Sunday, September 23, 2007

How to draw Vegeta from DBZ

Front View

Step 1:

Most Dragonball Z characters can be drawn using these basic shapes and proportions. Dragonball Z characters all have similarly constructed faces: they have large foreheads, slanted, triangular eyes, and small lower faces. Once you see how the basic face is proportioned, it should be easier to draw whichever character you like. Begin by drawing a large, slightly elongated circle for the forehead. Draw the lower half of the face and divide it up with lightly drawn guidelines as shown. Notice that the lower half of his face can be divided up into equal sections; the main horizontal guidelines are equidistant from each other. He has a very large head, yet a relatively small face, so the circle should be much larger than the lower half of the face. Draw the slanted guidelines for the eyes, and sketch the position of the mouth (which should be directly below the guideline for the nose). Make sure all the guidelines are drawn lightly, because you are going to erase them later on.

Step 2:

Draw the outline of the eyes, which are just blocky, angled trapezoids. Make sure the bottom and tops of the eyes line up with the slanted guideline you drew in earlier. Draw the nose and mouth, making them very small and close together. The nose should be sort of like a curved, blocky 'L' or wedge. Draw the ears, as well; they should be pretty big. Note the marks on the sides of his head just above the eyes; these are part of his eyebrow ridge, which is rather prominent since he has such a high hairline. To draw these, just make the sides of the face curve out slightly at the point where the lower half of the face meets the circle.

Step 3:

Erase any unnecessary guidelines and sketch the outline of his hair. The hair is very large and spiky. He has a very high hairline, so make sure you don't draw the hair too low on the face. Add more detail to his eyes, and the shading under the mouth. When drawing his eyebrows, make sure that they rest directly above his eyes.

Step 4:

Next, erase all the guidelines. Add the shading under his eyes and add detail to his ears, and draw the neck. DBZ necks are usually pretty wide, so make sure the neck starts just beneath the ears. Make sure to add some lines above his eyebrows to further develop the eyebrow ridge. Erase any unwanted lines and clean up your sketch.

Step 5Step 5:

Take your final sketch and color or shade it however you like. Notice that the shading on his hair is very subtle (you can barely see it), but gives the otherwise flat spikes a little more dimension.

3/4 View

Step 1:

Next, we'll draw the 3/4 view. These proportions will work for other DBZ characters, too. Draw a large circle, then add the lower half of the face and divide the shapes up with guidelines. These are pretty much the same shapes as in the front view, except they have been rotated downwards and to the side. The 3/4 view has less guidelines than the front view, but that's only because adding them would be unneccesary at this angle. We'll only be using the guidelines for the eyes, nose, and the central guideline that runs from the forehead to the chin./font>

Step 2:

Next, use the upper horizontal guideline to draw in the eyes. Draw the nose and mouth, making sure to draw the mouth very close to the nose. The features of the face should have very sharp angles. Notice that while on the front view his nose looks small, on the 3/4 view it is much longer and pointed. Draw his ear, too, which should be very large.

Step 3:

Erase all the unnecessary guidelines. Draw the basic shape of his hair, making it very thick and pointy. Make sure you make his hairline very high. Add his pupils, eyebrows, and neck.

Step 4:

Erase all unnecessary lines. Add the detail in his ears, and draw in the eyebrow ridges above his eyes. Again, his neck muscles are very large, so start them just below the ear. Clean up your sketch and prepare it for the final draft.

Step 5Step 5:

Now that you have drawn his face, you can shade and color it however you like.

Super Saiyajin Form

Vegeta, like several other characters on DBZ, can transform into a Super Saiyan. To draw Vegeta (or anyone, for that matter) in Super Saiyajin form, you'll have to make a few adjustments to his face, as well as his hair. His head and body should be wider, while the face itself is smaller. The features are more slanted and grouped closer together. The lines of his face will be much more sharp and slanted, and his eyes will be much more narrow. These adjustments can be used on any Super Saiyajin. For the hair, basically just draw a series of sharply angled, pointed spikes that extrude from his scalp (make sure to draw his high hairline). It helps to draw the outline of his head, as shown in this picture, so you can tell where the hair should go. It's easy to make it too big or too small if you don't know where to position it. Even though it's spiky, make the hair full and rounded, rather than just using straight spikes. All the spikes should curve inward, not just stick straight.

Here's what the hair should look like when the guideline for the back of the head has been removed and the hair has been shaded. I did a sloppy job of coloring the hair, though; the shading should be much less rounded than it is in this particular picture. You can look at other pictures of him on the internet or elsewhere for further reference.

