How to Draw the Female Form

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Drawthe Female Formby Carlos Gomes Cabral 28 Jan 2014 15 Comments

Women can be difficult to draw, whether in a realistic style or cartoon style. This technically should

not happen, because anatomically speaking, females have less muscle detail visible to our eyes,

compared to males! Their curves are sweet and their expressions are smooth—most of the time.

So, why do we have so much difficulty expressing that on paper? I'm here to answer these and

more questions on how to draw the female form in cartoons.

The Feminine Side.... of the Male!

The most common mistake made by any student of art who wants to draw a female character is

thinking about her as a male in high heels and long hair. This is because, in most cases, we are

surrounded by strong male characters and, regardless of the drawing style, the muscles arouse

enormous interest in the artist. Everyone wants to learn how to draw those muscular arms and all

those giant veins! So you run to the nearest bookstore and buy a fantastic anatomy book that has

300 pages devoted to male bodies and only 20 dedicated to female figures. You will never be

able to draw the female body the right way, if you're thinking the wrong way!

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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1. Draw a Female Face

Let's begin by drawing a female face in a pin-up style, using a common pattern.

Step 1

First we'll start with the classic circular shape of the skull for the character's head:

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Circles should always be the starting point of any cartoon character.

Step 2

Let's define the chin shape of our character. It should be thin and pointed in the center.

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Step 3

To mark the eyes, we'll do the classic oval shape that you may already have learned in my first

tutorial and that is no longer a secret to you.

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If you have any doubts about the distance between the eyes, just draw an eye in the middle, to help

you measure this separation. This isn't a rule by any means, it's just a tip. With time you'll be able

to draw the eyes automatically, but if you are starting out (or are slightly out of practice), it is a

great tip to help you avoid getting lost.

Step 4

Draw the iris and the pupils so that they stand out from the face of the character. Female eyes

have the characteristic of being very expressive, so we need to devote some effort to do

something really appealing for our character:

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Note the existence of a light spot in the upper right of each eye. We do this to represent the influence of external light in the

iris. It's a technique widely used in cartoon.

Our character is getting interesting! Let's proceed with the eyelashes and eyebrows.

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Step 5

Let's draw the nose and mouth. I will take some liberty here and select an interesting style for the

character.

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Step 6

Ready to play stylist? It's time to pick a hairstyle for our character! Start testing with different

sketches until you find a dynamic enough format for her.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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All done—a female character with a good dose of sex appeal! We will now study more about what

we can do to change her facial features.

2. More About the Facial Features

The eyes and the mouth are the most important parts of the female face. That doesn't mean you

have to always draw them in different ways, but do draw them precisely!

Pin-up style eyes have two basic emotions: "surprise" and "sexy". The difference is in the

positioning of the eyebrow and eyelid.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Pin-up style eyes: To make the eye more sensual, just draw it like a tree leaf.

Together with the eyes, subtle changes in the mouth will completely change the expression of your

character:

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Note that I just added a slight smile in the second image in order to enhance the seductive look. If I had not done that, she

would appear to be sleepy!

The mouth can also be designed in various shapes, styles and sizes. This will depend on the

personality you want to give your character.

Note the many ways to design feminine lips. You can go from the caricature to the more realistic, as long as your character

doesn't have a male mouth.

With the design we just completed, just by changing their eyes to something more realistic, we can

achieve a completely different effect on our character. Here's an example:

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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We can also do the opposite, and change the mouth of the character to get a more child-like

effect.

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In the Manga style, eyes are responsible for expressing the vast majority of emotions, and their

role in Japanese cartoon is extremely valuable.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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As you can see, making a few changes to just the eyes and mouths can help us modify our pin-up

style.

Tip: There are several drawing styles and several different ways of expressing emotions through the

eyes. Try to know a variety of cartoon styles and choose the one that best fits to your style.

Profile View

The female face when viewed from the side has some subtle differences when compared to the

male face. This means that all the features that can be used to reinforce the masculinity of a

character should be reversed when it comes to a feminine figure. Here's an example:

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Notice that the characteristics of the female face are the opposite of the angry male example. Also note the line that passes

over the top lip of the woman and passes beneath the eye: this is an efficient way to maintain the correct proportions of the

face.

Thus, we conclude that the female face has:

A smaller nose, pointing upwards.

A lower lips that is thicker than the upper one, however, the upper lips are projected slightly

forward.

Thinner eyebrows with smooth curves.

A forehead that is well-rounded, and never flat.

A less developed chin.

3. The Female Body

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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The female body, anatomically speaking, has the same build as a male body, with just a few

differences. One example is the hips and waist, where the ratio typically differs. The legs appear

to be longer (due to the waist) and much more sinuously curved. The bone structure is where the

majority of differences become apparent.

Let's explore the process of making an "average" female body in cartoon style.

Step 1

We'll start by drawing the central axis. Make a vertical straight line with a ruler:

Now let's define the trunk. Make an inverted triangle, like this:

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Step 2

To find the positioning of the breasts, make a triangle with the point upwards, so that it fits

perfectly inside the trunk.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Great! Now we will make two circles at the ends to mark the breasts.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Step 3

Now we define the hip with a simple circle.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Step 4

To make legs, just draw some curvy lines coming out from the top of the circle, like below.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Step 5

Now add a new triangle to set the groin at the bottom of the circle.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Step 6

Very good! This is the basic shape of the female body. Let's now add the contours and finalize our

beautiful female figure.

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Once we have the basic template of the female body, we can modify the different proportions! It's

all about the process of designing the character that fits with your needs.

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Once the basic proportions are set, we can play with the body structure.

The differences between the female and male body go further than you think, and aren't limited to

the size of the muscles and bones. Note the image below and keep in mind these four simple

rules:

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Female figures have lower trapezius muscles, so they appear to have longer necks.

The clavicle bones are evident at the ends of the shoulders.

The female navel is positioned below the waist.

The female pelvis is longer and the hip bones are higher.

4. Flexibility and Sex Appeal

To draw a sexy figure is simpler than you might think. Simply put some flexibility in her back! Even

in situations where you think that this technique is not applicable, using it will ensure a much more

dynamic result for your designs and can play on the stereotypical hour-glass figure.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Example of the technique of flexible backs. Notice the analogy used in the image above. The more flexible your female

figures are, the more expressive they become.

Another way to visualize this technique is to position the angle of the shoulders in relation to the

hips. It's as if your character is wiggling all the time!

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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An example of different positions. When the right shoulder is up, the left hip is down and vice versa. Also pay attention to the

"S" curve when drawing the backbone.

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5. Go Further With Your Designs

The artist's work doesn't end at the point where they understand how female anatomy works. You

also need to know how it should represent your character as a whole. The hair style should be

appropriate to the age, where she lives, and so should her accessories and clothing—to

accompany their age and social group. We call this process Character Design.

Notice how the legs of our character are long, although they are hidden. This solution creates the elegance needed for it. In

cartoon, we take some creative liberties in favor of a character with greater appeal!

Remember that although the techniques presented here serve as a starting point for your cartoon

drawings, the most thorough knowledge of human anatomy and body language is necessary so

that you can represent various characters with ease. Remember that not all women are 20 years

old and live for the gym. Women have different body proportions, different lifestyles and are of

different ages.

30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Great Work!

Learning to portray reality through cartoon is essential because, in addition to creating a closer

relationship with the audience, it brings you out of your comfort zone to try new possibilities and

constantly evolve.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Until next time!

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About Carlos Gomes Cabral

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I'm a product from the madness of the 80's, living in the city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). I've been fond of arts,

comics and music since I was a child, I dedicate myself to several projects at the same time and I hate

sitting still. With a Bachelor's degree in IT, I'm currently working for a technology mobility company. I'm

also in love with motion graphics, HTML5, web design and UX trends. You can find me on Twitter (@cgcabral).

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30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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Join the discussion…

• Reply •

Spencer Price • 3 months ago

Can't get enough of these. Thanks so much for sharing your mad skills. You helped me draw

this. Now I just wish I could do it all from my mind quicker. My attempt.

10

• Reply •

Belinda • 3 months ago

Hello Carlos. I've been thinking, going through your tutorials - which are absolutely splendid!

Gosh I love them! - but I've been thinking about the possibility of creating a goofy female

character who still regains some of her sex-appeal? I've been sketching a lot, but it's hard

getting rid of the childish attributes or not just simply drawing a sexy woman with braces and

glasses. Any tips?

6

• Reply •

Max • 5 months ago

Oh, man! Slow down a little pls, Сarlos!!! :))))))))))))

I do not have time for you! Your lessons fountain tear my head out!

I just started drawing hands!

Thank you so much for your such MAGIC lessons!

3

• Reply •

Lenora • 4 months ago

Love these tutorials. I have been looking for something like this for months. Thank you for

sharing.

1

• Reply •

Lou • 5 months ago

This is really great! Thank You

1

• Reply •

Rachel • 15 days ago

Thanks a lot for the great tutorials! They are very helpful! Do you have one for drawing the male

body? I always draw my men to girly looking. Thanks again for all your hard work:)

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30/6/2014 Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Draw the Female Form - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Article

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• Reply •

Elena • a month ago

Thank you very much!!!

• Reply •

wil • 3 months ago

Great material - I'm really getting a lot out of it!!

• Reply •

roger • 5 months ago

Great tutorial! Could you make one on how to draw real people as cartoons?

• Reply •

TheAnimatorr • 5 months ago

I love this! Although i know my way around the female body, this will help me to only increase

my knowledge! Thank you so much! This is just what i needed. I plan to create a 50's style

character couple, and the pin-up part came just right! I'll post my results if you want to? Any

suggestions for the names, perhaps? :D For the guy i thought Dimitri, for the girl i thought

either Josephine, Janice or Scarlett.

• Reply •

Adriano Nascimento • 5 months ago

Wow, thanks man! This tutorial is very good!

• Reply •

Duong • 5 months ago

I've been looking forward to your tutorials, they are great! Thank you so much!

• Reply •

ArkAngelMichael • 5 months ago

Excelent, very nice . Thx you for your work, it is inspiration for me, for my laziness

• Reply •

Calvin Dexter • 5 months ago

Carlos, you are creating some really wonderful tutorials here. I absolutely love them all.

• Reply •

Lénárt Lívia • 5 months ago

again a great tutorial!thanks!

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