An artistry question

[manticore has left]

Hi, guys. I do a little sketching in my spare time, and I had a question I would like some opinions on. For some time I have wanted to sketch female characters, and I want to know: is there anything inherently bad in doing that?

On the upside, I would be creating artwork that is a lot less sexual than many other artists out there. I am not interested in depicting girls in a dehumanizing way at all. I still have two issues with pursuing this action, though: for one, I would certainly be dealing with a lot of lustful desires and would be definitely exposing myself to a lot of opportunity for sin. Secondly, I don't know how exactly I plan to glorify God by sketching women. As far as I know, I am interested in doing this just because I want to draw beautiful women, but that's all I've got so far.

However, I am not sure if there are more problems (or benefits) I should be aware of. That's where you guys come in: can you tell me why I should or should not draw women?

Thanks. biggrin  

[Haisieo Cross]

In all honesty, you said you had no intention of drawing demoralizing pictures of the women.If they aren't in a sexual or demoralized position, then I do not see how the pictures themselves would induce lust.So long as you don't give into any desire to do so.But hey, we're not perfect.We're here on this earth because we will sin inevitably.It's just best to keep it to a minimum and show your metal in resistance to temptation.

 

[Blaise-Ingram]

As an artist and a Christian myself, I feel like I can hopefully lead you in the right direction towards giving you an answer. I don't feel like I can give you the precise answer itself, but I'm hoping I can at least lead you there and make you think.
I'm about to graduate college with a BFA, and right now I work as a concept artist for a small company. So I've been drawing and doing artsy things for years upon years, as you can probably imagine. smile

As long as you draw respectfully, and your intention is not to do anyone harm or intentionally lead them (or yourself) to sin, and remember that the human body, whether male or female, is to be respected in all ways, you should be fine.

There is nothing wrong with portraying something that is beautiful, as long as it is done in an honorable manner.

If you feel like simply drawing someone of the opposite sex will lead you to temptation, I will admit that maybe you should step back and think about it for a bit. Think about WHY you believe that could happen. Think about WHY you want to draw and create pictures, and how you can do so while still being respectful and honorable to the human body and the Lord.

If you can't draw someone of the opposite sex without getting your lust under control, then you might have some other kind of problem you might want to confront. Such as simple self-control, or medical conditions such as hormone imbalance, or something along those lines. Feeling those feelings isn't a sin, per se, but they would definitely be misplaced feelings if you think you're going to feel lusty just by simply drawing the shape of a girl or a woman. What would you do if you saw a really pretty woman in real life? Would you lose your self-control then, and sin from that, too?

I can look at nude figures all day and not feel "tempted", but that's because I'm not looking at them to use them as objects of sexual desire, but instead I'm using them to learn about musculature and anatomy so I can learn to portray the human shape more realistically. There's ALWAYS an "opportunity for sin", in every second of our lives. You just have to recognize those bad opportunities, and not take them.

For example, here's my portfolio: http://steviegalliart.daportfolio.com/gallery/773648#2
As a woman, you'll see there that I draw both women AND men, and I don't fear drawing either, nor does it lead me towards sinning because of it... The opposite sex exists and they're human just as much as I am, and so I choose to respect and honor that by not avoiding drawing them.
I'm choosing to glorify God by using my ability to create, and by not drawing porn or anything that dishonors Him.

Like I said, I can't give you a definitive answer, as some people may be more prone to temptation than others, but think about it. We're all human here, and like the other poster said, if you have no intention of drawing demoralizing/objectifying/etc. pictures of women or using them for such purposes, I really don't see the problem in it.

Also, if you need some inspiration from some artists (most of which are male, except for two of them) who drew/draw beautiful women in a manner that is both respectful to women and others, here are some good ones (all TOTALLY different art styles, just so you know there's not ONE SET WAY to do things, like drawing women):
Alfons Mucha
Don Bluth
Nargyle
Jan Vermeer
Alexandr Pascenko
Catherine Lu

So yeah. I wish you good luck in all your arting endeavors, no matter how simple. smile  

[Hogwart Trojan]

There's no problem in drawing women at all. Take me for example, I draw women just to "see life itself" from my artistic hands. My way of improving artwork.
And the way you speak out your question sounds as if you want to draw beauties within, and that sounds like a good thing. So all I have to say is you got my support.