Common Mistakes of Drawing Breasts
Assignment: Draw the Breasts
The assignment for this lesson is to do some quicksketch gesture drawings. Focus on how to position and motion of the body affects the shape of the breasts. And of course, don’t forget about the pec muscle under the breast tissue. I’ve provided some reference photos in the link below. If you’re not sure how to do a gesture drawing, refer back to the gesture lesson in the figure drawing course. Grab your breast pencil and bust out some drawings! Man, the puns are really racking up. I gotta milk it for all it’s worth. Post your work in our anatomy group!
mmhmmm… So, you clicked on the episode about breasts. How surprising…
Hello my name is Stan Prokopenko, you’re watching Proko. We’re gonna start with don’ts and then move onto the do’s of drawing breasts. I know I’m a guy teaching this, but realize that I have the breast of intentions.
Common Mistakes
Breasts come in all shapes and sizes naturally. Multiply that by aging, implants, and make-up, and then again by different types of bras and clothing, and there’s a lot of ways they can look.
With so much variation, it’s easier to say what you should never do than what you should always do. So here are a list of “oh god please stop drawing breasts like this.”
A lot of these mistakes come from thinking of the breasts like spheres or cones, but that’s not true. Breasts are not rigid. They’re soft, teardrop-shaped forms that hang off the ribcage.
The #1 mistake? “Air-Balloons”! People seem to think of breasts as simple spheres all the way around. They show a rounded mass at the bottom and top of the breast. In truth, breasts do not have a round top plane. They taper to be thinner towards the collarbones. They’re fuller at the bottom because of gravity pulling them down, like a hanging water balloon. The only time you’ll see top cleavage is from a powerful push-up bra. Or implants. Or make-up. Or Photoshop… You can stylize the breasts however you choose, but you should at least start with reality, and work your way out from there.
2. Squished Boobs
Another common mistake is drawing the breasts squished together in the middle. There’s a natural separation between the breasts, about 1 to 3 cm in width. Of course, some bras actually push the breasts together, but at least when drawing the nude figure, leave some space in-between.
3. Nipple Size
Mistake #3 is thinking that the larger the breast, the larger the nipple. Not true. There is every kind of combination. Large breasts with large nipples, small breasts with large nipples, small breasts with small nipples.
4. Anti-gravity Boobs
Now, the final mistake I want to mention is super bizarre. Air-Balloons, okay, they’re supposed to be “sexy,” whatever.
But this?
This is just weird. Anti-gravity boobs! You see this a lot when action girls puff their chests out.When a woman puffs her chest out, her nipples are not going to reach for the sky. Breasts don’t have any muscles to point them upward. The version on the right is much more accurate. Breasts hang off the ribcage. Tilt the ribcage all you want, but all breasts care about is gravity.
Now that you know the common mistakes of drawing breasts, it’s time to learn how to draw them correctly. In the next lesson we’ll look at the form and motion of the breasts.
That’s it, thanks for watching! If you’re posting your drawings, use hashtag #proko and don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram. If you like this video, share it with your friends, and if you want to be updated about new videos go and subscribe to the Proko newsletter. Oh and enjoy this free 3d model of Skelly being Skelly.
3D Model of Skelly Shaking His Watermelons
You watched the breast video so much, it passed 1 million views in record time! To celebrate, here’s a 3D animated model. You can rotate, zoom in and out, and pan. Enjoy…
If you’re having problem loading the model you can find information on troubleshooting it here.
Follow Me
what do you say about michelangelo s breasts :)?
Michelangelo has nice breasts.
Hilarious!
pretty sure those would have decayed by now……
Michelangelo was an homosexual and I think he has always made pretty young males bodies and turning them to female by attaching spherical boobs. What i think is Michelangelo was perfectly capable to sculpt or draw a breast but he made his own choice but doing it in that way
Clearly true! The pieta is an excellent example, not of breasts per se, but of his masterful grasp of the beautiful female form.
Great video on the basic physics of breasts. And with good humor as well..had me chuckling. Just need to see more “puppies”.
“Breasts don’t have any muscles to point them upward. The version below is much more accurate.”
Umm… there is no version below… ?:o/
woops sorry. Fixed!
Michelangelo was an homosexual and I think he has always made pretty young males bodies and turning them to female by attaching spherical boobs. What i think is Michelangelo was perfectly capable to sculpt or draw a breast but he made his own choice but doing it in that way
I can take a joke guys, but these are even older than me.
A good lesson deserves better jokes, so work on that, too.
Otherwise, well done.
B+, lost points for using ancient jokes.
@ Stan Prokopenko: Japan anime scientifically proved that your article is wrong 😉 😛 :v
That was hilarious 😀
Anti-Gravity boobs Lmao!
Proko, Mate, you excel yourself on a continual basis. Well done. You make art/drawing fun – regardless of expertise. Keep on keeping on. By the way – any hints on Skelly’s jaw being “mobilised” – and include optional adjustable eyeballs?
Buenas explicaciones, adelante.
Ha ha this article brings back a funny memory. I started art college in 1970 and our first female model had breast implants but they were awful. Implants have improved greatly since then. Her breasts did not move at all, even when lying on her back they did not move. Our drawings were all very funny.
excellent post, i do 1 of these mistakes, the “antigravity boobs” xD only in the position were you said that is wrong (because in the correct positions looks a little weird, but i know that is how a real ones are xD), but in other positions i do the correct ones
Stan I am enjoying your course work on the breasts . . . one thing large women do have cleavage at the collar bone if in a bra or bending sideways. I think you might show live models. . if it is allowed on the internet.
Keep showing the wife and dog. I like that the best and tell us what you are painting too.
ANTI-GRAVITY BOOBS
I have a serious question! I thought your video might have the answer but it did not! I’ve seen some people make sketches of the nude female form (some meant to be more realistic and others to be cartoon-like), while doing this odd thing with breasts that I’m not sure is normal.
They will sketch a woman standing with her back completely facing the viewer, without being angled whatsoever. The woman will look proportionally correct except for one thing, the sides of her boobs will be slightly visible and spilling out from the sides of the figure. Is this normal ans is this actually possible in real life? I’m a girl with a small chest and I cant imagine having a chest so large that they are actually visible from behind without the person being turned at an angle.
Great question Holly! I happen to have very large and’dense’ breast according to my doctor. –Which means they are hard to tame and do Not like to cooperate with bra enforcement personell! Yes larger breast droop and flop and appear more like a partially filled water balloon, which makes the visible from behind. Google female skeletal x-rays for more references. Good luck!
Excellent video, and as always you are so funny! Cheers for all the great content you provide.
I need to try some of these exercises in my clay sculpting. That would be interesting…
Your wife is beautiful.You both look so happy. Good for you.
Thanks Gerry.
“Breasts don’t have any muscles to point them upward.”
Unless there’s silicon involved.