An 'equilateral' nacho, for instance, will be less foreshortened than an 'isosceles' nacho. [pictured below]
Note the variety of nachos and normals present in most poses.
Also note that, while the nachos are composed of straight lines, the arms and legs they represent also contain curves. Use the 'normal nacho' method to establish proportion and better understand form, not as a means of rigid construction.
¡Vaya con nachos! Babe Lab Disclaimer : Non-proprietary photos and illustrations featured on Babe Lab appear for the sole purpose of review. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Crossed Wires Here's a shorthand proportional tool you may find handy when drawing a girl (or any figure) in deep perspective.
Imagine two wooden crosshairs joined by a flexible wire with a piece of tape at the middle. One crosshair is where the neck sprouts from the torso -- the neck root (located just above the sternum). The other crosshair is where legs sprout from the torso - the thigh root (located, for all intents and purposes, at the rectum). The wire, in a crude fashion, represents the spine. The piece of tape is at the waist, where creasing will occur.
Why this is helpful : -The crosshairs show the direction we're looking at the upper and lower portions of the torso, and how the shoulders and hips are angled. The closer the crosshairs, the more foreshortening you'll get! -The wire shows which direction, front or back or side, the spine is bent. (Keep in mind that the spine can only bend SO FAR in any given direction!) -The piece of tape in the middle reminds us how much space to allocate to the ribcage and hip segments of the torso. It's too easy to accidentally elongate the torso, throwing the legs, arms and head wildly out of proportion.
Below is the above rig superimposed over an actual model, the lovely Erica Campbell.
It's interesting to note that... -the elbows fall at the midpoint on the wire, giving you semi-accurate proportions for the arms. -the wrists fall at the thigh root. -the breasts, unless being acted upon, are always parallel to the neck root crosshair. -the neck and head can be measured up one additional segment for a rough proportional blockout. -the midpoint moves up/down the wire in more foreshortened views. Whichever end is closer will be longer, and whichever end is further away will be shorter.
When using the "Crossed Wire" rig, play with : -the distance between the crosshairs (adjusting their midpoints accordingly) -assigning the neck root and the thigh root to different crosshairs (essentially reversing the viewing angle or body orientation) -angling the crosshairs to show tilted shoulders and/or hips
Sequence of Invention : The Magic Bean When a model isn't present to capture a gesture from, and we don't have the clearest mental image or intent, how can we go about drawing a girl from scratch? Babe Lab would like to suggest a logical sequence of invention.
In a previous tutorial, a proportional tool was introduced : two crosshairs (indicating the direction of the neck root and the thigh root) connected by a bent, bisected wire represent the torso. We can see this tool in white below.
If this visualization is too abstract, think first of a bean, curved on one side and bent on the other.
In all but the most rigid postures we can see some bean-like deformation in the torso, so (1) draw a few random beans from various angles. One or two strokes for each.
(2) Apply the crosshair/wire tool to them. There will be more than one way to do this with each bean, so don't think about it too hard. The torso is where all other parts of the body branch from, so it's a sensible place to start. With us so far?
(3) Now determine which ends you'd like to make the neck roots, where the heads will sprout from, but don't actually draw them yet.
4) On the opposite ends will be the thigh roots. Drop the legs here. Legs/buttocks are usually what's in contact with the ground, and act as resting places for hands and elbows.
(5) Arms and hands come next in the logical sequence. Had we drawn these earlier, we wouldn't have had leg geometry to work with or around.
(6) Block in the heads next. Play with their tilts, keeping gravity and direction in mind. Heads are very seldom centered!
(7) Now that we have a better idea of what the legs, arms and heads are doing, we can begin to define what's happening around the busts and waistlines. Maintain the curved/bent relationship from your original beans, but don't keep to their outlines. You're not drawing vegetables anymore; you're drawing anatomy. Locate the corners of the hips. Are there twists? How are the breasts reacting to the geometry around them, and to gravity? Ask yourself these questions at this stage.
(8) Without the preceding geometry built, it would be folly to draw hair. But we have built it, so go nuts! Think of things like hair and breasts as dessert, to be saved until after you've had your beans!
(9) Now's a good time to remind ourselves where the facial features might go...
