Drawing Superheroes Step by Step

ART INSTRUCTION | FIGURE DRAWING

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$19.95 US / $22.95 CAN

DRAWING SUPERHEROES STEP BY STEP

Christopher Hart is the world’s best-selling author of how-todraw books. His books have sold more than 6 million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages.

In his more than 50 titles, he offers artists accessible, generously illustrated, and clearly written step-by-step instruction on a wide variety of how-to-draw subjects, including manga, human anatomy, cartooning, comics, and animals. Learn more at christopherhartbooks.com.

Learn to draw the superhero powerhouses of today’s most exciting comics with step-bystep instruction from best-selling author Christopher Hart. In this action-packed guide, Chris covers the basics of drawing the bold faces and chiseled physiques of compelling superheroes, heroines, and supervillains, along with an essential cast of supporting characters. He then shows you how to create classic, dynamic action poses for your characters and how to place them within the perfect layout and composition. Truly comprehensive in scope, Drawing Superheroes Step

by Step delivers all the details on fine-tuning your comic book art, with tips and tutorials on light and shadow, costumes, splash page creation, and more. S o grab your pencil— and maybe your cape— and start drawing!

$19.95 US $22.95 CAN

THE COMPLETE GUIDE FOR THE ASPIRING COMIC BOOK ARTIST

Drawing superheroes is supereasy with Christopher Hart’s easy-to-follow instructions.

Inside, aspiring comic book artists will find: • A straightforward approach to drawing that covers the basics and beyond, with specific step-by-step tutorials that will have artists of all levels drawing immediately • A wide variety of characters to draw, including classic superheroes and superheroines, miscreants, mutants, monsters, and more • Advanced instruction on how to properly use foreshortening, thumbnail sketches, light and shadow, and expressions

THE COMPLETE GUIDE FOR THE ASPIRING COMIC BOOK ARTIST

• Key concepts for composing dynamic comic book layouts, such as how to create splash pages, position speech balloons, and achieve proper panel sequencing • Deeper concepts such as perspective, illusion of depth, casting shadows, and foreshortening

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THE COMPLETE GUIDE FOR THE ASPIRING COMIC BOOK ARTIST

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Editorial Director JOAN KRELLENSTEIN

Assistant Editor JACOB SIEFERT

Managing Editor LAURA COOKE

Design STUDIO2PT0, LLC

Art Director DIANE LAMPHRON

Production J. ARTHUR MEDIA

Vice President TRISHA MALCOLM

President ART JOINNIDES

Publisher CAROLINE KILMER

Chairman JAY STEIN

Production Manager DAVID JOINNIDES

Contributing Artists: DARRYL BANKS, WILL CONRAD, ANDY KUHN FABIO LAGUNA, LUIZ LIRA, PHIL MAY, GRANT MIEHM, FRANCISCO OLIVEIRA DE AMORIM, CESAR RAZEK, KEVIN SHARPE

Copyright © 2016 by Cartoon Craft, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storageand-retrieval systems—without written permission of the publisher.

The written instructions, photographs, designs, projects, and patterns are intended for the personal, noncommercial use of the retail purchaser and are under federal copyright laws; they are not to be reproduced in any form for commercial use. Permission is granted to photocopy content for the personal use of the retail purchaser.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Drawing superheroes step-by-step : the complete guide for the aspiring comic book artist / Christopher Hart. pages cm ISBN 978-1-942021-60-5 1. ART/Techniques/Drawing. 2. ART/Techniques/ Cartooning. 3. ART/Techniques/General.

NC1764.8.H47 H37 2016 743.8—dc23 2016004437 Manufactured in China 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 First Edition

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Dedicated to all the super-powered, aspiring artists who battle evil and messy pencil shavings! www.christopherhartbooks.com www.facebook.com/LEARN.TO.DRAW.CARTOONS www.youtube.com/chrishartbooks 5

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CONTENTS Introduction................................9 The Superhero Head.............11 The Basic Hero....................................... 12 The Basic Heroine.................................. 16 Understanding the Contours of the Face......................... 20 Comic Book-Style Features.................... 26 Different Head Shapes and Tilts............ 32 Popular Expressions............................... 34

The Superhero Body......... 37 The Skeleton Inside the Form................ 38 Simplifying the Body Construction....... 40 Hands..................................................... 42 Feet and Footwear................................. 44

Comic Book Foreshortening and Body Dynamics........ 47 Foreshortening Basics............................ 48 Flying at Us............................................ 50 Swinging and Leaping........................... 52 The Running Punch................................ 54 Getting Socked!..................................... 56 Balance and Momentum....................... 58 Thrust..................................................... 60 Shoulder and Hip Dynamics.................. 62

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The Good Guys.................. 65

