LHTD-Drawing # 2

Special Thanks To: http://www.drawfurry.com/?p=26

This tutorial doesn’t go in-depth into anatomy - you’ll have to study that on your own. But I hope you’ll learn a thing or two from seeing how I approach drawing a figure from imagination.

1. Structuring the Figure



Here’s an example of a quick and easy way to block out a pose. Nothing fancy, just a simple stick-figure ‘armature’ made of simple shapes. With just a few lines, I’ve plotted out the basic pose and proportions of the figure. Note that the tail is sketched in as well, and it forms a natural extension of the spine. I sketch in a crosshair on the head, just to plan where the eyes will be on the face.



I added these festive lines to give you a hint what I’m thinking as I sketch this out. The red line, which falls from the hollow of the collarbone at the neck’s base, all the way down to the level of the feet, is the figure’s center of weight. It doesn’t have much bearing on the figure drawing itself, but you can use it to judge if your figure’s in a stable standing pose. For action poses, don’t worrry about it- but remember than the point on the collar leads the pose, more often than the head.

The happy green swoosh indicates the angle of the feet. Most beginners draw the feet as perfectly parallel, or perpendicular, to each other. Instead, the feet are usually at an angle closer to 45 degrees, nearer at the heel with the toes angled out.

2. Block in the Forms



When I settle on a stick-figure pose, I start drawing the 3D forms on top of it. This is a good point to double-check with a mirror (or digitally, horizantal flip) to see how your sketch is shaping up from a fresh perspective, and correct any weirdness in the rough drawing. I flesh out all the forms before adding details like fur and clothing.

3. Clean-up and Details



My final task is simply to draw on top of my rough sketch, finalizing all the details without stressing over the pose and anatomy. Planning your drawing and analyzing it at every stage will usually have the best result. If you’re drawing with pencil, use a pen or brush to ink over your sketch, and rub out the loose lines with an eraser. Digitally, if you sketch in blue it’s a simple task to drop the colors, leaving only the black lines on top.

Don’t be afraid to sketch lots of loose and messy poses before you get it right.
Good luck and happy drawing!

How to draw eyes
Special Thanks To: http://www.drawfurry.com/?p=18

1. Eye Anatomy



Before drawing, either realistic or in a stylized fashion, you should understand the basic anatomy of the eye. The eyeball itself is roughly spherical, with a bulge over the pupil due to the lense. This bulge is the reason highlights often fall on the iris and pupil area of the eye - it sticks out further and catches the light.

The eye is suspended in the eye socket by muscles and soft tissues. The hard bones create highlights around the perimeter of the eye socket. Soft skin folds over the sphere of the eye, and eyelids wrap around its surface. Notice that you can see the upper edge of the bottom eyelid, as it curves under the form of the eyeball. It’s essential to visualize the 3D structure of the eye anytime you are drawing one.

Highlights on the eye are often bright and sharp, due to the moistness of the eye itself. These highlights should reflect the intensity, direction and shape of the light source in your drawing.

2. Stylized Eye



When drawing the eye, it may help to block out the structure of the head, with eyes drawn first as spheres. Then you can go over the sphere with the eyelids and flesh, and add other details. Even a stylized eye should have some basis in real-life anatomy.



Here are a few examples of cartoony eyes in action. Notice that when the character looks up, the bulge of the eye pushes on the skin, making folds above the eyelid more pronounced. When looking down, the crease of the lower lid is becomes pronounced. When angry or skeptical, the brows force skin over the eyelid, making a deeper crevice. Study your expressions in a mirror to get a better understanding of how different expressions affect the shape of your eyes.

3. Animal and Anthro Eyes



As you can see, the anatomy of a feline eye has some big differences from the human eye. Although both human and felines have forward-facing eyes, the shape and structure for cats is less affected by fleshy folds. If you want to create a more expressive anthropomorphic character, incorporate some human eye anatomy. Eyebrows and eyelids add expressiveness. The slit pupil is distinctly cat-like, and you can incorporate feline traits like eye color or shape to create a human-cat hybrid.



In this example, you can see a normal cartoon cat, and on the right one with more human features - eyebrows and eyelids add a more human element.

Feel free to apply this knowledge to other creatures you want to draw. Once you grasp the basic human anatomy, it’s pretty simple to research animals and combine the traits according your preferred style and method. Good luck and happy drawing!

How to Draw Hands
Special Thanks To: http://www.drawfurry.com/?p=24

1. Basic Hand Anatomy



Understanding the components of the hand - bone, muscle, and tendon- will help you draw believable hands. Draw studies of your own hands, paying particular attention to silhouette and form, and with particular empahsis on change of direction in the lines of the silhouette.



Exaggerate plane changes and overlapping forms to make more dynamic hands



Do many studies of your own hands for practice. After studying, try drawing some new poses using your memory!

2. Simplified Forms



drawing hands
I like to think of the hand as three big pieces- the palm, thumb, and fingers. Imagine the hand as a mitten, with the fingers as one mass. Then, in your mind convert that mitten into a more three-dimensional form. The hand is long and relatively flat, it’s just the folds of the palm and joints of the fingers that make it seem complex.

The fingers have three joints- the knuckle, where it attaches to the palm, a smaller middle joint, and an even smaller joint near the tip. The natural movement of the finger’s bend goes from knuckle, to middle, to tip. In other words, the tip joint only bends in the most extreme poses, and it only bends alone if there’s pressure on the finger tip (such as poking an object).



Don’t forget which side the thumb is on! A simple ‘rule of thumb’ - palms out, thumbs in. Palms in, thumbs out. Check your pose with a mirror or get a buddy to model if you aren’t sure.

Here are some of Bridgeman’s hand studies, showing how he simplifies the form, including some very geometric plane studies-



3. Animals and Anthro Hands

Here are a couple of techniques for making anthro/furry hands:



Cartoony paws use simple, rounded forms to convey the structure of the hand. Detail is minimal, since with animated characters every line must be re-drawn thousands of times. These animated characters typically have 3 fingers and a thumb, and lack extraneous details like furry accents and paw pads.



Mid-way between animal and human, this style of hand has stubbier fingers and bigger joints, plus the animal characteristics of fur and paw pads. This kind of hand is better for more beast-like or masculine anthros.



These examples are how I’d draw hands for my Good Cheese characters. The female hand is slender and elegant, with only pointed nails (and perhaps a pink palm) to lend it some animal flavor. The male hand is more beast-like, with stubby fingers and hints of fur at the knuckles.

Feel free to experiment with different styles, and draw the hands that best fit your character’s design.
Happy drawing!

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