10) ...and to tweak the overall graphic shapes of the poses we've created.
(11) From here, we can finish out the drawings as we see fit, adding clothing (optional) and making corrections. The important, underpinning construction is all done, so we're free to play with subtleties. As we can see below, not all bean-powered poses will be 100% successful.
What can you do with a magic bean?
A Look At Negatives - Legs Stare long and hard at this symmetrical 5 dot configuration. There's a little dot on the top and the bottom, two longer, stretched out dots and a medium sized dot in the middle.
Setting aside all knowledge of anatomy, it's a quick way to remember the interior shape of the legs as seen directly from the front or back. Notice that, from these views, the interior contour or the leg is lumpier than the exterior contour.
This "5 dot" configuration only works when the heel is elevated. (1) the space near the crotch (2) the space between the thighs (3) the space between/below the knees (4) the space between the calves (5) the space between the toes
POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Angry Angry Ankles Here's a simple device for recalling the high/low relationship between calves and ankles : the angry face! Whether viewing the legs from the front or from behind, just remember this sour little guy.
Be sure to invert this when the legs are crossed! POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Feature Creep : Constraining The Face In software development, "feature creep" refers to the overly ambitious bloating of a project's scope. When drawing the face of a pretty girl, a different kind of feature creep occurs, with eyes, noses and lips literallycreeping across the curvature of the head, beyond where they ought to be.
Some of this can be stylistic choice, but we must remember that the head, despite being a modified sphere, still has a front, sides, a top and bottom. One way we can keep ourselves in check is by constraining the face early on, by way of defining the area (really a series of planes) in which we draw its features. The shape of the area, if we think of it one dimensionally, resembles a shield, or modified Superman symbol. Eyebrows at the top, lower lip at the base, with the nose somewhere just below the midpoint.
Observe how much real estate this facial bounding area takes up on actual faces, represented here in green. Look how much surface area of the head is left over on all sides.
Sticklers for proper proportion will scoff at such shorthand, but the goal here is to remain conscious of the curvature of the head, and to more accurately map the features onto it. Experiment with modifying this bounding area to create an array of different facial shapes and expressions. It should be a helpful constraint, not a hindering one!
Because facial features are the really fun stuff to draw on a head, we tend to subconsciously enlarge them. We do this to the entire head, too, essentially giving us more area to play in. But, like little children running amok, it's probably best if we play in the yard. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Card Trick When drawing girls, it's all too easy to default to a "standard" (often standing) pose. The following trick is loosely based on a compositional tool Andrew Loomis wrote of : informal subdivision.
The gist of informal subdivision is that the canvas is cut up in an orderly-yet-random fashion, giving you a variety of spaces and angles to work with as you draw. You needn't adhere to the lines; they're just a guide.
Card Trick ™ ® © makes use of this principle, but twice, with two "cards" overlapping each other as foreground and background. Keeping roughly to the borders of your cards, draw half of the body onto one, and the other half onto the other. Which half you decide to put in front and which in back is up to you. The results become even more drastic/dimensional the more the cards overlap. Shuffle up!
Afterthought :
In the above examples, I've actually still shown too much...could have overlapped more! The "correction drawings" below demonstrate this. Note that in example B I've experimented with pushing this pose further into perspective. Card Trick can be a starting point!
Regardless of how successful your experiments are, they should at least bring increased spatial awareness and help generate challenging poses you're not used to drawing. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Exercise : Body Constellations The approach outlined here (which will doubtless be the subject of some future live demo) should not be construed as an exact proportional guideline, but rather a loose armature for figure construction. Imagine you're a sculptor building upon a wooden base with a length of wire. The principle is the same.
There are three primitive armatures you can get lots of mileage out of when inventing poses. If you're ever hard-pressed to think of a clear action to portray (and who of us isn't?), one of these armatures may help jar something loose. You can think of them as variable, four star constellations.
-The Dipper -The Check -The Zig-Zag
This comes from the idea that the distances from the ankle (first "star") to the knee (second "star"), from the knee to the hip (third "star"), and from the hip to the sternum (fourth "star") are approximately the same.
These distances will change depending on viewpoint/foreshortening, but let's look at how such "constellations" appear in Gil Elvgren's work.
