How to draw people: comic photo reference resources
from mr_shanab
In my previous post, Pencil sketching examples 2: how to draw manga tutorials, I shared about how you can use photo references to help you draw and improve on our artwork.
And one of the major assignments from my manga teacher was to look for photo references to aid me in my drawing.
While searching, I chanced upon some really good photo references resources that I am going to share with you about!
What is the advantage of having a good photo reference for drawing?
Before I begin sharing about comic photo reference resources, it will be good to share with you the benefits of references as good guides for drawing.
A good photo reference is important because you do not want to draw poses that are impossible for real humans to perform; unless you are making your characters as Luffy D. Monkey in One Piece.
Realism is very essential in manga comics, and if you put characters that are in poses which are impossible to perform, it is going to make your artwork look very bad.
Also, you want to draw people with good anatomy proportions.
A photo reference is a great guide for comparison, to allow to see whether your drawings are anatomically correct.
Lastly, you want to experiment with different perspectives in your artwork.
Manga is all about drawing in perspective, and how you want to relate your drawings to the reader in order to make your story telling fruitful.
/*Picture on the right from buddy_scalera, click to enlarge
Just like the photo on the right, you don’t want to always draw your characters in an upright position.
Experimenting with different perspective, like drawing your character as though you are looking up to her, has tremendous effects on your storytelling.
Therefore comic photo references are precious resources that every manga or comic artist should look into, especially if you are drawing people in your comics.
How to draw people: comic photo reference resources
Comic photo reference poses are really difficult to find online, simply because we don’t usually carry swords or guns and take pictures with them.
However, there is one comic artist by the name of Buddy Scalera, who apparently took photos of people with many poses and even with equipment!
/*Picture on the right from buddy_scalera, click to enlarge
Buddy Scalera made 3 albums of these photos, and is currently selling them as book on Amazon to aspiring comic artists who want good references in order to help in drawing.
I will just briefly share with you what does he have in store in these albums.
People and Poses
from buddy_scalera
In this book, he has many great photos that contain different poses and perspective for you to draw inspiration from.
/*Picture on the right from buddy_scalera, click to enlarge
Example on the right are poses and perspectives that you might want to try out in your drawings.
Especially photos that contains how the person holds a weapon, it is important to learn how to illustrate hands that are gripping a weapon.
Women and girls
from buddy_scalera
This book is dedicated to drawing women and girls, and he has even examples on actions, like women taking off clothes!
Don’t worry, the models are fully dressed from the beginning to the end.
from buddy_scalera
I particularly like the above pose and equipment for a girl.
In my opinion, it is great to have a girl who has a tough looking front for a comic.
Men and boys
from buddy_scalera
Last but not least, the men and boys have their own gallery as well!
from buddy_scalera
The above is a really cool photo and perspective to draw from.
It really show clearly the cool look of the person from these perspective. Maybe I should try drawing this out someday.
Final words for this post
There are many other sample pictures that I have, but I will try to load it up as a slideshow or something for you to browse on.
Meanwhile, you may just try to use these samples, and if you really like the photos, do consider purchasing the books for your own research.
That’s it for this post! Stay tuned for more updates on manga journey!
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