basics part 3 - creative comic art

7/27/2019 Basics Part 3 - Creative Comic Art

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Drawing The Body/Torso and The Arm.

When drawing a figure, it is best to knowwhere the "landmarks" are. "Landmarks" are bones that protrudes and is

visible o n the body .If you touch your shoulders now, you will notice that the bone connects to your collarbone

(clavicle) which is one of the body landmarks.The best way to use these "landmarks" are by connecting one to the other

(in whichwe will showlater)."Landmarks" are also used to measure the distance ofone body part to the other.Here is a

list of"landmarks" that is visible from the front and back of the body.

The front -

The clavicle (collarbone).

The top end of the shoulder where the clavicle connects to the scapula.

The lower edges of the rib cage and sternum.

Both endof the ulna and radius(wrist andelbow).

Sides of the pelvis (hip bones).

The knuckles.

The patella and tibia (knees).

The tibia and the fibula (ankles).

Toes.

The tibia and the fibula (ankles).

The back-

The area where the spine connects to the rib cage.

The edges of the scapula (shoulder blades).

Both endof the ulna and radius(wrist andelbow).

Sides of the pelvis (hip bones).

Drawing Out From The Landmarks.

From the "Using the head count method" page, we have already discussed the proper measurement and proportiono f

the figure by using the size of the head.But drawing the human figure using this method can be time consuming.With the

help of "landmarks" you can minimize the amount of work you do when you are figuring out the width/length or the

distance of one body part to the other.

It doesn't matter if you are new to drawing the humanfigure or not, it is always better to draw your figure fromthe

inside and working your way out.It is not only easier and faster, but it also changes your drawing approach to be more

versatile.T his can also help yo u avoid making the head count method as a "crutc h" and begin drawing with as little guide

as possible.The reason we recommend drawing from the inside out is because many tend to make the mistake of

finishingthe outside line before even starting on the main body part that it is attached to and ultimately running into the

problem of not being able to fit in other body part due to lack of spacing.

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To draw using the landmark, first start off by drawing the head and the neck.The use of landmarks start just below

the neck, at the center of the clavicle.Keep in mind that the male neck is thicker than the female neck, which in a

way makes it longer ev en when it is the ex act same length.T o see the difference in male and female body shape,

clickHERE.

From here, drawthe rest of the edges of the clavicle.T he clavicle line that connects to the shoulder must never be

straight.If you see your ownc lavicle (collarbone) , you will notice that it curves slightly upwards.Draw the center

line of the chest all the way to the sternum.

At the end of the c enter chest line , continue drawing the rest of the chest.T he nipples are aligned about the same

as the end of the clavicle.Once this is done, continue with the shoulder fromthe clavicle line that connects to it.

For female figure, draw up two circle on top of the chest to represent the breast before you draw the nipples.


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Now, instead of continuing from the shoulder to draw the rest of the arm, we will go back the finishing the rest of

the torso first.This is to ensure that you have enough space to draw the torso and is not interrupted by the shape

of the arm.This is also for you to have better placement and enough space for the arms.

From the end of the chest, draw out the rib cage starting near the armpit.Afterward, draw a rough center line to

the navel and all the way down to the crotch area.Around the center line (below the ribcage) and the navel area,

yo u can outline the shape of the abdomens (abs) a little, just to show some muscle definition.

Try not emphasize too much muscle definition for a female figure unless you are aiming for a superhero or a ripped

female body builder like figure.If you emphasize too much muscle detail on a female figures, there is a probability of

them looking less feminine.

With the torso in place it is time to move on to drawing other parts of the body . Unlike the head and torso that are

responsible for housing internal organs, the shoulders, armsand hands are limbs that contain muscles and nerves


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to carry out commands.

Continue back to drawing the arm and starting from the shoulders landmark to the elbow landmark.Drawing

human shoulders that respond to movement requires a different approach than the torso and head. Circles or

balls more adequately relate to action as opposed to squares that resemble hard shells for pro tection. The

shoulders, arms and hands containa type of ball that fits into sockets at the shoulder blades, elbows and wrist.

Think of a movable part whenstarting this part of the body.Finish the arm by continuing from the elbow all the

way to the wrist landmark.

When yo u have the entire arms, complete with shoulders and hands completed, t hey may appear a little awkward. Itwill take practic e to get the size and creases to perfo rm to y our liking. The hands may be t he most difficult to master.

