[Grendel Khan]

Hi, I've started sketching some faeries (hope I spelled it correctly) with painter
classic for my next picture (wich has to have a LOT of faeries). I figured that
drawing a lot of nude women would be easy , but I can't get them look like
they're flying.

Examples:


This one looks like she's drunk and dancing.


This one just looks like supergirl with wings.


And last, the "I'm jumping to the swimming-pool" faerie.

So, do you have any tips to make them look like they're actually
flying? Also, any other critics are welcome.

Now I'm going to sleep, will check this tomorrow...

Thanks.

/*EDIT: Screwed a link ... */

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Roger
Bleed the Freak

[This message has been edited by Grendel Khan (edited September 13, 2000).]

[aquamire]

Well, flying is pretty hard to show in any picture, simply because its a rapid motion just to fly.. wings dont just flap a few times a minute, usually. Do it the cheap and easy way, show more than one pair of wings, kinda in a motion blur way.



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/Aq
[email protected]

I'd put my wittiest remark here, but I'd scare you.

[Wrath]

Maybe one thing you could work on (atleast on the first one, IMO) is that the legs make her look like she's standing. try moving them back more with the curve of her spine. I dunno, I'm not a critic, just my two cents...

[Jenn]

Perdy

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DarkChyld

[edible snowman]

What i was just thinking is maybe look at a few pictures of some basketball players dunking. Its probably because im doing a project on basketball as i type this but guys jumping that high off the ground is the closest we've gotten to flying, maybe that would help some...

[::Dino::]

Coolio sketches...Getting them to look like they're flying is tough but I suppose it's all in the planning. Do some thumbs and really exagerate(sp?) the pose/movement. The hair could really help enhance the idea of motion as well...so sway that hair Again cool sketches...Good luck

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O..O

[Mozeman]

The drawing themselves are okay. But they look like regular models or drawings of nude women and you just stuck wings on them.

Faeries tend to be lighter, thinner, more petit. These women are muscular and more shapely than they should be.

Nice drawin's tho.

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Mozeman
Moser Brothers Animation Forum

[zayats]

Nice sketches.

Here's what'd I'd suggest for more of a "flying" feel...

It's all in the posing.
Think about the direction she's flying & let the feet, hair & perhaps even one arm drag behind.

Sketch 1)
If you erased the wings, she'd simply look like she's standing. Basic physics: a static & balanced object must have the center of gravity vertically in line with the pivot point (or the average of the pivot points).
Since her feet are directly below her C.O.G., she looks like she's standing. The pose needs to indicate that she's basically dangling from where the wings connect to her back. You could try simply rotating the whole image counter-clockwise by a few degrees. But definitely move the feet over to screen-right.

You want to make it look like if you clipped her wings, she'd fall. In sketch 1, if you clipped her wings, she'd simply remain standing.

Sketch 2)
Her pose suggests that she's running. Same thing. Adjust the legs so she looks a little more unbalanced. Think about how would her body react if you clipped her wings?

Setch 3)
Looks great. The only thing I might suggest would be to make sure we see that her toes are pointed. Otherwise it could imply that she's actually standing on the balls of her feet.

My three cents anyway.

Looking forward to seeing more!

[Superbug]

I personally like sketch 3 grendel, it has a lot of awesome potential. And it really looks like she's taking a dive...how about off of a mountain or rock or sumtin, into a pool/waterfall. I think the only reason these fairies dont look like they are flying is because your pictures lack any sort of definition or location...that's all...something i know u can fix. after all it's just a sketch.

[Francis]

These are really nice! I'm not a faerie expert, so I don't have any suggestions there, but as far as the flying thing - maybe put the figure into some context to show she's airborne. Like flying among some giant flowers, or over the tops of a forest of trees or something like that. I think it's pretty difficult to convey a "flying human" with no background at all, although IMO you've done a pretty good job.

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Francis Tsai
TeamGT Studios

[Francis]

Aha - Superbug already made this observation. I should read all the replies before I post.

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Francis Tsai
TeamGT Studios

[rdgraffix]

Hiya Grendel, nice faeries.

I agree aquamire, in that making the wings 'buzz' should help.

The first image looks like she's standing, mostly because of her right foot, which looks lke it's supporting her body. Pointing the foot downwards like in the second sketch should help here.

I really like the third sketch, it gives a real feeling of weightlessness, with buzzing wings this one should work out really well.

