I wanted to work out a warrior pose. I made many drafts, looking for inspiration. I tried to keep what worked and get rid of what didn't, which is the heart of the drafting process. However as I drafted, I found I was getting farther away from the concept in my mind's eye. This happens, and it's maddening.
I resorted to image study. Fortunately, the Internet has many images that I can use for reference. I started with boxing and martial arts, which covered the first set of poses. Then I looked at martial-arts inspired heroes: ninjas, Hong Kong cinema, Batman, and so on. Then more superheroes: Superman (not much of a croucher), Spiderman, The Mighty Thor, Wonder Woman.
Finally, I referenced the Silver-Age Captain America and got my "yes" pose. Took long enough, and it makes me wonder if the project will be worthwhile.
The key was to turn the foot stance so that the character approaches the camera three-dimensionally. That is another requirement of the comic-book warrior pose, that illusion of visual depth. Although I was finding more dynamic and open lines for my poses, they were also becoming flatter and flatter with every new draft. Finally, I recalled that in my original thoughts, the character should be attacking the camera for the greatest effect. I whistled off the "yes" pose and finally have the look of the character match my imagination.
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