Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference Guide for Comic Book Artists
Transcript of Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference Guide for Comic Book Artists
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Publishedin2004
byWatsonGuptillPublications,anImprintoftheCrownPublishingGroup,adivisionofRandom
House,Inc,NewYork
www.crownpublishing.com
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Copyright©2004Starfire,LLC
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Hart,Christopher.
Drawingcuttingedgeanatomy:theultimatereferenceguideforcomicbookartists/
ChristopherHart.
p.cm.
Includesindex.
ISBN0-8230-2398-2(pbk.)
1.Humanbeings—Caricaturesandcartoons.2.Figuredrawing—Technique3.Cartooning—
Technique.4.Cartooning—Vocationalguidance.I.Title.
NC1764.8.H84H372004
741.5—dc22
2004012864
Allrightsreserved.
eBookISBN:978-0-77043486-1
TradePaperbackISBN:978-0-8230-2398-1
v3.1
CONTENTS
Cover
TitlePage
Copyright
INTRODUCTION
THEFOUNDATIONTHESKELETON
THEMUSCLES
THEMUSCLESINPROFILE
SIMPLIFYINGTHEBODY(WHENROUGHINGOUTAPOSE)
AGECHART
HEIGHTCHART
BODYSHAPES:MEN…ANDWOMEN
BODYLANGUAGE
MUSCULARDETAILSTHEPRIMARYMUSCLESINACTION
EXTREMEBULK
EXTREMEVEINS
DRAWINGVEINSTHATPOP
PRIMELOCATIONSFORSUPERVASCULARITY
SURFACEMAPPING
THEEFFECTSOFLIGHTONTHEBODY
THEHEADANDNECKTHESKULL
THEMUSCLESOFTHEFACE
DRAWINGTHEEYES
MALEEYESVS.FEMALEEYES
THETYPICALMALEHEAD
THETYPICALFEMALEHEAD
DROP-DEADGORGEOUSHEADTILTS
DRAWINGTHEEARS
THEMAINNECKMUSCLE
THEMAINNECKMUSCLEINMOTION
THEHEAD,NECK,ANDSHOULDERAREA
THECHESTANDABSTHERIBCAGE
BASICCHESTSTRUCTURE
THEMALETORSO
WASHBOARDABS
THEMUSCLESONTOPOFMUSCLES
ARMSDOWN
ARMSUP
THEMALETORSOINMOTION
THEFEMALETORSO
OPPOSINGFORCES
THEFEMALETORSOINMOTION
THEBACKANDSHOULDERSUPPERBACK,RELAXED(ARMSDOWN)
UPPERBACK,FLEXED(ARMSUP)
LOWERBACK
SURFACERENDERING
CONTRACTINGTHEBACKMUSCLES
COOLCOMICBOOKPOSESFORTHEBACK
THEMAJORMUSCLEGROUPSOFTHESHOULDER
THESHOULDERSINMOTION
COOLCOMICBOOKPOSEFORTHESHOULDERS
THEARMSANDHANDSARMBONES
GENERALMUSCLEINFO
THEMUSCLESBETWEENTHEBICEPSANDTRICEPS
THETRICEPSINACTION
THEFOREARM
PUNCHING:THEFOREARMTWISTINACTION
COOLCOMICBOOKPOSESFORTHEARMS
THEHANDS
DRAWINGEXPRESSIVEHANDS
VARIOUSHANDPOSES
THEPELVIS,LEGS,ANDFEETTHEPELVIS
THELEGBONES:ANOVERVIEW
LEGBASICS
SIDEVIEW
THELEGMUSCLESINBULK
THEFEMALELEG
SIDEVIEWOFTHEFEMALELEG
THETROUBLESPOT:THEKNEE
BACKVIEW
CALFMUSCLES
FEMALECALFMUSCLES
DRAWINGFEET
THEBONESOFTHEFOOT
SHOESANDBOOTS
THECOMPLETELEG
THECOMPLETEFEMALELEG
ELEMENTSTOPRACTICEHOWTOBEGIN
RENDERINGTHEMUSCLES
WOMENANDTHESARTORIUS
LATSANDAGOODBACKVIEW
RIBCAGEPOSES
KEEPINGITSIMPLE
THEBIZSTARTINGOUT:THEASHCANANDOTHERSTRATEGIES
SWITCHINGSIDES
THEINTERVIEWSMIKEMARTS,MARVELCOMICS
CHRISWARNER,DARKHORSECOMICS
SCOTTALLIE,DARKHORSECOMICS
INDEX
AbouttheAuthor
INTRODUCTION
Thetrendincomicstodayistowardmoreextremefigureswhosemusclesarebiggerandmoredefinedthanever.Whilethiscreatespowerful,excitingcomicbookcharacters,itcanpresentaproblemfortheartist,whoneedstobecomemorefamiliarwithstylized,cutting-edgeanatomy.
Ifthere’sonethingaboveeverythingelsethatcomicbookartistsmustknow,it’showtodrawthehumanfigure.Therefore,manycomicbookartistsstockuponanatomybooksbutareoftendisappointedwiththeirpurchases.Why?Becauseanatomybookstypicallyillustratethemusclegroupsonmannequinlikefigures,standingatattention;themomentyoudrawafigureinanactionpose,thepositionsofthemuscleschange—andtheexampleintheanatomybookisofnousetoyou.
Youneedabookthatgivesdetailedexamplesofanatomyasitappearsinallthetypicalcomicbookposesyoumightdraw.And,youneedenoughexamplessothatyou’llstartrecognizingthecorrectplacementofthemusclegroups.That’sthepointatwhichunderstandingtakestheplaceofmemorization.
Inaddition,mostanatomybooksshowthemusclesonfiguresonwhichtheskinhasbeenremoved.That’sgreatifallyouwanttodoisdrawcadavers.Butintherealworld—andthecomicbookworld—peoplewalkaroundwiththeirskinon.Andtheskinandfatlayershavetheeffectofmaskingthedeeperandless-definedmuscles.Whyshouldyouhavetoguesswhichmusclesshowthroughtothesurface?Thisbooklaysitoutforyouinblackandwhitesothatyoucancomparethemuscleswithouttheskintothemuscleswiththeskin(referredtoassurfaceanatomy).You’llevenlearnhowtodrawthemusclesastheyappearthroughclothesandcostumes.
Thisbookishighlyreadable—maybethefirsthighlyreadableanatomybook.MostonlyusetheLatinnamesofthemuscles,makingthingshardtorememberandevenhardertounderstand.Inthisbook,
you’llnotonlygettheLatinnamesofthemusclegroups,butalsotheregular,everydaytermsforthem,aswell.Forexample,ifamuscleislabeledscapula,I’llalsotellyouthatthisistheshoulderblade.
You’llalsolearnhowtodrawavarietyofbodytypesandhowtoadjustthepostureasthebodyages.Andsothatyou’llhaveplentyofexamplesonwhichtopractice,thisbookhasmanystep-by-stepillustrationsoforiginal,excitingcomicbookcharactersthatincorporatethemusclesandanatomyyou’llbelearning.
Thebookcloseswithtwoinvaluablesections:Thefirstdescribesthestepstotaketogetpublishedincomicssothatyoudon’thavetoinventthepathtosuccess—it’sallexplainedtoyou,indetail;you’lllearnexactlyhowtocapitalizeoneachsuccessinordertoreachthetopstratainthebusiness.Thesecondfeaturesthreeamazinginterviewswitheditorsfromtwogiantsofthecomicsindustry:MarvelComicsandDarkHorseComics.You’llgetinsiderviewpointsonhowthecomicbookbusinessworks,howtoapproacheditors,andwhatthemostimportantqualitiesareinacomicbookartist.
THEFOUNDATION
Theskeletonisthefoundationofthebody.Observingitwillshowyouwhythebody’scontoursarewheretheyare.Tobesure,notallartistssketchouttheskeletonbeforeroughingoutapose(although
somedo).Butallaccomplishedillustratorshaveenoughbasicknowledgeoftheskeletontohaveanintuitivesenseofthebody’sframework.Takealookattheunderlyingstructureofthebody,andjustkeepthisstuffinthebackofyourmindasyouprogresstowardmasteringanatomy.
THESKELETON
WhenyoutakealookatMr.andMs.Boneshere,dothefollowing:Noticehowtheribcageactuallywidenstowardthebottombeforetaperingbackinalittle.Observehowmuchspacethereisbetweenthelowestribandthepelvis.Notehowthickthejointsareattheelbowsandknees.Allgoodthingstobeawareof.
Themaleskeletonisslightlylargerthanthefemaleskeleton,withthickerbones.Themaindifferenceisinthepelvis(hips).Men’shipsaretallerfromtoptobottom,butnarrowerfromsidetosidethanwomen’ships.Women’shipsarewidestwherethefemur(thighbone)meetsthepelvis.That’swhereabigball-and-socketjoint(theoutermostpointofwhichisthegreattrochanter)islocated.Okay,sotheboneshavecomplicatednames.Relax.Thisisn’tbiologyclass.Youdon’thavetomemorizeathing.Noone’sgoingtoquizyou.Whatyouwanttonoticeistheangleofthebonesandtheirbasicshapes:Noticehowthecollarbonedipsatthecenterwhereitmeetsthesternum(breastbone).Notehowthefemur(thighbone)anglesinwardasitapproachesthekneeareabutthetibia(shinbone)travelsstraightdown.Alsonotehowlargetheshinboneisatthebottom.That’swhatgivestheankleitsmass.
THEMUSCLES
Youcan’tfightbadguysunlessyouhavebigbicepsandafewotheroversizedmusclegroups.Again,there’snoneedtomemorizethese.Justfamiliarizeyourself.Eachgroupofmusclesinterlaceswiththenextgroup,andsoon.I’llgothrougheachindividualmusclegroupstepbystepinaclear,easy-to-followmethodsothatyou’llgetit.“Goslow”isthekeytoourapproach.
Andnoteanewpointtorememberhere.Thesecrettodrawingstrongcharactersisthreefold:make’emwideontop,narrowatthewaist,andbiginthelegs.Lookto“bunch”theshorter,morecompactmusclesoftheuppertorso(theabs,pecs,anddelts).Looktocreatestriations(longlinesofdefinition)onthelonger,thinnermusclesofthelegs(thethighandcalfmuscles).
BACKThe“lats”(youbodybuildersknowthatlatsstandsforlatissimusdorsi)dominatetheback.Theshoulderstopthelatsoffwithevenmorewidth.The“traps”(morebodybuildinglingoforthetrapezius)givestheneckahunchedlook,whichisexcellentforhighlightingbrutestrength.Thegastrocnemius(calf)isthebicepsofthelowerlegandbulgesaccordingly.Theexternalobliques(whatyourgirlfriendderisivelycallsyourlovehandles)areactuallymusclesthatyouwouldseeifyoueverlostthoselasttenpounds.
FRONTWomenhaveahigherpercentageofbodyfatthanmen(justdon’ttellthemthat).Oncomicbookfigures,youindicatethisbodyfatbycreatingfullercurveswithouthighdefinition.That’snottosaythatthecomicbookwomanissoft,buthermusclesarelongandlean—anddon’t“bunch”likethemusclesonacomicbookman.Youdon’twantherlookinglikeafemaleprofessionalbodybuilder.Thinkmoreintermsofherbeingatonedathletewithlooksthatcouldkill.
BACKWhencomparingfemaleanatomytomaleanatomy,thefirstthingyou’llnoticeisthatherlatsdon’tgiveherthatwide-backlook.Also,hertrapsaren’tanaccentuatedmusclegroupbecausesheneedsalong,supplenecktoretainherfemininity.Neverdrawherexternalobliquesasseparatemuscles,astheyappearonaman;there’sno“bumpout”oftheobliques.And,shehaswidehipsandfull,muscularthighs.Also,square—notdrooping—shouldersareafemininelook.
THEMUSCLESINPROFILE
Musclesthatlookedslenderfromthefront,suchasthevastusexternus(outerthighmuscle),areoftenrevealedtoactuallybequitemassivewhenviewedfromtheside.Theexternalobliquesareprominentatthisangle.Andtheentiredeltoid(shoulder)musclegroup—whichisreallycomprisedofthreeheads(front,middle,andback)—isoverpoweringonthemalefigureinthisview.Note,too,howthecollarbonejutsoutslightlyatthebottomoftheneckonboththemaleandfemalefigure.
SIMPLIFYINGTHEBODY(WHENROUGHINGOUTAPOSE)
Whenroughingoutaninitialpose,there’snoneedtofocusongettingthemusclegroupsjustright.Atthisstage,you’reonlylookingforagoodpose.Whyworktogetalltheindividualmusclesrightwhenyoumightnotevenlikethepositionofthecharacter?It’swisertodrawtwoorthreesimplifiedposes,choosetheoneyoulikebest,andthenrefineitbeforesculptingthemuscles.Simplifiedfiguresaremadeupofonlythemajorbodyparts,hingedtogetherbyball-and-socketjoints.
Note:Whenprofessionalartistsusesimplifiedfigures,theydon’tgenerallydrawascleanlyastheexamplesonthesetwopages.Theirlinesaresketchierandlooser,whichcomeswithyearsofexperience.Someartistswillusealotofdetailinsketchingoutaparticularareaofthebody,asithelpsthemtovisualizetheposebetter.Otherswillsimplifyitfurther,forexample,drawingtheribcageasanoval.Othersusestickfigurelinestoindicatethearmsandlegs.Everyonehashisorherownmethod.Theonlyrequirementisthatthesimplifiedsketchconveysthefeelingofthepose.
AGECHART
Agecreatesseveralnoticeablechangesinthebody,includinginheightandposture.Inadulthood,thebodydoesn’tjustgrowtaller,itfillsout.Theframegetlargeranddenser.Thecheststicksout,andthecurveofthelowerbackbecomesaccentuated.Thepostureofmiddleagedpeopleandseniorcitizens,however,isthereverseofallthis:thechestcurvesinandthelowerbackswaysoutward.Thestomachmuscleslosetheirtone,resultinginapaunch,evenifthecharacterisnotfat.Gravityalsoaffectsthebody.Asweage,partsstarttosag.That’swhenlotsofpeoplepurchaseantigravitydevices,alsoknownasfacelifts.
HEIGHTCHART
Differenttypesofcomicbookcharactersaredepictedatdifferentheights.You’vegottomatchthecharactertypewiththecorrectheight.You’renotgoingtoseeafive-foot-tallheroincomics.Notgonnahappen.
