Corrina Lawson of Geek Mom writes about the differences between how men and women are portrayed in comics, and how this isn’t just limited to grown-up comics. Even instructional books aimed at younger audiences already start in with these differences.
Recently, my twelve-year-old son has taken up drawing in a manga style and he’s putting together a web comic. He’s been going through art instruction books, both for children and adults, at a fast clip. Most of them are great and have been very helpful.
But there are some problems and he found them and pointed them out to me.
I recommend reading what she has to say, and how her son pointed out these differences, the latter of which gives me such gleeful hope.
(As an aside, I mean, sheesh, look at the cover. We have the broken-spine boobs-and-ass shot right there. Like it was going to improve. This makes me want to Kickstarter a book of drawing women in combat positions, with female martial artists and soldiers from all of the world posing for it, both still and action shots.)
(Oh man, I’d totally buy that book for every artist I know.)