Most print cartoonists draw ears the way Don Martin drew them above.
It's a "C" within a "C", or a lower case "a" within a "C."
For caricatures and more realistic characters the "C" isn't enough. For those the more high class "Y" within the ear shape is necessary.
Some poor souls are born without the "Y!"
"Y"-less ears aren't very common, thank heaven.
I've seen so many boxing movies that cauliflower ears actually look good to me.
Most ears slope a bit. I think mine are like that.
Some, like Lyndon Johnson's, are vertical. Sometimes the vertical ones come with exaggerated lobes (above) and tons of ear hair. Ear hair is too big a subject to tackle here subject so I'll have to leave that for later when I can give it a seperate post.
Gee, this guy has lost his "Y." What's left is a puffy disappointment that doesn't deserve the noble name, "ear." Is this what happens when you get older? Are we all destined to loose definition there?
Big ears (above) aren't linked to the face at the lobe so they stick way out. These are noble ears that indicate poetic intelligence in the owner.
Another ear (above) without a fully-formed "Y." I include it here because the major chambers of the ear are symmetrical. Look at it, the top and bottom alcoves are the same size. This may be without meaning...on the other hand the person might be the Antichrist.
A number of how-to-draw books put the ear near the middle of the head. I don't know about that.
An awful lot of people are like Kali, with the ear favoring the back of the head. Well, that's enough science for now.
Let's have an ear beauty contest!
ReplyDeleteI used to have cauliflower ear from wrestling in high school. Its the most painful/tender thing to happen to your ears. If it gets bad enough, a doctor will drain the fluid from them. A coach I had basically had it so bad, he couldnt even fit those little ear headphones in his ears.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I have taxi door ears. But then again, better to have those than cauliflower ears.
ReplyDeleteBTW, part two of my Popeye post is up, Edd.
Once again, a blog post at the right time. I have been struggling lately with drawing ears for my characters. For the longest time, I have been drawing C's with a T shape within. Now I am trying to get the ears to hang off the head. I have been looking at those life-drawing images where the ears are in the middle of the head for a long time. Lately, I have been thinking about how Al Hirschfeld drew his swirled ears, which I love.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this, Mr. Fitzgerald.
I think the most unsettling thing ever is when a person's ears are too high! It gives them a predatory look, like a hyena or dingo or something! I think the scary robot guy from Terminator 2 has that problem. Gives me the shivers!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I totally love taxicab ears on girls. For years I have wanted bigger ears so they would stick out of my hair! But my ears are super tiny and pathetic! Ears deserve more attention from artists! I'm going to draw them with more respect from now on!
"Big ears aren't linked to the face at the lobe so they stick way out. These are noble ears that indicate poetic intelligence in the owner."
ReplyDeleteOh thank god!
Wow, Uncle Eddie, I got impressed, you (the spumco-guys) are really anatomy professors...I like that. Best wishes!!!
ReplyDeleteBruce: Very, very nice Fleischer article on your blog! Thanks for putting that together. That'll be a resource people will refer to years!
ReplyDeleteKatie: That actor DID have a predatory look but I couldn't figure out why. So that's it!
ReplyDeleteEars are sooo much fun! I remember having an ear drawing assignment in Kindergarten.
ReplyDeleteWe have a proud tradition of ears in my family. Everyone has distinctive lobes. I am so proud of my wind catchers that I got myself nice ruby red casings for my hearing aides when I ordered new ones.
I noticed you didn't get into the folks who don't have a separation between the back of the jaw and their lower ear lobe. I have tried drawing that and I can never get it to feel right. It either feels like something's missing or they are deformed. A fault of my own I'm sure. It can't be that these people are freaks.
The variety is stunning though.
Oh, Katie! You have a great idea. we should all have an ear parade! A new lobe on our blogs and then a cartoon of our ear. Love Letters to Lobes!
I almost have vulcan ears, only I don't have the pointy tips. plus I don't have a curve at my bottom lobe it connects directly to the side of my head (I have no "c" curve, yay!).
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ReplyDeleteI "heard" that Ronald Reagan was into touching other peoples ear lobes. Again I only heard such a story, I heard this story just after he died. His son however is the one that told this story.
ReplyDeleteSee Blue Velvet by David Lynch it´s great. All the film it´s a about an undidley ear.
ReplyDeleteDraw an ear it´s more like draw an sound monostereo introduction or pre-sound, jeje.
Chido loco.
You like my ear Eddie???? Aw, shucks!
ReplyDeleteArgh! Now that you’ve made me stop to think about it, I can’t remember how I draw ears! I think I drew the stuff inside the ear in the shape of a 9. :-)
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