How To Draw A Character Body

Cartoon Body Formulas

I spent a lot of time on drawing heads.  There'south a lot to know about cartoon heads.  In that location's just as much to know about drawing the body. By "torso", I mean the torso and hips.

Cartoon bodies can be simplified so that you don't need to go as deep as you would with the head although, for all-time results, it's good know how to draw a more realistic anatomically correct body.

In this lesson I'll show y'all some simple body formulas you tin can use, and how some of those formulas can be modified to describe some slightly more than naturalistic looking body shapes. Nosotros'll get over:

• Super Elementary Cartoon Body Shapes
• The Edible bean and The Bullet
• The Chest Area
• The Underwear Hip Shape
• Modifying the Formula
• Freddy Moore Torso Types
• Bruce Timm Body Types
• Anime Trunk Types.

Super Unproblematic Cartoon Body Shapes

When it comes to drawing trunk shapes, annihilation goes.  Start with basic shapes: Squares, Circles, Triangles. Pull them, push them, brand them interesting:

Stick heads arms and legs off of them, and you've got a cartoon torso.  It's really dead simple. If you desire it too wait more solid, add solidity. Give it course.:

Brand information technology upwardly, you're the cartoonist, y'all make the rules.

If however, yous want someone else's drawing body type formulas, and so read on.

The Edible bean and The Bullet

By far, the about commonly used cartoon body shape is "The Bean." Another helpful shape that I personally like to use is a modification of "The Edible bean," I'll phone call, "The Bullet."  Information technology's a shape I learned from my favorite Figure Drawing teacher, Steve Huston. So let me explicate these shapes.

The Edible bean is exactly what it sounds like. It looks like a bean.  Information technology'south made upwardly of two spheres. One on top, 1 on the bottom, separated by a small space, connected by lines on the side.  What you end upwards with is a modified cylinder of sorts. When it bends, it looks like a bean. This shape is meant to correspond the torso and hip area together.

The usefulness of The Bean comes from it's flexibility.  It can be bent, stretched and twisted hands. It can also exist modified to create many different types of torso shapes.  Information technology'south a fairly standard shape for most traditional, western, animated drawing characters, from Mickey Mouse and his gang to the Looney Tunes characters.

And in one case you become used to the uncomplicated Bean made of ii spheres,  y'all can change those shapes to cubes, cones, cylinders and wedges to make even more varied body shapes:

The Bullet is similar to the The Bean.  However, it's just a tad more complicated.  Information technology'due south made upwards of ii shapes, a bullet shaped cylinder facing down, inserted into a soft cornered box hip surface area. The idea is that the lesser round bullet part of the upper shape immediately creates the shape of the abdominal muscles adding an anatomical feel to your cartoon from the offset.

If The Bullet is difficult to grasp, you can first start with The Bean and in one case yous have it the mode you want, y'all tin can convert information technology to The Bullet after, as yous volition run across in a moment.

This shape is best used when drawing more naturalistic, anatomical cartoon characters such as anime or action take chances characters. But information technology can also exist use to supplement a modified Bean shape to add more naturalism to an exaggerated drawing shape:

When drawing either The Bean or The Bullet from the side view, don't forget to make sure to the natural rhythms for the torso to go a naturalistic convincing look to your characters.

The Chest Surface area

If yous're going to add together a fleck of convincing naturalism to your cartoons, whether it'due south to add some pecks or breasts, you'll want to take a simple breast formula to work with.

Hither's how I approach the male person breast area:

1. After deciding where to put the eye of my torso, I observe the area where I think the shoulders will be. I practice this past drawing a shoulder line near the meridian of the bullet shape. I put a dot for the pit of the neck where the middle line and the shoulder line connect. I also add 2 line on the correct and left of the pit of the neck for the cervix.
2. I decide where I want the bottom of the pecks and depict a line wrapping around the form there. This is different for every grapheme.  I also add arm tubes that connect to the shoulder line.
3. I then connect the bottom corner of the pecks to the shoulders and stop up with a shape like this. This is NOT anatomically authentic but it'due south a helpful guideline that can be adjusted with the particulars of each grapheme.
4. Now here'southward where it get interesting.  Starting near the lesser of center of the pecks draw a rhythm  line the travels upwardly the center and turns earlier it gets to the pit of the neck.  This line travel over to rhythmically create the shoulders.  This connects the chest area with the shoulder creating a unified shoulder girdle.  Once that's washed, you can add together two concave lines from the neck to the shoulders to create the shoulder muscles. If the male is very muscular, these line would exist drawn convex.
5. And that's it. I have a male breast lay in.  This is enough of an under drawing to start.

But what if yous want to draw a female person breast area? Well, it's pretty much the same thing with some slight adjustments:

1. You start exactly like the male breast, with a shoulder line, pit of the neck and neck.
2. Then you lot draw the arms and the bottom of the pecks.  Yes, women have pecks. Surprise!
3. Connect the pecks to the shoulders equally with the male.
4. Here's where matter change up a bit. To add bosoms simply draw two slanted egg shape on the corner of each peck. This camber varies depending on the type of bosom.  Like men's chests, non all women have the same blazon of bosom.
5. At present create a rhythm line connecting both bosoms to each other and to the shoulders to brand them feel as if this whole area part of i unit. Once that'south washed yous depict the concave lines of the shoulder muscles.
6. And you're washed. You at present have a female breast area lay in to draw over.

That and variations of that, is all there is to it.

