Analyzing Pinup Art

[Poppy Fields]

Credits, l to r: Leigh Young, Wendy Chew, Shane Glines, Bill Presing click to embiggen

(I've been worried that, in slowing down my PL activity to accommodate "real-world" obligations and opportunities, that I might have to abandon my blog posts. They take a while to compose, from thinking of the subject, gathering source material and then writing it "just so" to my exacting expectations. But hoorah for me, because I realised that the writing makes me creatively happy, so it counts towards the "'Something" Process" of daily creativity! Forward ho, then!)

While trying to determine my drawing style - particularly pinup style - and what attracts me to a particular artist, I started to notice visual trends. Firstly, there is a clear division into two groups of body types:

1. The long-and-lean fashion-style woman, which includes varying degrees of proportional realism (George Petty, Andrea Young, Tyson McAdoo), and

2. The short, round, "thick", just-wanna-grab-a-handful-and-yummy-down chica, like those in the illustration above.

With my fashion background, I naturally gravitate to drawing the long-and-lean, exaggeratedly tall model. My problem is that I like big butts (everybody, sing along!) and roundness and circles and tapering. My devotion to circles is what draws me to the female figure - it's all gentle curves and rolling hills and S-bends. Omnomnomnomnom. Now, try adding those curves to a tall figure and what do you get? Super heroine; Amazon; Villainess. Where's the cute? Where's the adorable and saucy?; the fold-you-up-and-put-you-in-my-pocket? *

Sure, Amazons are HOTT and the rest, but they're not what I want to draw. I'm not confortable in that particular fantasy environment.

Hmm. Dilemma.

So, being the creature of rational habit that I am, I sat down with a stack of print-outs and wrote down defining characteristics of each piece, to map my "perfect" pinup (this is the "secondly" part):

Head:
- Large heads; almost round, with squared-off corners; head as wide as the hips
- Almond or simplified, rounded eyes; simple, heavy lashes; visible lid (I prefer almond eyes)
- Tiny to the point of barely visible, pert nose; very snub in profile
- Well-rounded cheeks
- Full lips; rounded corners
- Softly pointed chin
- Huge hair; not highly detailed; curves
- Long necks, when compared proportionally to the rest of the body

Body:
- High, round breasts; not too full - emphasis is on the hips
- Impossibly tiny waists; long-waisted torso; in profile - small, rounded stomach; impossibly curved back arch to emphasise butt
- Large hips; very rounded; high, round apple bottoms that are somehow in proportion (Haven't quite figured out this trick yet...)

Limbs
- Simplified arms; one straight edge, other side is two curved sections; shortened upper arms
- Tiny hands; small, graceful fingers; often only alluded to, rather than defined. (I like drawing long fingers, reminiscent of late Middle Ages religious icons.)
- Heavy thighs; beautifully curved; luscious; sometimes proportionally shorter, a la Glines
- Narrow knee; sometimes defined
- Well-formed, sometimes overly-developed, calves; most often rounded, rather than angular
- Tiny ankles
- Tiny, pointy feet; overly arched; simple shoes; basic shape, also not well defined. (I love shoes! There's no room for obsessive attention to detail on these tiny feet.)

Height proportions: eyes->waist = waist->knee top = knee top->soles of feet; body = head

If Freud or some other social analyst who had the idiocy to think they know what's going on in my head were to look at this set of characteristics, they would immediately point out the correlation with this figure type and that of a baby and assume I'm having "instincts". Exaggerated head size? Disproportionate features? Roundness?
And then I would punch them in the face.
But remembering back to a Disney "How to Draw" book I had eons ago, I seem to remember something about baby proportions and drawing cute characters.
Hey, you're right, Mr. Analyst Man! Huh.
(Not that I would apologize for the punch in the face. I have the "instincts" of a hamster - they eat their young, you know.)

I've made a couple of attempts at concocting this Perfect Pinup, but so far, no success. In fact, they're largely hideous. They look exactly like what they are: Franken-pinups. So now I'm working on hybrid models, working on slowly converting my natural inclinations to my goal style, remembering the features I've identified as key to my satisfaction. Perhaps I need to do some tracing/copying until it starts to flow effortlessly, but I really don't want to get sucked into unintentionally mimicking another artist's style. A possible solution I've thought off is to design a line of characters, with different body types, like a group of real people. Who knows.
The process keeps ticking.
And I have an urge to paint.

Oh dear.

* This also holds true for models. There are many models who are striking and impressive and downright feats of structural engineering, but it's the shorter, rounder models that make me want pick up a pencil and frantically start sketching. Also, I am filled with a craving for cupcakes and pie. I have issues.

[Hell In A Handbag]

I too like big butts and I cannot lie.

[Poppy Fields]

Anita: I tend to over-think; it gets in the way of the actual drawing sometimes :) Your way is perfectly good too! I've tried to do the Sailor Jerry style, but I really struggle to keep things that simple. It's like an exercise in Zen for me!

Clay: I'm a Fountain of Something alright ;D

Honey: Why thank you, Madam! Nice to be on your good side ;))))

Dottie: They're just really... bland. They have no personality - remind me of Bratz dolls. When I find my perfection, you will hear my squeals of delight from all the way over there!

[Dottie Darling]

Can we see these Franken-pinups? They sound interesting.
Good look with your perfect pin-up. Would love to see it when you finally get it down.

[Honey B Hooligan {Madam}]

this just became my favorite blog, well done!! **cheers!**

[Clay Stephenson]

I love McAdoo! Thanks for the other info! You're a Pin-Up Fountain of Information.

[Anita Fixx]

Wow...you've really thought about this..that's good. Maybe I should think about it more instead of just drawing. Lately I've been doing more of old school tattoo flash/sailor Jerry style. I think it's better then I did before..It would be interesting to understand why certain artists are into drawing sexy ladies all the time and others don't care for it..but that would take a whole psychological study.Hmm..
Ok well enough rambling. Good luck with your pin up girls!