Drawing naked people

[Monomania]

Not to be too salacious...
But we have a character that is nude a lot in our comic, and we try to draw them not too outrageously or too too sexualized. Which is probably stupid, since she is already naked and trying to have sex in our latest chapter. BUT, we feel the duality of the issue....and keep her cute but not too out of control in an effort to be not geeky smut fodder and let the comedy come through....hopefully.

Anyone trying to "keep it real" in a sense with nudity out there? Or just like "the hotter the better" with nude bodies. Feel free to call me sexist or some pejorative. I'm a pig.

[mariusthered]

I had to deal with this sensitive area not so long back, I had a scene where a teen had been thrown into a cell naked as punishment so i had to find ways of showing everything and nothing at the same time. here is the link and if you look further on there is a few more pages Cold cell

[digitalvalium1]

For your comic, I'd say normalize nudity. It fits in that world. I can't imagine any of your characters being shocked by nudity. Sensuality is more about body language anyway.

[indagold]

Unless it is sexual I doubt they need to pose provocatively. A comic that does it well is maybe The Meek. The main protag is always naked but it doesn't come off as weird.

[TrustyShamrock]

yuppp i agree with everyone. depends on yer comic. if its serious then have serious nakeds. but if its sexy then do the sexy nakeds. i had my main character naked when he first showed up on my comic but it was suppose to be funny and i dont think anyone who read it took it in a weird way. at least not weirder than it was suppose to be

[Vanesalisa]

I only draw half naked people that's as far as I can go

[Aspie_Gamer]

Ehh...don't matter if she's clothed or nekkid. We are all wired to find the human form attractive for reproduction purposes. Or for fun. lol

Seriously though, having portrayed a character nude in my comic Life of an Aspie here recently, I opted for the "keep it real" option for obvious reasons. My OC was simply undressing before taking a shower only she didn't wait till she got the bathroom before doing so while also not taking her roommates feeling's into consideration. (Said roommate however was pretty cool with it once she confirmed why her friend was naked.)

[MidZM]

I tend to draw characters "naked" a lot in Marked (Although they're not ACTUALLY nude, their cloths just don't show up when they are inside their or armor (Unless it's an introduction)). But it does make me a little sad that there is ONE particular character that appears later I don't get to draw "nude" because he doesn't have an Angelomachina that allows him to wear armor. (The sadness comes from the fact that he is a very flamboyant and muscular character so it's a missed opportunity to make him look hilarious)

[hushicho]

I've never been squeamish about drawing naked people. I like to have fun with the form, and it helps with anatomy. I always find drawing naked people not only educational, but legitimately helpful. Practice makes perfect, and it's so often the rarest-seen parts are the most difficult for artists.

Nudity doesn't have to have any thing to do with sex or sexuality, which is something that gets conflated way too much in modern society; sometimes people are just naked. But then, sometimes people are naked in a sexy way and clearly looking for something! It can be fun to play with all the different types of nudity.

One comic I quite like for its varied depictions of body types and very realistic, matter-of-fact attitude towards nudity is Easy. It does have sexual themes in it as well, so be warned; regardless, I find it not only well-written, but also laudable for its realistic and incidental attitude towards nudity and sexuality, among other subjects.

[Alli]

POSTURE! Posture and body language play a HUGE role in whether or not a naked person comes across as sexualized. Notice how models in bikinis tend to hold themselves up differently than you yourself would while making a sandwich alone in your kitchen. Also, if this character is female be advised that nipples are not always hard and this affects the shape of the entire breast. We're so used to seeing perky and/or fake boobs in media that (often male) artists tend to not realize that it isn't their natural state.

Camera angles and such have a big impact, too. Where is the shot focused, on the face or the body? What body language is being portrayed that requires a shot of the body in the first place? How much detail is going into drawing the body? The more detail provided, the more focused the reader will be on it. If it's not important then don't make it look important.

[digitalvalium1]

POSTURE! Posture and body language play a HUGE role in whether or not a naked person comes across as sexualized. Notice how models in bikinis tend to hold themselves up differently than you yourself would while making a sandwich alone in your kitchen. Also, if this character is female be advised that nipples are not always hard and this affects the shape of the entire breast. We're so used to seeing perky and/or fake boobs in media that (often male) artists tend to not realize that it isn't their natural state.

Alli makes a good point. Generally the come-hither posture is bust out, butt out. Social scientists refer to it as lordosis. Most dolls are designed in exactly this posture. Most mammals assume this posture. It's one of the indications researchers use to identify sexual interest.

Permanent inward curvature of the spine at the small of the back can also be medically termed lordosis, as it represents a malady that's potentially harmful, and quite painful.

Sorry, I know I didn't really add anything to the discussion. I just thought that was neat.

[Kamikaze]

Just wanting to add: If you're looking for a way someone else does it I'd suggest picking up a copy of the manga Mason Ikkoku. There's a character in it named Akemi, and while she isn't necessarily NUDE, she is constantly dressed in lingerie. The artist Rumiko Takahashi almost doesn't make her really "OMG SEXY" unless it's for humor purposes. Akemi might be in a see through nightie but she's drinking a beer, or sweeping, or smoking, cooking, eating or doing...you know stuff normal people do about their homes and houses. I think juxtaposing the sexy with the every day life might be a really good way to off set the need to be completely provocative all the time.

I guess the thing I'd say is this: What's a dude going to do walking around the house in only his boxers? Is it to be 'alluring' or is it because it's comfortable? Is a guy walking around in his boxers always gonna be in super sexy poses? No. He might slouch on the couch to play a video game, or push around a vacuum while blasting music, he might even by cooking - but none of those things by default are provocative. They're just everyday life.

Hope that makes sense. Feel free to yell at me if it doesn't.

[Monomania]

I can see how that would be weird.Indeed.
It's like on the cusp of being a little silly. But since the girl seems uncomfortable it works with her being all balled up and hiding the bits.