Overtheyears,somestereotypes(basedonheight)havefallenintoplace.It’sinthepublicconsciousness.Therefore,itbecomesanunwrittenlaw.Sohereitis,inwriting:AnAverageGuyincomicbooksis7headlengthstall.(Theaveragereal-lifepersonisabout6½to7headstall,buteverythingisexaggeratedincomics.)TheHero(theleading-mantypeoracostumedhero)istaller,at8heads.Remember:thetalleracharacteris,thebiggerthebodywillbebycomparison.Abigger-lookingbodytranslatesintomorepower.So,thenextfigureistheAntihero(agoodguy,butjustbarely),andhecomesinatanimpressive10headstall.Followinghimisaverypopularcharactertype,theBrute,atacool12headstall.ThentheGiant,atawhopping15headstall.Theselasttwoarenottobemessedaroundwith.They’realwaysinabadmood.
Femalecharactersstartat6½to7headstall.Theycanbeexaggeratedtoupto12headstall,butthisisnottoaddasenseofrawpowersomuchastopromoteasenseoflong-leggedsexappeal,grace,andacommandingpresence.
BODYSHAPES:MEN…
Inadditiontoageandheight,bodytypealsocreatesanddefinesspecificcharacters.Whiletherearesomenormal-lookingfiguresincutting-edgecomics,notethattheHero,theBrute,andtheVillainarealljustthatmuchmorepumpedup.That’swhatmakesthemcuttingedge.
REGULARJOEHe’snotanactionhero,justyourtypicalguy.He’sthetypewhotransformsintoanactionhero
orplaystheconfidant.Nogreatmusclesordefinition.Slightlytallerthanaverage.
FATGUYHeavypeopleareoftenstereotypedasjolly;butincomics,theycanplaythevillain,aswell.
BRUTEHehasathick,massivebodywithapelikeposture.Hisarmsaremuchlongerthantheyshould
be,andhislegsareshorter.Hisheadshouldlookpastedontohisbody.Andleaveoutthe
neck;thisgiveshimahunchedposture,whichisgoodforbrutishcharacters.
EVILGENIUSHe’sskinny,butwithsmall,definedmuscles.Thisgiveshimacraftylook.Hispostureisusually
poor,withasunkenchest—asuresignofcomicbookvillainy.Onskinnycharacterslikethis,
theribsstickout,butnotthemusclesoftheribs.
HEROThisisaV-shapedbody,proudandshowy.Allthemusclespop.
VILLAINSlightlymorepowerfullybuiltthanthehero(makingfordramaticfightscenes),thevillainis,
however,notquiteasgraceful.He’sgotathicker,lessathleticbuild.
…ANDWOMEN
Withmalecomicscharacters,youcanmoldtheirbodiesintomanydifferentshapes,producingawiderangeofcoolcharacters.It’snotsoeasywithwomen.Womenincomicsare,byandlarge,attractive—eventhevillains.Especiallythevillains!TheVoluptuousVixenandtheVillainessaremuchmoreattractiveincutting-edgecomics.So,youhavelesslatitudeinalteringthebody.Youcan’tdrawbrutishwomenoryou’lllosetheattractiveness.Therefore,thechangesrelylessonbodytypesandmoreonpose,costume,andattitude.
FIGHTERShehasasturdystance,musculararms,andlargeshoulders—andissomewhatdefinedoverall.
VOLUPTUOUSVIXENShepossessesalargechest,slenderwaist,andwidehips.Hershouldersaresofterthanthe
Fighterandherarmsarethinner.
GIRLNEXTDOORThere’snothingoutofproportiononherbody—noexaggeratedareasthatmakeabold
statement.
VILLAINESSShestandswithanattitudeofdefianceanddisdain.She’ssharpnotsoft,wearingalotofblack
andaseverecostume.
ATHLETESheoftenhasthesuperpowerofspeed.She’ssmallbutstrong,withlean,definedmuscles.
THEINNOCENTSmallerthantherest.Diminutive(withacutehaircut),thin,andnotovertlysexy.She’saneat
andproperdresser.
BODYLANGUAGE
Thewholepointofcomicsistovisuallyexpressemotions.Ifyou’reonlydoingthatwiththeface,thenyou’remissingalotofopportunities.Whenyoufeelanemotionstrongly,youfeelitthroughoutyourwholebody,andyourbodyreflectsthatemotion.Incomics,thecharactersthriveonintensefeelings,whichmeansthattheiremotionsmusttranslatetothewholebody.Workthebody;makeitcommunicate.Revealtheemotionsintheposture.
MUSCULARDETAILS
Here’swheretherubbermeetstheroad:drawingthemusclesinaction.Whenacharacterrun,punches,throws,orlifts,specificmusclegroupsaretaxedfarmorethanothersand,therefore,require
moredefinition.Themusclesinusebunchupandtheveinspopandbecomemorearticulated.Thismakestheposecomealive.
THEPRIMARYMUSCLESINACTION
Whenamuscleisused,itiseitherflexedorstretched.Givethosemusclesaddeddefinitionand,sometimes,addedsize.Althoughthemusclesworkinunison,notallmusclegroupsareusedforeveryaction.Thismeansthatalthoughmanysecondarymusclesmaybeworking,we’remoreconcernedwiththeprimarymuscles—thelargestmusclesunderthemoststrain.Ineachoftheposeshere,theprimarymusclesinactionareshadedwithstripes.
RUNNINGRunningisafull-bodymovementinwhichallofthebodyismovingallofthetime;but
primarily,theflexedmusclesarethethighsandcalves.
LEAPINGPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:thighs,calves,shoulders,andlatissimusdorsi(lats).
PULLINGPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:abs,shoulders,biceps(butnotthetriceps),andfrontthighs.
PUSHINGPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:triceps(notthebiceps),lats,chest,andlegs.
LIFTINGPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:allthreeheadsofthethighmuscles,theshoulders,trapezius,
triceps,forearms,lats,andexternalobliques.
CARRYINGPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:trapezius,shoulders,arms,forearms,andchest
SUSPENDEDFROMAROPEPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:triceps,forearms,shoulders,andchest.
SCALINGAWALLPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:biceps,forearms,andchest.
FIRINGAWEAPONPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:forearm,upperarm,shoulder,andchest.
PUNCHINGPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:triceps(notbiceps)andshoulders.
KICKINGPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:innerandouterthighs.
HAULINGPrimarymuscles/areasinuse:trapezius,triceps,biceps,forearms,lowerthighs.
EXTREMEBULK
Themoremusclesyourcharacterhas,themoreimpressiveheorshewillbe.Butyoucan’tjustinflatethemusclesasiftheywereballoons.Youhavetofilloutandadjusttheframeforthegreatermass.Inadditiontogettinglarger,themusclesmustalsobecomemoredefinedandmustseparatemoreclearlyintoindividualmusclegroups.Herearethefourstagesofmuscularity.
NORMALIt’snothingimpressive,butstill,he’snotinbadshape.Allthemusclegroupsareapparentbut
aresmallandundefined.
BUILTUPHismusclesarepumped.Thechestandabshavedevelopedintopowerfulmuscles.The
trapeziusnowtakesonmorethickness.Theshouldersbroaden,andthebicepsarelarge.The
thighscurveoutwardduetothesizeofthequadriceps(thefrontthighmuscles).
INTIMIDATINGAtthisstage,allthemusclesare“bunching,”meaningthey’reinaconstantstateofflexing,
givingeachmusclegroupasculptedlook.Thisisthestandardforcutting-edgecomics.Note
thatjointslikethekneeandtheelbowneverincreaseinsize.Therefore,theyservetohighlight
thesizeofthethighandarmmusclesbywayofcontrast.
AWESOMEThisisthemostextremephaseofdevelopment,whenthecharacter’sveryframeworkasbeen
warpedbyhypermuscularity.Notehowtheheadsinksintothemassthatisthetrapezius
muscle.Theshoulderslooklikemelons,almostdetachedfromthebody’sframe.Smaller
muscles,likethoseofthecalf,suddenlyballoonuptoagiganticsize.
EXTREMEVEINS
Supervascularityisapopularlookincutting-edgecomics.Butit’salsoanaccuratelookforheavilymuscled,definedfigures.Theveinsarepushedoutwardbythemuscles,whichgivesthecharacteranextremeandpowerfullook.Thisvascularchartshowswheretheveinsandarteriesconcentratethroughoutthebody.Thisisnotaliteralrepresentationoftheactualveins;it’smeanttoreflecthowveinsaredrawnincomicbookart.
It’sonlyimportanttonotewheretheconcentrationofveinsisthegreatest:theneck,arms,outerchest,andlegs.Noticehowtheyweaveinandout,attachingtooneanother,creatingpatterns,andfeedingoffofthelargermainarteries.Also,notethatveinsarenotconfinedtoaparticularmusclegroup;theycancrossoverseveralcompletelydifferentmusclegroups.
DRAWINGVEINSTHATPOP
Don’tdraweachveinwithtwosolidlines.Instead,approachitthisway:drawonesideoftheveinwithathick,solidlineandtheothersidewithathinner,brokenline.It’smuchmoreeffectivetodrawveinswithbrokenlinesthanwithtwosolidones.
PRIMELOCATIONSFORSUPERVASCULARITY
Boththeforearmsandupperarms,aswellastheneck,arethemostpopularplacestoexaggeratevascularity.Itgivesthecharactersanedgetotheirlook.Youcangoasfarasyoulike,evenplacingpoppingveinsontheupperlegsandthechest,too.Bodybuildingmagazinesaregoodreferenceforthistypeofapproach.
Rugged,toughcharacterslookmoreextremeiftheyhavesupervascularity.Characterswithpoppingveinshave,bydefinition,extremelylittlebodyfat.Youcannothaveacharacterwithsupervascularityunlessheisextremelydefined(i.e.fatfree)tobeginwith.Supervascularityitisnotapopularlookforwomen—notevenpowerfulwomen—asit’sjustuglyonthem.
SURFACEMAPPING
Onecommonmistakethatartistsmakeisthinkingonlyintermsoftwodimensionswhenwhatthey’redrawingsupposedlyexistsinthree.Tosuccessfullydrawthecontoursofthebody,artistsmustconveyafeelingofroundnesstotheshapes.
Todothis,startbyvisualizinganetdrapedoveryourcharacterthatconformstotheshapeofeverythingittouches.Whenyoudothis,youcanseehowthecontoursofthebody—andnotjustthebody’soutlines—aremadeupofroundedshapes.Whendrawingthemuscles,keeptheideaofnettingaroundthecontoursofthemusclesinmind.
Theconceptofsurfacemappingcanalsohelpyouinplacingshadowsandhighlights.Forexample,noticeonthesefemaletorsoshowthehorizontallinesofthesurfacemapoverthebreastscurveslightlydownward.Thisisthesamedirectionthatthehighlightsfromalightsourcewouldfollow.(Seethispage.)
Makesureallthelinesthatdefinethecharactertravelthesamepathsasthenettingwould.Forexample,lookatthelegsonthefollowingpages.Notehowtheverticallinesswelloutward;they’renotruler-straight.Thisiswhatyouwanttoaimforinyourdefinitionlineswhenyouarticulatethevariousmusclegroups.Committhisconcepttomemory,andyourdrawingswillhavenewauthority.
THEEFFECTSOFLIGHTONTHEBODY
Whenyoushinealightonacharacter,shadowsresult.And,it’stheseshadowthataddthedramatoanimage,notthelightitself.Shadowsaddacoollookandasharperedge.Theyhighlightthecontoursofthebody.Andwhenyouhaveagood-lookingcharacterwithakillerbody,thatcertainlydoesn’thurt.
Thetypicalapproachistothinkofalightsourceascomingfromabove.Andthat’susuallythecase,intheformofsunlightorinterioroverheadlighting.Buttocreatemoredramaticshadows,youmustintroducemorelightsources.Inaddition,sometimesvaryingtheintensityofthelightsourcesachievesamoodyeffect.
Dothelightsourceshavetobelogical?Inotherwords,canyoudramaticallylightsomeonewho,byallaccounts,isinaroomwithonlyoneoverheadlightsource?Theansweris:yes,usually.Readersdon’tthinkaboutwherethelightcomesfromandwillacceptthelightsourceasafigurativeinterpretationoftheemotionsofasceneratherthanastheliteraleffectoflightfromabulbhittinganobject.However,ifyourcharacterisinadarkenedroom,bathedinshadowinonepanel,betterthinktwicebeforeyoubatheherinlightinthenextone.Youdon’twantittolooklikesomeoneflickedonaswitchandsuddenlyzappedherwithfloods.
ONELIGHTSOURCEOverheadlightingcreatesniceshadowsontheundersidesofshapes.It’saplainbutappealing
look.
TWOLIGHTSOURCESThemajorlightingisstillcomingfromoverhead,butthere’salsoanice,minorlightsource
comingfromtherightthatilluminatestherightedgeofthefigure.Itshowsoffhercurveseven
more,whichisaneffectthatyoucanputtogooduseonattractivecharacters.
TWOOPPOSINGLIGHTSOURCESWithonelightsourceontheleftandasecondoneontherightdirectlyoppositethefirst,the
middleofthefigureisbathedinshadow,givingthecharacterintensity.
LIGHTINGFROMBELOWAlowlightsourcecreatesaneerie,sometimesunearthlylook.Thislightshootsupfrombelow,
leavingpatchesofshadowontheuppersurfacesofthecharacter.Youcanalmostfeelthe
heatofthelightasitboilsupfrombelow.Thisishowcharacterswouldlookstandinginfront
ofafire,andit’sthetypeoflightingtousewhenportrayingamysteriousscene.
THREELIGHTSOURCESTheeffectofthreelightsourcesisapleasingoneandisapopularchangeofpaceforcomic
bookartists.Itreallymakesacharacterstandout.Therefore,don’twasteitonunimportant
scenes.Onelightsourceisplacedtotheleftofthecharacter,onetotheright,andinorderto
preventdarkshadowsdownthemiddleofthefigure(whichwouldresultinasinisterorintense
look),athirdlightsourcehitsthefigurehead-ondownthemiddle,producingasleek,electric
glow.Thisalsogivesashinylooktocostumesandshowsoffripplingmuscles.
