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The Art of Drawing Fantasy Characters Discover step-by-step techniques for drawing aliens, vampires, adventure heroes, and more PDF

2010·100.16 MB·English
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Characters E Discover step-by- step techniques for drawing aliens, vampires, adventure heroes, and more F By Jacob Glaser eS Sh, IS ee ~ ees RASS aa The Art of Drawing Fantasy Characters © 2010, 2011 Walter Foster Publishing, Inc. Artwork on cover, back cover, and pages 1-144 © 2010 Jacob Glaser. Artwork on page 8 (shapes and forms) © 2007, 2010 Christopher Speakman. All reserved. Walter Foster is a registered trademark. Digital edition: 978-1-61059-821-7 Softcover edition: 978-1-60058-166-3 This book has been produced to aid the aspiring artist. Repro- duction of the work for study or finished art is permissible. Any art produced or photomechanically reproduced from this publica tion for commercial purposes is forbidden without written consent from the publisher, Walter Foster Publishing, Inc. WoRT65 432 Ree RN ug The Art of Drawing Fantasy Characters GETTING STARTED SAWN. for- sence erame reset Tools & Materials 6 The Elements of Drawing 8 Basic Pencil Techniques 9 Creating Textures 10 Perspective Basics u SCIENCE FICTION. .....020ee20000eee Gray Alien 4 Ray Gun 1s Brain in Jar 20 Android 2 Alien Lord 26 Space Hero 28 Alien Beast 32 borg, aa Space Pope 36 Starfighter Pilot 40 Robot Altack Pod cP Alien Heroine 4 Alien Trucker 48 Space Sword Mystic 50 Sidekick 34 HORROR CHARACTERS. .....0.sesesceeeeee ees 56 Frankenstein's Monster 38 Vampire 62 Zombie ot Witch 66 Mummy 70 Evil Scientist n Werewolf 76 Grim Reaper 78 Succubus 80 Hell Hound 82 Boogeyman 86 Man-Fating Plant 88 Banshee on Cthulhu oF Masked Maniac 8 ADVENTURE CHARACTERS ....ss00eeeereeee++ 100 ‘Young Hero 102 Evil Sorcerer lot Gnome Dragon Slayer 108 Druid m2 Swordsman es Drow 11s barharian Wartior bo Jester ip) Blacksmith 126 Maiden 128 Archer 132 King of the Dwarves 1+ Black Knight 136 Undead Warrior 138 Avenging Angel 10 CHAPTER 1 Getting Started In this book, I'l showcase my process of drawing characters and props from three speculative fictional traditions: science fiction, horror, and fantasy or adventure. Fach genre has its own unique conyentions and characters that populate movies, television shows, videogames, and literature. I have chosen various archetypes and icons from each genre and developed them to illuminate at least one way of approaching character illustration I prefer to do most of the basic work in the concept sketch or thumbnail stage, but for the purposes of this book, I work at full size so you can see the complete process, The best way to increase your ability to make convincing drawings is to continually study the world around you, especially human anatomy. I have also found great value in studying the processes of other artists, and I hope that seeing mine will be helpful to you Sg yt 5 : ue One of the best things about drawing is that you can draw anywhere, anytime with just a piece of paper, an eraser, and a pencil, As your skills increase, you'll mostly likely want to expand your drawing tools, but it’s best for beginners to just start with the basics. When you do start to purchase more supplie: remember that you get what you pay for, so purchase the best you can afford at the time and upgrade whenever possible. Although anything that will make a mark can be used for some type of drawing, youll want to make certain your magnificent efforts will last and not fade over time. Also remember that everyone has his or her own preferences, and that experimentation is key. Here are some basic materials that will get you off to a good start. Work Station You dont need stun to draw, but fsa good iden to srt ap aon aren will good fghting and enough rao for you to work an iy oul your tus When drawing at night you can use a of white ight bulb anda cool wit Muoescent ight so that you fave buth warm (yen) and vol (ue) High You alo nee a comarabl char and w ‘Sketch Pads Conveniently bound table (preferably near a window for natural light). You may also want to purchase a drawing, drawing pads come inawide 5 board hat con be acusted olferent eights and angles, © shown Shove. Sete of sieht ‘weighs and bindings. Tey setreinssi Poay Vinyt Artist's Erasers Diferent erasers seve for making quick sketches and aay different functions. | prefer a knewded Shes dani cutiaas (atie fag erase, hh can be oe small sea large steteboakin the tudo r wedges nd pls emore marin {or laying outa painting, or take a small one with you for recording quick impressions when you travel. Smaoth- ‘tn medium grain paper texture (called the “tooth isan ideal choice. very tny areas, Lalso use a hard plastic eraser, which s great fr large areas. At we sum erasers are sv0d for doing 3 lot ot erasing, as they crumble easily ané are Act gum lassikely to darvae the paper's surface, Kneaded Drawing Papers or finished pe ‘eraser ‘works of at, using single sheets of drating paper is best. They ae available in a range of Sharpeners You'll always want to keep surface textures; smooth grain aN a pencil sharpener handy, as you'll need