Tips for drawing women: how to draw breasts Part 2

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Last time we covered the basics, so let’s move on to some more specific tips on how to draw realistic breasts in our work. There are all different shapes and sizes of bust, which all have different characteristics, and appear slightly differently on the body.

Let’s take a look at these different types, and also at how the breasts move when a character moves their arms in different ways!

This is a very important part of drawing characters – we need to get it right, not only for drawing sexy artworks, but also for drawing everyday illustrations of women and girls in clothes. Knowing how the body is shaped underneath the clothes will make for much more natural illustrations, and failing to get the anatomy right will upset the balance of any character illustration. So this information is something all artists should get familiar with. Let’s get started!

Different bust sizes

You’ll see all different bust sizes on characters in anime. We should be aware of the different ways that the breasts attach to the body depending on size.

Point A

For smaller breasts, the distance between the breasts and waist will appear longer

Point B

As you draw, think about the muscles of the pecs, and this area by the underarm where the breasts originate from

Point C

The larger the breasts, the further out they will lie on the body, and gravity pulls them down and to the sides

Point D

The larger the breasts, the less distance we will see between the bottom of the breasts, and the waist

How do breasts look from different angles?

Let’s take a look at some different angles, that we might not see as often. It’s important to get these right too!

From above

When the breasts are not being supported by a bra, they will naturally face outwards, like in the picture below. Bras will often push the breasts upwards and inwards to create a cleavage.

From a 3/4 angle

Point A

The top of the breast kind of scoops in a curve on the top, as the top of the breast is less full. The bottom of the breast is fuller, as the main weight and mass of the tissue and fat that makes up the breast is being pulled down by gravity.

Point B

From this angle, we see the whole rounded shape of the breast on this side.

What happens when the breasts are pushed together?

Point A

Because the breasts are being pushed up by the hands and arms, they look like they have a little more volume.

Point B

When the arms are folded tightly like this, the breasts are squashed together, forming a cleavage

We often think of the cleavage of forming a “Y” shape, like in the image of the girl with her arms crossed. But this is only true when the breasts are being pushed up and together. When the breasts are left at their natural height on the chest, and the arms are pushing them together like in the image above, we actually see a straight line, not a “Y” or “V”

If the character has their arms spread out, like in the top image, we will not see a cleavage at all, as the chest is being opened up, and the muscles draw the breasts out to the sides. This will leave a gap between the breasts.

I hope this lesson has helped you get more familiar with female anatomy, and gave you some tips you might not have known about before! This will really help make your characters look a lot more realistic and natural, even when you are drawing characters in clothes. So please keep these tips in mind, and use them in your work! Happy studying!

Tips for drawing women: how to draw breasts Part 1

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