THEHEADANDNECK
Themostcommonchallengeforaspiringcomicbookartistsishowtochangetheangleoftheheadandstillhaveacharacterlookthesame—andberecognizableasthesamecharacterfromsceneto
scene.Youdoitbyunderstandingthestructureofthehead.Onceyouknowthis—andtheworkingsoftheneck—youcantilttheheadinanyangleandmaintainacharacter’suniquelook.Inaddition,whenyouknowwherethemusclesofthefacego,youcancarveoutmoreaccuratefacialexpressions.
THESKULL
Hereitis:theblueprint.ItallstartswiththeskullAllthecontoursofthefacearegreatlyaffectedbythecontoursoftheskull.Thelinesformedbytheprotrudingcheekbones,jaw,andchinallhavetheirfoundationsintheunderlyingskull.
THEMUSCLESOFTHEFACE
Thefacehasmanythinmusclesthatstretchandwraparoundit.It’sespeciallyimportantforcomicbookartiststotakenoteofthemusclesthatconnectthecheekbonestothemouth;thesearewhatgivecoolcomicbookcharactersasleek,drawnlook.Don’tworryaboutthemusclenameshere;justtrytofamiliarizeyourselfwiththebasicstructureandplacementofthefacialmuscles.
DRAWINGTHEEYES
Whenfocusingonthedetailsofthehumanbody,thefirstorderofbusinessisthemostimportantfeatureoftheface:theeyes.Eyescanmakeacharacterlookbeautiful,seductive,evil,insane,charismatic,ordetermined.Well-drawneyesgivecharactersthatextrasparklethatmakesthemmemorable.
Rememberthattheeyeisathree-dimensionalsphereinsidethehead.Theeyelidistuggedoverit.It’sthisstretchingoftheeyelidthatcreatesthealmond-shapedlookoftheeye.Theuppereyelidslantsdownseverelynearthetearduct.Bothupperandlowereyelidshavethickness,soeachisdrawnasadoubleline,orwithonethickblacklinetoindicatelashes.Thelashesbecomethickertowardtheouteredgeoftheeye.
Theeyebrowisdrawnonanarchthatdipsatbothends.Trypracticingtheeyesonthispage.Thevariousanglesandexpressionswillgiveyouagreaterunderstandingoftheform.
Thepupilisalwayssmallandinthecenteroftheiris.
Fromtheside,thepupillookslikeasmallsliver—almostlikeacontactlens.
Showthethicknessoftheeyelids.
Eyebrowsdipatbothends.
Notethatalineindicatingacreaseisusedtohelpdefinetheuppereyelid.
Thelowereyelidhaseitheraverylightcreaseornocreasebelowit.Apronouncedcreasehere
wouldmakeyourcharacterlooktired.
Theiris(thecoloredpartoftheeye)oftenhasmorethanoneshineinit.Don’tputashinein
themiddleofthepupil;makeitoff-centersothatitbleedsintotheiris.Youcanaddashineto
thewhiteoftheeye,too,butit’snotaseffective.
Youcanhavethepupiltouchthetopeyelidtomimictheshadowthattheeyelidcastsontothe
eye.Thiscreatesapleasinglook.
MALEEYESVS.FEMALEEYES
Themaleeyeisnarrowerandmorerectangular,whereasthefemaleeyeismoretearshaped.Drawthemaleuppereyelidwithaheavylinebutthelowereyelidwithathinone.Botheyelidsonthefemaleeyearedrawnwithheavylines.
It’ssometimesthought—erroneously—thatthickeyebrowsareonlyformen.Butfullereyebrowsaregreatfordrawingattractivewomen,too.Somefamousmodels,suchasCindyCrawfordandBrookeShields,havefullereyebrows,whichdrawattentiontotheeyesandcanunderscoreasultrylook.Pencil-thineyebrowshavelittleimpact.
FEMALELASHCONSTRUCTION
Women’seyelashesaregroupedtogetherinathickline;ifyoudraweachindividuallash,the
resultwilllookspidery.
IMPORTANTEYETIP
Whetheryou’redrawingmen’seyesorwomen’seyes,thetopeyelidshouldtouchorcoverpartoftheiris.Don’tleaveanywhitespacebetweentheuppereyelidandtheiris—unlessit’sforaspecificexpression,suchasshockorsurprise.
Theshapeoftheeyechangesastheheadmovesandtiltsindifferentdirections.Takealookattheseexamplestoseehowthemovementandpositionoftheheadaffectstheshapeoftheeyes.
THETYPICALMALEHEAD
Someanatomybooksstartwithaneggshapeforthehead.Iwanttobekind,butwhatcanIsayexcept,Idon’tsuggestit.Lookatthisguy’shead.Doesitlooklikeaneggtoyou?So,whystartwithanegg?Thejawissleekandangular,thechinsquare.
Additionally,artistsdrawhorizontalandverticallinesacrosstheheadasguidelinestohelpplacethefeaturesevenly.Youdon’twantoneeyelowerthantheother.So,it’sgoodpractice.Notethatthehorizontalguidelinescurvearoundthehead,andarenot—Irepeat,not—drawnasstraightlines.Additionallyherearequickguidestocheckyourproportions:Theoverallheadwidthisfiveeyesacross.Theeyesfallmidwaydownthehead.Thewidthofthebottomofthenoseisequaltothespacebetweenthetwoeyes.Thetopsoftheearsareevenwiththeeyebrows(butyoucan’tseetheearsinthisimage).Thebottomsoftheearsareevenwiththebottomofthenose.Thewidthofthemouthwhenit’satrestmatchestheamountofspacebetweenthepupils.
PROFILEDrawingtheeyesoutofproportionisacommonmistakethatcanimmediatelyruinagooddrawing.Inprofile,theeyeisevenwithorslightlybelowthebridgeofthenose.Manypeopleputitabovethebridgeandcan’tfigureoutwhat’swrongwiththeirdrawings.Theyadjusttheeyebrow,thenose,themouth.Theywanderthecitystreetsatnight,mumblingoutloud,pickingpencilsoutofgarbagecans.Sometimes,theanswerisassimpleasadjustingtheplacementoftheeye.
Notethethicknessoftheneckinboththeprofileand3/4views;ifthere’sonethingmostbeginnersgetwrong,it’sdrawingtoothinaneck.
3/4VIEW-FROMBELOWAh,myfavoriteangle.It’sfuntodrawbecauseyoureallyfeellikeyou’recarvingasculptureonpaper.Whyisthat?Becausethisviewisthree-dimensional.Thefrontandsideviewsarebasicallyflatposes,butherewegetarealsenseoftheroundnessofthehead.
Thebiggestpitfalltoavoidifyou’retoleadahappy,fulfilledlifeislettingthefeatureswanderallovertheface.Andit’snoteasy.Younolongerhavethesimpletaskofdrawingthefeaturesinthecenteroftheface,asyoudointhefrontview.Youdon’thavetheluxuryofplacingallofthefeaturesontheedgeoftheface,asyoudointhesideview.So,whatdoyoudo?Youdrawacenterlineverticallydownthemiddleofthefacefromtoptobottom(seeconstructiondrawing).Thisisaguidelinethatseparatestheleftsideofthefacefromtheright.Itcurveswiththeanglesoftheface,asifyouhadlaidastringoverthehead.Nowyoucangoaheadandplacethefeaturesonthecenterline,andeverythingwilllineup.
THETYPICALFEMALEHEAD
Thebasicstructureisthesameasaman’shead,butwithasofterjawlineandchin.Alltheproportionsarethesame,buttheshapesoftheindividualfeaturesvary:Theeyesarelarger.Theeyebrowsarchuphighovertheeyesanddropnearthebridgeofthenose.(Thissevereanglegivesherasexylook.)Thenoseissmaller,andthelipsarepouty.
Thesultrieryouwantyourfemalecharacter,thelowerheruppereyelidshouldfallovertheiris.Here,heruppereyelidactuallyrestsonthepupil,whichisaveryattractivelookforafemalecharacter.
PROFILEThemainthingthatgivesartiststroublewiththefemaleprofileisthemouth.Inasideviewandarelaxedpose,themouthisquiteshort,extendingonlyasfarbackasthenostrils.Thelipsarethickestatthefront,creatingaseverediagonalastheytravelback.
3/4VIEWWithamanina3/4view,there’sahardlineofthebridgeofthenosedividingthefaceinhalf.Notsowithwomen.Moreoftenthannot,you’llwanttocompletelyavoiddrawingthebridgeofhernoseasitaddsahard,masculinelook.Instead,drawonlythebottomofthenose,andletthebridgeofthenosebeimplied.(Withoutthebridgeofthenosetoguideyou,youcannowseewhythecenterlineissoimportant.)
DROP-DEADGORGEOUSHEADTILTS
Ingeneral,aslightdownwardtiltoftheheadassistsincreatingappealingposesforwomen,astheymustthenlookupfromundertheirlashes—aseductivepose.Themouthisslightlyopened(anotherseductivemannerism).Addashinetothelipsforawetlook.Sexycomicbookwomenhavepronouncedcheekbones,notnarrowfaces.Thesevereangleoftheeyebrowsgivesherahungrylook.
FANTASYPRINCESSESGoddessesandprincessesincomicsaredrawnwithplentyofornamentsandaheavilyworked
hairstyle.Again,noticehowtheslightdownwardtiltoftheheadisanattractivelookonthe
charactertotheleft.Intheimageabove,wearelookingupatthecharacter;therefore,wesee
theundersideofthenose.Thistypeofangledenotesawomaninapositionofauthorityand
power.Note:Theeyelashesontheseelegantcharacterscanextendwellbeyondtheeyes,
whichisespeciallyevidentinprofile.
INTENSEBEAUTYThemoreintensethecharacter,themorewindblownandruffledthehair.Theextramascara
treatmentaddstotheintensity.And,here’salittleknownhinttohelpyouout:thecloserthe
eyebrowsaretotheeyes,themoreintenseyourfemalecharacterwillappear.Andnotethelip
shines.Thebottomlipshinesseparatethelipintotwosections.
STYLISHHIP-HOPGALTheover-the-shoulderglanceisawinninglook.Notethatthesmileiscreatedmainlywiththe
bottomlip.Manyartiststhinkthatthetoplipmustcurveuptoformasmile.Nottrue.Infact,as
youcanseefromthispose,thetoplipactuallyturnsdownattheend.Thischaracterhasa
cutelookbecauseoffullcheeksthatareindicatedbyhersmilecrease,whichcutsofftheend
ofherlips.
SUPERVILLAINESSForamysteriouslook,cloakyourvillainessinaserpentinehairstyleorahood.Thickeyelashes
andfulllips,aswellassharpeyebrows,aremandatoryforacutting-edgelook.Andremember
this:thebaddersheis,thesexiershemustlook.
ANOTEABOUTTHEBRIDGEOFTHENOSE
Insomeangles,youmustdrawthebridgeofthefemalenose.Wereyoutoleaveitout,youwouldseetoomuchofthefareye—animpossibilityatcertainanglesinwhichthebridgeofthenoseshouldobscurepartofit.
DRAWINGTHEEARS
Everwonderwhyyoucandrawnosesandeyes,buthavetroublewithears?It’sbecauseyouneverseetheinsideofyourownearwhenyoulookinthemirror.And,youdon’tseetheinsideoftheearwhensomeoneelsefacesyou,either.Youonlyseeitwhentheyturntowalkaway,andthen,onlyfleetingly.Inotherwords,it’snotyourfault.You’renottoblame.Stopbeatingyourselfupaboutit.IthinkI’vebeenwatchingtoomuchDr.Phil.
Thelengthoftheearrunsfromtheeyebrowtothebottomofthenose.
REARANGLETheearisaffixedtotheheadwithahalf-cupshapedpieceofcartilage,whichyoucanonlysee
fromtherear.
THEMAINNECKMUSCLE
Atfirstglance,thenecklookslikeawebofsmallmusclesthatareimpossiblycomplexandbeyondthepowersofmeremortalstocomprehend.Butaswithallpartsofthebody,veryfewofthemusclesactuallyshowthroughtothesurfaceoftheskin—andwe’reonlyconcernedwiththemusclesthatdo.Theneckisnoexceptiontothis.So,whatyoureallyneedtorememberisthemostimportantmuscleoftheneck.It’scalled—areyoureadyforthis?—thesternocleidomastoideus.Saythatfivetimesfast.Itoccursonbothsidesofthebodyandattachestothepitoftheneck,wherethecollarbonesmeetinthemiddle.Whicheverwaytheheadturns,thesternocleidomastoideuswillalwaystraveltothepitoftheneck.Takealookattheexamples.
THEMAINNECKMUSCLEINMOTION
Takealookathowheadandshouldermovementaffectsthesternocleidomastoideus.Notethat,despitethepose,italwaystravelsfromthemastoidprocess(thebonejustbelow/behindtheear)tothepitoftheneck.And,itshowsequallyonmenandwomen,thoughyoushouldgiveitlessmassandlessdefinitiononawoman.
THEHEAD,NECK,ANDSHOULDERAREA
Todefinetheneckmusclesevenfurther,takealookatthesedrawings.Again,thesternocleidomastoideus—thelargestneckmuscle—runsfromthebaseoftheeartothepitoftheneck.Thenitbranchesoffasittravelstowardthecollarboneafewinchesaway.Themusclestravelingfromtheshoulderstotheneckarethetrapeziusmuscles,butthey’remorebackmusclesthanneckmusclesandarecoveredingreaterdetailonthispage.
Women’sneckmusclesaredownplayed;showingtoomanyneckmuscleswouldmakeherlookold,notstrong.Onlythetwomainneckmusclesneedtobethere—andeventhen,onlyatthepitoftheneck.If,however,youweretoturnherheadallthewaytooneside,theentireneckmusclewouldshowbecauseitwouldbestretched.Butwhenshe’satrest,leaveherlikethis.
Whenyouthinkofanatomyintermsofproportions,itcanbequitesimple.Forexample,the
headtakesupathirdofthewidthoftheshoulders.
THECHESTANDABS
Thechestandabsofcutting-edgecomicbookcharactersarelikefortresses:powerfulanddesignedtointimidate.Thesearethehyperdevelopedmusclesofthebody,andtheyformhighlydynamic
musclegroups—meaningthattheirshapeanddefinitionchangeasthebodymoves.
THERIBCAGE
Theribcageisanoval-shapedenclosurethatprotectsmanyofthebody’svitalorgans.Thestrongestribsattachtothesternum(theboneinthemiddleofthechest.Thelowerribs,whichattachtotheotherribs,areoftenreferredtoas“floatingribs.”Notehowthecollarboneattachestothesternumaswell.Thereisalsoalittle“tab”atthebottomofthesternumthat’softenvisibleinthesurfaceanatomyofmenwhohavesharplydefinedmuscles.Theofficialnameforthistabisthexiphoidprocess.Whothinksupthesenames?