a (plate and hot pressed), medium ™ ‘sharp point to make crisp, clean lines. An fr old esd andor siete shrpene ee sed bat any sie othe nes veil pacer toe Ta or fosametn atts Mouth. ouch tenses ates Shaper ou pels yale good surtace for a variety of if by rubbing it against rough drawing poner Ferent dravring techniques, ‘ora sandpaper black Charcoal Papers Charcoal Light Table Light tables vary pase and tables re aso wal ~ in sieand ease of use, tom able ina variety of textures. light ap-ortabie-top models to Some ofthe surface fishes are ‘the zoo pan steel ons cute pronounced, and you can ; hae in my studio. They are very Use them tenhance the tecure , useful for tracing dranings onto inyouréravings. These papers hee clean sheets of papet and for also came ina variety f cles, = f . composing matform ilustra ‘hich cana depth and visual tion, For those ona buege, interest to your drawings, c recommend usinga are win- es dow (simply tape your sketch y the window wilh the clean sheet on top oft, and Wace aay. This an be uncomfortable, though, and reuires davighs Pencus Drawing pencils are classified by the hardness of the lead (actually graphite), which is indicated by a letter. The soft leads (abeled “B” for “black") make dense, black marks, and the hard leads (labeled “HU” for “hard*) produce very fine, light gray lines An HB is somewhere between the two, making it very versatile A number accompanies the letter to indicate how hard ot soft iL isthe higher the number, the harder or sulter the pencil. (For example, a 4B is softer than a 2B.) In this book, | switch between a 2H and a 2B pencil, but every artist as his or her own. preferences. Any of the leads cant be sharpened to the point you want (as shown at right), achieving a different effect. The result will also depend on the texture of your paper. Practice shaping different points and creating different effects with each pencil by varying the pressure you put on the pencil Pen Input Device Wher choosing a pen input device, hase your derision an levels oF sensitivity and personal comfort. luse a medium-sized Wacnm® tablet and would nat want anything larger, though | krow several artists who use the smallest and largest tab lets available. I'sa choice of personal style and comfur DicitaL Paintine You'll notice that 1 dou't provide step-by-step instructions far the colored finals in this book; instead, | comment on my color choices. I chose not to include exact instructions because all software progeams are different andl all artists will use them differently, so it won't help to explain my process with my program, But to me, talking about color choice is always helpful There are many complicated brushes, textures, and gadgets to experiment with, but [find that the most uselul brush is a basic shape, like a circle ot ellipse, that has the ability to easily control opacity, size, and the brush edge (the “hardness” and “sofmess” of the stroke). ‘The fundamentals of painting with physical media such as watercolor and acrylic also apply to digital painting— especially in regard to color theory (see “Color Basics” at right)—so learning them will help you become a stranger digital artist as well 1B, sharp point 1B, ound point HB An HB with a sharp point produces cris lines an offers ‘300d control. With around aoint, you can make sightly thicker ines and shade small areas. ——————— ‘at paint a Fiat sketching Flat For wider strokes, use the atiened point of 4B. A large, flat sketching pencils great fr shading large areas, but the Sharp, chiseled edge can he used ta make thinner lines no. PAINTING SOFTWARE AND PEN INPUT DEVICES ‘Many projects in this book include a painted fal, which I create using painting software. Several products exist to simulate the experience of painting for digital artists; | can't imagine a more forgiving environment in which to learn and experiment with color, value, line, and composition. Youll need access to a computer with a monitor that ean display good levels of values and. colors, as well as painting soliware and a pen input device, There are many options for painting software, including Corel Painter® and Aclobe Photoshop®. Both are great programs backed by teams that continue to ituprove their stability, creative options, and ease of use, While painting with a mouse is possible and the results can be impressive, you won't get the most out of your painting software withaut a pen input device, which allows you to use an electronic pen as you would a pencil or brush. Cotor Basics Color theory is an extremely broad topic, so Tl just touch on the absalute basics. ‘the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue; all other colors are derived from these. A combination of prima colors results in a secondary color, such as purple. green, or orange; and a combination of a primary and a secondary color results in a tertiary color (like red-orange or yellow-green). Pairing, complements such as red and green results in a striking contrast that can add excitement to a painting, However, when mixed, complementary colors “gray” each other, resulting in a neutral color such as gray or brown, Colors are also considered either cool or warm, which helps