Good luck, and make sure you show us the finished product



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- rowan dodds
RD Graffix

[shahar2k]

hmmm... the best way would most likely be avoiding putting the weight on any single part of the body, instead attempting to show the person being supported by the wings.... ?

[Grendel Khan]

Thanks everybody for your comments!

I will do some more this night, and post what I did, if you like. These sketches are just experiments.

I'm just trying to draw a nice faerie that should be on the front of the picture flying from the viewer's point to the center of the picture and more faeries flying in the same direction (does this make any sense?). Btw, they are in a forest, well, one of those places in a forest where there are no trees (me and my english ).

So far, the third sketch is the one that's closer to what I'm looking for.

Thanks again !

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Roger
Bleed the Freak

[micke]

Nice sketches! i checked out your site too.
Very nice.
-Mikael

[Rinaldo]

I REALLY like those sketches

[Nex]

I agree with Mozeman.
They should look a more fragile and "light".

nice work.

[gseegert]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mozeman:
Faeries tend to be lighter, thinner, more petit. These women are muscular and more shapely than they should be.

---

Um, really? You ever seen one?

[Grendel Khan]

Hmmm, maybe gseegert's got a point, even though they're usually portrayed (always) as Mozeman and Nex say they don't need to look this way. Because faeries doesn't exist, it's all to our imagination, so I had in mind to draw them in diferent sizes and weights.

If such creatures would exist I figure they wouldn't look like everybody draws them. For instance, I think faeries should have a really muscular zone where their wings are born. Similar things would happen to the rest of the body as it should be build for flying not for looking like stylized women. But I digress...

Anyway, Mozeman is right pointing they look like women with wings stuck on them.

[Nex]

Grendel Khan:

I think they are portrayed this way because most (all?) flying animals we know are built more fragile. Look at a Bee or a Butterfly for example-

How would they ever be possible to lift themselves off the ground if they are that muscular with those insect like wings.

So there is actually some logic behind that.
Insect wings (without bones to stabilize the construction) cannot carry that much weight.
Thats why the bodies have to be lighter.
They don't need to have huge muscles on the back either because.. less weight-> less power needed. (for example even big birds don't have huge muscles on their back.

Well but thats just my 'scientific' point of view. The only fairies I have seen resulted from drinking too much guinness

[Mozeman]

Nex;

I agree with your assesment of the physical necessity of a lighter frame. It's a matter of believability. I don't see those wings lifting those buff bodies off the ground.

As far as faeries being fantasy, I agree. BUT, the fact that you're drawing FAERIES and not some other original flying female creatures means that you are already using a preconceived idea. In other words, you can't draw a fairy, call it a fairy, and then pretend it is something else if it doesn't look like what a fairy traditionally looks like. If that is the case, call it something else. This is not to say that fairies can't have some variety, but in this particular case, these are just some buff chicks with insect wings stuck on their backs. I would do a little more to sell the idea that these are creatures built to fly - either by making the wings bigger or making the bodies smaller.

Just my $.02

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Mozeman
Moser Brothers Animation Forum

[Grendel Khan]

Nex: (hehe I love these things) I agree with you that they don't need to have *huge* muscles on the back, but just for having wings would make that zone to be completly different from a normal person's back, there should be a whole new set of articulations and bones there.

I don't think they couldn't lift themselves off the ground if they're that muscular. I was thinking that they're the size of a little bird (about 10cm. tall). If you think about birds, even though they look fragile, they have big rounded bodies and fly wherever they want.

What really matters when flying (relatively to the wings size) is weight, so the more the weight the bigger the wings should be. Weight is volume, and volume increases exponentially to the size, thats why insects with big bodies like bees can fly with quite small wings, and big birds like eagles need really big wings.

Sorry about all this nonsense, I'm bored and I enjoy this kind of discussions a lot.

Mozeman: I've just seen your message (was about to hit Submit).
You're right, I should stay to the rules if I pretend that people actually recognize them as faeries (didn't thought about it). Just wanted to play a little with the concept . I'll try that my next one's look more like they're supposed to, although I still want to make them a little diferent in terms of attitude.

See ya!

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Roger
Bleed the Freak

[Slicer]

couldnt we just say that they arent faeries but something like faeries? =D
Like the sketches..esp the 3:d..I wonder why.. =P

[Grendel Khan]

damn! I had to do it!

I'll run away now.

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Roger
Bleed the Freak