How To Draw Different Male Body Types

Cartoon Body Formulas

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

Drawing 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 describe a more than realistic anatomically correct body.

In this lesson I'll prove you lot some simple torso formulas you lot tin utilise, and how some of those formulas can be modified to draw some slightly more naturalistic looking torso shapes. Nosotros'll go over:

Super Simple Cartoon Body Shapes
The Bean and The Bullet
The Breast Area
The Underwear Hip Shape
Modifying the Formula
Freddy Moore Body Types
Bruce Timm Trunk Types
Anime Body Types.

Super Unproblematic Cartoon Body Shapes

When it comes to cartoon torso shapes, anything goes. Start with basic shapes: Squares, Circles, Triangles. Pull them, push them, make them interesting:

Stick heads arms and legs off of them, and you've got a cartoon body. It's really dead uncomplicated. If y'all want information technology likewise wait more solid, add solidity. Give it form.:

Brand it up, yous're the cartoonist, you make the rules.

If however, you desire someone else'southward cartoon body type formulas, then read on.

The Bean and The Bullet

By far, the most commonly used drawing torso shape is "The Bean." Another helpful shape that I personally like to employ is a modification of "The Bean," I'll call, "The Bullet." It'due south a shape I learned from my favorite Effigy Cartoon teacher, Steve Huston. And then let me explain these shapes.

The Bean is exactly what it sounds like. Information technology looks like a bean. It's made up of two spheres. 1 on top, one on the bottom, separated by a pocket-sized space, continued by lines on the side. What y'all end upwards with is a modified cylinder of sorts. When it bends, it looks similar a edible bean. This shape is meant to correspond the trunk and hip area together.

The usefulness of The Bean comes from it'south flexibility. It can be aptitude, stretched and twisted easily. It can besides exist modified to create many unlike types of trunk shapes. It'southward a adequately standard shape for about traditional, western, animated drawing characters, from Mickey Mouse and his gang to the Looney Tunes characters.

And once you become used to the unproblematic Edible bean made of 2 spheres, you lot tin can change those shapes to cubes, cones, cylinders and wedges to make even more varied torso shapes:

The Bullet is similar to the The Bean. However, information technology's merely a tad more complicated. It'southward made upwardly of two shapes, a bullet shaped cylinder facing down, inserted into a soft cornered box hip expanse. The idea is that the bottom circular bullet part of the upper shape immediately creates the shape of the abdominal muscles calculation an anatomical experience to your drawing from the commencement.

If The Bullet is difficult to grasp, y'all can first kickoff with The Bean and in one case yous have it the manner y'all desire, you can catechumen it to The Bullet after, as yous volition encounter in a moment.

This shape is best used when drawing more than naturalistic, anatomical drawing characters such as anime or activity gamble characters. Merely it can also be employ to supplement a modified Bean shape to add more naturalism to an exaggerated cartoon 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 body to get a naturalistic convincing look to your characters.

The Chest Area

If you're going to add a flake of convincing naturalism to your cartoons, whether it'due south to add together some pecks or breasts, you'll want to have a simple chest formula to piece of work with.

Hither's how I arroyo the male person chest area:

Later on deciding where to put the heart of my torso, I discover the expanse where I recall the shoulders will exist. I practise this by drawing a shoulder line nearly the peak of the bullet shape. I put a dot for the pit of the neck where the eye line and the shoulder line connect. I also add together 2 line on the correct and left of the pit of the neck for the neck.
I decide where I desire the bottom of the pecks and draw a line wrapping effectually the course in that location. This is different for every character. I also add together arm tubes that connect to the shoulder line.
I then connect the bottom corner of the pecks to the shoulders and end up with a shape like this. This is Not anatomically authentic only it's a helpful guideline that can be adjusted with the particulars of each grapheme.
Now hither'south where it get interesting. Starting near the bottom of eye of the pecks depict 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. In one case that's done, you can add 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.
And that's information technology. I take a male person chest lay in. This is enough of an under drawing to start.

Only what if you want to describe a female chest area? Well, it'south pretty much the aforementioned thing with some slight adjustments:

You first exactly like the male person chest, with a shoulder line, pit of the neck and neck.
Then yous depict the arms and the lesser of the pecks. Yes, women have pecks. Surprise!
Connect the pecks to the shoulders as with the male person.
Hither'due south where thing modify up a bit. To add bosoms simply depict two slanted egg shape on the corner of each peck. This slant varies depending on the type of bosom. Like men'due south chests, not all women have the same blazon of bust.
Now create a rhythm line connecting both bosoms to each other and to the shoulders to make them feel as if this whole area office of one unit. Once that'south done you draw the concave lines of the shoulder muscles.
And yous're done. You now take a female chest expanse lay in to draw over.

That and variations of that, is all at that place is to it.

The Underwear Hip Shape

Whether your hip area is more box like or cube similar, once you lot're ready to define information technology more than, you can turn into, what I call, "the underwear" shape. It reminds me of men's briefs.