express mood. Warm colors—reds, oranges, and yellows—are. assaciated with passion, energy, and anger; whereas cool colors—blues, greens, and purples—evoke a sense of peacefulness and melancholy. The Elements of Drawing Drawing consists of three elements: line, shape, and form. The Shape of an object can be described with simple one-dimensional line. The three-dimensional version of the shape is known as the object's “form.” In pencil drawing, variations in value (the relative lightness or darkness of black or a color) describe form, giving an object the illusion of depth, In pencil drawing, values range from black (the darkest value) through different shades of gray to white (the lightest value). To make a two-dimensional object appear three-cimensional, you must pay attention to the values of the highlights and shadows. When shading a subject, you must always consider the light source, as this is what determines where your highlights and shadows will be. Movine From SHAPE To FoRM The first step when creating an object is 10 establish a fine drawing to delineate the flat area that the object takes up. This is, known as the “shape” of the abject. The four basic shapes—the rectanle, circle, Iriangle, and square—can appear tw be three- dimensional by adding a few carefully placed lines that suggest additional planes. By adcling ellipses to the rectangle, cixcle, and Lriangle, you've given the shapes dimen: and have begun to produce a form within space. Now the shapes are a cylinder, sphere, and cone, Add a second square above and to the side of the first square, connect them with parallel lines, and you have a cuhe Rectangle Gircte cylinder ans Triangle Square f Cone Cube ADDING VALUE To CREATE FORM A shape can be lurther defined by showing how light hits the object to create highlights and shadows. First note from which direction the source of light is coming, (In these examples, the light source is beaming from the upper right.) Then add the shadows accordingly, as shown in the examples below. The core shadow is the darkest area on the object and is opposite the light source. The cast shadow is what is thrown onto a nearby surface by the abject. The highligh’ is the lightest area an the abject, where the reflection of light is strongest. Reflected light, aften overlooked by beginners, is surrounding light tha is reflected inta the shadowed area of an object Highlight Hightignt Core Cast shadow Gast shadow shadow Highlight Highlight Gast shadow Cast shadow ; SEE Basic Pencil Techniques You can create an incredible variety of effects with a pencil. By using various hand positions and shading techniques, you can produce a world of different stroke shapes, lengths, widths, and weights, Ifyou vary the way you hold the pencil, the mark the pencil makes changes, It’s just as important to notice your pencil point. The shape of the tip is every bit as essential as the type of lead in the pencil. Experiment with different hand positions and techniques to see what your pencil can do! GRIPPING THE PENCIL Muny artists use wo main hand positions for drawing, The writing position is good for very detailed work that requires fine hand. control. The underhand position allows for a freer stroke with more arm movement—the motion is almost like painting, (See the captions below for more information on using both hand positions.) Using the Writing Position This familiar postion provices the most control, The accu-. _Uslng the Underhand Position Pick up the pencil with your hand overt, holding the rate, precise lines that result are perfet for rendering fine details and accents, Whea your pencil between the thumb ard index finger; the remaining fingers can rest alongside the hand sin this pasitinn, place a lean sheet of paper under your hand ta prevent smudging. pencil, You ean create beautiful shading fers rom this position, PRACTICING BASIC TECHNIQUES by studying the basic pencil techniques helow, you can learn to render everything from the rough, wrinkled skin of @ monster to the soft, smooth hair of a tower-hound maiden, Whatever techniques you use, though, remember to shade evenly. Shading in a mechanical, side-to-side direction, with each stroke ending below the last, can create unwanted bands of tone throughout the shacled area. Instead, try shading evenly in a back-ancl-forth motion aver the same area, varying the spot where the pencil point changes direction. io RE a ce Hatching This basic method of shading involves filing _-—-Crosshatching Fo darker shading, place layers of paral--Gradating To.create gradated values (om daukto ight, sn area with a series of parallel strokes, The closer the lel stokes on to9 of one another at varying angles. Again, apply heavy pressure with the sie of your pen, gracually Sroka, the darker the tone wil be make darker values by placing the strokes closer together, lightening the pressure as you stoke. Shading with Texture Fora mottled texure, use the Blending To smooth out the transitions between stokes, Sic ofthe pencil tp to apply small uneven strokes gently uh the lines with a blending rol or tissue, 1 you can create dar, linear areas of shading,

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