What's With The Ribcages ?
polycounter lvl 12
Hey mates, I always wondered. But don't forget I am not from an art background.
When people make characters, especially females, they just can't stop but almost exeggerate the ribcage.
It almost seems to turned it into a fetish at this point, or at least it seems to me. I can literally count the ribs on a model by just looking at it almost." One two three... on the other side one two three... Yes she has enough ribs. Passed"
On a personal note, I don't even like rib cages. To me they neither look beautiful nor work as intended.
They always seemed like a last-minute stop-gap measure of nature. They are the first bones to break on your body on serious hits. They splatter and cause even greater damage inside. And they are hard as hell to repair.
So what is the thing that eludes me if anything does ? Also we can talk on other body parts or anatomy in general in an artistic way also.
When people make characters, especially females, they just can't stop but almost exeggerate the ribcage.
It almost seems to turned it into a fetish at this point, or at least it seems to me. I can literally count the ribs on a model by just looking at it almost." One two three... on the other side one two three... Yes she has enough ribs. Passed"
On a personal note, I don't even like rib cages. To me they neither look beautiful nor work as intended.
They always seemed like a last-minute stop-gap measure of nature. They are the first bones to break on your body on serious hits. They splatter and cause even greater damage inside. And they are hard as hell to repair.
So what is the thing that eludes me if anything does ? Also we can talk on other body parts or anatomy in general in an artistic way also.
Replies
As for reasons why you might be able to see ribs in a lot of art, there are a few:
Here are a couple examples of where you can see ribs because of very low body fat/muscle mass:
Here are a couple of images where no ribs are visible, but the serratus and other muscles are very prominent and look a bit like ribs:
And here's an example where both prominent musculature and ribs are visible:
But seriously I'm getting tired of people shaming others for what they find attractive. Who cares if you find it weird and unnatractive? Go find artists making the things you like.
Regardless this seems like a good place to dump this exxcellent proko vid.
[ame]
Well that's pretty bleedin obvious. Maybe you would be more into zoidberg?
First I thought about that bu then again I didn't want to post someone's work here and trying to talk on it like I am a big shot. Bu you really nailed down what I was trying to say. Thanks
I am shaming only myself here mate. This is basically a "teach me" thread. Like I said in OP "I am not from an art background" and "What is the thing that eludes me" Basically I can not understand why it was held such a high regard. That is it.
My apologies if it sounded otherwise.
It isn't something held in high regard. I've never seen any artist ever focus on that aspect of a drawing over anything else.
So I think its a case of people looking at ref saying "okay x amount of ribs, sculpting 1, 2, 3..." Where really it should be more of looking at your reference and try to acheive the same shapes on the surface, not what we know is underneath! I'm guilty of this as much as anyone, just trying to fix these sorta bad habits myself. Also, a minor pet peeve of mine is how people so often choose to do inhumanly lean or muscular studies. I think its a lot cooler to do a slightly above average physique vs. a god like, impossibly to acheive sorta physique. Just my 2 cents on that.
(edit) The ref, of the muscular dude above for example is probably a bodybuilder who is stage ready. Meaning, he doesn't look like that year round, the water has been intentionally depleted and his body fat percentage is most likely much higher 90% of the time. Even bodybuilders don't usually walk around in that kind of condition year round, (I know because I compete myself). The irony of it all, while this guy has an incredibly lean muscular physique people often exaggerate this considerably further, which ends up looking cartoony or deformed. I think these kind of refs are good if you are going for this sorta extreme look, but probably its best to have more average body types to achieve realism.
I can't stand people drawing knees though. Personally If you put knees in your art, I've lost all respect. Also, the inside of an elbow is great but why bother, y'know?
Ribs protect all of your vital organs and, at the same time, can expand and contract to allow you to breath. Doesn't sound so last-minute to me. Sounds like a good evolutionary design to have. If they were any thicker and stronger, the ligaments that attach to the spine would have to be stronger, each thoracic vertebra would have to be larger to handle the joint stress, the cartilage and bursae would have to be thicker to compensate for the increased shock from larger moving masses, then your muscles would have to increase in size to compensate for the increased mass of it all. Suddenly we're all over 500lbs now and you've ruined jumping into swimming pools cannonball style forever. Way go to dude.
MMhm My kind of ribs...
Oh something I like to discuss all they !
I explained in OP. but let me elaborate a bit. The main idea I am trying to tell is:
Ribs barely can protect themselves let alone protect you vitals.
They are fragile as hell. If you are not a trained athlete or sportsman, or simply an everyday Joe or Jane. a good punch directly to your sides shatters at least one rib. There are few possible no other structure om your body that can be destroyed with such less force.
And believe me that is the "good part"
They are hard to repair as hell when "broken" (not cracked broken) because of their structure, shape and positioning. Have you ever seen in a hospital a broken rib being "replaced" so that docs can hold attachers around it ? There are two ways you either undergo an operation or a doc uses his/her hands from outside.
All I can tell you mate, just pray that they will choose operation and morphine you to moon so you won't remember anything. I know a couple of torture techniques that causes less pain then treating a real broken rib old way.
Oh by the way it is not over.
A real broken rib simply shatters, meaning it will be a free moving element(s) in your chest. Remember that your ribs are just near your lungs and heart ? Yep...
I googled "broken rib" first couple of links gave me results such a this:
Oh thanks nature. For giving me a protective part that tries to kill me the first chance it gets. At least it absorbs the damage right ?
Wait. You wot mate ? So what is the point of having a skeleton around my centermass that is the easiest part to get hit ? Nature, you 'avin a giggle mate ?
So this s... happens often ? Like sneezing or caughing ?
WHAT DA F.... NATURE ! Are you trying to kill me ?
OK I guess now I could express my thoughts on ribs
That is why I told "last minute stop gap measure" . It is like nature went:
" Oookaay, everything finished, lets send this design to production.... Wait the centermass is uncovered ?! Sh...e ! I forgot that completely. And the deadline is tomorrow..... Oh I know ! Let me put whatever I got left around it so at least it sounds like a good idea. OK ready. I am done !
You know what we can do better
Doesn't sound like last minute measure, does it?
It seems more like youre hung up on the concept of damage/pain/repair. Which to be blunt nature does not care about.
All bodies are engineered to try an maximize the odds of survival for as long as possible. If protecting your organs means that a very painful broken rib, then so be it. Yeah you're in pain but your heart hasnt been crushed so you will survive. What if the rib doesnt heal correctly? Doesnt matter, you can still survive.
There's always the vertebrae, but from what I hear I'd much rather break a rib than my spinal column.