This shape is non unique to me. I got this from The Famous Creative person School book on The Figure also as Walt Reeds book on The Figure. I plant this hip shape comes just as handy for cartoons every bit it does for naturalistic figures.

Here'southward what it looks like:

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

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

The reason is to meliorate define where the legs will be inserted into the area. I'll testify y'all how this helps once I first writing about the legs.

The Formulas In Activity

Once you have these elements down, you can start modifying them to create all kinds of dissimilar body types and styles. Yous can brand animals, different types of men, dissimilar types of women. It's up to you and your experimentation.

Allow'due south see how these formulas work using some popular drawing styles...

Freddy Moore Style Bodies

The Bean is pretty much the foundation to near of the Freddy Moore style. It's very like shooting fish in a barrel to see in Looney Tune blazon characters and Mickey Mouse blazon. Only you can also run across a more advance, more naturalistic version of the way in Disney animated features.

Beneath is a Looney Tunes blazon body. I didn't add breast or bellybutton details considering this trunk tin can be used to make bunnies, cats, dogs, mice...etc, equally well as people:

It'due south simply made of two balls, top one about half as big as the bottom.
Which yous then connect together. Adding some grade and management.
And you accept the body type.

This is not "the just" Looney Tunes trunk blazon simply it's a very mutual ane.

If, however, you lot're going to for a more Disney princess type, here is a simple archetypal trunk formula for that:

Over again, two balls. This fourth dimension, the acme brawl more than egg shaped and but slighting smaller than the bottom one.
Except this time you join them with 2 "c" curves that bend in creating an hour glass shape. Adding management, pecks and a small ball on the chest to define the bosom. Usually the bosoms aren't big. Don't forget to add together the underwear hip area.
And that'southward information technology. The final trunk blazon is ordinarily very simple without a lot of anatomical particular.

Think, this is a body formula not an absolute. The last event can vary greatly depending on your needs.

Male bodies that are in this more Disney type look, differ far more. and so there isn't just one body formula that you tin can adjust from. However, the body type below should exist helpful. Below is just ane:

This i top brawl is much bigger than the bottom.
Once more, connect the assurance flattening out the shoulders. Brand certain to define the forms and direction plus add pecks and hips.
And that'southward it, you've got a dude.

Now let's come across the bullet in action using a more activity take chances way...

Bruce Timm Style Bodies

Like to the Freddy Moore Mode except I plant that using The Bullet works all-time for these as a foundation. The construction would await something similar this:

First start off with a regular Bullet shape. Making sure the hip shape flares out.
And then add the "underwear" shape, chest rhythms and the shape of the Latissimus Dorsi (Lats). Which gives the torso the exaggerated hr glass shape. Notice the triangle shape created to the shoulders is much wider than the hips
And you're done. Simply depict the concluding details, leaving out most of the structure.

The male has a similar procedure:

Outset with the bullet, only don't flare out the hips. They should just go straight downwards.
Add the breast rhythms, shoulder girdle, and large modified ellipse for the Lats.
For the final line, just exit some of the details, shown below and you're done.

Just a reminder, this isn't THE way it's on ONE style to describe in this mode.

If you want to get fifty-fifty more naturalistic, similar with an anime style, you can. Allow me show you...

Takahiro Kimura Anime Way Bodies

The most naturalistic version of the formula comes in play in this anime style. There'south far less exaggeration here. The Bullet comes into information technology's own when cartoon in this manner. Allow's brainstorm with a female body:

Again, yous get-go bullet shape with the hips flared out.
Every bit with the Bruce Timm style above, you add the breast rhythms and hip shapes. BUT you don't add together the exaggerated Lats. This style is a bit more natural. Also, this manner often has slightly larger bosoms. Notice the shoulder and hips, unlike the Bruce Timm way above, are almost the same width.
Once that'south all done, you pretty much get rid of most of the construction and add together the elevation line of the Clavicle.

The male person is the same with a chip more anatomy showing:

Beginning with a bullet. You may add a tad chip of flare at the hips if yous want.
Add the breast Rhythms, hip shape, and Lats. Equally big or as calorie-free as the type of male person you want.
Once that's done, yous'll need a bit of anatomy knowledge to put in all the right lines in the right place. These cartoon type characters tend to be much more than naturalistic.

And that's how y'all use The Edible bean and The Bullet to draw three different cartoon trunk types. Every bit you lot tin can run across, the formula is very versatile.

Cartoon Body Turn Arounds

Every bit I've done before, Here's a body turn around of all iii styles. Beginning with...

Freddy Moore Trunk Turn Around

Male:

Female:

Bruce Timm Style Body Turn Around

Male:

Female:

Takahiro Kimura Anime Manner Torso Turn Effectually

Male:

Female person:

And that'due south that. You should be able to draw any type of cartoon body yous want with the info I've given to you. Remember, the more you lot know real anatomy, the better your final drawings volition exist.