this may sound odd but do you have any tips for drawing trans characters in the total drama art style? or, more specifically, ftm/afab trans characters?
It’s one of those things that SEEMS tricky, but actually has a very simple solution: just draw the character.
In the original show, female and male characters have very different body structures and designs, but I think it’s understood by artists at this point that there is no reason why you can’t draw a cis female with the same body and attributes as a cis female.
What I’m trying to say is: trans people don’t look a specific way. You can’t go out on the street and say ‘oh yes, that is a #trans’. My own (trans/nonbinary) wife has had no hormones, no body modifications, and wears mostly ‘male’ clothing, but is still seen as a cis female.
Occasionally I’ll do things like giving my trans characters more masculine hands (Wanda for example), and you can always add surgical scars if you want to hint at it, but overall their backstory is a better way to dictate the design. Think through their thought process and how they would present themselves.
- Have they had top surgery? Would they wear a binder? If they wouldn’t want to have breasts and have the resources to make that happen, then don’t give them breasts.
- Are they muscular, lean, overweight, etc? There’s a misconception that female characters (and afab/ftm/androgynous characters) have to be thin and have curves, but obviously that’s not the case in real life so why should your art reflect it?
- How would they feel comfortable dressing? Clothes have no gender, so remind yourself of that when doing art.
Here are a few of my trans/nonbinary characters for example (some unfinished because I’m reworking their design). Admittedly, mine are NOT as diverse as they could be because... I draw characters that I find attractive (and then some men that I don’t really care about looking good) and I 100% have a type. Still, I think there are a few interesting things to show
Lenny (light blue shirt) has proportions that are more typical of female characters and I also gave him hips as an example. Still reads as a masculine character despite this.
Drew (orange hair) is nonbinary and doesn’t have breasts. At all. Same with Pam (the other redhead). Pam is completely flat while Drew has a small line to show that the chest exists, similar to how it’d be on a cis male design, but not *breasts*
Wanda (pink hair) has broad shoulders and hands that are usually reserved for male characters.
These were all, first and foremost, design choices. But they’re a weak example of what I was talking about: androgynous, trans, nonbinary, etc: they all just look like people. There is no one way to potray these charcters. And, I *do* feel like giving a FTM character a traditionally feminine frame isn’t necessary. It limits your design choices, and it also just... puts a bad taste in my mouth. Idk how to say it. It’s not something you should always avoid, and it’s not something you should always do. Characters of any gender can have any physical traits or fashion choices that you want.
Some cis lesbians have top surgery due to a complicated relationship to gender, but are still cis lesbians.
Some cis men have breasts for a variety of reasons
Some cis women wear mens clothes, and some cis men wear womens clothes despite identifying as cis.
So your trans characters should be given the same thought. WOULD this character have breasts? WOULD this character dress more masculine, feminine, or right in the middle? Do they have a square chin, a defined forehead, circular eyes, etc.
I am a cis lesbian. True that my wife is trans, but that’s only ONE opinion I can directly consult and it’s more important to ask an *actual* trans person about design choice so you have a more varied and nuanced response. I can only give you second-hand information and my own opinions, which will never be as informative as someone who is actually the subject of your question (same goes for drawing certain races, disabilities, etc).
If you wanna talk about drawing fat people WOOHOO I’ve got you covered, but at the end of the day I’m cis. I’m not gonna be able how to draw trans people respectfully or give you the ‘okay’ to portray them a certain way. I just spit up my own designs and some advice you can take or leave.
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