Comic Book Lighting........ 109

Classic Crime-Fighters............................ 66

Light and Shadow................................ 110

Crime-Fighting Superheroine................ 68

Low-Lighting a Character.................... 112

Superhero in Flight................................ 70

Top-Lighting a Character..................... 113

Big Buddy............................................... 72

Long Shadows for Mood and Power.... 114

Supporting Characters........................... 74

Creating Contrast................................ 115 More Effects......................................... 116

Evil, and Loving It...................77 Death Ray............................................... 78 Natural-Born Killer................................. 80 Giant Clamp........................................... 82 Vampiress............................................... 84 Armed and Dangerous........................... 86 Vapor...................................................... 87 A Girl and Her Komodo Dragon............ 88 Bad to the Bone..................................... 89

Essential Comic Book Elements..............................119 The Splash Page................................... 120 Speech Balloons and Captions............ 130 Panel Sequencing................................ 132 Location, Location, Location............... 136

Index........................................ 142

Cyborg.................................................... 90 Killing Machine...................................... 91

Drawing Fierce Females 93 Not Just Another Pretty Face................. 94 Fierce From Any Angle: Profile and ž Views.......................... 96 The Planes of the Body.......................... 98 Knockout Poses...................................... 99 The Bodyguard.................................... 100 The Professional................................... 102 Androids............................................... 103 Superpowers........................................ 104

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INTRODUCTION SUPERHEROES ARE THE MOST POPULAR CHARACTERS IN COMICS. Their eye-catching costumes, superpowers, and towering physiques capture the imaginations of readers of all ages. Now there’s a book devoted to how to draw all aspects of them.

This book is for beginners as well as more experienced artists. These carefully crafted, step-by-step tutorials will help you to crush the competition. That’s because there are a huge number of illustrated examples in this book. You won’t have to read your way into drawing, you’ll see exactly how to do it.

Other major character types are also featured, such as super-powered females and supervillains. In addition, we’ll go beyond superheroes and learn how to draw the compelling supporting characters essential to any good action-adventure story, including news reporters, paparazzi, mutants, and more. We’ll also cover exaggeration, expressions, costumes, using light and shadow to create intensity, drawing the splash page, and layout composition.

The power of the universe is in your hands.

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CHAPTER 1

THE SUPERHERO HEAD SUPERHEROES ARE LIKE ORDINARY PEOPLE but with more of everything. More virile, more rugged, and more dynamic.

Drawing superheroes isn’t just a matter of sticking a mask on a face or a cape on a body. You’ve got to start with the right proportions in order to create that look of intensity for which superheroes are famous. We’ll begin with the head and then reveal the secrets to creating charismatic crime fighters.

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THE BASIC HERO THE HEAD IS NOT BASED ON AN EGG SHAPE, primarily because of the wide chin of the superhero. The male head is more of a boxy-looking oval.

In realistic drawing, the eyes fall exactly halfway down the head. But for idealized comic characters, the eyes are placed slightly higher. Note, too, the narrowness of the eyes; this gives the character a severe look. Keep the length of the mouth short. Lastly, add a facial crease on each side of the mouth.

Indicate cheekbones

Muscular crease on either side of mouth

Eyebrow line slightly covers eyes Bridge of nose is slightly curved

Narrow eyes

“Squared-off” chin

Heavy lower lip

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The black and white and color versions are where you add details such as the design on the mask, the hair, and stubble on the face.

LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE GOT UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED.

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CHAPTER 2

THE SUPERHERO BODY TO GET A GOOD HANDLE ON DRAWING THE FIGURE, we’ll start off with some anatomical basics. But we won’t get bogged down with muscle charts. We’ll quickly move on to step-by-step figures and costumes.

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THE SKELETON INSIDE THE FORM IT’S NOT JUST THE MUSCLES but also the skeleton that gives the body its impressive stature. For example, if the character has wide shoulders, a deep chest, and a narrow waist (the typical superhero build), then this is formed by widely positioned scapulas (shoulder blades), broad clavicles (collarbones), an enlarged rib cage, and a small pelvis.

Clavicle Sternum Humerus

Radius

Pelvis

Ulna Great trochanter

Patella (the kneecap)

Femur

Fibula Tibia

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Scapula (the shoulder blade)

Olecranon

The leg bones are heavier and, therefore, thicker than the bones of the arms.

They have to be studier, because they’re supporting all the weight of the body. The spine is thickest by the pelvis and gets thinner as it travels up toward the neck.

The bones of the body are not “ruler straight.” You’ll detect a slight curve to the arms, legs, and collarbones in these diagrams. This curving is what gives life to the body. Even the spine—especially the spine—has a natural curve to it.

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SIMPLIFYING THE BODY CONSTRUCTION NOW THAT WE’VE COVERED SOME ANATOMICAL INTRICACIES of drawing the muscles, we’ll go over the broad strokes—how you actually begin your comic book figure. Start with a basic framework, Build the body section by then introduce section the details.

Note the center line drawn down the middle of the torso, which is used as a guideline so you can keep the body mass even on both sides. The upper torso is a clear V shape. The leg muscles appear to cause the long lines of the legs to curve.