BASICCHESTSTRUCTURE
Theribcagehasarounded,three-dimensionalshape.Thatmeansthatthechestmusclesmusttravelaroundtheribcage.Therefore,anyguidelinesyouusewhensketchingaregoingtobecurved.
FRONTVIEW-ARMSRAISEDRaisedarmspullthechestmuscleupwiththem.Therefore,the“lineofthechest,”whichis
actuallyunderthechest,curvesupwardtowardtheshouldersinresponsetothestress.
3/4VIEWWiththearmsdown,thelineofthechestalsocurvesdownwardandrestsontopoftherib
cage.
3/4VIEWThefrontofeachshouldermuscle(deltoid)cutsoffthelineofthechestasittravelstoward
thearmpit.
THEMALETORSO
Onmen,thechestisthepowercenterofthetorso.Awell-developedchestconveysasenseofmight.Withoutit,malecharactersarenotimpressive.(Infact,cowardlycharactersoftenhavesunkenchests.)Aproudchestneedssizeandagoodshape,butmorethanthat,thechestalsoneedstofitcorrectlyintotheadjacentmusclegroup—theshoulders.
Whileimpressivechestmusclesindicatepower—evenbruteforce—theabdominals(orabs,forthoseofyouwhowatchwaytoomanyinfomercials)conveyasenseofinnerstrength.Leanabsareasignofvirility.Bycombiningdefinedchestmuscleswithwashboardabs,youcancreateformidable,cutting-edgecomicbookcharacters.
WASHBOARDABS
Theabdominalmusclegroupismadeupoffourmuscles,sectionedintotwocolumns.Thesecolumnstravelupthefrontofthebodyinthehollowoftheribcage.Tocreatethisidealcomicbooklook,keepinmindthefollowingthreepositioningbenchmarks:(1)thelineofthecollarboneandthelineofthechestareroughlyparallel;(2)thenipplesareata45-degreediagonalfromthepitoftheneck;and(3)thebellybuttonappearsjustabovethelowestpairofabdominalmuscles.
Thecollarboneandlineofthechestareroughlyparallel.
It’sbesttoblockouttheareafortheabsasasinglemassbeforeyoudrawtheindividual
muscles.Also,thelineoftheribsshouldbedefined.Thisisthepointwheretheribstakeanew
angleandstarttocurvetowardtheback,andwheretheribmusclesbegintostandout.
Puttingalineatthispointgivesthecharacteracool,sculptedlook,asyou’llseeonthe
followingpage.
Thenipplesareata45-degreeanglefromthepitoftheneck.
Thebellybuttonappearsjustabovethelastsetofabmuscles.
THEMUSCLESONTOPOFMUSCLES
Superheroeshavemusclesontopoftheirmuscles.Themusclesaroundtheribcage(whichmakeupthelineoftheribsthatIreferredtoonthepreviouspage)areagoodexample.Theribcagemuscles(calledtheserratusanteriorbyeveryonewhospeaksconversationalLatinathome)areasmallseriesofmusclesthatappeartobeinterlacedontopoftheexternalobliques.Theyareseenonlyonveryintenselydevelopedbodybuildersandmalecomicbookcharacters.Whendrawncorrectly,thisconceptofmusclesonmusclesresultsinacutting-edgelook.
ARMSDOWN
Okay,here’sthechest,ribmuscles,abs,andneckmusclesallinthesamepicture.Notethatwhenthearmsaredown,theshouldersoverlapthechestmuscles,cuttingoffthelineofthechest.
Theshouldermusclecutsoffthechestmuscle.
ANOTEABOUTDRAWING
Whenyoustartadrawing,besketchyandlooseatfirst.Eraseasmuchasyouwant.Onceyou’reprettyconfidentitlooksgood,starttochiselthedrawingintoplacewithdarkerlines.Then,eraseyoursketchmarks,orassomeprosdo,putyouroriginalonalightboxandtraceoveronlythegoodlines.Ifyourfirstorsecondattemptsaren’ttoyourliking,crumple’emup,toss’em,andstartover.There’snoneedtostaywithonedrawingifit’snotworking.Giveyourselfthefreedomtostartfresh.It’samazinghowwecangetourselvesintoarutbecausewewanttoavoidfeelinglikewe’vefailed.Youshouldseeallthecrumpleduppagesinmywastebasketonatypicalday!Drawingconsistsoffail,fail,fail,fail,success.Sofromnowon,thinkofyourmisfiresasprogress,notfailures!
ARMSUP
Asyoucansee,thechestmuscleslosesomeoftheir“pump”anddefinitionwhenthearmsareraised(becausethemusclesarestretchedout).Inthisposition,the“pecs”(thepectorals,orchestmuscles)willappearleaner.Noticealsohow,whenthearmsareup,thelineoftheribscontinuesupward,meetingwiththelineofthechestandthenthelineoftheshoulder.Inthisway,themusclegroupsappeartoflowtogether.
THEMALETORSOINMOTION
Theribcageandchestmoveintwoways:First,theribcageitselfmoveswhenthespineflexes,twists,andbends.Second,themusclesontheribcage—mostnotablythechestmusclesandabs—move.Theyriseandfall,contractandloosen.Allofthischangestheirshape.
THEFEMALETORSO
Awoman’storsoalsohasalargeribcage—don’tshyawayfromthatfactjustbecauseacharacterisawoman.Alargeribcageisimportantincreatinganattractivecharacter,butyoushouldomittheribmuscles.Trash’em.Whenawomanlookssodefinedthatyoucanseeherribmuscles,shedoesn’tlookstrong,shelooksstarved.Thebottomoftheribcageleadstothewaist,whichisnarrow,butthehipsshouldbewide—aswideastheshoulders,orevenabitwider.Women’shipsarewidetoallowthemtogivebirth;andtheylookevenwiderbecauseofthecontrastwiththenarrowwaist.Don’tgivehersuperdefinedabs,unlessyou’repurposelytryingtogrosssomeoneout.Instead,indicateherstomachareawithlong,sleek,verticallinesintheshapeoftheentire,overaabdomen.
OPPOSINGFORCES
Theribcageandpelviscanmoveinoppositedirections,causingonesideofthebodytocontractorcrunchandtheothersidetoexpandorstretch.Posesthatinvolvetheseopposingforceshavethepotentialtobeverydynamic.Anytimeyoucangiveyourcharacterabend,twist,orstretch,doit—itaddsdramatothepose.That’snottosaythattherearen’teffectivestaticposes,suchasamanstandingstillingriefwithhisheadhanginglow.Butthere’ssomethinginherentlycompellingaboutwatchingthehumanformstriving,reaching,orstruggling,eventhoughitmaybeonlyasubtlemovement.
FRONTVIEW
Onwomen,theabdominalsareshownasageneral,overallgroup—notasdefinedindividual
sections.
3/4VIEW
THEFEMALETORSOINMOTION
Takealookattheconstructiondrawingsforeachoftheseposes.You’llseeopposingforcesatworkineveryone.Thisstretchingandcontractinghelpsconveymotion.Inaddition,posesinwhichthechestandhipsareangledawayfromeachotherresultinaseductivelook,eveniftheactualactioninthescenehasnothingtodowithsexappeal.Noticehowsexytheseimagesareduetotheposing.
THEBACKANDSHOULDERS
Nodoubt,inyourendeavorstodrawthehumanfigure,thebackhasgivenyoutrouble.Tobesure,youknowthebackhasshoulderblades.Butwhataboutmuscularcharacterswhoactuallyhave
musclesontheirshoulderblades?Youcan’tuseyourownbackforreference,becauseafterall,notmanyofushavethree-waymirrors,excepttailors.Sohere’stheinformationyouneed.
UPPERBACK,RELAXED(ARMSDOWN)
Thebackisacontradiction—ablendingofmassivemuscles,longmuscles,andsmallermuscles.Inaddition,someofthemuscleshavequirkycharacteristics.Forexample,thetrapeziusmuscleisalongonethatstartsatthebaseoftheskull,bunchesattheupperback,butthenislongandleaninthesmalloftheback.Samemuscle,butitactsalmostasthreeseparatemusclegroups.Notethattheshoulderbladespushthetrapeziusmusclesup.
Theshouldersareauniquegroupofmusclesinthattheyareequallyvisiblefromthefront,side,andbackofthebody.Theshoulderbladesarecoveredbythreemuscles(theinfraspinatus,teresminor,andteresmajor)thatcanbunchtogetherorstretch,dependingonthepositionofthearms.
UPPERBACK,FLEXED(ARMSUP)
Raisingthearmscausessignificantflexingofthetrapeziusmusclesalongtheneckandupperandmiddleback.Notethattherearenomusclescoveringthespine.Alsonotethatthemusclesoftheshoulderbladeareaformsteeperdiagonalswhenthearmsareraised.Thearealabeledboneistheridgeoftheshoulderblade.Thedeltoidsandtrapeziusmusclesattachtothesebones,sothemusclesindentatthispoint.
LOWERBACK
Thetrapeziusmuscleandthelatissimusdorsi,whichbeginattheupperback,arelongmusclesthattraveldowntothelowerback.
SURFACERENDERING
Whenyoudrawthefigure,rememberthatthere’salayeroffatandskincoveringthemuscles.Therefore,youhavetobealittlelessspecificabouteachmusclegroup—evenonwell-definedfigures—thantheanatomicaldrawingsearlierinthebook.Thisapproachrequiressomeartistry.There’sno“correct”waytorendertheback.Someartistswanttobulkupcertainmuscleswhileminimizingothers.Letyourknowledgeofanatomybeguidedbyyourcreativedecisions.Theimagehereshowsoneapproach,alternatingthinlineswithheavyones.
CONTRACTINGTHEBACKMUSCLES
Contracting,orcrunching,thebackmusclestogethermakesthembecomeincrediblydefined.Italsocreatesadeepridgealongthespine,whichisshownasaheavilyshadowedlinehere.
COOLCOMICBOOKPOSESFORTHEBACK
Takealookattheanatomicalprinciplesatworkinthesecoolcomicbookposes.Noticehowtheartiststartsbyblockinginthemajormusclemasses,thenstartstogetmorespecificanddefinetheindividualmusclegroups,andultimately,endsupwiththefinishedfigure.
Botharmsareextendedinfrontofthisfigure,pullingthelatsforwardandgivingasignificantcurvetotheback.Thisstretchingofthebackresultsinlessmusculardefinition,butsomeoftheanatomicallandmarksmuststillbevisible.
Thefemalebackistypicallylongandlean,andshouldhavelessdefinitionthanthemaleback.Theshoulderblademusclesshouldberepresentedasoneoverallshape.
THEMAJORMUSCLEGROUPSOFTHESHOULDER
We’vealreadycoveredagooddealabouttheshoulders,butweneedtogofurtherbecausethereareafewotherpointstounderstand.Theshoulderbladeisshapedlikeapiewedgecarvedbyamoron.Doesn’thelp?Well,giveitanymetaphoryoulike,butit’swideontop,pointedatthebottom,withabonyridgerunningacrossthetopthat’scalledthespineofthescapula(remember,thescapulaistheshoulderblade).Thatbonyridgeiswhatthedeltoids(theshouldermuscles)attachto.Thedeltoidshavemanymuscularstriationsbutonlythreebasicparts:anterior(front),middle,andposterior(rear).
DELTOIDMUSCLES-REARVIEWNoticehowthedeltoidseemstowraparoundthearmmuscle.Ifyoulookattheillustrations,you’llseethatthedeltoidisreallyateardropshapethatwedgesintothearm,betweenthebicepsandtriceps.
SURFACERENDERINGOFDELTOIDS—FRONTVIEWInthefrontview,theshoulderhasawell-roundedlookandshowsitselftobeasizeablemusclegroup.Eventhoughtherearethreeheadstoadeltoid,youshouldnotthinkofthemasseparatemusclegroups.Rather,usethethreeheadsasplaceswhereyoucanadddefinitionlinestotheshoulders.
Notetheacromiononthelargerimage.Thespotwheretheacromionbonemeetstheclaviclecausesthissmallbutnoticeablebumpthat’sapparentevenonmuscularfiguresandwomen.It’stheknobwherethespineofthescapulaattachestotheclavicle(collarbone).That’sright,yourshoulderbladeisattachedonlytoyourcollarbone,andnowhereelseonthebody!Amazing!
THESHOULDERSINMOTION
Herearesomedramaticposesshowingavarietyofshoulderpositions.Practice“quick-sketching”thesejusttogetthefeeloftheshouldersfromavarietyofangles.
COOLCOMICBOOKPOSEFORTHESHOULDERS
Aswiththeexamplesforthebackonthispage,startbyblockinginthegeneralmuscleareas,thendefinethemusclegroups,andendupwithafinishedimage.Note:Notallfiguresrequiredetaileddefinitionoftheshoulderarea;sometimes,arelaxedshoulderisbestdrawnwithasoft,gentlycurvingline.
THEARMSANDHANDS
Armmusclesaretheshowpieceforheroesandbrutes.Onwomen,theymustbeathletic,yetlongandattractive.Everyoneisfamiliarwiththebody’smostfamousmuscle:thebiceps.But,thereare
severalothersmaller,yetprominent,armmuscleswithoutwhichthefigurewouldlooksimplistic.Drawingallthearmmusclescorrectlycreatescomicbookcharacterswithimpressivefigures.
ARMBONES
Eventhoughthearmscanbequitemuscular,thereareseveralareasofthearmwherethebones“showthrough”tothesurface,rightbelowtheskin.So,it’sdoublyimportantthatyoufamiliarizeyourselfwiththebonesofthearmsandnotjustworryaboutthemuscleshere.
GENERALMUSCLEINFO
We’reallfamiliarwiththenamesforthemajorupperarmmuscles:thebicepsandtriceps.Butthereareotherimportantmusclesthatappearbetweenthesetwothatarealwaysvisibletosomeextentbutareoftenoverlookedbybeginningartists.Inaddition,thetricepshasthreesections(alateralhead,longhead,andmedialhead)thatbecomemoredefinedwhenthearmisstraightenedandflexed.
Andthentherearetheforearms,wherethemusclestwistaroundthearmdependingonwhichwaythepalmsface.(Seethispageformoreontheforearm.)