An exc ellent boo k for reference is Drawing Dynamic Hands by Burne Hogarth . How to understand the

movement of hands is discussed so action will become second nature in your drawings.

Another bo ok c alled Drawing Hands Feet: Form, Proportions, Gestures and Actions by Giovanni Civ ardi

can further your expertise in creating different types of poses that require active use of the arms.You can also practice

using landmarks on stick figures and work your way similar to what was mentioned above.

Drawing the Legs.

The reason we separate the the arms andthe legs fromthe torso is to showin detailsof how to drawthese body parts and

how to make them work in different angle.If you a fine with drawing the whole figure without any problem, then please

continue to do so.One of the most common mistake when drawing the arms or the legs is to draw them too long or toobig.But these mistake are also do ne by comic artist professional. T he only difference is that they do not stress too much

about it.T hey just erase, and start back, but most importantly they do not repeat the same mistake.

Drawing The Legs.

We will continue where we left off at the end of drawing the torso, which means we will still be using landmarks as

guide.We will start drawing the legs near the pelvis area.Drawing the legs can be seen as two parts - the first part is from

the groin area to the knee and the second part is from the knee all the way to the feet.

It is easier to draw the first part of the legs with the help of sartorius muscle line.The sartorius muscle is a long thin

muscle in the thigh that in a simplified manner, goes from just below the pelvis to the knee.Use this muscle line to help

out getting the basic muscle definition of the leg.By drawing this line, it will create simple muscle definition at the same

time giving the leg a more natural and realistic look.You can endthis part of the legat the top endof the kneecap.


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The second part start at the kneecapo r patella.Start by drawing out the detail of kneecap.The size ofthe kneecap is

around half the size ofthe thigh.You can then outline the rest of the leg up to the ankle or the top of the feet area.This is

where most people have problemswith whendrawing- the feet.In most cases, especially in comic art, the characters aredrawn with footwear on.You do not get to see much of the feet.But it always helps to knowthe shape of the feet and how

it works.

Legsand feet can be drawn as active, still, comical or just bizarre. A basic understanding ofthe shape and proportion of

the hips, legs, knees, anklesand feet are important inwhatever stance you are tryingto achieve. Once you followthe

simple steps on howto drawlegsandhowto draw feet, creating thin, fat, short or long legs with matching feet, you will

be able to portray a more realistic lo oking body .

There is a lot of deviation that canbe used in the muscular tone and thickness of drawing legs. An excellent book for

becoming a pro at understanding and drawing physical movements is Drawing Hands Feet: Form, Proportions,

Gestures and Actions by Giovanni Civardi. Together withshading, you can learn howto put action to your feet

and legs.

Recommended Books

Drawing Hands & Feet: Form, Proportions,

Gestures and Actions by Giovanni Civardi

This book is a must've have for anyone wishing to get in-depth help for drawing hands

and feet. These two areas often have artists a bit stumped, especially in particularly

dynamic poses which cause foreshortening.

Clear instruction complemented with beautiful drawings should have you drawing

better hands and feet after usual practice.

Giovanni Civardi's Complete Guide to

Drawing by Giovanni Civardi

This book is a nice consolidation ofCivardi's previous drawing instructional published

in the Art of Drawing series under separate topics:portraits, clothed figures, hands and

feet, scenery, light & shade. If you purchase this book you'll basically have them all

under one cover. Subjects are rendered with realism and this book is packed with

illustrations. Civardi's gives advice on art materials, drawing techniques for pencil,

charcoal and ink, photos & references, simplifying subjects, anatomy and basic tips

sketch artists use to accomplish realism. Text is brief but succinct. This book makes a

wonderful addition to any artist's reference library on drawing.

Drawing Cutting Edge Comics by


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Back: Facial Features, Shoulder, Arms & Hands

Copyright 2011 -2013 Creative Comic Art - www.creative comicart.com

Christopher Hart

I have almost every single book on comic book art written in the last teny ears, and this

one topsthem all. By far.

I recommend this book not only to people who want to be comic book artists, but also

those who are interested in more "serious" art forms. The tips andtricks are

indispensable for anyone drawing the human form or face, regardless of the style.

I've read this book ahundred times, and I still use it every day for reference.

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