#deformity

Sorta-kinda a fuck-ton of human deformity drawing references.

Like the alien reference post, I’m gonna talk through half of this.

Human deformity has a considerable range. It goes from birth defects to disease, accident-inflicted to aesthetical purposes. When most people hear “deformity,” they think of being born distorted, like the elephant man or conjoined twins. But disease (genetic or otherwise) is also a main cause where skin, bones, organs, etc. warp over time. This includes getting pustules and boils, muscles caving, bones twisting, and loss of capability in some way. There’s also inflicted deformities, such as being in an accident, being attacked (such as Middle Eastern women who have acid thrown in their faces, causing permanent deformity at times), and self-prescribed deformity. Stretching the neck with neck coils, flattening/lengthening the skull, plastic surgery, and Chinese foot binding are good examples of aesthetic deformity. Even piercings that alter the typical corporeal structure are considered deformity.

There’s really no rules on how to draw deformities. Unless you have a certain disease or cause in mind (in which case it’s best to search for images and what the disease is doing to cause that so you know how it develops), deformity has no rules.

It may be pretty, it may be hideous. If we’re being realistic… should someone have a deformity of sorts, it won’t be what most people consider “beautiful.” It’s quite often something people look twice at, not gloss over. Keep in mind that natural deformity is unique; one of a kind. It will not be something that people will let pass in a beauty pageant, most of the time (unless the people who run the pageant care more about inner beauty, but, come on, people are too superficial for that). It’s quite often not gonna be gift-wrapped like Deadpool or Quasimodo(Disney version). And it most certainly won’t be like that dumbass movie where the guy had a facial “deformity” and couldn’t get chicks, but a fairy magically gave him beauty or whatever (people, that movie commercial pissed me off, ‘cause that’s not what actual deformity is like, visually). If you want to capture true deformity, it will be like the elephant man or something of the sorts. Watch Mask (the movie starring Cher). That’s more accurate.

Deformity can also impede normal actions. People can be born without limbs or organs. There are people born without mouths, eyes, or even certain lobes in the brain. If your character has such a deformity, think about how the person overcame/worked with the obstacle. Did they get surgery? Did they learn a new way to do certain tasks? Do they get to deal with it at all or are they just stuck not being able to do certain things? Also, do remember that not every deformity is visible. It can be something very small and simple, like something not forming right in the ear canal, making the person deaf. What if your character is deaf and has advanced arthritis, so he/she won’t be able to use sign language? How do they deal? Are they a Stephen Hawking or a hermit/shut-in? BUT do realize that a deformity can also give them capabilities that the average person doesn’t have, too!

Understand the mindset of someone who has a deformity. When designing a character who is deformed, know what the individual’s principles of their deformity are. Are they proud? Ashamed? Do they not notice it? Do they not leave the house because of it? When people feel ashamed of themselves, they go to great lengths to cover up the point of discomfort. And there are people who could give a fuck what they look like, so they wear their branded issues on their sleeve. Is the person gonna be hunched over to hide themselves, or will they be erect and moving fluidly?

Again, sorry for posting a reference without actual drawing tutorials, but, alas, no one draws how-tos for deformity. It’s like the alien post; deformities are too diverse to peg.

So I suggest you watch some movies (besides that really stupid one), or go to YouTube where people dress up in a way that they look really deformed and record public reactions so you grasp the mindset. I had a friend (who is slightly deformed) help me write this post, so this is pretty legit. Again, sorry there were no good deformity drawing references. Honestly, it’s best for you to understand the average human body, then begin molding it from there. And like I said, it can be pretty much anything you want, as many deformities have no set rules. Hope this helps somebody somewhere.