THEMUSCLESBETWEENTHEBICEPSANDTRICEPS
Thebrachialisisthemusclebetweenthebicepsandthetriceps.Itcanbeseenontheouterarmaswellastheinnerarm.However,ontheinnerarmthere’sanadditionalmuscle—thecoracobrachialis—whichstartsatthearmpitandtapersofftonothingasitwedgesneatlybetweenthebicepsandtriceps.Then,whenitlooksasifthecoracobrachialisisextinctandgoneforever,thebrachialisappears,alongthesamepath,totakeover.
THETRICEPSINACTION
Whenthearmisstraightened,thelateralandthelongandmedialheadsofthetricepsbecomeapparent.Theheads,combined,formanupsidedownV.(Thebrachialisisstillapparentbetweenthebicepsandtriceps.)Justbelowthetricepsistendon,notmuscle,soitneverflexesorbunches.
BICEPSVS.TRICEPS
Contrarytowhatmanypeoplebelieve,thetricepsmusclegroupisactuallylargerthanthebicepsmuscle.Iknowthat’sgonnadisappointalotofyouguyswhoarespendingyourlifedoingcurlsinthegym,buttrypumpingthetricepsifyoureallywantyourarmstohavesomemass.
THEFOREARM
Whenthepalmfacesup,themusclesoftheforearmsareprettystraightforward:Theystartclosetotheelbowandtraveltothehandsinstraightlines,becomingtendonswhentheyreachthehands.Theonlyforearmmusclethatisn’tparalleltotherestisthepronatorteres,butit’sreallynotarticulatedinthesurfaceanatomy.
THEFOREARMTWISTThissoundslikeanewdancestep,butactually,it’saveryimportantconcept—andyoucan’tdrawtheforearmwithoutit.Ifyoudon’tpayattentiontothis,yourdrawingswilllookwrong—becausetheyare!So,hereitis:Whenthepalmfacesup,theforearmmusclesbasicallyruninastraightlinefromtheelbowtothehand,asonthepreviouspage.However,whenthepalmfacesdown,orthehandisheldsideways(asifholdingahammer),thebrachioradialisandtheextensorcarpiradialislonguswraparoundtheforearm,causinganoticeableflexingThestrongerthecharacter,thebiggerthesemuscles.
Althoughthesearetwodifferentmuscles,theyareusullydrawnasonecombinedmuscle
group.
Here’sanotherlookatthewraparoundforearmmuscles.Notethatthepalmissideways,causingthetwistingaction.Thetwotwistingforearmmusclesworkintandem,soyoucanthinkofthemasonemuscle,nottwo,butseparatedbyalineofdefinition.
PUNCHING:THEFOREARMTWISTINACTION
Whenthepalmfacesdown,themusclesdotheirtightestwraparoundtheforearm.Inthispose,youcanseethatthesemusclesareactuallyquitethick,whichgivesthecharacteralookofgreatpower.
COOLCOMICBOOKPOSESFORTHEARMS
Thisposeclearlyshowsthemusclegroupsofboththeupperandlowerarms,aswellastheshoulders.Sincethehandsarenotquiteinthe“palmsup”position,there’ssometwistingoftheforearmmuscles,butit’snotextreme.
Noticehowthearmrenderingdiffersonafemalecharacter.Eventhoughthearmmuscles
havedefinition,they’renotdrawnbulkyorbunching,astheywouldbeonmalecomicbook
characters.Inaddition,thelinesdepictingmusculardefinitionaren’tcontinuous;theybreak
up.Thisgivesthemusclesmoreofanaturallook.Italsopreventsfemalecharactersfrom
appearingtoomuscular.Skinandfatbluntsomemusculardefinition,andthebrokenlinesare
awayofshowingthat.
THEHANDS
Expressivehandscanunderscoreacharacter’smood—orbetrayit.Amysterioushandgesturecanlendaspookyeffecttoascene.Nervous,twitchyhandscanrevealtheinnerthoughtsofafast-talkingconman.Morethananyotherpartofthebody,exceptperhapstheskull,thehandsrelyontheskeletonfortheirform.Takealook.
DRAWINGEXPRESSIVEHANDS
Handsexpressdramaticattitudes.So,it’snotenoughtogettheanatomyofthehandright;handsmustalsoreflectacharacter’sinnerthoughtsorintentions.Sometimes,afidgetinghandmaytellyouwhatacharacterisfeelingwhenhisfacerevealsnothing.So,whatmakeshandssodifficulttodraw?Really,it’stheplacementoftheknuckles,orjoints.Youhavetotacklethatbeforeyoudrawthefingers.
Notetheroundedtriangleatthebaseofthethumb;thisiswhatgivesthepalmitswidth.
THEKNUCKLESWhenyoulookatthebackofthehand,theknucklesformanarch,withtheknuckleofthe
middlefingeratthecrestofthearc.Thisbecomeseasiertoseeifyoudrawalinethroughthe
knuckles.Thisarchisalsovisiblewhenthehandmakesafist;thelineoftheknucklesisnever
straightacrosswhenthehandmakesafist.Eveninanexpressiveposesuchasthefist,the
knucklesstillfallalonganarch.
VARIOUSHANDPOSES
Thecoolthingaboutdrawinghandsforcomicsisallthecostumeaccessoriesandpropsthatcanaccompanythem.Forexample,costumesfrequentlyextendallthewaytothehands.Weaponsneedtobehandled.Andcomicbookwomenneedtheirjewelry.Here’sagoodassortmentofhandpositions,straightfromthewardrobedepartment.
ANOTEABOUTNONHUMANHANDS
Keepinmindthatalltheinformationabouthumanhandsalsoappliestobeast“hands”thatarebasedonbasichumananatomy(likethe“hand”previouslyshown,forexample).
THEPELVIS,LEGSANDFEET
Maleandfemalecutting-edgecomicbookcharactersalikerequirethick,well-shapedlegmuscles.Onmen,muscularlegsshowstrength.Onwomen,theyshowsexappeal.Characterswith
superdefinedlegmusclesreflecttheworkofartistswhoreallyknowtheirstuff.But,thelegshavetoattachtosomething.Andtherefore,youneedtohaveanunderstandingofthepelvis(hip)area.
THEPELVIS
Thepelvishastremendousbonedensity.Ithasto.Thethickestpartsofthespineandthethighmusclesconnecttoit.Thepelviswithstandsallthestressofthebody.Thespinewedgesfirmlyintothepelvicbone.Thepelvisflaresouttogivethehipswidth,butitalsohasdepth.Someartistsliketothinkofitasabowlthathousestheinternalorgans.
THELEGBONES:ANOVERVIEW
Thelegbonesaresturdy,whichmakessensesincethelegsareheavilymuscled.Notethelittleknobofboneattheknee;that’sthepatella,andit’syourkneecap.Asyoucansee,theentirekneejointismuchbiggerthanthekneecapitself.
Notethecurvedoutlineofthelegs.Thisisbecausethelegsareheavilymuscled,andthe
muscleshaveanaturalcurvetothem,whichshouldbeexaggeratedoncutting-edge
characters.
LEGBASICS
Someofthesemusclegroupsmaybefamiliartoyou,asyoumayhavenoticedthemindrawingsorevenonyourownlegs.Thelegmusclesontheaveragepersonareusuallymoredefinedthananyothermusclegroup.Thisisbecauseweuseourlegmuscleseverydaytocarrylotsofweight—theupperbody—whereasothermusclesoftendon’tliftanythingheavierthanabagelandcreamcheese(andthereforeremainunderdeveloped).
Theanterolateralmusclegroupintheupperlegistheonethatcontainsthequadriceps,whichisthemostcommonlyknownandeasilyrecognizablemusclegroup.Thequardricepsgrouphasfourmajormuscles:therectusfemoris(themiddlemuscle),vastuslateralis(theupperoutermuscle),vastusmedialis(thelowerinnermuscle),andvastusintermedius(theloweroutermuscle).Theanterolateralgroupalsocontainsthetensorfasciaelatae,whichyoucanthinkofasthehipmuscle.
Thesartoriusisperhapsthemostimportantlegmusclewhenitcomestocreatingthecontouroftheupperleg.Itrunsdiagonallyfromtheoutertopofthethightothelowerinnerthigharea.It’swhatgivestheinnerthighit’sshape.Youcanseeevidenceofthismuscleonmostposesasit“pulls”thecontourofthethighmusclesfromtheinnerkneeoutwardtowardthehip.Itgivesthevastusmedialisitsteardropshape.Committhisonetomemory!
Andfinally,nexttothesartoriusandintheinnerthigharethreemoremuscles:thepectineus,theadductorlongus,andeveryone’sfavorite,theadductormagnus.Youcandrawdefinitionlinesalongtheboundariesofeachmuscleifyourcharacterisextremelydefined.
SIDEVIEW
Youshouldflipbackandforthfromthispagetothepreviousone,andobservethesamemuscles,bynameornumber,fromdifferentangles.
THELEGMUSCLESINBULK
It’ssometimeseasiertograsptheconceptofthelegmusclesonabulkycharactersimplybecausethemusclesareenlarged.Sohavealook.
THEFEMALELEG
Ifyoudrawsuperdefinitioninthefemalelegyougiveuptoomuchattractivenesstomakeitworthwhile.So,concentrateinsteadondefining—butonlypartially—justafewbasiclegmuscles.Whenitcomestothemuscularoutlineofthefemaleleg,however,yougiveupnothingbyshowingtheshapeofthemuscles.Thelegsmusthavethewell-shapedoutlineofanathlete.
Asyoucontinuetolookatthemanylegposesonthesepages,youshouldbegintorecognizethemusclegroups.That’showyou’llknowthattheconceptsarestartingtosinkin.
Note:Youdon’thavetocommitthemusclesnumbered5,6,7,and8(psoasiliacus,pectineus,adductorlongus,andgracilis)tomemoryastheyaretoonarrowtobedefined,evenonanextremecharacter.
SIDEVIEWOFTHEFEMALELEG
Takealookatthemuscles.Bycomparingthemtotheirlocationsonthepreviouspages,youcanbegintopredicttheirplacement.
THETROUBLESPOT:THEKNEE
Thekneegivesalotofpeopletroublebecauseit’smisunderstood.Thekneeisreallythejoiningoftwobones:thethighbone(femur)andthelargerofthetwocalfbones(tibia).Thesebonesbulgeatthejointswheretheymeet,whichcausesthebumpsintheknee.Thisisalsowhyitappearsthatthekneehastwobulgeswhenweknowthereisonlyonekneecap.
Onmuscularmalecharacters,thecalfmusclecanbeupto2timesthewidthoftheknee.
Onfemalecharacters,thekneesareaswideasthecalf.
BACKVIEW
Youdon’tseethebacksofthelegsawholelotbecauseartistsdon’tdrawthemthatoften.Firstofall,it’shardtorecognizeacharacterfromtheback:Thefaceisn’tvisible.Thehairstylecan’tbeseenclearly.And,thestylingofthecostumeandanyinsigniashappensmoreonthefrontofthefigure.
Ofcourse,therearetimeswhenit’snecessarytoshowthebackofacharacter.And,evenfromtherear,youcanrecognizesomemusclegroupsthatarealsovisibleinthesideandfrontviewssincemanyofthelegmuscleswraparoundthelegs.
CALFMUSCLES
Thecalfmusclesoncomicbookcharactersareusuallypumped.Thebigcalfmuscleintheback(thegastrocnemius)islikethebicepsofthelowerleg—itcanballupwhenflexedandisagood“show”muscle.
FEMALECALFMUSCLES
Women’scalfmusclesoftendisplaymoredefinitionbecausehigh-heeledshoesforcethecalfintoaflexingstate.Thetibialisanteriormuscle(number3)protrudesslightlybeyondtheshinbone(butdoesn’tofferenoughpaddingifyouevergetkickedthere!).
Takealookatwhat’sgoingonwiththeleftthighhere.Theouterthighmuscle(vastuslateralis)
providesthemajorityofthemassotherleg.It’salong,roundedmuscle,anditlookssexywhen
drawnlarge.The“glutes”shouldalsohavesignificantmass.
DRAWINGFEET
Okay,here’sthedealwiththefeet:Theinnerankleboneisalwayshigherthantheouteranklebone.Theballsofthefeetarecomprisedoftwoareas:innerandouter,withtheinnerarea(theonebehindthebigtoe)beingthelargerofthetwo.Thetoesdescendinlengthfromthemiddletoedowntothepinkytoe;onsomepeople,thesecondtoeisatleastaslongasthebigtoe,andsometimeslonger.Thearchoccursontheinnersideofthefootbetweentheheelandtheballofthefoot,andit’sevenmorepronouncedwhenthefootisinhigh-heeledshoesorboots.Theheelsticksoutslightly.
THEBONESOFTHEFOOT
Insteadoffeelingthatyoumustdrawallthebonesofthefeetandtoesfaithfully,thinkofthemingeneralterms.Thinkofthetoes,forexample,asoccurringontwodifferentlevels.Asyoucanseehere,there’sanoticeabledipinheightfromonetoejoint/sectiontothenext,likedescendingstairs.
SHOESANDBOOTS
Eventhefeetcanusealittlevisittothewardrobedepartmentinordertocompleteacharacter’scostume.
Createapatternonthesolesofregularbootsandotherfootware,andonathleticshoes.
Thehighheelisfullandhasvolume.
Note:nosolesonaction-heroboots.
Thebridgeofthefootcurvestofitintohigh-heeledshoes.
Note:thicksolesonruggedboots.
CLOTHEDCHARACTERS
Theseposesshowoffthebasicshapesofthelegs,boots,andhands.Todrawthisguy’soutfit,don’ttrytodefineallthevariousmuscles,becausethepantsareobviouslymadeoutofheavymaterial.
Thehighheelselongatethewoman’slegs,givingherasleeklook.That’swhyartistsdrawsomanyoftheirfemalecharacterswearinghighheels.Whenafemalecharacterstandsinhighheels,thecalfmusclesflex.Butevenifacharacterisbarefootorinflats,thecalfwillflexwhenthetoesarepointed;thisoccursalotinairborneposes.
THECOMPLETELEG
Youdon’tneedtoshoweverysinglemuscleinafinishedpose—infact,youshouldn’t,asthiswouldmakethedrawinglookoverworked.Concentrateonthelarger,bulkiermusclesanddefinethose.Thesartoriusmuscleisanexception:longandlean,andtravelingfromtheinnerkneetotheouterhip,itgivestheinnerquadricepsitsteardropshape.Whiletherearemanylegmuscles,thefourmostimportantonesfordrawingarethevastuslateralis,rectusfemoris,vastusmedialis,andsartorius.
