SciFi and Fantasy Art: Sirena Gonlin

I love the characterization and the outfit. Anatomically the only problem I have is with the arms. They look really awkward and strange. I know she is supposed to look muscular and though, yet lean and gracious... But that doesn’t mean the arms have to look weird and deformed. Everything else looks good to me.

Matthew W. Gonzales replies: "Okay, now that I look at it, I see what’s wrong. That humerus is too long, and to compensate, I positioned both the Pectoral, and the biceps too low...

Well, that’s embarrassing.

If that’s all you were talking about, it’s cool, and I’m glad you like the outfit *embarrassed*

The biceps and pectoral are a bit off on the arm holding the rear end of the halberd, but other than that, I don’t see anything wrong with the shape of the arms. neither did my college drawing professor, or anyone else I asked for open critiques for that matter.

I referenced many images of female fitness models and bodybuilders for the image, and happen to seen quite a few real, non-steroid using muscular women in my time. I also happen to like that kind of build anyway.

If you can show that they are anatomically incorrect, (aside from that which I have already stated) then please do, but if this is just an "ooh, she has more muscles than some guys, she looks deformed" type of issue, then please back off.

I have no tolerance for sexism in the field of athletics, and/or desirable and undesirable builds.

the last time I checked, the biceps of a straightened, hypertrophied arm remains visible as a long mass of tissue projecting up at an even, low height from the plane of the forearm up to the shoulders, and the triceps bulge at the top of the arm creating a triangular shape along the back/bottom of the arm with the large end at the top, meeting with the shoulder.

We all know what a contracted bicep looks like, and the triceps on an arm in this position fades into an even curve at the bottom of the arm.

As near as I can reference the placement of the veins is all right too. They may not need to be *quite* so blue, but that is what veins tend to do on very fair/pale skinned people.

The only problem I might see, is that the contracted bicep is probably to close to the elbow and needs to be backed up so that the pectoral does not need to extend quite so far to meet it.

If it’s something about "elves can’t be muscular", once again, please can it. elves are "slender and lean" so I should say they should be on average slightly leaner than an average human. This elf is not average. She is representative of what an elven bodybuilder would look like, and is much leaner than some human, non-steroid using, real life female bodybuilders and athletes.

If you are ignorant of what a real muscular women looks like, have a look here:

http://www.amg-lite.com/?view=http://www.amgprofiles.com/Brig- - ita/Pics/Brigita3001.jpg
http://www.gymessentials.com/buff-babes/melissa-dettwiller/pi- - cs/Melissa-Dettwiller-02.jpg
http://www.probodybuildingdvds.com/images/malissa-robles%5B1%- - 5D.jpg
http://www.glamourmuscle.com/CindyP/Pics/Cindy3004.jpg

All of these are images of real women, without any digital editing to change the appearance of their physiques. Also, they don’t use steroids, and are actually on the middle end of the female bodybuilding spectrum. Heavyweights would be even more muscular. Before you go citing steroids for the lack of breasts on one of the examples, let me remind you that bodybuilders must go on extreme diets to eliminate all the fat in their bodies before a competition, and that breasts are mostly fat, and usually the first thing to go when a woman goes on that type of diet, which is why most fbbs have implants or such.

Now, you can think they’re unattractive, etc., and that’s your right. You don’t need to share my opinion, and I won’t blame you for yours, but I have no patience for those who would refer to them as "disfigured" being as that their muscles are a completely natural, albeit large, shape, nor those who would call them "manly" being as that a male bodybuilders of the same level of strength, etc. would be, and are MUCH larger thanks to hormonal and anatomical differences between the sexes.
Finally, I won’t let opinion of another that a muscular female body is undesirable, or unattractive dictate the kind of woman I decide to draw.

If I want to draw an overweight woman, I’ll draw an overweight woman. If I want to draw an underweight woman, I’ll draw an underweight woman. If I want to draw an average woman, I’ll draw an average woman. If I want to draw a very plain woman, I’ll draw a plain woman, and I reserve all these rights when drawing men as well.

I refuse to buy into the idea that only the average, and/or social/cultural norm is worth recognizing, it encourages conformism for the sake of conforming, mediocrity, and the kind of culture that generates all of the ignorant, idiotic, self-centered, unhealthy blond bimbos we have running around today.

And after looking at your gallery, I really think you should work on your own anatomical issues just a little bit first, before going around telling other people who have gone to school specifically to learn how to draw, spending hours upon hours drawing real live nude models, what a human body looks like.

Not trying to sound harsh, and if I was mistaken, I apologize, but I’m really fed up with people who can’t accept anything outside of their comfort zone."

Yeah! Hold your horses, my friend. You were really quick to jump to conclusions and start putting words in my mouth.

You pointed out the problems I spotted pretty well. That was pretty much what I was referring to. Maybe I’ll add that her left forearm seems a lot shorter than it should be (compared to her humerus length).

I never said anything about me not liking muscular women, nor about fit and strong elves... I never said anything about anyone being unattractive (my exact words were "Anatomically the only problem I have is with the arms... Everything else looks good to me." ). And accusing me of being sexist was pretty aggressive and personal. Do you know me good enough to say something that big?

I think you felt to that you dislike so much yourself. You prejudged me, based on your perspective and without thinking that my critique was only that. A constructive critique, trying to point out the only thing I found improvable in your illustration.

Now, I’m not perfect myself. I do have many issues I’d have to improve. I never said I hadn’t. But I have studied this stuff too. And I know when something doesn’t look natural (and I do not mean it as in "women should not be muscular" ).

So, are we cool?

Matthew W. Gonzales replies: "Yeah, I’m sorry, it was the "disfigured" part that set me off.

Overall it was a stupid time for me to try replying to any comments... I thought I had grown out of it, but I do have a tendency to type without thinking... a lot.

I think more than anything else, it was just a bit too vague, and came at the worst time for me to try answering it.

It doesn’t excuse me, though, and I’m sorry for being so rude.

I’ve probably just got some serious anger and stress management issues to work through "