#+ reference photos for my character. 2 refs for tuck. a reference photo of a classic scuba suit

[zincbot]

i use more drawing references than anyone alive

[bad-comic-wings]

Fantastic Four #17 Legacy #662 Cover by Nick Bradshaw and John Rauch

First off, I want to mention that this is one of my favorite covers for the Fantastic Four, I love the composition here between Sky and Johnny, it’s such a good pose. I just wish the wings weren’t an anatomical mess. There are three main corrections I made here in my redline.

1. There should not be such a sharp bend where the “elbow” is. This whole frame is too skeletal. You should not be able to see the arm structure of a wing under the feathers, and I’m not sure what that long bone over the primaries is supposed to be. If it’s a “finger” it is much too long and would never be the leading edge of a wing. This skeletal structure is not suited to a character with bird wings. The photo below shows that even when a wing is bent or outstretched there won’t be such a sharp point where the elbow is. There is muscle and connective tissue running from the shoulder to elbow and elbow to wrist. 

2. Feather layers. This will be a reoccurring point on this blog as many comic book wings do not have the correct number of feather layers or the correct size of the feather layers. Lets use that photo above, as it has a nice spread of both the back and the front of a wing. The front side (faces you) should have three main layers of feathers. The minor/lesser coverts, then greater coverts, finally the flight feathers which are typically broken into the secondaries and primaries. In the picture above we can see that the bird’s lesser and greater coverts are in tan/brown and the flights are in white tipped with black. Lesser coverts tend to follow the “outline” of the arm structure underneath. When in doubt, look at a ref for the wing type you’re trying to draw. It looks like Sky has a “passive soaring” wing shape, so that was what I used as my reference. The back side of a wing has a different number of feather layers than the front. Most wings have four to five distinct layers. These layers can be harder to spot if the bird is all one solid color. There is still a lesser covert layer, followed by a median covert layer, then the two bigger covert areas, the secondary coverts and primary coverts which cover the secondary and primary feathers. Wing backs are also where you see the alula feathers.On the picture above the alula feathers are the grey feathers just coming off of the lesser coverts near the top. They’re like little “fingers.”

The cover artist draws Sky with three feather layers, however they are not the correct shape or size. The “coverts” are far too large and the flight feathers are far too short. The feathers aren’t layered correctly either. When viewed from the front the leading edge of a feather is covered by the trailing edge. One the back it’s flipped and the leading edge covers the trailing edge.  

3. This point again has to do with how the feathers are positioned. Here he’s treating the secondaries and their respective coverts as being completely separated from the primaries. While there is a distinction between where the primaries and secondaries fall, it is not that dramatic and this area should not stick out above the primaries and their coverts when the wing is outstretched.

This photo of a harris hawk is in a similar pose. You can see that the secondaries lead into the primaries, and the coverts follow the same pattern. You can also see the alula feathers poking out near the “wrist”. Neither covers the other while the wing is outstretched. In a folded wing the primaries do tuck under the secondaries, but it still would not look like the cover photo.

4. Number four is just pointing out that he drew all the feathers with pointed tips. Most feathers are actually rounded at the tips with the exceptions being the main primaries on birds with a passive soaring wing type. Usually it’s the first five primaries on this type of wing, again think of them like fingers. I know that giving wings pointed feathers is often a style thing, but since I’m pointing out anatomy errors I might as well mention this too.