Giantlegsmakeforapowerful-lookingbrute.
THECOMPLETEFEMALELEG
Attractivewomendon’tneedanydefinitiontotheirlegs—oriftheydo,it’sonlyaminimalamount.But,theoutlineofthelegmustbemuscularandmustreflecttheplacementofthepelvis.Thegluteusmaximus,thigh,andcalfmusclesmustallhavesize.Notethewidthoftheskeletalpelvisontheinitialroughsketch.
Whereaswithmenit’simportanttodefinetheknee,showingwherethepatella(kneecap)meetsthetopofthetibia(shinbone),withwomenit’simportanttominimizethedefinition.Avoidabonylooktothekneearea.Addasketchlineortwo,indicatingthetibiaasittravelsfromthekneetothefoot,butcutthelineshort.Allyouwantisaslightindicationofthatbone,tohintatthecontouroftheleg.
ELEMENTSTOPRACTICE
Atthispoint,youmaynothavestudiedeverysingleimage,butthat’sokaybecausebynowyouhavenodoubtbeguntounderstandsomemusclegroupsthatusedtomystifyyou.Andthat’swonderful.This
sectioncontainsadditionalhelpfuldetailsthatwillhelpyoufinesseyourdrawings.
Keepinmindthatyoushouldtrytonotbeaslavetotheanatomyofacharacter.Youstillhavetodrawcreatively.Anatomyshouldbeatoolthathelpsyoutodrawconvincingcharacters—andthecharacters,costumes,andposesmustcomefromyourimagination,notfromananatomybook.Drawacoolposeandthencorrecttheanatomy;don’tdraweverymuscleduringyourinitialsketch.Choosingwhatandhowtodefinethemusclesisacreativechoice.It’sanartisticchoice,andit’syourchoice.
HOWTOBEGIN
Nowthatyouhavesomuchknowledgeinyourhead,youdon’tknowwheretostart!Beginbyroughing—andIdomeanroughing—outtheskeleton.Justsketch.Workontheoverallshapefirst.Theexamplehereisabrutecharacter.Givehimwideshoulders,ahugechest,aslimwaist,andtree-trunklegs.Whentheposelooksdecent,starttochiselawayatthemuscles,definingthemajormusclegroups.
RENDERINGTHEMUSCLES
First,definethemusclegroupsandtheareas—liketheribcage—throughwhichtheskeleton“shows”(orisclosetotheskinsurfaceandnotcoveredbylayersofmuscle).Thenadddensitytothemusclesbymakingsomelinesthickerandsomeareasdarker.Next,shadethemusclesfurtherbyagaindarkeningandalsolengtheningthelines.Tofinish,allowthedarkareastobleedtogethersothatthereisa50–50mixoflightanddarkareas.
Thisposehasanicedynamictoit:thebodyisturnedsothatit’sina3/4view,butthelegsare
inprofile.Thetwistofthetorsoiswhatpreventstheposefromappearingflatandlifeless—asit
mightiftheentirefigurewereinastrictprofile.
WOMENANDTHESARTORIUS
Whenathighisverythickonactivefemalecharacters,itmaybecomenecessarytoaddsomedefinitiontotheinteriorofthethighsothattheareadoesn’tlooklikeabigblob.Butsincewomendon’tlookgoodwithbig,bulky,chiseledmuscles,it’sbesttocallonalong,leanmuscleinstead:youguessedit,bringoutourfriendsartorius.
LATSANDAGOODBACKVIEW
Thehuge“lats”(latissimusdorsi)onthischaractergivehimhisimpressivestature.Inthispose,thebackcurvestowardthereaderbecausethefigureholdshisarmsinfrontofhisbody.Thiscurvingactioncauseshisshoulderbladestospreadout,givinghimevenmorewidth.Notehowfardownthebackthelatsgo.Thespineshouldbevisibleallthewaydowntheback,butisdrawnwithabrokenlinesothatitdoesn’tbecomeoveremphasizedanddetractfromthebackmuscles.
RIBCAGEPOSES
Herearetwogoodposesthatemphasizetheribcage.Thelowerposealsodemonstratestheflexibilityofthespine,bendinginaclassicS-shape.
KEEPINGITSIMPLE
Nomatterhowcomplexthemusclesmaylook,thebasicposeofeachofthesecharactersisstraightforward—ithastobe.Iftheposeitselfiscomplex,itwillbehardtoread,andaddingmusclesontopofitwouldonlymakeitmoreconfusing.Goodposesarebasicposes,asyoucanseefromtheinitialsketcheshere.
BECREATIVE!
Rememberthatyoucanadjustthesecharacterstoyourpersonaltaste.Perhapsyou’dliketoreplacethebowandarrowwithamoremodernweapon,likealaserrifle.Perhapsshecoulduseapairofmecha-stylewings.Insteadofacape,theguyonthefacingpagecouldhavethelegsandtailofalizard.Theseareonlystartingpoints;therestisuptoyou.
THEBIZ
Forartistswhowanttogetpublished,there’snothingsomysteriousashowtogetstarted.Itsometimesseemsasifyouhavetoinventtheroadmapforsuccessallbyyourself.Thankfully,that’snotthecase.There’satriedandtruecareerpath,butmanyartistswastelotsof
timebecausetheydiscoveritonlybytrialanderror.Thissectionwillsaveyoulotsofwastedtimeandfrustration.You’lllearnhowtogetpublishedandwhatyournextstepsshouldbeasyouclimbtheladderinthecomicbookbiz.
STARTINGOUT:THEASHCANANDOTHERSTRATEGIES
Howdoyougetsomeonetotakenoticeofyou,letalonehireyou?Youcouldalwaysshoweditorsyourportfolioatcomicbookconventions.That’sagreatwaytodoit.Butmoreandmore,artistsareoptingforamethodthatbringstheirpresentationtoahigherlevelinthehopesofbeingtakenmoreseriouslybyaneditor.Theydosomethingcalledanashcan,whichcanbegivenawayatconventionsormailedaspartofasubmissionpackage.Anashcanisaself-published,shortcomicbooksample.Don’tconfuseitwithaself-publishedcomicbook,distributedtocomicbookretailers.Theashcanisnottobedistributedforsale;andit’snotprintedoncomicbookstock(paper).Itmaybeeighttotwelvepages.Itcancontainportfoliopieces,butmainly,it’savehicletoshowoffanartist’sskillatdrawingsequentialart(thepanel-by-panelsceneformatofcomicbookart).Itshouldinvolvewell-drawn,originalcharacters,andanumberofsceneswithmood,energy,andaction.Itshouldshowhowyoucanhandledialoguewithinterestingshots—notjust“talkingheads.”
Theadvantageoftheashcanoverthetraditionalportfolioisthatitgivestheeditorasenseofyourabilitytodelivermaterialintheformtheywant.Italsoshowsthatyouunderstandthemediumandallitselements,suchasdialogueballoons,panels,andlayout.Ashcansarealmostalwaysdoneinblackandwhite,forexpensereasons.Andyou’llmostlikelyhavetodothepencilingaswellastheinking,lettering,andprinting.Mostpeoplegettheirashcansprintedatlocalprintshopsoncopypaper.Editorsunderstandwhatanashcanisanddon’texpectittobeprintedonauthenticcomicbookstockwithaglossycover.
APPRENTICINGAnotheroptionforgettingstartedisapprenticing.Busy,successfulartistsoftenneedhelpintheiroffices.Thiscanrangefromofficemanagingtodoingerrands,butthecontactsyoumake—andtheexperiencesyougain—areinvaluable.Plus,itgivesyoutheopportunitytoshowyourdrawingstosomeonewhocandosomethingaboutit.Ifyou’reanygood,seasonedartistswilllikelygiveyouashotdrawingforthemwhentheygettoobusy.
DOINGBACKGROUNDSYoucanstartoffdoingbackgroundsforanestablishedartist.Basically,youshouldasktodoanythingtheartistdoesn’twanttodo.Togetthiswork,submityourportfolioorashcan.Makesureyouhaveabusinesscard,orprintyourcontactinformationontheashcanorportfolio(neversendoriginalart).Youwillalsohavemoreluckstartingoutbysubmittingyourstufftothesmaller,independentpublishers.Theideaisjusttogetpublished.Anunpublishedartistisanunknownquantity.Beingpublishedinanyformgivesyoumorecredibility.
BEINGTHEFILL-INARTISTOnceyou’veestablishedarelationshipwithanartist,editor,orpublisher,youmayinquireaboutdoingfill-ins.Fill-inworkisneededwhenanartisttakesabreakfromabook.Someonehastokeeptheseriesgoing.Ifthefill-iniswellreceived,itmayturnintoaregulargig.
DRAWINGPOSTERSANDPINUPSPublicityandpromotionalmaterialsarealwaysbeingchurnedoutbypublishers.Doingthese“one-shots”isagoodwaytoestablishaworkingrelationship.
GETTINGHIREDONABOOK!You’vetakeneveryjobasanopportunitytoimproveandshowhowgoodyourstuffis.Andnowit’sbeingrecognized.Thepublisheroffersyouaregulargigonabook.Butyou’renotgoingitaloneanymore.Alotofpeopleareinvolvedwithputtingthebooktogether.It’sateam,withoutthejerseys.Andyou’llbecomeacquaintedwiththeotherteammembers’work,evenifyoudon’tspeaktoallofthemindividually.
SELLINGYOURARTIfyourworkonamonthlybookhasgottenyournameinfrontofthepublic,collectorsmaybeinterestedinbuyingyouroriginalartwork.YoucansetupaWebsite,whereyoucansellyourpublishedcomicbookartonline.Someartistsalsomakeextramoneybydoingprivatecommissionsforcollectors.EbayisapopularsiteforartistswithoutWebsitestoselltheiroriginals.
MAKINGPUBLICAPPEARANCESWhenyoustartgettingestablished,it’syourturntoappearattheconventions.Thisisimportant,asitkeepsyouinthepubliceyeinfrontofyourtargetaudience.Conventionappearancesarepublicized,whichalsoaddstoyourprestige.And,peoplewillbuyyourbookjustsotheycanhaveyousignit.Ahhh,lifeisgood.Butwait,itgetsevenbetter…
SIGNINGANEXCLUSIVEIfapublisherlikesyourworkenough,heorshemightaskyoutosignanexclusivedeal,whichprohibitsyoufromtakingworkwithanotherpublisher.Thismeansyou’reguaranteedregularwork—sometimesalotofwork,butyoucannegotiateformoredough.
BRANCHINGOUTManycomicbookartistsgointodoingstoryboardsforthemovies.Storyboardartistsareverywellcompensated,andit’sanicechangeofpace.Youcanalsodostoryboardsforcommercials.Someartistsgointovideogameortoydevelopment.It’sagoodfinancialstrategytohavemultiplesourcesofincome.Also,ifyou’vesignedanexclusiveagreementwithacomicbookpublisher,you’remorelikelytogetpermissiontodooutsideworkifitdoesn’tcompetewithyourcomicbookworkand—andthisisabigand—ifitwon’tslowyoudown.
LICENSINGTHERIGHTSYourbookmaygetattentionfromtheHollywoodcommunity.Hollywoodalwayslookstocomicbooksformorematerial,andmany,manypopularfilmswerefirstcomicbooks.Trytoholdontoasmanyrightsasyoucanwhenyousellyourideatoapublisher,otherwise,Hollywoodwilldealdirectlywithyourpublisherandcutyououtentirelyfromthebookyoucreated.Ouch!
CREATINGSOMETHINGNEWYoucancreatesomethingnewwhenyou’veestablishedyourcredibilitytothepointwhereyoucanpitchanewideaforacomicbooktoaneditororthepublisher.Iftheybuyit—success!—you’velaunchedyourownseries!
SWITCHINGSIDES
Youcanalsoflipandbecomepartofmanagement.Manysuccessfulcomicbookartistsbecomeeditorsoreditor-contributors.Youcommutetotheoffice,drinktoomuchcoffee,andtellotherartistswhattodo.Butbekind—andrememberwhereyoucamefrom.
Beinganeditorgivesyouthechancetointeractwithmanytop-notchartistsandwriters.Youoverseemanybooks.Andbesides,it’snicetohavesomeoneelsepickupthetabforyourhealthcare.
BECOMINGAPUBLISHERInthisscenario,yourbookissosuccessful—spinningoffmoviesandmerchandise—thatyouformyourowncompanyaseitheranimprintofthepublisheryou’vebeenworkingfor,oryourownindependentpublishingempire.Anumberofcomicbookartistshavedonejustthat.Sometimes,severalofthemformagroupandstarttheirowncompany,whichgetsthemimmediateattentionbecauseoftheircombinedstarpowerandprestige.
THEINTERVIEWS
Wanttoknowexactlywhatsomeofthetopcomicbookpublishersarelookingfor?Wanttoknowhowtheythinkandhowtheyviewartists?You’vecometotherightplace,andtheanswersmaysurprise
you.Theexclusiveinterviewsinthissectionareamust-readforanyonewhohasever—evenforamoment—consideredbeingapublishedcomicbookartist.
ANINTERVIEWWITHMIKEMARTSEDITORATMARVELCOMICS
Whenyouthinkaboutcomics,youcan’thelpbuthavetonsofgreatMarvelcharacterspopintoyourhead.Thefantasticcharacterdesigns,theextremeanatomy,thecoolstorylines—they’vegotitall.Marvelisuniqueinthisbusiness:it’sthegoldstandardthatremainsonthecuttingedge.Marvel’smarvelouscharactersarefavoritesineverymedium,fromcomicbookstomoviestotelevisiontovideogamestoadizzyingarrayofmerchandise.Inthissegment.MarveleditorMikeMartshasbeengraciousenoughtosharehisexperienceandinsightsintotheworldofcomics,fromarttechniquesanddrawinganatomy,tobreakingintothebusinessandindustrytrends.Iknowyou’llgetalotfromhiswealthofknowledge.
ChrisHart:What’syourbackground,andhowdidyoucometoworkasaneditoratMarvel?MikeMarts:MycareeratMarvelbeganintheearlyninetieswhileIwasstillincollege.Asajournalismmajor,IknewIwantedtoeitherwriteoreditcomics…andafteradozenorsounsuccessfulattemptsatsubmittingstoriestoMarvel,Ienrolledintheireditorialcollegeinternshipprogram.Ispenttwosemestersasaneditorialassistant,whicheventuallyledtoanassistanteditorpositionwithintheIronMan/FantasticFouroffice.IstayedatMarvelforaboutthreeyearsasanassistant,thenservedasmallstintasWizard’spromotionsdirector,
thentwoyearsasaneditorforAcclaimComics,andthenIfinallycamebackhometoMarvelasaneditorin1999.
