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View Full Version : "Converting" the male figure to the female figure, a little problem I'm having

almostkungfu
12-08-2006, 11:25 PM
[ THIS ISN'T POSTED IN THE WRONG PLACE, IS IT? ]

So, I've been following Riven Phoenix's Structure of Man tutorial videos, and I've learnt so insanely much these months. (These videos are amazing, I just can't praise them enough.)
Well, in the end of the video series, there was supposed to be a part where you looked into the differences between the male and the female figure, but that seems to have been let out.

So now I'm kinda sitting left with a very detailed image of what the male body looks like, but when I now turn to drawing women, I either run into symbolism and it turns out horrible, or I add so many male characteristics on them, they just turn out looking like very feminine men.
Being so much better at drawing male characters kinda makes me avoid drawing women, so I don't get any better at it either.

I guess I could just watch a lot of references, and just learn from that, but as a start and shortcut I'm asking you guys now, could anyone tell me, like the main areas to look out for? Like, the difference between a masculine and feminine face, and how women's muscular structure (or whatever to call it) differs from men's?

Got any nice websites, tips or picture references that could help me out with this? Would be awesome if anyone could help. :)


Oh. And hey, when I'm first at it, I could need some criticism on my current WIP as well, so I'll slap in a screenshot here, if anyone would care to comment that as well:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v315/Apeloff/Utennavn-3.jpg

As you see, just male characters :hmm:
Gmax
12-19-2006, 10:28 AM
I've should have seen this post earlier, but ah...what the heck:

I've had much of the same issue - I have always enjoyed drawing muscels, and as I've never attended any art classes, I drew only guys for a long time, getting more or less the hang of that, while completely ignoring the female figure. My experience is that with a male body, it is easier to think of anatomical *structure*, as the muscels and skeletal system is much more evident when you recreate it on canvas. With female bodies, one needs to think more about anatomical *forms*, as muscels and skeletal features are less prominent than curves and shapes. That shift in approach from structure to form is perhaps the most difficult one, methinks, as I tend to over-emphasise the muscels when drawing women, giving them a very buffy outlook. But generally with female bodies, everything is more slender, the transition between muscle groups more soft, in addition to the evidently higher waist line, slimmer shoulders and broader hips. The muscles themselves are, AFAIK, identical to the male ones - we are, after all, the same species, even that's difficult to accept some times ;)
almostkungfu
12-27-2006, 12:40 AM
Finally a reply! :bounce:
Thanks a lot, it really helped. :) (time to draw women!!)
SoniaNotRed
12-30-2006, 10:37 AM
Just saw your post. Maybe these can help some...

http://www.figuredrawings.com/index.html
http://www.female-anatomy-for-artist.com/
almostkungfu
01-05-2007, 07:06 PM
Yup, those links look great! Thanks a lot! :)
adien
01-16-2007, 07:08 AM
Riven Phoenix goes into the Female ratios a bit in Lesson 6 of Advance Concepts:

http://advanceconcepts.blogspot.com/
art4med
01-22-2007, 06:42 PM
Michelangelo used to do this all the time, using male models for figure studies and then feminizing them, tho he rarely succeeded in making the figure sufficiently female: a male with breasts does not a female make.

think "finer bones, softer lines, more curves, narrower chest, less muscle, wider hips"
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01-22-2007, 06:42 PM
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