Roy Crane Scrapbook: Drawing Women

Here's the "Roy Crane Scrapbook," a feature from the Cartoonist PROfiles magazine No. 38, June 1978. Click to super-size, of course. I do not recall if this was a continuing feature in Jud Hurd's great magazine, but to find this by accident the other day was very exciting.

Here's Mr. Crane:

"Almost all of the pictures on the preceding pages have these things in common which might be called 'Our Goal.'

"A pretty face ... drawn simply and with care.

"Graceful curves even to the finger tips

"Nice hair

"Interesting action to command attention

"Small waists, feet, ankles

"Simplicity

"And never mind what a girl really looks like."

This all looks like Mr. Crane himself pasted these up for the magazine.

"Pretty girl TYPES. Search for character.

"What a variety of eyes and lips! No two alike. Search for character in the eyes and lips."

"And how to make them DISTINCTIVE

"First, as with men, learn her dominant character trait.

"Is she to be bad, glad, or sad? Innocent, sophisticated, or aloof? Lively or demure? A schemer or a dreamer? Etc.

"What is to be her intended impact on the reader? Her general attitude?

"Only when you know the answer to these questions can you be expected to work out a satisfactory character."

"TYPES. As in the case with men, it's a job of fitting together a JIGSAW PUZZLE

"BEST BETS FOR GETTING INDIVIDUALITY:
"1. THE HAIR
"2. THE EYES There are innumerable shapes.
"3. THE LIPS These are but a few. Stuudy [sic] other pictures on these pages.
"4. THEIR RELATIONSHIP, ONE WITH ANOTHER For example: Is the upper lip long or short? Is the chin short, weak, rounded, pointed, cleft, etc? How long is the nose? Is the face broad, or long, and how shaped? How do they fit together?"

-- The flowing has been a rerun from the ol' blog dated March 20, 2009.