Attempt on drawing Superman. Feel free to critique.
3mo
Felipe Godoy
I consider myself a beginner and this was definitely a challenge and time demanding. Drawing the head was a big challenge, I struggle a lot with the features, measurements and etc. I also feel like I rushed it a lot, also I did not use reference for the face (which is a mistake imo), but I can say I took some inspiration from Greg Capullo’s head drawings. Drawing the proportions of the body felt easier than the face. I'm using "Figure drawing for all it's worth" and "Drawing comics the Marvel Way" as references for the basic anatomy and proportions. It's stated that the "heroic" proportion would be 8 to 9 heads tall, but my reference (Cbum) is only 7 1/3, give or take, and I did not know how to "translate" his proportions and features to 8 or 9 heads. The photo reference helped me a lot with the placement of the muscles on the upper body because of the size (you know, since CBum is CBum hahaha), the lower body in general feels off though, the legs are weird and round but I did not want to mess up the gesture by trying to fix it, I like his left calf and boot. I don't have much (near 0) knowledge about anatomy but sketching the gesture and comparing with measurements from the books helped a lot when I was constructing the figure. Another problem I had was the hands, I used the envelope method just to place them, but I couldn't do much after that, I sketched them somewhere else to practice, which helped to finish the drawing, since I did everything else before going to the hands. Again, feel free to critique!
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Patrick Bosworth
Hey @Felipe Godoy ! This is a great start, and a really cool Superman design! Nice job combining references and getting the figure down. You’re doing a lot of things right, and I can tell you’re putting thought into proportion, gesture, construction, and line quality! Overall, your proportions are pretty solid. Your figure stands about 8 heads tall, which is a classic heroic standard — but the head itself feels a bit too small, and the arms and shoulders are a bit oversized in comparison. That said, superhero proportions vary a ton across artists. Think of how differently Superman is drawn by Joe Shuster, Bruce Timm, Alex Ross, or Tim Sale. So your version isn’t wrong, it’s just good to be aware of your design choices and how they affect the overall feel. I personally like Loomis’s idealistic 8-head canon, where the halfway point lands at the crotch. That makes it easier to place other landmarks like the chin, nipples, navel, crotch, mid-thigh, knees, etc. If your reference figure is shorter — like your CBum example at 7 ⅓ heads — you can still use the 8-head system above the waist and slightly adjust the legs to suit. For more standard proportions, slightly shorten the legs. For more heroic poses, slightly lengthen the legs. In general, longer legs usually make a pose feel more elegant and dynamic. Right now, your gesture feels a bit stiff. The body is very vertical and symmetrical, which can flatten the energy of the pose. Try to identify and exaggerate the longest line of action. In your drawing, the line from the pit of the neck to the feet is almost straight up and down. If you push the curve of that line through the chest and down to the foot, it makes the pose feel like Superman is heroically in motion, leading with that big "S" logo on his chest. Always think about how can use rhythm lines to connect the entire body. The arms look pinned to the sides of the body and very straight, which adds to the stiffness. Try curving them outward from the body and keeping the gesture alive in each limb. The symmetrical arm placement is also making the deltoids feel pushed up and forward, burying the neck and shrinking the head visually. If you pull the shoulders back and push the chest forward, you’ll get a stronger sense of gesture, motion, and dimensionality. The shoulder girdle moves independently from the ribcage — like a set of football shoulder pads. Each shoulder can rotate and move up, down, forward, and back. I recommend physically striking the pose yourself if you’re ever feeling lost. When you strike the pose you feel how your own shoulders move, and you can bring that physical sense into the drawing. As for the lower body feeling off, check out Mike Matessi’s Dead vs Live Shape lesson from Basics. He discusses the trap you’re falling into with the symmetry of the limbs. https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/dead-vs-live-shapes-with-mike-mattesi/comments Don’t worry too much about learning anatomy just yet. You’re doing a good job observing the surface forms and placing them with some accuracy. That alone will take you far! That said, getting really familiar with basic body proportions will help a ton. Keep using Loomis and How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, both are great resources. Just don’t forget to study the skeleton too, especially for proportion! Here are a couple great free lessons from the Proko Figure Drawing Fundamentals Course, and be sure to check the Downloads section for a free Proportion chart! Dr. Paul Richer (Average human proportions):
 https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/human-proportions-average-figure/downloads Robert Beverly Hale (Cranial units and canon systems): 
https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/human-proportions-cranial-units/assignments Once you know the "rules" of proportion, you can break or stylize them confidently. For reference: an average figure is about 2 heads wide at the ribcage and pelvis, and roughly 3 heads wide across the shoulders. Superman is often drawn even wider — sometimes 4 heads across! So if you’re leaning into that heroic exaggeration, just make sure the other proportions and gesture stay balanced. On the face/features — it’s a good start! Loomis breaks down the average head as 5 eyes wide, with one eye-width between the eyes. But again, Superman’s an alien, so if you’re consciously pushing the proportions a little, that’s fine, (I actually like your interpretation) just be sure you know what the average is so you can make that choice when you want to. Check out Loomis's Drawing the Head and Hands, it's a great resource, I attached a Loomis face and human proportion chart! One last thing — how you photograph your drawing really affects how it's read. In your current photo, the tip of the foot is cropped off, and the image is slightly tilted. Combined with the upright pose and billowing cape, it’s unclear if he’s supposed to be flying forward or walking. As it is, it looks a bit like he’s walking, but falling forward. Make sure you balance your figures! When photographing your work to post or submit for critique, make sure to get a full shot of the figure with enough room around the drawing (don’t crop limbs), and shoot straight on, so the perspective of the paper doesn’t warp the drawing. Try to square up the corners of the page with the edges of your photo. Thanks for sharing your work!! I hope this helps. With a focus on gesture and overall proportions I think you'll start to see your figure drawing really jump to the next level. You’re doing a lot of things really well! Keep up the good work, I can’t wait to see more!
Felipe Godoy
Thanks a lot for this, Patrick!! I can study this critique for days, definitely will implement your suggestions and study what you recommended. I’ll come back with the revised drawing as soon as I can.
Michael Giff
A very nice effort. I'd offer some technical advice if I could but you're a bit ahead of me on the skill rung. The only thing I'll say is I think you should 86 the boxer shorts and give him back his speedo! Purely artistic preference though.
Felipe Godoy
Thanks!! I loved the new movie costume, but I prefer the classic S hehehe
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