# Off-Topic Discussion > Artists' Corner >  >  Critique on Female Sketches

## WhiteUnit

So, one of the areas that I know I'm weak in is drawing women.  Greg Capullo (artist for Spawn) said in his Krash Course Guide to Drawing Comics, that many comic artists who draw strong men all the time often have trouble drawing women because they too tend to look like men.

I've had someone tell me that about my art, too.  So here are a few sketches I just did. Constructive criticism is more than welcome, as long as its not insulting  :smiley: .

Also, if you want to post your own female sketches here, I wouldn't mind returning the favor.

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## skysaw

They look pretty darn good to me!

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## kichu

> They look pretty darn good to me!



Yeah, me too. Maybe a tiny bit too muscly? I don't know though. Maybe not. The face of the first one is definitely feminine, the 3rd and 4th maybe not so much.

Why don't you try drawing a female that's very feminine in a very exaggerated way? Super long lashes, girly clothing, girly posing. Try sketching a pin up or something!  Just to get you in the proper state of mind for femininity.

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## WhiteUnit

> Yeah, me too. Maybe a tiny bit too muscly? I don't know though. Maybe not. The face of the first one is definitely feminine, the 3rd and 4th maybe not so much.
> 
> Why don't you try drawing a female that's very feminine in a very exaggerated way? Super long lashes, girly clothing, girly posing. Try sketching a pin up or something!  Just to get you in the proper state of mind for femininity.



Yeah, the last two do look kind of man-ish. Do you think it may have to do with the jawline maybe?  The one on the left has a different jawline because I kept erasing it over and over until it looked right.

I kind of see what you mean by "muscly", especially on the third one.  Do you think it's the neck and collarbone area? That's whats standing out to me the most.

So, based on those things, here is the update.

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## skysaw

> Yeah, the last two do look kind of man-ish. Do you think it may have to do with the jawline maybe?



Even before reading your text, I noticed the improvement of the jawline on the second woman. Makes a big difference.

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## kichu

> Even before reading your text, I noticed the improvement of the jawline on the second woman. Makes a big difference.



Agreed.  Much better.  And I think for the first one you just did more shading around the eyes and mouth, right?  Whatever you did totally gave the sketch a more feminine appearance.

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## Hadyn

> I'd tap that.



Fixed.

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## WhiteUnit

> Agreed. Much better. And I think for the first one you just did more shading around the eyes and mouth, right? Whatever you did totally gave the sketch a more feminine appearance.



Yeah, I think alot of it has to do with the fact that I rarely take into consideration that the women are wearing makeup. Thats pretty much all did on the first one.  On the other one I corrected the jawline and added shadow to the eyes and then toned down the muscle on her stomache and neck. 

Soon I plan on learning to ink my images.  Its going to be tricky getting that eye shadow in there with ink.  But one feat at a time a guess.  Thanks for the advice.  I`ll likely post up some more stuff for criticism in the future and since you have a good idea for these details I look forward to your advice then. =D

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## Ne-yo

Damn you're Good  ::shock:: 

Nice work!  ::goodjob2::

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## kichu

> Yeah, I think alot of it has to do with the fact that I rarely take into consideration that the women are wearing makeup. Thats pretty much all did on the first one.  On the other one I corrected the jawline and added shadow to the eyes and then toned down the muscle on her stomache and neck. 
> 
> Soon I plan on learning to ink my images.  Its going to be tricky getting that eye shadow in there with ink.  But one feat at a time a guess.  Thanks for the advice.  I`ll likely post up some more stuff for criticism in the future and since you have a good idea for these details I look forward to your advice then. =D




Cool!  Can't wait.   :smiley:

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## skysaw

> Fixed.



Sorry, I don't tap pencil drawings, no matter how sexy the jawline might be.

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## kichu

> Sorry, I don't tap pencil drawings, no matter how sexy the jawline might be.



You don't know what you're missing.   :tongue2:

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## WhiteUnit

So over the past week I have been practicing drawing women's faces.  I've changed the style up quite a bit.  Take a look and please leave some feedback. 