Notice also where and how the ground planes fall. One is more straight-on, one is more skewed, and another is almost a sliver.
Exercise : Building a Figure From a Constellation
Step 1 -- Lay down three connected, equidistant lines : a zig-zag, a dipper, or a check. (Hint : zig-zags are the most common.) Experiment with the angles of these lines...how much they compress and extend. Try out different things. Step 2 -- Rotate the page until you see something that strikes you. Step 3 -- Drop in a ground plane in perspective (needn't be exact). This plane will determine the angle from which you view your figure, and acts as its platform. Step 4 -- Begin to "solve" the pose by logically figuring out how the figure would interact with that ground plane. Start with whatever is contacting it, usually (but by no means always) a leg.
"Dipper" example:
"Check" example :
"Zig-Zag" example :
Ask yourself : -What's contacting the ground?
-What's supporting the weight? -How is gravity affecting the head? -How is the spine curving/twisting? -Where can the body rest on itself? -What can be hidden? -How can redundancy be avoided? (Perfectly symmetrical features, duplicate "twinning" limbs, major masses all pointing in the same direction, shoulders/hips/feet resting on similar levels, etc.)
Here's a page of zig-zags. You can see how the "constellations" were drawn, how the page was rotated, ground planes indicated, and figures solved. Try it out!
Spot the Navel! What, if anything, can we say we know about belly buttons and the surrounding area of the stomach?
Babe Lab Disclaimer : Non-proprietary photos and illustrations featured on Babe Lab appear for the sole purpose of review.
1) There is a gap between the ribcage and the hip, which allows for bending and twisting. 2) Between this gap the waist becomes very thin. 3) If a horizontal line is drawn at the thinnest point of the waist, the navel falls beneath it. 4) More specifically, the navel rests at the center of the rectus abdominis muscle, at the top of the lowest, somewhat longer "ab."
Happy navel spotting! POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Boob Physics 101 Here's a subject that's very near to our hearts, figuratively and (in the case of lady artists) literally. Breasts should be just as fun to draw as they are to look at, and here's the big secret : you don't draw them untilafter you figure out what the rest of the body is doing. Then simply follow logic. That's it!
First off, let's identify what breasts are, for the most part : fat. Soft, delicious fat lying on the ribcage. For the purpose of this physics demo we're going to be dealing with larger, fattier breasts, because they'll hang and deform in ways smaller breasts won't. Well, they will, but in a less noticeable (and therefore harder to draw) way.
Unless bound by clothing or filled with something other than natural fat, breasts will react to the effects of gravity, being pulled down in a pendulum fashion.
Breasts are attached to the pectoral muscles, so when the muscles move, they move. You can think of it like a marionette puppet. Pull one string, and one moves. Pull two, and both move.
Breasts tend to flatten out / deform when they come into contact with surfaces, even themselves.
Breasts move as a unit. If blocked into a box, you can split it down the middle to help determine perspective. As the box squashes, rotates and/or skews, so do its contents. Also included in this image is an example of how breasts can stretch and squash if manipulated by outside forces. They are amazingly malleable!
Breasts are affected by motion, somewhat less so when bound by clothing. They will take longer to "catch up" to whatever the action is, so will drag behind, seeming sometimes to swing in the opposite direction of the motion. This, along with the effects of gravity and deformity, contributes to a look of weightiness.
There's no end to what breasts can look like and what they can do! Hopefully you'll be able to "plan" them more carefully by keeping some of the above in mind. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Silhouette Challenge #1 - showing the goods / hair When we look at an image of a pretty girl there are many things we may respond positively to, though one of the first things (and something we should make good use of in our pinups) is the overall stamp of what we're seeing and the information it gives us. Knowing when and where to supply this information is part of the fun of picture making, and should be left to your own judgement, but there are some titillating tricks that can be employed to enhance the sex appeal of a silhouette. SILHOUETTES ARE THE CHEAPEST WAY TO SHOW FORM AND PREVENT YOU FROM HAVING TO DO A TON OF RENDERING TO GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS.
Group 1
A) A sassy, but fairly standard contrapposto pose. With the arms and ribcage at this angle, the bust gets lost inside the outline.
