Artist's commentary
Sayaka dressing2: Nope, mini skirt won't do!
It's time to make some warm up drawings to get my act together. I'm terribly busy at work and it's taking it's toll, but I try to draw at least something.
So what could be a better subject to draw than Sayaka and her butt? Well, it looks Sayaka wasn't so fond of the idea. It's not that she hates miniskirts (in fact, she wouldn't want to wear them) she is just sensitive about her ample bottom. She definitely isn't happy with it, she would rather not draw unnecessary attention. But what can you do when the cafe her friend Chieko works in has the best cupcakes in the world?
On a more serious note, it's really difficult to exaggerate the forms without going overboard. I was struggling with making different forms properly connected to each other. If the butt is large enough, the thigh has to follow up, otherwise it will just look weird. On the other hand, too thick thighs make the legs look stubby trunks, so there is incentive to draw the legs longer. Balancing that out will eventually lead to normally proportional forms, which are just scaled up in comparison to the rest of the body. That means there is discord in proportions between the bottom and the rest of the body. I have to admit I spent way too many hours on that butt, but hey, I can't say it was entirely unpleasant struggle.
A tip to shed the rust off: when you think you can't draw something properly, draw it badly or don't draw it and continue drawing what you believe you can draw. For example, are you dreadfully scared to draw feet like I am? When you are warming up, give yourself some leeway to get the gears spinning so that you can at least shed the rust off. When you are properly warmed up, it becomes easier to tackle more challenging parts. Like, I know I've been able to draw feet, but it takes so much effort that it's not really worth trying to draw them until I have got my act together.