Even if you don't draw that doesn't mean you can't point out what doesn't look right, so feel free to tear it apart.  :wink2:

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## Shady

Hi, not much of a natural artist myself, just wanted to point out you've made some great improvements since you started this thread.

Form looks much better and just more natural. The faces have a more feminine look to it as well. 

The only.. "negative" comment I have is that in your new sketches the girl on the far lefts shoulders just seem slightly out of proportion.. Maybe slightly to small? Not enough to kill the drawing, it just stuck out to me... Like I said Im not an artist.. Just yeah  :smiley: 

Oh, and the boobies in the middle drawing seem just slightly out of position to, a bit low and.. just a little small?  :tongue2:  Perhaps thats just my personal tastes though ><

Either way, great stuff! Very nice improvements imo  :smiley:

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## kichu

> Hi, not much of a natural artist myself, just wanted to point out you've made some great improvements since you started this thread.
> 
> Form looks much better and just more natural. The faces have a more feminine look to it as well. 
> 
> ..Oh, and the boobies in the middle drawing seem just slightly out of position to, a bit low and.. just a little small?  Perhaps thats just my personal tastes though



Yeah, I totally agree!  Good job.  And they seem to have developed into characters with personality as well, which makes them even better.

I do agree about that middle one though.  Her legs are too thick for her upper body.  I don't even think it's a matter of personal taste, they almost look like they could be two different woman.  I think you should choose if she's going be a bit thicker all over, or tinier.  Or maybe it's the boots.  Hmmm....

PS - your birthday is a day before mine!!   :smiley:

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## nina

There's honestly SO much that I could say, I'd have to take each of your drawings and critique it separately. I just want to say...keep up the good work. I'd say you're about 75&#37; there to getting the proper female form. So keep practicing.

Without taking each one and dissecting it individually, I'll just say generally...that you need to study the female neck and shoulders more. I think you make the necks too thick, too masculine. In some of your drawings I think you try to overcompensate and the shoulders end up looking too weak and small in proportion to the hips and the neck is too thick.

Definitely, softer lines on the face. There should really be no straight lines outlining the female face, the jawline, chin, cheeks etc. should be curved and soft, unless your character has distinctly sharp features.

Careful that your female torsos aren't too long like a man's. The female's legs should be longer, and the torsos a bit shorter.

Also the hands on some of them are too large, I'd suggest you study the size and softness of females hands a bit more.

If you'd prefer, I could take apart each of your sketches and properly critique it. But that would take some time.  :tongue2:

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## WhiteUnit

> Yeah, I totally agree!  Good job.  And they seem to have developed into characters with personality as well, which makes them even better.
> 
> I do agree about that middle one though.  Her legs are too thick for her upper body.  I don't even think it's a matter of personal taste, they almost look like they could be two different woman.  I think you should choose if she's going be a bit thicker all over, or tinier.  Or maybe it's the boots.  Hmmm....
> 
> PS - your birthday is a day before mine!!




Yeah, your right about the middle one.  I was stuck on the middle ones hips for so long because I wanted it to look like she was leaning on her right leg.  But, I didn't want to not include it because I didn't like it, because the drawings aren't  honest to how I draw. I will probably work on better shapes for the torso and legs to help fix it.





> There's honestly SO much that I could say, I'd have to take each of your drawings and critique it separately. I just want to say...keep up the good work. I'd say you're about 75% there to getting the proper female form. So keep practicing.
> 
> Without taking each one and dissecting it individually, I'll just say generally...that you need to study the female neck and shoulders more. I think you make the necks too thick, too masculine. In some of your drawings I think you try to overcompensate and the shoulders end up looking too weak and small in proportion to the hips and the neck is too thick.
> 
> Definitely, softer lines on the face. There should really be no straight lines outlining the female face, the jawline, chin, cheeks etc. should be curved and soft, unless your character has distinctly sharp features.
> 
> Careful that your female torsos aren't too long like a man's. The female's legs should be longer, and the torsos a bit shorter.
> 
> Also the hands on some of them are too large, I'd suggest you study the size and softness of females hands a bit more.
> ...