B) By brushing back her hair, turning her ribcage slightly and losing the left arm behind the body (the hand re-emerging at the waist), we get her left breast breaking the silhouette. Since we already have her right arm outlined, this is welcome information!
C) A more drastic twist gets the face into the silhouette.
D) A full turnaround shows the curvature of the buttock and breast in the same pose. An earring has entered the silhouette here, as could any article of clothing.
Group 2
E) Sitting up pose, head-on. Fetching hip and hairline, but...
F) ...a slight twist of the ribcage gets the breast into the silhouette. The bordering hair and arm line help in sending the eye here. There is also the somewhat vulgar option of showing where the buttocks meet the ground, though depending on your aim, this might be an area worth drawing attention to. Curves are exciting, and it's an area that shows contact with the ground.
G) A more dramatic twist (comboed with a 3/4 view) gets the breast and hands into the silhouette. If toes are important to you (as they are to some), they could be just as easily defined in such a pose.
Group 3 - Hair
H) By allowing eyelashes to break the silhouette we get a true sense of their length. But oh no, look at that bland, blocky hair shape! It's so uniform.
I) This is better : a tapering, non-uniform shape with lots of width variation. Even though the shape is curvaceous, it conforms to a geometric structure (and one more interesting than a parallelogram). But there still remains the option of breaking it up a bit...
J) ...like so. Note the use of "lost" and "found" hair shapes for the finer strands, giving the impression that, in parts, the hair thins out so much as to be indiscernible.
K) Breaking up hair silhouettes is not without risks. If you're going to puncture hair with holes and break up its outline with fussy "stray" strands, it's best to do this at the edges of your shape...
L)...rather than the center. See how the contrast and detail level is too much? Further, any holes that are of the same size/shape, or strands that are of the same width tend to make hair look less natural and pasta-like. Make sure you maintain a balance between big, medium and small shapes.
As a final note, you should always choose a hair shape that best suits your pose/composition. Use it as a means of leading the eye, obscuring, framing, etc. Don't let it be arbitrary; let it be a tool. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Facial Color Banding A rookie mistake in painting faces is giving them but one, even hue. What we see in nature is different.
This handy tutorial on facial color banding comes care of concept artist / girl magnet Carlo "Chainsaw Art" Arellano.
1) After an initial rough-in, a basic palette is chosen. 2) The base color is applied under the pencil lines. 3) Banding is loosely laid in. "Cool on the jaw, reddish on the cheeks and nose and yellow on the forehead." This has to do with how close the skin is to the bone and how much blood is flowing to the tissue beneath. 4) Banding is smoothed out. 5) Further modeling -- lips receive red, cheeks and forehead recieve lighter values, irises get a local color. 6) Forehead gets yellower, eyewhites go in, more modeling around eyes/cheekbones, nose/iris/lips receive highlights. "I paid attention to the planes and edges of the face, because light behaves according to the edges described there."
In addition to Mr. Arellano's extensive work in games and film, he's also a teacher at Pasadena's Concept Design Academy. Thanks for the tut, Carlo! POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Harnessing Hair - pt. 1 [illustrations pending] Babe Lab Disclaimer : Non-proprietary photos and illustrations featured on Babe Lab appear for the sole purpose of review.
A woman's hair is as much a form of self expression as it is an image booster. Essentially a frame for the face, it can either enhance the features or wash them out. Attractive hair is key in creating positive first impressions from 360 degrees, from crown to bangs (sometimes called "fringe") and around to the nape of the neck.
Genetics, age, nutrition and preening all play a part in how a woman's hair looks and behaves. Kept in good condition, hair is incredibly pliable. Care is taken to avoid damaging it with heat and chemicals, as frizzy hair is harder to control. Further, weighing it down with products can make hair static and lifeless, like a helmet or a wig. Movement and "bounce" attract the eye!
