Learn to Draw Action Heroes_ An Easy Step by Step Guide to Drawing Comic Book Characters ( PDFDrive )

the artwork. This helps prevent proportion mistakes by stopping at the
existing lines. Add the most details up close but feel free to reduce the
details as the buildings or objects are farther away. You will save yourself
time, and we cannot see tiny details at a long distance anyway. Unless
you are a superhero of course!

4 DRAW THE SHADOWS

Block in the shapes of shadows on the character and on the buildings.
This is where the scene really starts to pop off the page. Strong shadows
give your illustrations weight and depth. It is easy to shy away from using
good shadows, but I assure you, your drawings will look much better with
them.

5 ADD FINAL DETAILS

Render the line weight and crosshatching to add more depth. For the

Render the line weight and crosshatching to add more depth. For the
hero, round the lines around his muscles and think more spherical and
organic when adding them. For the buildings, think more about the
shadows and textures working in perspective. Then add another pass of
textures that are more random. For instance, I added the cracks in the
ledge next to the hero. There are lots of ways to stylize your shading, so
have fun with it and always experiment with new effects.

Laying Out a Scene: Perspective

In this lesson I will cover the basics of perspective drawing. This
will help you understand a scene and better make your characters
fit within that scene.

One Vanishing Point

By drawing a forward-facing square with a horizon line (hl) above it. We
can establish a vanishing point (vp). By drawing perspective (p) lines
from each corner of the square to the vanishing point, we can easily
construct a three-dimensional cube.

Two Vanishing Points

By adding a second vanishing point, we can turn the cube on an angle to
the viewer very easily. This works well when creating the perspective of
the viewer looking down at a street corner.

Three Vanishing Points

By adding a third vanishing point at the bottom of the cube, we can add a
bit of distortion and a dynamic feel to the perspective. The blue lines from
the previously drawn cube illustrate the change it has on the overall
shape.

One Vanishing Point, Low Horizon

Now back to the single vanishing point, but this time use a low horizon
line. Just remember that anything above the horizon line will appear to be
over the viewer’s head and anything below the horizon line will appear to
be below the viewer’s head.

Two Vanishing Points on the Horizon

Notice how this cube occupies space above and below the horizon line.
So you are able to look up at the top edge and down to the bottom edge
from this perspective. And the same rule for finding center by creating
lines from corner to corner applies here as well. This is a great way for
quickly drawing in building details while maintaining the correct
perspective.

Laying Out a Scene: One-Point
Perspective

In this lesson, start using some basic perspective to work out the
scene. One-point perspective is probably the most used in comics
and is very powerful for directing the viewer.

1 DRAW PERSPECTIVE GUIDELINES

Start by creating a frame, or panel, to contain the scene. Draw a horizon
line a little above the halfway point. Now add some directional lines to

line a little above the halfway point. Now add some directional lines to
show the vanishing point within the scene.

2 BLOCK IN BUILDING GUIDELINES

Start blocking in some building shapes. You want to create the

Start blocking in some building shapes. You want to create the
impression that we are looking down on the scene, so keep most of the
shapes below the horizon line. Vary the sizes and shapes of the
buildings. Remember to space them out to make room for streets and
parking lots, and to add a bit more realism to the scene.

3 SKETCH THE FIGURE GUIDES

Block in a foreshortened pose of the hero flying toward the viewer. This
can be a very impactful shot, so practice it often until you get it right. Use

overlapping shapes to convey the arm coming outward. Hide parts of the
body such as the midsection since it wouldn’t be in view from this angle.
Use the perspective lines to help with the character as well. The body
can be drawn in perspective, just like anything else, but you must figure
out how the anatomy looks from that particular angle. That is why figure
drawing studies are so important.

4 START DEVELOPING THE ANATOMY

Refine the character a bit further and draw in the muscles. If you have a
hard time with the arm coming out toward the viewer, study the pose in a
mirror. Or take a photo. You don’t need to look like the superhero to get

mirror. Or take a photo. You don’t need to look like the superhero to get
the information needed for the pose. Your imagination will take over from
there.

5 DRAW THE SUIT DESIGN

Draw the suit for the hero. Since he is in the air, let’s give him a cape.
This is where you can really be creative. There are so many things that
you can do when it comes to the look and style of your character.
Anything goes! There is no right or wrong way to design a superhero.