How to draw Trunks from DBZ

Front View

Step 1:

From what I have seen, most Dragonball Z characters can be drawn using these basic shapes and proportions. Dragonball Z characters all have similarly constructed faces: they have large foreheads, slanted, triangular eyes, and small lower faces. Once you see how the basic face is proportioned, you should be able to draw whichever character you like. Begin by drawing a large, slightly elongated circle for the forehead. Draw the lower half of the face and divide it up with lightly drawn guidlines as shown. Notice that the lower half of his face can be divided up into equal sections; the main horizontal guidelines are equidistant from each other. Draw the slanted guidelines for the eyes, and sketch the position of the mouth (which should be directly below the guideline for the nose).

Step 2:

Erase some of the unnecessary guidelines. Draw the outline of the eyes, (which should be thin and triangular), as well as the outline of the ears and neck.

Step 3:

Sketch the outline of his hair. The hair should be very large and rounded, more so if his head is tilted forward. Add more detail to his eyes. When drawing his eyebrows, make sure they rest directly above his eyes. Draw the nose and mouth next, making them very small and close together.

Step 4:

Next, erase all the guidelines. Add the detail to his hair; with Dragonball Z characters, the more detail, the better, so don't be stingy. Make the lines on his hair as smooth and rounded as you can; make them follow the flow of the hair, rather than drawing them straight down. Draw the shading lines under his eyes and mouth, and add detail to his ears. Draw his clothing, his sword, and the muscles around the neck. Erase any unwanted lines and clean up your sketch.

Step 5Step 5:

Take your final sketch and color or shade it however you like. Personally, I like using Adobe Photoshop, but you can color with pencils, colored pencils, or anything else you want.

3/4 View

Step 1:

Next, we'll draw the 3/4 view. You can probably use these proportions for other DBZ characters, too. Draw a large circle, then add the lower half of the face and divide the shapes up with guidelines. These are pretty much the same shapes as in the front view, except they have been rotated downwards and to the side. The 3/4 view has less guidelines than the front view, but that's only because adding them would be unneccesary at this angle. We'll only be using the guidlines for the eyes, nose, and the central guideline that runs from the forehead to the chin.

Step 2:

Next, use the upper horizontal guideline to draw in the eyes and eyebrows. Draw the nose and mouth, making sure to draw the mouth very close to the nose. Add the neck, too.

Step 3:

Erase all the guidelines. Draw the basic shape of his hair, making it very thick and rounded. Add his pupils, and shade beneath his mouth.

Step 4:

Draw the details of his hair, including the shorter wisps that hang down over his eyes and stick out from his head. Add the wrinkles above and below his eyes. Draw his coat, and add the ponytail (which is barely visible over his shoulder). Erase all unnecessary lines and clean up your sketch.

Step 5Step 5:

Now that you have drawn his face, you can shade and color it however you like. Yes, I realize I left out that little badge thing that goes on the shoulder of his jacket; I forgot to draw it. ^_^ Its just a circle, though, so I don't think you'll have too much difficulty adding it if you really want to.

Super Saiyajin Form

Trunks is one of the characters on DBZ that can transform into a Super Saiyajin (yes, that is an accepted spelling, so don't send me gripy emails about it). If you would rather draw him in this form, there are just a few extra steps you have to take. First off, make his forehead a little bigger, and his facial features more slanted and grouped together. The lines of his face will be much more sharp and slanted, and his eyes will be much more narrow. For the hair, there are two different styles (well, that I found, anyway). ^_^ In the first style, part of his hair is pulled back; in the second, his hair isn't pulled back. When drawing his hair in the Super Saiyajin form, basically just draw a series of sharply angled, pointed spikes that extrude from his scalp. It helps to draw the outline of his head, as shown in these two pictures, so you can tell where the hair should go. It's easy to make it too big or too small if you don't know where to position it. Even though its spiky, make the hair full and rounded, rather than just using straight spikes.

Here's what the hair will look like when the guideline for the back of the head has been removed and the hair has been shaded. It's quite different from his normal form, which is why I felt I should go over it, at least a little bit.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Front View

Step 1:

Most Dragonball Z characters can be drawn using these basic shapes and proportions. Dragonball Z characters all have similarly constructed faces: they have large foreheads, slanted, triangular eyes, and small lower faces. Once you see how the basic face is proportioned, it should be easier to draw whichever character you like. Begin by drawing a large, slightly elongated circle for the forehead. Draw the lower half of the face and divide it up with lightly drawn guidelines as shown. Notice that the lower half of his face can be divided up into equal sections; the main horizontal guidelines are equidistant from each other. Draw the slanted guidelines for the eyes, and sketch the position of the mouth (which should be directly below the guideline for the nose). Make sure all the guidelines are drawn lightly, because you are going to erase them later on.

