How to Do Superheroes in Illustrator CS5

Learn to draw superheroes in Illustrator CS5 so you can actively participate in and help create the ongoing adventures of your favorite hero. Drawing superheroes is based on the practice of figure drawing, which artists approach in many different ways. One way is to think of your superhero's limbs and other parts as simple forms or shapes like rectangles and circles. Once the proportions of these shapes are correct, draw the details of your chosen character.

Instructions

1. Download from the Web or photocopy from comic books or other printed references images of your favorite superhero. You will not trace these directly, but draw superhero figures using your gathered images to guide you.

2. Print your favorite picture, then position it in front of you where you can see it clearly. If you want to make drawing easier, choose a reference image showing just the pure front view of your character. This view ensures that the body parts you see will appear at their actual sizes, rather than seemingly shortened by an oblique viewpoint. Artists call this effect "foreshortening."

3. Open Illustrator and click the tool palette icon shaped like a paintbrush to enter a mode for sketching. Drag on the canvas to recreate the lines you see in the reference image. Keep these proportions in mind as you draw. The neck is about one-third the height of the head, and the rib cage is square and measures about 1 1/3 heads in height. The midsection between the rib cage and the pelvis is one-third heads high and the pelvis is one head high. Draw the pelvis width slightly greater than one head. The distance from the thigh tops to the feet soles is the same length as the thigh tops to the top of the head. Thigh lengths and calf lengths are about the same. The same is true of the upper and lower arms. Finger tips extend down to approximately mid thigh when arms are at rest.

4. Right-click your drawing and click "Transform," then click the "Reflect" sub-menu. Click the "Vertical" option, then click "OK" to flip your drawing as though you were viewing it in a mirror. Do this periodically as you draw to get a more objective and fresh view of your drawing. Press the "Ctrl" and "Z" keys simultaneously to flip your drawing back to its original orientation.

5. Load a digital image of the reference image you sketched into your computer. Read your scanner or digital camera's manual for detailed instructions. Drag the scanned image onto Illustrator's application window to load the reference image into Illustrator so you can compare your work more easily with the image.

6. Write notes on how your drawing could be more like that of the reference image, then click the reference image, and press "Delete" to delete it.

7. Use the instructions from Step 3 through Step 6 to create new drawings of the same reference image until your drawing closely matches the reference image. Then go through this article's steps again with the reference image hidden, to ensure you've committed the superhero's image to memory.

References

• "Illustrator CS5 Bible"; Ted Alspach; 2010
• "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way"; Stan Lee; 1984
• "How to Draw What You See"; Rudy De Reyna; 1996