6 DRAW THE CITY DETAILS

Add in the details of the city. Add windows and ledges to the buildings,
and put cars on the road. This may look like a lot to take in at first, but it

really isn’t. Each little detail converges to the single vanishing point. The
only other details are created with the horizontal or vertical lines. You can
mix in a few angles so that the city doesn’t look too boring, and then
some small details such as the cars and people can appear down below.
They don’t have to be perfect since they are not the focal point of this
scene. The hero is.



7 ADD FINAL DETAILS

Add in final line work to the scene and the superhero with crosshatching
and darker lines. Make the character pop more by placing shadows
below his chest and by shading in the legs. This helps to push the upper
body out further and to create depth. Add in motion lines to create the
feeling of speed. Notice that they all rest on the perspective lines as well.
Now the superhero is rushing to save the day!

Laying Out a Scene: Two-Point
Perspective

In this lesson I will cover the two-point perspective. There are lots of
ways to construct a two-point perspective and the vanishing points
can be well outside the frame as we will practice in this example.

1 DRAW PERSPECTIVE GUIDES

Draw your panel and place a low horizon below it. This will ensure that
we are looking up at our hero. Then add two vanishing points and begin
to draw in some perspective lines. Draw them across one another and
get a feel for the space.

2 BLOCK IN THE BUILDING

Now block in a ledge of a building to the lower fourth of the panel. Then
draw in some rough building shapes for the background. Keep the idea
very loose at this stage and just focus on the large forms.

3 SKETCH THE FIGURE GUIDES

Draw some basic shapes for the hero leaning over the edge of the
building. Poses like this can be tricky since we don’t see them every day.
Do your best to keep the idea loose and free-flowing. Not all poses will
work, but sometimes you can save them through the drawing process.

4 START DEVELOPING THE ANATOMY

Gently erase the sketchy guidelines of the character and start to add
more details of the anatomy. Notice that the front leg looks a bit out of
place and the arm looks a bit strange in that pose. This is because we
are drawing superheroes and a normal person wouldn’t look or pose like
this. As we refine the drawing, it will start to make sense. Sometimes it’s
okay to be more focused on being creative than on making sure

okay to be more focused on being creative than on making sure
everything is perfectly correct.

5 ADD DETAILS TO THE FIGURE

Draw the details of the superhero. Use the suit markings to help push the
perspective of the arms, legs and torso. Notice how it is already starting
to look more correct, even though the anatomy is far from correct.
Sometimes you have to let style be your guide.

6 DEFINE THE BUILDINGS

Detail the buildings in the background. Practice overlapping various sets
of lines to create depth. Study buildings and simplify some of the details.

of lines to create depth. Study buildings and simplify some of the details.
Over time you will naturally draw with more detail, so keep it basic in the
beginning and complete the work. Nothing is worse than trying to do too
much on your first try and then getting discouraged. Rome wasn’t built in
a day and neither is an accomplished artist.



7 ADD FINAL DETAILS

With all the hard work done, it is time to have some fun. Start shading
and adding in all those fancy little lines that we love to create. Add
shadows on the lower parts of the arms to round out those muscles.
Shade the lower parts of the legs to push the character up and create a
more dynamic feel. Shade in the darker parts of the suit to give the hero
some contrast. Add lots of cracks and imperfections in the ledge below
him. This also will contrast the other materials in the scene and give the
shot more style.

Laying Out a Scene: Three-Point
Perspective

This lesson covers the three-point perspective. We will also be
creating another dynamic by breaking the panel border with our
hero.

1 DRAW PERSPECTIVE GUIDES

Draw a high horizon line so that you are looking downward onto the
scene. Add two vanishing points to the outside of the border. The third
vanishing point will go into the inside bottom of the panel. This will give a
steep downward angle to really push the depth of the scene. You should
experiment with the placements of these points to find all sorts of neat
perspectives for your illustrations.

2 BLOCK IN THE BUILDING

Block in the overall basic shapes of the city. Don’t worry about details at

Block in the overall basic shapes of the city. Don’t worry about details at
this stage and just try to picture the overall scene with large forms. Notice
how the buildings begin to line up as they get closer to the horizon line
and appear to be stacked as they get closer to the bottom of the scene.
This sort of distortion can give the shot a dynamic feel.

