Transformation Tips! (Patreon)

So I received an anonymous question asking how I draw transformations as well as I do and they wondered if I had any tips. I though it turned out decently so I've decided to repost it here for you guys, maybe it'll help someone here out :B

So all of this is just my opinion - I’m just one tf artist in a very large pool of people who all learned this differently, and I’m sure there are different opinions on the subject.

That said, yes, I do have some tips!

Figuring out what makes a tf image attractive is difficult because a lot of the same things that make any other type of art better will also make your tf art better. Have a strong attention to details, solid linework flow, respect staging, and having a strong understanding of anatomy are all really important.

But to me the best ways to improve a tf image are to have a strong understanding of how to tell stories visually and to learn how to convey action.

So what does that mean?

Storytelling is how well an image visually conveys what is going on. It’s the subtle cues that change a scenes context without having to add much.

Clothing can tell us a lot about who it is that’s being transformed and how quickly it’s progressing. It can also set a tone for our story.

Circumstance can clue us in to things like urgency and give us a strong feeling for the ramifications of the change.

A response can indicate what kind of tf this is, is she changing willingly for us?

Or is she being turned against her will.

Something as simple as how a character reacts to something can give us a feeling of what kind of person they are, forming a slightly deeper connection than nude contextless character on no background.

And don’t misunderstand, I love doodling my nude contextless tf’s on white backgrounds!

But these are all very small details that make a big impact in how your art will resonate. A tf into a vixen dressed in a business suit is a completely different tf than a completely nude vixen tf on an empty background. This is why some of the most reposted/remembered TF’s aren’t the best drawn ones, but often simply drawn imageboard doodles with a strong understanding of visual storytelling behind them. They make you ask “why isn’t this character being developed into a 60 page comic.”

Images that do this well will stick in your head forever.

And the context can be as subtle or as obvious as you like. As long as you put some thought into it, you’ll ensure that your viewers stop to put a little more thought into it too, even in single images. It becomes just a bit more than visual eye-candy, it becomes a story.

As for the second thing, I think I find a lot of tf art ignores how important ACTION is to transformation themed stuff!

And no, I don’t mean fight sequences between girls with big spears and skimpy armor. I mean, I do mean that. But what I also mean is the act of conveying realistic responses to what is usually an overwhelming, traumatic, terrifying, erotic, euphoric, and all the other emotions that make tf so interesting, experience.

It’s in the name itself - “duh, tf is something turning into something else” - but I think it’s one of the most often ignored aspects of tf art!

Often emotions aren’t congruous or characters limbs are posed in confusing ways that don’t match their emotional response. The character don’t feel like they are being changed into an animal because the artist isn’t utilizing strong lines of action or injecting that feeling of “power” into their art.

I think the reason I emphasize this so much is that I actually started art through painting and very loose figure drawing, trying to capture poses first and ignoring details. Lots of silhouettes, mountains of them!

I actually went to school for animation, so a big part of my learning was trying to capture key poses, which mean pushing everything so that it accurately reflected the intensity of each emotion I needed to hit. Strong lines of action, good silhouettes, positive and negative shapes that read well, good camera placement.

A mid-tf transformation pose is basically the climax of your “animation” - you would take this image, draw the first image and the last image, and everything in between those would build up or fall down from that peak. Here’s a person turning into an animal and this is their story!

And no, it isn’t applicable to every sequence, sometimes the action is at the end - but the general idea that your poses should represent the energy and emotions involved is the key idea that is important to understand.

Learning to convey tension, that moment before things explode into the action.

The height of action, when energy levels are at their climax.

Giving the impression of “power” through a pose.

So you aren’t just reading desperation in a text bubble.

You could leave the text bubbles out entirely.

And you can feel it! :V

Whether you are doing a comic, a sequence, an animation, or a single image the most important part of a tf is that it conveys something happening to someone - a change - and you make it felt.

That’s all my opinion anyway, feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree :B