I'm sure you've heard phrases like 'I draw what I know best'. As with most things we are better at creating a realistic portrayal if, we ourselves, have direct experiences to draw from. In this case, it's easier to draw female anatomy if you yourself are female and vice versa.
I remember being more than adept at drawing female characters when I was growing up, but my male characters were lacking that 'je ne sais quoi' to make them feel masculine. The main reason for this was because I didn't have enough exposure to men.
I took figure drawing in high school, but we weren't allowed to bring in nude models so we ended up spending most of the year drawing a skeleton. Not exactly the human figure.
When I got to college I had an over saturation of figure drawing classes I was sick of it. Drawing the nude form was nothing special. But even though I could draw what I saw standing in front of me, no one taught me how that translated to my own characters and designs. It's like drawing a bowl of fruit while looking at it and then having the bowl taken away and trying to draw that same fruit. Not so easy.
Then, one day, one of my teachers was looking over my shoulder at a male character design for his class. He pointed down at my drawing and said something I'll never forget. Something simple almost innocuous, but it changed my entire perspective on drawing males and females. And when I implemented those changes. Wow! My character when from being a lanky sorta feminine feeling form to one that actually read as masculine. I didn't feel any sense of ambiguity or confusion.
And the best part of this, it doesn't matter your skill level or how you draw. Even if you are still working at being a better artist. If your design style is extremely different from others. These tips held within this guide still apply.
Inside, I show you all the tips and how they apply to a few different styles with complete examples. If you are struggling even a little bit this guide will help you. Get it now.