Your dead on the mark about the shoulders and neck.  Thats where I have the most trouble, but I cant ever figure out what I'm doing wrong... Oh well, I'm not gonna type anymore because I want to get back to drawing. I'll update soon.  ::D:

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## WhiteUnit

Okay, so I drew this using new frame proportions.  How does this model look?

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## kichu

Hey!  That looks pretty good for a start!  I really don't have anything to say about it, you got everything bang on imo.  I'd love to see the final result.  Oh...the right hand is kinda funny maybe?  Stiff or something.  In terms of getting the female form though, I think you've really got it with this one!   :smiley:

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## WhiteUnit

> Hey!  That looks pretty good for a start!  I really don't have anything to say about it, you got everything bang on imo.  I'd love to see the final result.  Oh...the right hand is kinda funny maybe?  Stiff or something.  In terms of getting the female form though, I think you've really got it with this one!



Yeah it is kind of stiff.. I drew the whole thing, then realized I didn't do the hand and was like.. uhhh... uhhhhh ... *draws generic hand*.

But, here is the new anatomy in action.  



I'm going to be doing a lot of practice this week, focusing primarily on the head, neck and shoulders until I get it right.

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## Cn

Wow that last one looks real good, the only thing I would change is how her head is turned a little too far, it kind of looks robotic. Other than that, they look great!

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## The Cusp

I like what you've done with the faces.  I'd suggest trying to incorporate more curves into the body, fewer straight lines.  Especially in the legs and arms.

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## WhiteUnit

> Wow that last one looks real good, the only thing I would change is how her head is turned a little too far, it kind of looks robotic. Other than that, they look great!



Wow, your right... I wish I could notice these things as I draw it.





> I like what you've done with the faces.  I'd suggest trying to incorporate more curves into the body, fewer straight lines.  Especially in the legs and arms.



I think I understand what you mean there.  I do use a lot of straight lines.  Next time I sit down, I'll go for something a little more curvy.

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## ChaybaChayba

very nice drawings, youre pretty good, except the boobs are too small  ::D:

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## Robot_Butler

I just saw this thread now.  Your drawings kick ass. Great progress in only a few short weeks.  Like people are suggesting, keep pushing those proportions.  Don't be afraid to exaggerate a little.

My only advice is to be sure and keep it loose.  Don't get too locked into one style or way of doing things.  Its one thing to be familiar with idealized proportions, but in real life, everyone is a different size, so a thick neck, big ass, or broad shoulders isn't the end of the world.

I guess I'm saying, don't program yourself to draw and render a certain way.  If you want to draw a big fat chick, go for it  ::D:  

I don't know if you have access to such things, but most cities have life drawing sessions open for drop-ins.  Its normally about $10-$20 or so, and you get to draw from a live model.  That is the most helpful thing you can do.

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## nina

The stomach and torso area is much too long, thick, and muscular. The neck is also too thick and the hands look pretty large for a woman. But great work! I suggest you draw from actual female models. Look at more stock photography of female anatomy. There is a ton on deviant art. It seems like you're trying to use a standard formula to create the form instead of how it actually is.

Also try not to round off the shoulders like that. They are softer. Even muscular women don't have round shoulders like that. =)

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## Sandform

Your the worst artist ever!!!!

YOU SUCK OMG.

Ok now to seriousness.  I can't think of anything wrong with your picture.

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## WhiteUnit

> Your the worst artist ever!!!!
> 
> YOU SUCK OMG.



Lol. That's exactly what I've been trying to say. 

Everyone here has been of great help.  I've realised just how much practice I'm actually going to need. I swear I'm going to be a hunchback from being bent over a drawing desk for so long until I get it right.  But, I will definately update here first. 

See you all soon, I'm going back under my rock.

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## ChaybaChayba

> Your the worst artist ever!!!!
> 
> YOU SUCK OMG.
> 
> Ok now to seriousness.  I can't think of anything wrong with your picture.



lmao.. &#178;

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