The Underwear Hip Shape

Whether your hip area is more box like or cube similar, one time you're ready to define it more than, you tin turn into, what I call, "the underwear" shape.  It reminds me of men'south briefs.

This shape is not unique to me.  I got this from The Famous Artist School book on The Figure every bit well as Walt Reeds book on The Figure.  I institute this hip shape comes but as handy for cartoons equally it does for naturalistic figures.

Here's what information technology looks like:

It closely resembles a basin with two holes cut out on the bottom.

Information technology tin can be placed on whatsoever shape. Similar this:

The reason is to amend define where the legs will be inserted into the area. I'll show yous how this helps once I start writing nigh the legs.

The Formulas In Action

One time you lot take these elements downward, yous can get-go modifying them to create all kinds of dissimilar body types and styles. Y'all can make animals, different types of men, dissimilar types of women. It's upwards to you and your experimentation.

Let's meet how these formulas piece of work using some popular drawing styles...

Freddy Moore Style Bodies

The Bean is pretty much the foundation to most of the Freddy Moore manner. Information technology's very like shooting fish in a barrel to see in Looney Tune blazon characters and Mickey Mouse blazon.  But you can also come across a more advance, more than naturalistic version of the manner in Disney animated features.

Beneath is a Looney Tunes type body.  I didn't add chest or omphalus details because this trunk can be used to brand bunnies, cats, dogs, mice...etc, as well as people:

1. It'south simply made of 2 balls, top 1 about half as big every bit the lesser.
2. Which you lot and then connect together.  Adding some form and direction.
3. And you have the torso type.

This is non "the only" Looney Tunes body type but information technology'south a very common one.

If, nonetheless, you're going to for a more than Disney princess type, here is a simple archetypal body formula for that:

1. Again, 2 assurance. This time, the top ball more egg shaped and only slighting smaller than the bottom one.
2. Except this time you lot join them with two "c" curves that bend inwards creating an hr glass shape.  Adding direction, pecks and a small ball on the chest to define the bosom.  Usually the bosoms aren't large. Don't forget to add the underwear hip area.
3. And that's it. The final body type is usually very unproblematic without a lot of anatomical particular.

Remember, this is a trunk formula not an accented.  The final result tin vary profoundly depending on your needs.

Male bodies that are in this more than Disney type look, differ far more. then there isn't just one body formula that yous can adjust from. Yet, the body type below should be helpful.  Below is only one:

1. This one top ball is much bigger than the bottom.
2. Again, connect the balls flattening out the shoulders. Brand sure to define the forms and direction plus add together pecks and hips.
3. And that's information technology, you've got a dude.

Now let'due south see the bullet in action using a more than action take a chance way...

Bruce Timm Way Bodies

Similar to the Freddy Moore Style except I plant that using The Bullet works best for these equally a foundation.  The construction would look something similar this:

1. First commencement off with a regular Bullet shape. Making certain the hip shape flares out.
2. Then add together the "underwear" shape, chest rhythms and the shape of the Latissimus Dorsi (Lats). Which gives the torso the exaggerated hr glass shape. Observe the triangle shape created to the shoulders is much wider than the hips
3. And y'all're done.  Only draw the final details, leaving out most of the construction.

The male has a similar process:

1. Start with the bullet, only don't flare out the hips.  They should just go straight down.
2. Add the breast rhythms, shoulder girdle, and large modified ellipse for the Lats.
3. For the terminal line, just leave some of the details, shown below and you lot're done.

Just a reminder, this isn't THE style it'due south on ONE way to draw in this style.

If you want to get even more naturalistic, like with an anime style, you can.  Allow me prove you...

Takahiro Kimura Anime Style Bodies

The virtually naturalistic version of the formula comes in play in this anime manner. There's far less exaggeration here. The Bullet comes into it's own when drawing in this style. Permit'south begin with a female body:

1. Again, y'all kickoff bullet shape with the hips flared out.
2. Equally with the Bruce Timm way to a higher place, y'all add the chest rhythms and hip shapes.  Simply yous don't add the exaggerated Lats.  This style is a scrap more than natural. Also, this mode often has slightly larger bosoms. Notice the shoulder and hips, dissimilar the Bruce Timm mode above, are almost the aforementioned width.
3. Once that's all done, you pretty much get rid of most of the construction and add the top line of the Clavicle.

The male is the same with a flake more than beefcake showing:

1. Start with a bullet.  You may add a tad scrap of flare at the hips if you lot desire.
2. Add together the chest Rhythms, hip shape, and Lats.  As large or as light as the type of male you desire.
3. Once that's done, you'll need a bit of anatomy knowledge to put in all the right lines in the correct place.  These cartoon type characters tend to be much more naturalistic.

And that'south how y'all use The Bean and The Bullet to draw three dissimilar cartoon body types. As you can come across, the formula is very versatile.

Cartoon Body Plow Arounds

Equally I've done before, Here's a body plough around of all 3 styles. Beginning with...

Freddy Moore Trunk Plow Around

Male:

Female:

Bruce Timm Style Torso Turn Around

Male:

Female person:

Takahiro Kimura Anime Style Torso Plow Around

Male:

Female:

And that'due south that. You should be able to draw any type of drawing torso you lot want with the info I've given to you.  Remember, the more you lot know existent anatomy, the better your final drawings will be.

Source: http://www.thedrawingwebsite.com/2017/06/07/cartoon-body-formulas/

Posted by: berryhalseara.blogspot.com

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