Boobs: an artistic discussion

[DoctorCello]

Originally Posted by Joop

I don't think big breasts tell anything about someones character.
Isn't that why a lot of people say, I don't care about looks, I care about personality?

They can, actually. For example, a more outgoing and flirty girl who's confident with her body could wear really tight, low-cut shirts to flaunt her cleavage, while a more reserved, shy girl might be embarrassed about her large cup size and try to hide it with a lot of layers of clothing. It's true that breasts don't define a girl, but it's what she does with them that really shines through.

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by Joop

I don't think big breasts tell anything about someones character.
Isn't that why a lot of people say, I don't care about looks, I care about personality?

When you're designing a character, though, it's pretty common to use appearance to show personality. Like give a chatacter glasses to show that they're a bookworm or something.
Obviously it doesn't have much basis in reality but it's used anyways.

Although appearance will have some effect. Let me explain what I mean: the way people react to you is influenced by your appearance, and the way you act depends on the way people react to you to some extent. If you have a very noticeable feature such as huge breasts, you pretty much have a choice between concealing them as much as possible/being shy about them, or just the opposite, being the one who brings it up because it's slightly less awkward than it remaining unsaid. Both are a reaction to the fact that you know everyone is going to be looking at them.

Then if you imagine two chatacters, one shy about it, you could draw her with a sweater on, being kinda slouched, not looking at people directly, and the other standing chest out in more revealing clothes. You're using their appearance to show their personality, but through their postures, the clothes they pick for themselves and similar stuff.

From a plot perspective though, you have little reason to give a character a physical feature that stands out a lot if it doesn't come up as character development. Breasts are often an exception because they're made huge for the viewing pleasure of male readers, apparently, but if everyone has huge breasts then I guess it doesn't stand out anymore...

Same with other things. If one of your characters has only four fingers per hand (thumb included, I mean), it kind of needs to be a plot point or as it pointed out. If they all do, though, then it's just the norm for your story.

[Fealiks]

Originally Posted by Avistew

Same with other things. If one of your characters has only four fingers per hand (thumb included, I mean), it kind of needs to be a plot point or as it pointed out. If they all do, though, then it's just the norm for your story.

I don't think that's the same as having big boobs. Big boobs are fairly common, missing fingers aren't that common. More importantly, though, missing fingers are something that guarantees an interesting backstory, whereas big boobs would just be like "yeah, it's just, like.. genetics and stuff".

A better analogy, in my opinion, would be something like a big nose. Big boobs, like big noses, are just an arbitrary design choice. They might say something about the character, but I think that like cello said, it's more about what the character does with their boobs than how big they are.

Then again, it depends on how inordinate the feature is - for example, big boobs on a really skinny girl is unusual and probably wouldn't be employed for no reason, and neither would an inordinately big nose. In both cases, these traits would affect the attractiveness of the character, which can be used as a way of placing the character in a predefined position for the reader. Since we haven't seen any of the protagonist's life before the story starts, making the girl he likes blatantly attractive or the antagonist blatantly ugly helps us identify with the protagonist quickly so the author doesn't have to detract from the main story to provide extra information.

[Avistew]

I was using the four fingers example because, like unreasonably big breasts, it's common in comics :P

I guess big noses work too. Can be a style thing (look at Grickle) but if it's only one of your characters, like Bikk in the Gods of Arr-Kelaan, there is probably a good reason for that.

[Secret Fawful]

In a lot of anime I've sen, big or small breasts can actually be frequent subject among the characters, rarely goes unnoticed, and is viewed not only as a means for women to add to their own sex appeal but also the reactions to the different breast sizes can show off aspects about various characters such as jealousy, shyness, lust, intimacy, exasperation, prudence, sluttiness, intelligence, observational skills, etc. A lot of times they're there to add to the dialog and not just "to be there".

[Joop]

Sorry, I had actually forgot that we were talking about breasts on drawings instead of real ones. :$
I guess I forgot the artistic part of the thread.

[puzzlebox]

Originally Posted by Secret Fawful

In a lot of anime I've sen, big or small breasts can actually be frequent subject among the characters, rarely goes unnoticed, and is viewed not only as a means for women to add to their own sex appeal but also the reactions to the different breast sizes can show off aspects about various characters such as jealousy, shyness, lust, intimacy, exasperation, prudence, sluttiness, intelligence, observational skills, etc. A lot of times they're there to add to the dialog and not just "to be there".

Urgh... that's sad. I mean, I don't expect fiction (and anime in particular) to reflect life in general, but breasts really are sometimes "just there". Large breasts shouldn't scream "promiscuous" or "unintelligent" any more than being brunette should scream "shy" or wearing glasses should scream "nerd". I understand that you're talking about other characters' reactions to boobs, rather than the traits of the characters who own the boobs, but still.

As a case in point, I'm blonde, have breasts, laugh loudly and frequently, and in general probably come across as a complete ditz. But in our pub quiz tonight (which we won, woo yeah!), it was me answering all the science-y questions (the periodic table, parts of the brain, Keppler's laws of planetary motion) while it was the older guys answering the pop culture / Heat magazine questions (what did such-and-such name their baby etc).

Screw stereoptypes.

[ZombieAtPlay]

Hear hear! *round of applause*

[Leak]

Originally Posted by puzzlebox

Keppler's laws of planetary motion

Careful with the "p"s there - Kepler has just one...

(Sorry, but me attending Johannes Kepler University for many years has to be good for something - right? )

np: B.o.B. - Satellite (Hudson Mohawke remix) (ATL RMX)

[puzzlebox]

Originally Posted by Leak

Careful with the "p"s there - Kepler has just one...

Shuddup Leak, ima totally smat!

(my boobs put the extra "p" in there)

[GuruGuru214]

Originally Posted by puzzlebox

(my boobs put the extra "p" in there)

Wait, they're intelligent now? This does not bode well for the male gender...

[Wapcaplet]

Originally Posted by GuruGuru214

Wait, they're intelligent now? This does not bode well for the male gender...

Skynet Puzzlebox's boobs became self-aware at 2:59 pm PDT May 11, 2010.

[Will]

"Wobble Wars"

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by puzzlebox

Never mind water, they look like ferrets in a bag.

Originally Posted by GuruGuru214

Wait, they're intelligent now? This does not bode well for the male gender...

Originally Posted by Will

"Wobble Wars"

...
*tilt*

They're sentient breasts! Dead or Alive features sentient breasts, which are probably trying to escape, calling for help or doing their job distracting the opponent!

Mystery solved.

[Rather Dashing]

...

My God...

Dead or Alive wasn't a video game.

It was a warning.

[GinnyN]

Originally Posted by rather dashing

...

My god...

Dead or alive wasn't a video game.

it was a warning.

beware!

[Alcoremortis]

Originally Posted by GinnyN

beware!

I knew it! The apocalypse is nigh! Or shall I say, the boobpocalypse?

[puzzlebox]

This concept is just begging for a B-grade sci fi movie.

...

Bras Attacks!

Galaxy Chest

Tit Came from Outer Space

Bra Wars Episode II: Attack of the Domes

E.T. the Extra-Ter...breast...rial...

[Little Writer]

Originally Posted by Joop

Sorry, I had actually forgot that we were talking about breasts on drawings instead of real ones. :$
I guess I forgot the artistic part of the thread.

Wait, wasn't this thread about artists' boobs, or am I confused again?

[GuruGuru214]

Originally Posted by puzzlebox

E.T. the Extra-Ter...breast...rial...

I don't know whether to high-five you or shun you.