First post here not sure what I'm doing. Learning art at an age older than I'd like to admit after years of slacking on my studies. What are some examples of artwork that you find extremely erotic and why? Is it the texture, angle, the mood? Personally I find the best part of an artwork is when it can convey a sexy story without saying a word, or sometimes just the shapes an artist uses can make the magic happen.
Topic: What makes some of these pieces "erotic" to you?
Posted under Art Talk
Textures, angles, anatomy. When something hangs just right and you know exactly how it'd feel in your hand. I love when something is at an angle or has little details that imply close, careful, intimate observation of the character.
It's seemingly insignificant little details that show things interacting, but can really be summarized as "things squishing other things." Elastic bands on thigh-highs squishing the thigh just enough to make an indent, fingers squishing the body where they happen to be touching - either lightly or deeply, as long as it's depicted. Parts of the body smushing against each other to the point that the drawn line dividing them tapers to nothing. (That's style-dependent, though.)
Stuff in that vein, that's the good shit, and learning/practicing the interacting kind can help get you to where your subjects look like they're interacting and aren't just posed next to each other.
People are massive perverts for narrative context. I think things that contextualise the events of the image and suggest any kind of relationship between the characters participating or show how the characters feel can make an artwork feel a lot more erotic and intimate. Things like a character giving somewhat nervous and sheepish body language as they present themselves to their partner, or one member using pet names for another. Things like that which suggest the events in artwork are part of a larger story. It makes the scenario more fleshed out and allows you to immerse yourself in it more.
Maybe related, just showing that the characters are enjoying themselves helps a lot. I think this idea underpins things like breeding fetish. A character begging to be impregnated shows that they're having a great time and trust their partner enough to let them cum inside, regardless of whether they actually want children.
If you're more focused on visuals specifically, demonstrating the weight and physics of the body makes it a lot more believable and alluring, like regsmutt and sloppyheadwind mentioned. This is more personal preference, but I like it when characters have "imperfections". Moles, scars, stretch marks, asymmetrical breasts, cellulite, veins, you name it. Obviously porn gravitates towards idealised bodies but those little details add a lot of personality to a character.
Some examples from my favourites for those points...
Notice how her breasts aren't very spherical at all but rather rest on her belly. It demonstrates to you that they have weight. On top of that, take note of her expression and body language. She seems nervous, which suggests she's not used to exposing herself. Some people find stuff like that cute, which makes it more appealing.
Much more exaggerated proportions here but the same idea. They come down to rest on her lap and even slide off her thigh. Physics at play.
Monochrome drawing, but you can see lots of cellulite, stretch marks, and veins on her breasts. The cellulite and stretch marks give a stronger sense of texture to her body. You can almost imagine your fingers running along or against the ridges. Don't worry about the logic of how any of those features would show through fur.
Authenticity and a sort of casual-ness. Like, a fairly realistic or normal scenario that isn't over the top, it makes it sincere. Effort is also hot, like if a small character takes a big dick up the ass it requires effort on their part instead of it magically sliding in.
Shape language is also something that's important. The shapes you use will create the vibe the character gives off. A softer character would generally look more round, for example, while a more angular character will look harder, if that makes sense. Think like a femboy vs. a jacked guy.
Lighting and colors (if applicable) will also create the mood in a piece and really sell the scenario. It's similar to the effect shape language will have, but more for the overall mood. This also applies to things like line weight, which show forms in a different way.
Also pay attention to how much detail is allocated where. If you add a lot, the character will look closer to to a horror image, and if you make the character very simple, it may look object-like or like a mascot (neither of which are incorrect, but they may not be what you're going for).
To wrap it all together in an example of how I go about drawing Eevee using these principles as I've drawn him a lot (though it's my personal experience and preferences, I'm a pretty bad artist so take it all with a grain of salt):
- Eevee is a cute character and I generally adhere to cute = sexy, so I use lots of round shapes to emphasize cuteness. However, I add some extra details like often a dewclaw, some extra folds/creases where appropriate, and add a tiny bit more detail to the paws to show he's something organic and more grounded in reality.
- To further make him look soft, I use lots of smooth lighting that doesn't usually heavily contrast. I choose vibrant colors and warm shadows (although this is not usually physically accurate, mind you) to emphasize the cuteness. Lines are usually kept thin or subtle to emphasize softness/roundness.
- Detail is kept down overall, however, as adding too much complexity would ruin the cute aspect.
Updated
- Cuteness or tooniness
- Casualness
- Arousal
- Bonus points for sheepish embarrassment
- Lewd dialogue
- Taking place outside helps a lot. Or at least, the universe needs CONTEXT. Either through dialogue or by drawing a proper non-abstract background.
Lowkey, I might just be describing a voyeurism kink more than anything. It feels like there's a presupposition that erotic ≠ hot so nobody just posts "dick" or "kinky", but since I'm less romantically inclined, I'm not sure there's a massive distinction for me.
post #4710265 post #4744758 post #4815243 post #4639255