Hair is affected by... -gravity -- Gravity wants to pull hair down. -body motion -- Hair flow is influenced by the directional movement of the body. Think of it like streamers on a bike. -body contact -- Hair will be redirected where it meets the body. Hair at rest can help define the forms underneath it (forehead, neck, shoulders, back), acting as surface lines. Hair by a squashed area will appear squashed. -air current / water current -- Hair gets swept around by wind and water. Think of it as a particle effect, like smoke. -moisture/humidity -- Hair becomes heavier and slicker when wet. Strands consolidate like seaweed. It tends to cling to any part of the body it comes into contact with. -static electricity -- Brought about by dryness and friction, staticy hair sticks to itself and can appear to stand on end. -heat -- Dryers, straighteners, flat irons, curling irons and crimping irons all use heat to make hair behave in certain ways. -products -- Sprays, gels, shampoos, conditioners, clays, oils, waxes and putties serve to make hair behave in certain ways. -peripherals -- Pins, scrunchies, combs, pony tail holders, barrettes, headbands, ribbons and rubber bands create cinch-points that either stabilize or redirect hair.
Hair has volume. Also referred to as "body" and "lift", this is the shape the hair takes on. Sometimes natural, sometimes accomplished with products or peripherals, virtually any shape is possible, no matter how bizarre. Horizontal, vertical or diagonal, if you can think of it, it
probably exists.
Hair has various surface properties. -straight -- fans, folds, drapes -wavy -- loose, low frequency curves -curly -- tightly wound spirals or springs -- high frequency -fine -- thin, wispy -coarse -- thick, tangly or otherwise unwieldy (the term "nappy" is sometimes subbed) -lustrous -- high specular sheen, typical of longer styles -matte -- typical of shorter styles and conducive to texturing
Hair has various lengths. -short -- These cropped styles fall just at the jawline or higher. This is the most we'll see the ears. -mid length -- These typically fall below the jawline, but rarely pass the neckline. 50/50 chance of seeing ears. -long -- Considered the most glamorous, (Some women will even go so far as obtaining extensions.) these styles fall below the neckline. Long hair in front of the shoulders can be used to lead the eye down to the bust, or behind the body to draw attention to the neckline, or keep clear of an outfit. Ears tend to disappear in the mane.
Hair is parted... -symmetrically -- vertical, straight and down the center -- parting waves in two different directions -asymmetrically -- slanted, curved, off-center -zigzaged -- combo of the above *note : you may see some scalp depending on the severity of the part
Hair is cut. -blunt -- These severe, high-precision shapes are less soft (and consequently less feminine). Bangs are often sawed off with cleanly defined lines. There are little to no stray hairs. -textured -- Textural cuts feature more noise, more stray hairs and have a more nebulous shape. Layers give movement and airiness, and are accomplished by cutting pieces out from under each other to create different lengths, sometimes crisscrossed.
Hair is sculpted. -flipped -- brushed out away from head -teased -- drawn outward, upward, or otherwise bumped forward to create lift -poofed -- pulled back and pushed up to create lift -curled -- via curlers and perms -bunned -- hair is pulled up, wound around itself and pinned into place -braided -- divided into thirds and woven -ponytailed -- An easy, go-to style, top-knotted ponytails add height, show the face and keep hair out of the way. -pigtailed -- a doubled variation of the ponytail
Hair is dyed. -color -- Color is used to enhance natural skin tone and pop features. Warm skin is complimented by warmer dyes. Cool skin is complimented by cooler dyes. The idea is to create an overall look that doesn't wash out the features. The name of the game is contrast. -highlights -- These strips lighten to enhance texture and dimensionality. -lowlights -- These strips darken to enhance texture and dimensionality. -chunky -- Bigger pieces or "placements" are loud and obvious. -subtle -- This is the opposite of chunky. Lots of small, subtle variation. Broken color blends together at a distance.
Hair styles fit occasions. -bridal -- ornate, elegant, hyper-girly -- lots of curly tresses -formal/glam -- for red carpet occasions -casual -- manageable, everyday solutions that are easy to maintain without a stylist
Hair adds an element of mystery. Depending on its style and thickness, hair can act as an opaque or translucent veil, framing the face in a variety of ways. It can conceal eyes, ears and breasts. Hair overlapping the face and other features helps sell dimensionality, so don't be afraid to obscure! They eye will fill in what's underneath.
Notes on drawing: -Draw head and face first, hair second! This will help in keeping the hair tethered to the scalp. -Consider overall abstract, angular perimeter. Think of tree foliage. -Consider points of origin. Hair will flow from these points according to outside influences.
-Consider cinch-points. -Consolidate strands! -Introduce a variety of small pieces, medium pieces and large pieces. -Show differeing heights. -Small side/large side - beware of mirroring! -Show movement wherever possible! To deny a woman's hair movement is to eliminate one of the things that makes it alive and sexy. -Hair is at the same time highly structrual and seemingly random. Make it work for your composition. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Avoiding Right Angles - Profile Stiffness in drawing (especially girl drawing) is commonly linked to right angles. These are most noticeable and least forgiveable when the figure is seen in profile or semi-profile.
A - In addition to being completely rigid, this is a pure profile. It resembles a diagram. Dull! B - The posture is relaxed some, and by use of overlaps we've moved into the realm of semi-profile, but there's a missing element : glamor. C - The 90 degree angles are stretched outward even further, and the result is glamorous, even in semi-profile. A similarly eye catching result could be obtained by making the limbs and trunk compress inward. In either case, the 90 degree angles are vanquished.
It's not always possible (or desirable) to avoid right angles, but in such cases it does no harm for them to be rotated off-kilter so as not to be perfectly squared with the canvas.
Try doing a "right angle check" on your pinups-in-progress and see if "fixing" them doesn't create a much more natural look. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
A Little Necking
Naked necks are vulnerable. It's no wonder Dracula loves them.
Long "swan" necks are considered elegant in many cultures, including the fashion world. Models are advised not to hide this quality, even to enhance it with jewelry (earrings, necklaces, chokers), so we as pinup artists should do likewise.
The head isn't a helium balloon; it has weight. Therefore, the neck is never a rigid, up-and-down lollipop stick, but a natural continuation of the 's' curve of the spine. It's thinner at the base and thicker near the ears, only appearing otherwise because of
the sloping trapezius muscles that flank it. Note that the area beneath the jaw is not indented. Rather, it has a slight thickness.
The neck's swiveling, twisting array of motion should be employed to create large (lg) and small (sm) negative areas to either side of the head. Even if the difference in size is negligible, this will do wonders in loosening up the pose, and introducing variety.
The mastoid muscles in front and the trapezius muscles in back are really the only ones that require any sort of definition. Avoid drawing adams apples, veins, tendons or any excess wrinkles resulting from a pinch, as these will make the neck look sinewy and grotesque. The severity of the neck pit and collarbones will be dependant on the pose and angle you've chosen, and how volumptous your subject is. Err on the side of thin necks vs. thick ones, as the latter are a decidedly manly trait. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Tummy In, Tummy Out
Tummy In The the lungs inhale and the stomach muscles tense, flattening or inverting the belly and exposing the bottom of the ribcage. This is the configuration you'll want to draw if your damsel is gasping, leaning backward, or trying on a corset. Note the heaving bosom!
Tummy Out
The lungs exhale and the stomach muscles relax, making the belly protrude. We see less of the ribcage, and the belly button might be a bit reduced, if not smashed flat. This is the configuration you'll want to draw if she's sighing, leaning forward, or bellydancing! The bosom drops. POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
Occam's Razor / Signal to Noise Occam's Razor is a principle that basically asserts that the simplest solution is best. Pinup artists would do well to live by this motto, as it applies to everything : the message being communicated, the design itself, and how it's executed. Our aim is to send a clear signal, and, whenever possible, reduce noise.
Which pinup idea sounds most successful? 1) Janet is a fan of freshly baked pies, but she's dropped hers on the ground! Oops! (simple signal) 2) Janet is a fan of freshly baked pies, so she's filling out a job appliation to work at a bakery. She has a thought balloon above her head with an image of herself at the top of a pie-castle, brandishing a crown and scepter and backed by a waving banner declaring her Queen Of All Pies.(complicated noise)
Which visual treatment sounds most successful? 1) A economical, flowing arrangement of decisive, well placed lines and/or brush strokes. (simple signal) 2) A boorish, chaotic excess of lines and/or brush strokes. (complicated noise) POSTED BY PAUL RICHARDS
First Guest Tutorial : Tiffanny Varga Tiffanny Varga hooked up a smashing set of tutorials on facial proportions. The pictures say it all!