CH:Whatdoyouenjoymostaboutbeingacomicseditor?MM:It’shardtopinpointonething…therearesomanythingsaboutbeinganeditorIenjoy:thefreelancetalentworkingonthecomics,theconstantneedtobecreative,thepressureofthedeadlineandmakingsureabookgetsouttotheprinterontime.ButIsupposeifIhadtomarkonethingasmyfavorite,I’dhavetosaythecontinualdanceoftryingtomakeaprojectinterestingandfresh.It’stojuggleallthethingsthateditorshandleinanyonegivenday,butkeepingthingsexcitingandnewforthereadersalwaysseemstobethemostimportantand,therefore,themostenjoyable.
CH:WhataresomeofyourfavoriteMarveltitlesandcharactersthatyou’veworkedon?MM:TheX-Menweremychildhoodheroes,soIhavetosaythecharactersandtitlesI’mworkingonnowaremyfavorites:NewX-Men,UncannyX-Men,Exiles.Inthepast,I’veenjoyedmytimeworkingonDeadpool,Wolverine,andWolverine:Origin.
CH:Canyouarticulatewhatthat“specialsomething”isthatmakesMarvelcharacterssoappealing?MM:ItreallygoesbacktoStanLeeandJackKirby’soverallphilosophyonMarvelheroes—thattheyshouldbe[characters]readerscouldrelateto.SureSpider-MancouldbefightingtheVultureorKravenonanygivennightoftheweek.ButPeterParkerhadtoworryaboutgettinghomeintimefordinner,too!Spideyhadgirlproblems,theX-Menwereoutcasts,Daredevilwasblind—noneofStanandJack’screationswerewithouttheirownpersonalhandicapsthatmadereadersrememberthemasmorehumanthansuperhuman.
CH:Howimportantisasolidgraspofanatomyandfiguredrawingtothecomicbookartist?MM:Extremely.Therearemanydifferentthingsthatgointothemakingofagreatcomicbookartist—storytelling,pagecomposition,perspective,andcontrasttonamejustafew.Butwithoutasolidfoundationoftheanatomyofthehumanbody,anartistwillhavealongwaytogobeforeheorshecanbeconsideredasaprofessional.
CH:Whataresomeofthecommonweaknessesyouseeinanatomyandfiguredrawingwhenlookingatportfoliosofaspiringartists?
MM:Alotofitcomesbacktojustabasicmisunderstandingofthehumanbodyandhowitactsindifferentscenariosandsituations:atrest,inmotion,throwingapunch,etc.Facesandhandsarealwaysthehardest,soItendtoseeeitherlazinessonthepartofhandsorjustextrememisinterpretationsofthehumanface.Andthat’snottosaythattheseartistsaren’ttryingtheirhardest—theyare.They’rejustextremelydifficultthingstomaster,andIhavetohandittotheguysandgirlsIworkwitheachmonthwhoalreadyhaveitmastered.
CH:Whatdoyouwanttoseeinaportfolio?MM:Morethananything,Iwanttoseeagoodbalanceofartisticelements.Don’tshowmeaportfoliofullofpinupsorsplashpages—that’sgoingtogivemenoideaofhowwellyoucansequentiallytellastory.Also,thinkaboutbeingspecificinshowingpiecesthatrelatetoyouroverallgoal.Ifyourlifelongdreamistobeapenciler,don’tshowmeyourstilllifepaintingsfromtheseventhgrade.Whileitwillshowmethatyou’rewellrounded,it’salsogoingtogivemetheimpressionthatyou’reunsureofwhatyouwanttodoandwhatyouwanttobe.Aneditor’stimeisextremelyprecious,especiallyataconvention,sobeextremelyselectiveinwhatpiecesyoushowandwhattheyare.Alwaysputyourbestpieces—oryourmorerecent—upfront.Sometimesaneditorwon’tbeimpressedwithwhatheorsheseesinthefirstfewpagesandwillwishyougoodluck,whichwillreallystinkifyousavedyourbestpiecesforlast!Trytoputyourselfinthemindoftheeditors,andfigureoutwhatthey’rethinkingorwhatthey’relookingfor.Trytomakeyourbestimpressionasquicklyasyoucan.Becordial,friendly,andmostespecially,bereceptivetocriticism.Aneditorwillneverwanttogiveworktotheguywhomuttersunderhisbreathandwalksoffinahuffbecausehewastoldhisanatomyneededwork.Mosteditorshaveearnedtheirrankandknowwhatthey’retalkingabout;they’veworkedwiththebestartistsinthebusinessandknowwhattypeofanartistwillsellabook.Taketheircriticismandtakeitwell.Andiftheydon’tgiveany—askquestions.
CH:Isitimportantthatcomicbookartistshaveformalarttraining,orcantheybeself-taught?
MM:It’snotalwaysnecessary—Ihaveseensomeoutstandingartworkcomefromguysandgirlswhohaveneverhadanyarttrainingwhatsoever—butitalwayshelps.Myadvicetoanyonestartingoutistogetsomeformofprofessionaltraining,whetherit’scollege-levelartcourses,instructionalvideos,orhow-tobookslikethisone.Getasmuchinstructionandinformationfromprofessionalsasyoupossiblycan.Lookintointernshipsatanytypeofbusinessthat’srelatedtoartwork.Thinkaboutbeinganapprenticetoalocalartist.Studythegreatpastmasters[ofartandillustration]—daVinci,Picasso,Rockwell—notjustthelatestissueofHulkorCaptainAmerica.
CH:Whataresomeofthemajortrendsinthecomicbookindustry,andwheredoyouseethingsheadinginthefuture?MM:It’sadifficultthingtotryandpredictwherepeople’stasteswillrunincomicartwork.IfIknewforsure,I’dalwayshavethebestartistsworkingontherightcomicsandeveryonewouldalwaysbehappy!Butthat’sneverquitethecase.It’stoughgaugingwherearttrendswilltaketheindustry.…Conventionsandcomicbookstoresareusuallythebestarenastofigureoutwhat’shotandwhat’snot.Sometrendsseemedtohavediedoutabitoverthepastdecade(“badgirl”artworkortheImage-era“in-your-face”typeofstylespringtomind),whileothershaveremainedconsistent,orattheveryleastsurvivedlongerthanpeopleinitiallythought.Ithinkmostpeoplehavebeensurprisedathowlongthecurrentanimated/mangatrendhasremainedstrong.Andcertain“realistic”styleslikeAlexRoss’spaintingsorNealAdams’sandBryanHitch’sworkwillprobablyalwaysremainstrong.Butintheend,Ithinkitalwayscomesdowntohowstrongthestorytellingbeneaththecurrentarttrendis.AnimationartandJapanesemangaaregroundedinstrongstorytelling,whichisprobablywhythey’vebothremainedstrong.Otherpasttrendsthathavegonethewayofthedinosaur,however,wereprobablybasedmoreondynamicsandimpactthananythingelse.
CH:Marvelhassomanysuccessfulcharactersthathavebeenturnedintomovies.Whenyoucreatenewcomicbookcharacters,howimportantisitthattheybeadaptabletofilmroles?Andwhatcreatesagoodmoviecharacter?MM:Therearealotofelementsthatgointothecreationofanewcharacter,andI’mnotsayingthatmovieandTVadaptabilityaren’tthingscreatorsthinkaboutwhendreamingupthenextSpider-Man,buttheyaren’tthefirstthings.Firstandforemost,we’lltrytocreateastrongcharacterthatpeoplecanrelateto.Willreaderslikethischaracter?Willreadersrelatetowhatthischaracterdoesinhiseverydaylife?Willreadersbesurprised—andpleased—withthedecisionsthesecharactersmakewhileunderpressure?Theseareallquestionsweaskourselvesascreatorsbeforedivingheadlongintothecharacterpool.Andifthecreationcomesoutstrongandrelatableandlikeable…well,thenotherthingslikemovieandTVadaptabilitywillalmostautomaticallyfollow.
CH:Howimportantisitforaspiringartiststogotoconventionsandnetwork,ratherthandoeverythingbymail?MM:It’snotessentialbutitisimportant.Theface-to-facemeetingwithaneditororfellowartistisworthfarmorethanthesubmissionbymail,nomatterhowgoodofanartistyouare.Admittedly,mystackofunopenedsubmissionsisusuallyprettyhigh.Andit’snotoutoflackofinterestinfindingthenextJoeMadureira;it’sjustthatwhileI’mintheoffice,myprimaryfocususuallyendsupbeingmakingsurethenextissueofUncannyX-Menlooksgood,readswell,andgetsouttotheprinterintimetogetintoyourhands.Conventions,ontheotherhand,
areawholedifferentstory.Myprimarypurposeforbeingthereistomeetandgreetandnetworkwithalltypesoftalent—newandold.I’vemadeplentyofconnectionsatconventionsovertheyearsthathaveblossomedintolongstandingprofessionalrelationships,andmorethanafewofMarvel’seliteartistsgottheirbigbreakwhileshowingtheirartworktoaneditoratoneofthebigcons.
Thatbeingsaid,ifyoufindthatasanartist,youcan’tmakethelongdrivetothenextbigshow,don’tdespair.Mailande-mail,especially,arebothgreatwaysofshowingyourartwork.Alsothinkaboutexhibitingyourartworkonyourhomepage,andsendeditorsyourlink.Thisalwaysworksgreatwithme.Mycomputerscreengetstolookatmemorethanmygirlfrienddoes,soifanaspiringartist’shomepagelinkpopsupinfrontofmyfaceonmycomputer,I’dmuchratherclickonitandfindoutwhat’sinsidethanstartopeningthatdauntingstackofsubmissions.
ANINTERVIEWWITHCHRISWARNEREDITORATDARKHORSECOMICS
DarkHorseComicshasgrownfromafledglingbusinesstooneofthetopcomicbookpublishersintheUnitedStates.Ithascontinuallypushedtheenvelopetobringtheartofcomicstoanewlevel,whichitsustainsinbreathtakingcomicbookafterbreathtakingcomicbook.Inadditiontoitsgroundbreakingoriginalcastofcharacters,DarkHorsehasanamazingstableofcomicsbasedonwildlysuccessfultelevisionandmoviecharacters.ChrisWarnerandScottAlliearebotheditorsatDarkHorseComics,andtheysharetheirexperienceswithyouhere.
ChrisHart:WhatwasyourroutetobecominganeditoratDarkHorse?ChrisWarner:ForanumberofyearsI’dknownMikeRichardson,fromwhomIusedtobuycomicsathisretailshop,andRandyStradley,withwhomI’dcollaboratedcreativelyandlivedforatimeinNewJerseywhenwefirstbrokeintocomics.WhenMikeandRandydecidedtostartcomicspublishing,IwasstilllivinginNewJerseyandworkingforMarvelasapenciler(MoonKnight,AlienLegion,DoctorStrange),andtheyaskedmetocreatetheleadfeature(BlackCross,acharacterIhadbeenkickingaroundbuthadnotyetdevelopedintofinishedstories)forDH’sfirstcomicbook,DarkHorsePresents.Aftermovingbackto
Portlandinthelateeightiesanddoingalotmorefreelancework,DarkHorseaskedmeifI’dbeinterestedindoingsomefreelanceeditorialwork,sinceIhadaprofessionalbackgroundindrawing,writing,andinkingcomicsandhadprofessionaleditorialandproductionexperience,havingworkedforanoncomicspublisherintheearlyeighties.IsplittimebetweenDarkHorsestaffandfreelanceworkforanumberofyearsandeventuallybecameafull-timestaffeditor.
CH:Atwhatagedidyoudiscovercomics,andwhendidyouactuallythinkaboutmakingacareerofit?CW:SomeofmyearliestmemoriesareofbeingreadDisneycomicsbymydad.IhadprofessionalambitionswhenIwasyoung,triedtobreakintothebusinessinmyearlytwenties,thensortoflostinterestincomicsasaprofessionuntilmylatetwenties,whenIcaughtthebugagain.
CH:WhataresomeofthecharactersandbooksyouhaveworkedonforDarkHorse,andwhatareyouworkingonnow?CW:Asanartistand/orwriter,I’veworkedonBlackCross,TheAmerican,Predator,Aliens,TheTerminator,BarbWire(whichIcreated),Comics’GreatestWorld,X,StarWars,Ghost,etc.Asaneditor,I’veworkedonatonofstuff,especiallyalotofgreatmanga,suchasGhostintheShell,Akira,andAstroBoy.Thesedays,I’mworkingonBerserk,AstroBoy,severalotherTezukaprojects,andavarietyofnoncomicsbookprojects.
CH:Thisbookfocusesonanatomyforcomicbookartists.HowmuchemphasisdoesDarkHorseplaceonanartist’sgraspofanatomy?Cananartistfakeitwithflashandstyle?CW:Knowinganatomyisimportant,butknowingfiguredrawingiscrucial.Anatomyisjustknowingwhatmusclegoeswhere,properproportion,etc.Figuredrawingisknowinghowthefigurelooksinmotion,howthemuscleslookindifferentpositions,howthebodybalances.Ifyoudon’thaveanaturalcommandoffiguredrawing,youcan’tfakeit.
CH:Whenaspiringartistsgettheirfirstrealbreakinthebusiness,whatthingswouldyousuggesttheydotocapitalizeonitandimpresstheireditors?CW:ThisisthemostaccurateaxiomIknowrelatingtofreelancing,andit’s100percenttrue.Therearethreequalitieseditorsarelookingfor,andifyouhavetwoofthem,you’llbeabletomaintainacareerincomics(orprobablyanycreativefield):bigtalent,rock-soliddependability,andgreatcharacter.Ifyouhavefabuloustalentandareagoodperson,butyou’reshakyondeadlines,aneditorwillaccommodateyouifatallpossible.Ifyou’reextremelytalentedandnevermissadeadline,butyouareacompletejerk,you’llstillgetwork.Ifyou’reanaveragetalent,butyounevermissadeadlineandaregreattoworkwith,you’llalwaysbeworking.But,youcanbethemosttalentedguyontheplanetbutifyou’reaflakeandapunk,eventuallyyou’llberunoutofthebusiness.Ifyou’readeadlinemachinebutcan’tdrawandyou’remiserabletoworkwith,you’redone.Andbeingthenicestguyintheworldwon’thelpyouifyou’reanundependablemediocrity.So,chooseanytwo:good,dependable,nice.Andifyou’reallthree,you’regoingtomakealotofpeoplehappyandalotofmoney.