Step 2:

Erase some of the unnecessary guidelines. Draw the outline of the eyes, which are just blocky, angled trapezoids. Make sure the bottom of the eyes line up with the slanted guideline you drew in earlier.

Step 3:

Next, sketch the outline of his hair. The hair is very large and spiky; notice how it smooths out slightly on the right side (our right, not his) of his head, though. Add more detail to his eyes and ears. When drawing his eyebrows, make sure that they rest directly above his eyes. Draw the nose and mouth next, making them very small and close together. The nose should be sort of like a blocky 'L' or wedge.

Step 4:

Next, erase all the guidelines. Add the shading under his eyes and mouth, and add detail to his ears. Next, draw the neck, muscles, and clothing. DBZ necks are usually pretty wide, so make sure the neck starts just beneath the ears. Erase any unwanted lines and clean up your sketch.

Step 5Step 5:

Take your final sketch and color or shade it however you like. Notice that the shading on his hair is very subtle, and gives the otherwise flat spikes more dimension, so you know his hair doesn't just go straight back like Ryoko's (from Tenchi Muyo), it kind of sticks out in all directions. ^_^

3/4 View

Step 1:

Next, we'll draw the 3/4 view. These proportions will work for other DBZ characters, too. Draw a large circle, then add the lower half of the face and divide the shapes up with guidelines.

These are pretty much the same shapes as in the front view, except they have been rotated downwards and to the side. The 3/4 view has less guidelines than the front view, but that's only because adding them would be unneccesary at this angle. We'll only be using the guidelines for the eyes, nose, and the central guideline that runs from the forehead to the chin.

Step 2:

Next, use the upper horizontal guideline to draw in the eyes and eyebrows. Draw the nose and mouth, making sure to draw the mouth very close to the nose. The features of the face should have very sharp angles. Notice that while on the front view his nose looks small, on the 3/4 view it is much longer and pointed.

Step 3:

Erase all the guidelines. Draw the basic shape of his hair, making it very thick and rounded. Notice again that the hair flattens and rounds out on the right side of his head. Add his pupils, draw in the eyebrow ridges above his eyes, and shade beneath his mouth.

Step 4:

Erase all unnecessary lines. Add the detail in his ears, and add shading to his eyes. I added a few light glares to his pupils out of habit, even though DBZ characters almost never have such details on the eyes. You can leave them out if you like, but I think they look fine. Again, his neck muscles are very large, so start them just below the ear. Add the rest of his muscles and clothes, then clean up your sketch and prepare it for the final draft.

Step 5Step 5:

Now that you have drawn his face, you can shade and color it however you like. Notice again that the subtle shading on the hair shows that it sticks out in various directions rather than just going straight back. Make sure to try to include this if you shade your picture.

Super Saiyajin Form

Goku, like several other characters on DBZ, can transform into a Super Saiyajin (yes, that is an accepted spelling, so stop bugging me about it). From what I could discern from the internet, he has at least three or four different forms, but I really don't have the patience to go through each of them. The differences are slight, anyway, and if you know which features to exaggerate, its not that much of a problem.

To draw Goku (or anyone, for that matter) in Super Saiyajin form, you'll have to make a few adjustments to his face, as well as his hair. His head and body should be wider, while the face itself is smaller. The features are more slanted and grouped closer together. The lines of his face will be much more sharp and slanted, and his eyes will be much more narrow. The chest and arm muscles are increasingly larger and rounder for every further transformation. These adjustments can be used on any Super Saiyajin.

For the hair, basically just draw a series of sharply angled, pointed spikes that extrude from his scalp. It helps to draw the outline of his head, as shown in this picture, so you can tell where the hair should go. It's easy to make it too big or too small if you don't know where to position it. Even though it's spiky, make the hair full and rounded, rather than just using straight spikes. All the spikes should curve inward, not just stick straight.

Here's what the hair should look like when the guideline for the back of the head has been removed and the hair has been shaded. I did a sloppy job of coloring the hair, though; the shading should be much less rounded than it is in this particular picture. You can look at other pictures of him on the internet or elsewhere for further refe