3 SKETCH THE FIGURE GUIDES

Draw a basic pose of the superhero looking down at the city. We will also
break one of the cardinal rules in comics: Don’t draw outside the panels!
Well, not unless you’re a pro. Then you can do whatever you want. This
adds a nice effect and will give the scene more depth. You want the hero
to look as if she is flying backwards. Notice that this pose could be
achieved with someone sitting on a chair. Paying attention to things like
that will help you to reference your poses when needed.

4 START DEVELOPING THE ANATOMY

Clean up the pose and refine the sketch. Give her hair a bit of movement
to show that she is flying through the air. Use open hand poses to add to
the effect of weightlessness. Notice that the arm closest to the viewer is
much larger than the one pointing towards the city. This is a quick way to
create foreshortening and depth.

create foreshortening and depth.

5 ADD DETAILS TO THE FIGURE

Draw the suit design. Try something modern looking and add a few
segments that can be shaded in various ways. Add a billowing cape to
solidify the fact that she is flying. The cape, just like the hair, can show
movement and add another dynamic to the scene.

6 DEFINE THE CITY BUILDINGS

Draw the details of the city. Give the buildings small variations in design.
They are all very similar, but by adding small varied details you can start
to give the city a more interesting look. Every line in this scene goes back
to the three vanishing points. Even the circular-shaped building is really
just a series of squares that you can use to draw and align the circles for
the windows. When drawing a scene with depth, remember that you can

the windows. When drawing a scene with depth, remember that you can
let the details fade as the objects recede into the distance.

7 ADD FINAL DETAILS

Refine the character and add in the shadows. Use the various parts of
the suit as opportunities to add contrast. Shading in the darker part of the
suit helps to add contrast against the cape and the city. Add small

suit helps to add contrast against the cape and the city. Add small
crosshatching to help the armor of her suit appear reflective. Each
material should be rendered in a slightly different way. I felt the city was
still too rough at the previous stage, so I gave it one last level of
refinement. Adding thicker lines around the edges of the buildings can
add depth. You can add a white edge right next to the dark line to further
illustrate that depth. You can see this used around the hero against the
frame of the panel.

Characters Reacting to a
Background: Lifting

This lesson features a brutish behemoth lifting a large object. In
comics, there are lots of opportunities where this should come in
handy. So let’s get to the heavy lifting, shall we?

1 DRAW THE GUIDELINES

Draw the basic skeleton guidelines. Tilt the torso back to illustrate the

Draw the basic skeleton guidelines. Tilt the torso back to illustrate the
character lifting the object over his head. Draw one leg up on a rock
ledge to add some contrapposto to the pose. This helps to make the
body look more dynamic and realistic. Notice even at this beginning
stage you can widen the torso and the pelvis to ready the character’s
frame for all those muscles.



2 BUILD THE FIGURE STRUCTURE

Draw the cylinders over the guidelines as you have in previous demos,
but this time make them much wider. The head will be a bit smaller
proportionally compared to the larger muscles to help convey the body
mass. You can play around with changing the head size to make the
character’s muscles and limbs appear larger. Just don’t make the head
too small or he will have to start buying his baseball caps in the kid’s
section.



3 SKETCH THE ANATOMY

Draw the anatomy of this muscle-bound brute. Don’t worry, the muscles
are identical to other heroes, though a bit bulkier. Once you learn where
they start and where they end, it becomes much easier to do. Just
practice, practice. With beefy characters like this one, you just have to
work on the connections such as the elbows, knees, shoulders and hips.
That tends to be a little difficult at first. Remember to experiment with the
amount of angular lines for the anatomy.



4 DEFINE THE ROCK SHAPES

Speaking of angular lines, let’s detail the boulder and the rock formation
he is standing upon. This style of texturing is very handy for these types
of materials. It can also offer a nice contrast to the organic feeling of the
hero. Use lots of straight lines to chisel out some rock planes. Just kind of
let your mind go free when texturing like this. It is more about a general
look and feel. You don’t have to place every line in just the right spot. It is
important that you don’t noticeably repeat patterns though, unless you
truly want that in your drawing.