Monday, August 22, 2005

The ever elusive girls



Girls, something I have never been good at drawing. Now yes, in the last year or so, I have definitely made some decent progress. Occasionally, I even get a good drawing, but girls are tricky. Like the one above for example, a classic drawing of mixed success. Some stuff I like, and some I think is some what disastrous, perhaps even bordering on atrocity.

For me, women are far more tricky than drawing guys... well, appealing women any ways. I could do some seriously ugly drawings of women with relative ease I think. It leads me to believe that I have too many "tricks" that I resort to when I draw, too many formulas. Girls have curves, and their forms are much more complex (and attractive) than a man's. How do you simplify the forms when posing a girl? How do you keep the subtle curves of a women, yet incorporate them into an overall appealing design and thus, an appealing drawing? We certainly don't want a lumpy and bumpy drawing that brakes the line of action of the pose, but at the same time, you want the drawing to look feminine and appealing. Balance between what to show and what not to show is the key (isn't it always?), but everytime I get on that high wire, I still feel shakey. I do know this, I'm tired of the cliche design rules I learned in college, from my old job, and books. Not everyone's feet look the same, nor do their hands or anything else. I guess what I'm saying is that there is a generic look to the girls that I draw, and I need to incorporate more character into the drawings of them, something that makes them a little more unique. These are the things that keep me awake at night... well that and the thing with the spiked tail and glowing eyes that lives in my closet.

7 comments:

Cedricstudio said...

Nice drawing. I wrestle with those very same issues. When you get it figured out, let us know! :-) My guess is the best way to get a handle on it is to just draw and draw. After about 10,000 drawings, you should have it nailed down pretty well.

Kristen McCabe said...

Your girl drawings are NOT "Generic" Shame on you for saying that!

Your girl drawings are inspiring!
One of the many things I like about your girl drawings are their feet. So many artist tend to draw small dainty feet on their girl drawings (like me) but you always draw them the correct size. ..and they are usually wearing sneakers instead of the typical high heel. I think that's unique.

Sedyas said...

O_O Fantastic art, Monkey!
The influence is noted of Jamie Hewlett. I will visit your blog often.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how to make girls look not the same. Your's look great, but I see a little of what you mean when you say they have the same traits. I guess when guys draw girls, they draw their ideal. Kristen seems to have mastered great girl drawings with tons of character.

monkeyfeather said...

cedric - You're right, you just gotta keep drawing.

kristen - Thanks for the kind words. You have been posting some great stuff on your blog. I may have been a bit harsh in my "generic" comment. I think I was just trying to say that I need to switch up my approach a bit. I have a tendency to use the same "shorthand" for a lot of things.

sedyas - Good to see you around these parts! Thanks for posting. Hewlett rules.

emceeone - Thanks for taking the time to comment. You're right, Kristen's work definitely has character.

IamOSI said...

i really dig it. you've got a lot of character in your drawings. i think we all feel crappy about things we don't usually draw.

MikeS said...

I just love everything about this drawing!