CH:Supposethatsomeonehasaportfolioofdrawingsreadytogo.Howwouldyouadvisesomeonetogoabouttryingtolandthatfirstjob?CW:First,showthesamplestoworkingprofessionals,preferablyartists,toseeifyou’rereadytotakethenextstep.Ifyouhaven’thadsomeonewithknowledgegiveyouasolidindicationthatyourworkhaswhatittakes,you’reprobablywastingyourtimesendingworktopublishersorshowingyourworktoeditorsatbigshowslikeComiconInternationalorWizardWorld.Aneditorisnotthefirstpersoninthebusinessyouwanttoseeyourwork.Mosteditorsaren’tartists,andalltheycandoisgiveyouthumbs-uporthumbs-down;theydon’thavethedrawingknowledgetoreallytellyouwhatyouneedtodoinanybutthebroadeststrokes.Almostalllocalconventionsandallregionalconventionshaveguestartists.Showthemyourwork,andaskfor100percenthonestopinions.Iftheytellyouyou’reready,you’reprobablyready.Infact,ifyouareready,manyartistswillhelpyououtbyputtingyouincontactwiththeireditors.That’showIgotmyfirstbreak,infact,andhowanumberofartistgottheirbreakbyshowingmeworkatconventionswhenIwasafreelancer.
CH:IsitimportantforartiststosetuptheirownWebsiteasaformofself-promotion?CW:It’shelpfulbutnotessential.Comicsisaprettysmallbusiness,anditisn’tthathardtosendyourstufftopublishersatregularintervals.Forpencilersespecially,good-quality,full-sizecopiesin-handlookathousandtimesbetterthanscanned,reduced72dpijpegsanyday.Ifanartisthasaspirationsinillustrationoutsideofcomics,IthinkaWebsiteisanabsolutemust.Also,ifyou’redoingregularstoriesonyourown,aWebsiteisgreatbecauseitshowsyourdedicationtotheform,andpublishingontheWebisfarlessexpensivethanprintingphysicalcomics.
Ifyoudohaveasite,makesureyou’reupdatingitregularly,dailyifyoucan(a“SketchoftheDay,”forinstance).Giveeditorsareasontocomebackontheirownratherthanbrowbeatingthemwithe-mails(althoughifyou’veestablishedarapportwithcertaineditors,byallmeansdropthemane-mailwhenyou’veupdatedyoursite).Andmakedamnsureyoursiteisworkingbeforeyouputitupandstartcontactingeditors.Nothingismoreoff-puttingthanhavingsomeonesendyoualinkonlytohaveanUnderConstructionpagepopuporaninterfacewherelinksdon’tworkorwhereoverlyambitiousentry-screenFlashmoviesjustwasteaneditor’stime.Thesiteshouldlookgood,butletmegettotheartasfastasIcan.
CH:Doyoufindthatsometalented,youngartistsfallintothetrapofbeinggoodatdrawingmenorwomenbutnotboth?Whatdoyoudo,asaneditor,ifyouencountersuchaproblem?CW:Therearesomeverytalentedartistswhodowelldrawingcharactersofonegenderandnottheother.Generally,youtrytoleantoanartist’sstrengthsandnotmakeassignmentsthatrelyonastrengthaparticularartistdoesn’thave.Oneofthemajorchallengesforaneditoristofindtalentwhosestyleisvisuallyappropriateforthematerial.Thisdoesn’tmeanthataparticularbookrequiresaspecifichousestyle,butthatwhateverstyleisemployedunderscoresthemood,thethemes,theemotionalanddramaticcontentofthework.Nomatterhowtalented,noteveryartistisappropriateforeveryassignment,andthisisoneofthebiggestpitfallsofmanyeditors,thedesiretohirethesamepeople,or“name”people,regardlessof
whethertheirworkmightactuallydiminishthematerial.
ANINTERVIEWWITHSCOTTALLIEEDITORATDARKHORSECOMICS
ChrisHart:HowdidyoubecomeaneditoratDarkHorse?ScottAllie:IwaslivinginPortland,whereDarkHorseisbased,self-publishingacomicseries.ThisgotthecrewatDarkHorsetonoticeme,andIhappenedtorunoutofmoneyrightwhentheyneededanewassistant.IwasluckyenoughtoinheritHellboywhenanothereditorleft,andthissetmycareerrolling.
CH:Haveyoualwaysbeeninterestedincomics?SA:Ionlystartedreadingcomicsinjuniorhigh.Beforethat,Ihadmaybetwocomicsasakid.Idrewcomics,butIneverreadthemuntilFrankMiller’sWolverineseries.
CH:Wereyouoneofthosekidswhoalwaysdoodledanddrewonthemarginsofhisnotebookpaper?SA:Yeah.
CH:Whataresomeofthefunctionsofacomicbookeditor?
SA:Itchangesfrombooktobook,butsometimesyouhavetocomeupwiththestoryyourself,ornursethewriter’sideasalong.Sometimesyouarejusttheretomakesurethestoryworksonitsownmerits,orthatthearttellsthestorywell,thattheartistisgivingyouhis[orher]bestwork.Sometimes,you’rechasingdownpaymentsorcontractsorlostartwork.Sometimes,youhavetofirepeople,andyou’realwayslookingtohirethenewguywhoseworkblowsyouaway.
CH:Howmuchtimedoyougiveacomicbookartisttocompleteatypicalcomicbook.Andhowmanyactualpagesofartareinvolved?SA:Theaveragecomichereistwenty-twopagespluscover,butIcan’tgiveyoumuchofanaverageofhowlongittakesthemtodoit.Iguesstheaverageguythesedaysmighttakefiveweeks,whichmeansyouhavetoberesourcefultokeepamonthlybookonschedule.ButmostofwhatDarkHorsedoesisminiseries,sowecanschedulearoundanartist’sspeed,andalotofguystakesixtoeightweekstodoabook.Anewguystartingoutwillfindhimselfhardpressedtogetworkifhe’sthatslow,though.
CH:Howoftendoyouspeaktoanartistduringtheprocess?SA:Alsodepends,butonaverageI’dsayonceaweek.There’soneguyIonlytalktowhenheturnsthefinishedbookinandIsayit’sperfect.OtherpeopleItalktoeveryday.DependsontheirpersonalneedsandhowmuchIhavetostayonthemtogetthebookoutofthem.Iliketalkingtomyartists,soIlikealotofcommunication,butit’sbestwhenIdon’tfeellikeIhavetocallorthey’replayingNintendo.
CH:Dotheartistandtheinkerspeakdirectlywitheachotherabouttheprojecttheyaredoing,oronlytotheeditor?SA:Atothercompaniestheeditorsliketokeepthetalentawayfromoneanother,butwhenIhireapenciler,Igenerallyaskhimwhohewantstoinkhim;thismeanstheinkerisprobablytheguy’sfriend,andtheyprobablytalkmorethantheytalktome.Whichisgreat.
CH:Ifyou’reanaspiringartist,andyou’reatacomicbookconvention,andyou’vegotonlyoneshottomeetaneditorfromamajorcomic
bookpublisher,whatshouldyoudotoprepare?SA:Samplesthataregonnaknockmysocksoff.Sixtotengreatpagesthatreallytellthestoriesthey’retryingtotell,andshowthattheartistcandrawanything.Butifanartist’sworkisnottotallyuptoprofessionalstandards,don’tshoweditors.Showprofessionalartists,whocangivemuchbetteradviceabouthowtogetbetter.Ifanartistisnotgoodenoughtogetworkortoatleastmakeagreatimpressionwithhis[orher]work,thenshowinganeditorisawasteofeveryone’stime.
CH:Wheredoyouseecomics,ingeneral,headinginthefuture?Forexample,thereisastrongpushtowardmanga(Japanesecomics)andgraphicnovels.SA:Ithinkgraphicnovelsarethewaveofthefuture,butthefutureain’tnow.Weneedalittlemoreevolutiontogetthere.Rightnowtheydon’tworkoutfinanciallygoingstraighttoso-calledgraphicnovels—thatis,skippingthecomicbooks.Ithinkthemangacraze,whilevalid,hasgottotaperoffsoon,andhopefullythatwillmakemoreroomforAmericancomics,ratherthanpeoplejustforgettingaboutcomicsandmangaaltogether.Itwouldbehorribletohavegainedthisgroundandloseit.ButIthinkpublishersarebeingmuchmoreshrewdaboutwhattheypublish,aredoingeverythingtheycantoputoutthebestmaterialpossible.Ithinkthiswilltranslatetoamorewidelyacceptedandwidelyreadartform.Ithinkstandardswerekindoflowforawhile,butnowthereissomeamazingworkcomingout—andmuchlessmediocrework.
CH:Whataresomeoftheprojectsyou’reworkingonatDarkHorse?SA:MybigthingisDevil’sFootprints,mycreator-ownedserieswithPaulLee,BrianHorton,andDaveStewart.Itain’tpayingthebills,butitkeepsthelightsoninsidemyskull.It’spartofahorrorlineI’moverseeing,whichincludesMikeMignola’sHellboystuff,EricPowell’sTheGoon,andvariousthingswithSteveNiles,includingtheCalMcDonaldserieswithBenTemplesmith.Betweenthesebooks,andConanandBuffy,whicharemytwobiglicenses,I’vegotmyhandsfull.Butit’sallstuffIlove,soI’mhappy.
ABOUTCHRISHARTChristopherHartisanaward-winningandbest-sellingauthorwhosebookshavesetthestandardforartinstruction,bothnationallyandinternationally,withover1.5millioncopiesinprintinfifteenlanguages.Heisthego-toguyformangahow-tos,andhistitleMangaManiawasthetop-sellingartbookintheUnitedStatesformonthsafterits2001publicationandcontinuestobeoneofthecountry’sbest-sellers*.
Renownedforup-to-the-minutecontentandeasy-to-followsteps,allofHart’sbookshavebecomestaplesforanewgenerationofaspiringartistsandprofessionals,andtheyhavebeenselectedbytheAmericanLibraryAssociationforspecialnotice.Aprolificwriterandartist,Hartistheauthorofseveralart-instructionbookseriesandchildren’sbooks,andhisworkhasalsobeenfeaturedinnumerousmagazines.HelivesinConnecticutwithhiswifeandtwodaughters.
*Source:Bookscan
INDEXabdominalmuscles,4.1,4.2,4.3,4.4,4.5,4.6acromionboneage,bodychangesandAllie,Scottankleboneapprenticeship,9.1,10.1armmuscles
biceps,5.1,6.1,6.2brachialis,6.1,6.2coracobrachialisforearm,6.1,6.2triceps,5.1,6.1,6.2,6.3,6.4
armsbonesdownposition,4.1,4.2,5.1posesforraisedposition,4.1,4.2,5.1,6.1,8.1
arttrainingartworksalesashcanvs.portfolio
backfemale,1.1,5.1posesforsurfacerendering
backmuscles,1.1,1.2armsdownarmsraised,5.1,8.1contractinglowerback
backview,5.1,7.1,8.1bellybuttonbiceps,5.1,6.1,6.2body
bodyageandheightslightandshadowonshapessimplifiedfiguresskeletonveinsandarteries
bodylanguagebootsandshoesbrachialis,6.1,6.2
calfmuscles,1.1,7.1,7.2carryingmotioncharacters
bodylanguagebodyshapescreating
chestmusclesarmsdownarmsraised,4.1,4.2inmotionshouldersand
collarbone(clavicle),1.1,4.1,4.2,5.1comicbookconventions,9.1,10.1,10.2comicbookeditors,9.1,10.1,10.2coracobrachialis
DarkHorseComicsdeltoids.Seeshouldermusclesdrawing
commonweaknessesfigureinitialsketch,4.1,8.1musclessimplifiedfiguressurfacemapping
earseyes,3.1,3.2
faceeyes,3.1,3.2musclesproportions,3.1,3.2
feetfill-inworkfiringweaponmotionforearm,6.1,6.2
graphicnovels
handshaulingmotionhead
angleof,3.1,3.2earsskulltiltofSeealsoface
heights
inkers
kickingmotionknees,7.1,7.2,7.3knuckles
leapingmotionlegmuscles
backviewinbulkycharactercalf,1.1,7.1,7.2female,7.1,8.1groups
sartoriussideview,7.1,7.2
legsbonesfeetfemale,7.1,7.2,8.1giantknee,7.1,7.2,7.3
licensingrightsliftingmotionlightsources
manga(Japanesecomics)MarvelComicsMarts,Mikemuscles
abdominal,4.1,4.2,4.3,4.4,4.5,4.6inactioncontoursfacialmenmusclesonmusclesconceptneck,3.1,4.1inprofileonribcage,4.1,4.2,4.3stagesofmuscularitywomenSeealsoarmmuscles;backmuscles;chestmuscles;legmuscles;
shouldermuscles
neck,1.1,3.1,4.1nipplesnose
pelvis,4.1,7.1,7.2portfolio,9.1,10.1,10.2poses
forarmsforhandsforribcageroughingoutforshoulders
postersprofile,1.1,3.1,3.2promotionalworkpullingmotionpunchingmotion,2.1,6.1pushingmotion
ribcagearmsraisedfemale,4.1,4.2inmotion,4.1,4.2muscles,4.1,4.2,4.3pelvisandposesforsternum
runningmotion
sartoriusmuscle,7.1,8.1scalingwallmotionshadowsshoesandbootsshoulderblade,5.1,5.2shouldermuscles
armsdownarmsraisedfrontview,4.1,4.2,5.1parts,1.1,5.1posesrearview
simplifiedposesskeletonsketching,4.1,8.1
skullsmilespineofthescapulastarting-outstrategies,9.1,10.1,10.2,10.3storyboardartistssurfacemappingsuspensionfromropemotion
thigh,femalethree-quarterview,3.1,3.2,4.1toes,7.1,7.2torso
femalemale
trapeziusmuscle,3.1,5.1,5.2,5.3triceps,5.1,6.1,6.2,6.3
veinsandarteries
Warner,ChrisWebsitewomen
armsback,1.1,5.1bodyshapescalfeyesfaceheadtiltsheightshighheelslegs,7.1,8.1musclesskeletontorso