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Tall, long-legged proportions are an idealized look. The trapezius (the muscle connecting the neck to the shoulders just above the collarbone) is generally reduced on females.

On female characters, there’s a noticeable narrowing of the ribcage.

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INDEX A

F

K

androids 103 armed and dangerous character 86

face, contours of 20–25 facemasks 15, 95 features 26–31 feet and footwear 44–45, 68–69 females body 41, 98 eyes 27 fierce 92–107 hair 17, 97 head 16–19, 94–97 mouth 31 nose 29 profile 18–19, 96 fists 43 flight 50–51, 70–71 foreshortening 46–57 futuristic location 138–139

killing machine character 91 Komodo dragon 88

B bad to the bone character 89 balance 58 ballroom 136 beam blasting superpower 107 big buddy character 72–73 body 36–45, 98 bodyguard character 100–101 “businessman” 25

C City Hall 140–141 clamp, giant 82–83 contrast 115 costumes 67, 98 crime, new look of 25 crime-fighters 66–69 cyborgs 90

G good guys 64–75

L laboratory 140–141 layout 120–123 lighting 108–117 locations 136–141

M males body 40 eyes 26 head 12–15 mouth 30 nose 28 profile 14–15 masks 15, 95 men. see males momentum 59 mouth 30–31 mutants and monsters 76–91

H D death ray 78–79

E ears 31 earth summoner character 106 expressions 34–35 eyes 26–27, 90

hair 17, 97 hands 42–43 head 10–35, 94–97 headquarters 138–139 helmets 23 heroes. see males heroines. see females hypnotism 105

N natural-born killer character 80–81 nose 28–29

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P panel sequencing 132–135 paparazzo 75 poses 48–49, 61, 66, 99, 127 prison visiting room 137 professional character 102 profiles 14–15, 18–19 punches 54–57, 104 pyro-terror superpower 107

R reporter, female 74

S savage starship commander 22–23 sci-fi alien queen 24 shadows 25, 110–111, 114, 117

T shape-shifting superpower 104 shoes 45 shoulder and hip dynamics 62–63 shoulders 72–73 silhouettes 115, 116 skeleton inside the form 38–39 speech balloons and captions 130–131 spikes, super 105 splash page 120–129 superpowers 104–107 supporting characters 74–75 swinging and leaping 52–53

team splash pages 126–129 teen superhero 20–21 thrust 60–61 thumbnail sketches 124–125 torso twist 63

U ultra-mental superpower 106

V vampiress 84–85 vapor 87

W women. see females

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MORE GREAT TITLES BY CHRISTOPHER HART!

Find these and many more titles by Christopher Hart in bookstores or online at: christopherhartbooks.com sixthandspringbooks.com

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ART INSTRUCTION | FIGURE DRAWING

CV_DRAWING SUPERHEROES STEP BY STEP.indd 1

$19.95 US / $22.95 CAN

DRAWING SUPERHEROES STEP BY STEP

Christopher Hart is the world’s best-selling author of how-todraw books. His books have sold more than 6 million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages.

In his more than 50 titles, he offers artists accessible, generously illustrated, and clearly written step-by-step instruction on a wide variety of how-to-draw subjects, including manga, human anatomy, cartooning, comics, and animals. Learn more at christopherhartbooks.com.

Learn to draw the superhero powerhouses of today’s most exciting comics with step-bystep instruction from best-selling author Christopher Hart. In this action-packed guide, Chris covers the basics of drawing the bold faces and chiseled physiques of compelling superheroes, heroines, and supervillains, along with an essential cast of supporting characters. He then shows you how to create classic, dynamic action poses for your characters and how to place them within the perfect layout and composition. Truly comprehensive in scope, Drawing Superheroes Step

by Step delivers all the details on fine-tuning your comic book art, with tips and tutorials on light and shadow, costumes, splash page creation, and more. S o grab your pencil— and maybe your cape— and start drawing!

$19.95 US $22.95 CAN

THE COMPLETE GUIDE FOR THE ASPIRING COMIC BOOK ARTIST

Drawing superheroes is supereasy with Christopher Hart’s easy-to-follow instructions.

Inside, aspiring comic book artists will find: • A straightforward approach to drawing that covers the basics and beyond, with specific step-by-step tutorials that will have artists of all levels drawing immediately • A wide variety of characters to draw, including classic superheroes and superheroines, miscreants, mutants, monsters, and more • Advanced instruction on how to properly use foreshortening, thumbnail sketches, light and shadow, and expressions

THE COMPLETE GUIDE FOR THE ASPIRING COMIC BOOK ARTIST

• Key concepts for composing dynamic comic book layouts, such as how to create splash pages, position speech balloons, and achieve proper panel sequencing • Deeper concepts such as perspective, illusion of depth, casting shadows, and foreshortening

3/25/16 4:52 PM