How to accurately draw body proportions ?

So the basic premise is I've been reading comics for about a decade or so and I've decided it's finally time to try my own hand at comic book illustration. I came across tvtropes accidentally while researching and I found some good info but a few tropes that stood out in regards to comic book illustration , those being Heroic Build and Lantern Jaw of Justice. As i was reading the pages i noticed the described the prevalence of these tropes in comic books but I didn't really get the best description from what was said so I wanted to ask what is a Heroic Build and a Lantern Jaw of Justice ? Is it possible to have them in real life ? I want to have my characters have realistic proportions and for it not to look outlandish even though my inspiration is from comic books,.

edited 30th Sep '17 3:08:47 PM by tvtropersuser1

On the subject of realistic body proportions, I don't think Trope Talk is the best place to ask this. Maybe you'll have more success in Troper Coven or Yack Fest if you want to ask fellow artistic tropers. If you simply want to get better at it, I recommend looking up various art tutorials (videos, books, online sites, etc.), or drawing from observation (referencing photos, etc.). Practice drawing anatomy everyday. Iif you want to portray stylised figures, you'll need to learn the basics first.

Heroic Build refers to the tendency of superheroes to have a muscular bodybuilder shape (men) or a slim yet curvy body (women). These are seen as the ideal proportions for fighting crime, and are thus ubiquitous in comic books due to the reluctance to deviate from these body templates. Certainly it is possible to find body shapes like these in real life, but they're not really suited for intensive physical action and are more for show. Athletic and stout bodies are better for that.

The Lantern Jaw of Justice refers to the tendency of heroic male characters having square and prominent cleft chins. YMMV on heroic because we're talking about real life, but I'm certain there's many actors and famous people out there with those types of chins.

edited 30th Sep '17 5:34:35 PM by LegitimateIdiot

Moved this to Writer's Block, which seems to be the most suitable place for what is a storywriting effort.

For as long as you know how to draw and find yourself something for reference while you draw various physiques, and you are not basing your drawings on works of people like Liefeld, you should be fine. There is a lot of variance in how people are built, and stuff like what many comic artists are drawing is not impossible for someone to have.

That said, yeah, unless there are superpowers involved, your heroes are unlikely to have the kind of build that heroes tend to be portrayed as having. And never the kind of physique that Liefeld gives them, that guy's drawings should be used as a warning for beginning artists.

So to summarize

Heroic Build : bodybuilder's physique (male) or slim yet curvy (female)

Lantern Jaw of Justice : square and prominent jawline

Correct ?

Also I've read that most western superheroes/villians are eight and a half heads tall. Exactly how tall would that be in feet ?

Forgive me if this is a rude question, but do you have any experience with drawing? Because to me, you seem like you're relatively new at this, and asking about this kind of character design trope is not going to help you master superhero proportions if you don't know anything about human proportions in the first place. You would be better off studying anatomy, movement, and musculature than asking a writing forum about tropes for help.

Here you go. This should be 90% of what you need.

Marvel Comics once published a book entitled How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee. You can find it on Amazon or Ebay; it should help explain things.

Basically, superheroes have to be exaggerated in every respect: taller, the men more muscular and ruggedly handsome, the women more beautiful and voluptuous. Most human beings are five heads tall in proportion, but superheroes should be drawn at six heads tall, to make them look more heroic. Villains like Moleman or the Kingpin should be four heads tall, to make them look squatter and more villainous.

Also, in superhero or action comics, every image should be dynamic. The figures are almost always shown in mid-motion. The only time you see a still image is if it's purposely put in there to provide contrast — Like the quiet stillness of a cemetery, to give the setting a creepy feeling. (Even then, they tend to use a lot of Dutch Angles and Forced Perspective to make something simple like a conversation seem more dramatic.)

edited 9th Oct '17 10:52:12 AM by pwiegle

I don't know if this what it said in the book, but human beings are 7.5 (usually simplified/enhanced to 8 for art) heads tall.

Well, to be fair, the book is a "how to draw Marvel style" one, so even if it's relatively good it's not going to be putting a lot of effort into having realism be a thing.

They're definitely misremembering the book's advice though- I found a PDF of it, and it recommends nine heads for superheroes, which is pretty much the "standard" heroic proportions.

edited 10th Oct '17 6:09:18 PM by NothingUnusualHere

You guys are probably right, it's been decades since I read the book. And it was describing 1970s-style superhero comics, as depicted by Marvel artists and approved by Marvel editors.

edited 15th Oct '17 4:47:27 PM by pwiegle

Okay so I have two final questions :1. is a heroic figure either 8 and 1/2 heads tall 8 and 3/4 heads tall or 9 heads tall or nine and a half heads tall ? I've read different sources give different answers and 2. Does how many heads tall an individual is have anything to do with their actual height in feet?

edited 19th Nov '17 5:58:44 PM by tvtropersuser1

Re.1: Maybe they're different because none of them are based on reality and are a given artist's take on how to exaggerate a figure in a way that makes it appear more heroic, have you considered that option? As such, if you are going to abandon realism and accuracy for the sake of following comic book conventions anyway, do yourself a favour and don't restrict yourself to choices made by other artists without checking which one works best for you first.

Re.2: To a small degree. Children have a lower head count when you draw, the earlier in the stage development the lower it is, and obviously the older someone is the higher they are going to be on average. And that's really basically it.

Forgive me if I missed anything, but have you actually taken any drawing classes (especially figure-drawing)? I haven't seen anything about your actual drawing skills since you're so focused on trying to understand Comic Book Style(TM).

Basic human proportions are "Drawing-of-person is X inches tall, the waist is somewhere around halfway down, elbows are at waist/hips, and fingertips are at the middle of the thigh. Men are generally squared off with more muscle and somewhat broader shoulders, women are generally curvier with less muscle."

This means that according to Comic Book Style(TM), the waist would be at the 4th/4.5th head-length down since that's the middle of the drawing.

So to answer your last question: Superhero proportions have nothing to do with the literal "height" of the person, which would have to be shown by comparing them with other characters or listing it somewhere in a character profile. However, like other things in comic-book-style, male characters are often DRAWN as One Head Taller than women despite any actual height recording, because being a head taller than a woman makes them look more heroic (especially if that woman is a love-interest or a civilian).

Well, unless there's a noted LACK of height difference like with Wonder Woman, as this emphasizes how her creator wanted a "female Superman" with traditionally-feminine qualities. In comics, Wonder Woman is often portrayed as the same height or only slightly shorter than the male heroes (which would be at least six feet tall, going by live-action male actors). The live-action actresses who played Wonder Woman are both tall, but not exactly six feet: Lynda Carter of the TV series is five feet and nine inches, Gal Gadot in the Wonder Woman movie is an inch above that.

And Steve Rogers, before taking the super-serum to become Captain America, was small, skinny, and sickly before he grew a foot and gained the standard Heroic Build.

Comic book style has everything to do with FEEL and not "being anatomically proportionate." Male heroes are buff, female heroes are either waif-y supermodels or stacked like a brick house. Comic illustrations are extremely dynamic unless the intent is sad/eerie/tense stillness. Many iconic poses for superheroes are memorable BECAUSE they're not common in real life ("Superman rips off his suit to reveal his costume underneath," "Batman stares down at Gotham from a skyscraper while his cape billows in the wind," "the Flash's exaggerated track-sprinting pose," "Wonder Woman blocks bullets with her bracelets").

If you want "a more realistic comic book style," I'd say to just... well, look through some comic books to get the feel of the works through lighting and dynamics.

edited 25th Nov '17 8:44:26 PM by Sharysa