Come On Man
Come On Man
Come On Man
The Sketch Workshop is a complete sketching solution for beginners and hobbyists alike. It is an innovative and fun way for people of all ages
to find the inspiration to pick up a pencil – and draw! We’ve created a number of guides that cover popular topics such as anatomy, characters,
creatures, cityscapes, and robots and spaceships, all loaded into ready-to-go sketch workbooks.
To complete your Sketch Workshop collection, be sure to check out all five workbooks in this series.
3dtotal Publishing First published in the United Kingdom, 2014, by 3dtotal Publishing.
Correspondence: publishing@3dtotal.com 3dtotal.com Ltd, 29 Foregate Street, Worcester WR1 1DS, United Kingdom.
Website: www.3dtotalpublishing.com
Soft cover ISBN: 978-1909414174
Sketch Workshop: Creatures © 2014, 3dtotal Publishing. All rights
reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by any Printing and binding: Everbest Printing (China)
means, without the prior written consent of the publisher. All artwork, www.everbest.com
unless stated otherwise, is copyright of 3dtotal Publishing. Any artwork
that is not copyright of 3dtotal Publishing is marked accordingly. Visit www.3dtotalpublishing.com for a complete list of available book titles.
Every effort has been made to ensure the credits and contact information Deputy editor: Jess Serjent-Tipping
are present and correct. In the case of any errors that have occurred, Managing editor: Lynette Clee
the publisher respectfully directs readers to www.3dtotalpublishing.com for Designers: Aryan Pishneshin, Imogen Williams
any updated information and/or corrections. Proofreader: Adam J. Smith
Grab a copy at
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The Tutor
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If you want your monster to express massive muscles dancing just under expressiveness that give your monster
its power, there’s no better way to do the surface of the skin. This energy is the powerful presence it deserves.
it than to put that creature in motion. what you’ll capture with this lesson. We’ll pay close attention to shading
to define muscle groups and create
If you’ve ever seen a horse or lion Throughout this workshop, we unique designs that give your creature
run, then you’ve likely noticed their will focus on the attributes and personality.
CREATURES
All of the eyes and noses on this page are drawn to the same
scale (and from the same angle) as the main reference
image shown here. The templates on the page below use
the same scale, to allow you to pick and choose from these
references when designing your own variations.
CREATURES
Using the templates on this page and the references above, draw the eyes and noses on these monster heads.
Experiment by drawing noses of all shapes and sizes to Once you’ve had your fun with the eyes and noses,
see how the character of your monster changes. Do the we’ll move towards the top of the head to tackle
same with the eyes. drawing horns in our next exercise…
CREATURES
All of the horns on this page are drawn to the same scale
(and from the same angle) as the main reference image
shown here. The templates on the page below use the
same scale, to allow you to pick and choose from these
references when designing your own variations.
Curled horns,
like those of a
ram, can give
your monster a
sense of age or
wisdom.
CREATURES
Using the templates here and the references above, design your own unique horns by following the outlines provided.
Add interest to your horns by giving them As strong as horns are, our beast has even more
battle damage, such as cracks, scrapes and powerful biceps. We wrap our arms around drawing
breaks. You can also give form to your horns them in the next exercise. He’ll also need a strong tail to
by sketching contour lines across the shapes. balance him out, so we will sketch that next…
CREATURES
The arms and tails on this page are drawn to the same scale
(and from the same angle) as the main reference image shown
here. The templates on the page below also use the same scale,
to allow you to pick and choose from these references when
designing your own variations.
CREATURES
Try using your 8B
pencil to define the
muscles, but don’t
press too hard – it’s
a soft pencil so it
only needs a light
touch.
Using the templates on this page and the references above, sketch arms (above) and tails (below). Once you’ve
grasped how the muscles work, try embellishing your appendages with extra details, and practice your shading.
Try pushing the limits by creating a tail that is Don’t fear, we haven’t yet come to the end of our
magical with mystical energy or flames. ‘tail’. It’s time to take the skills you’ve learned to
draw the creature you’ve been waiting for…
CREATURES
Using the template on the page below and this image as a reference, you can now draw a
charging creature. Don’t forget to add your favorite elements from the earlier exercises to add
personality and flare to your creature design.
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EXTRA TEMPLATES
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There’s really no wrong way to design characteristics those creatures would In this workshop I’m going to show
a creature, but something to always have, naturally. For a swamp creature, you how to take various biological
keep in mind when drawing any new for example, I looked at amphibians features and turn them into a more
being, is its terrain. Think about where for inspiration, as well as other cave fantastical creature – one that’s fit for
the creature lives, and what kind of and water-dwelling creatures. the finest of all swamps.
CREATURES
All of the features on this page are drawn to the same scale as the
main reference image shown here. The templates on the page below
use the same scale, to allow you to pick and choose from these
references when designing your own variations. Think about how the
muscles in the face push the skin around the eyes to show emotion.
You can also see how different mouth shapes and designs can change
the personality of your creatures.
CREATURES
Using these templates and the references above play with the expressions for your creature. Try
out different combinations. You can also experiment with detailing the ears below.
CREATURES
All of the references on this page are drawn to the
same scale as the main reference image shown
here. The templates on the page below allow you
to experiment with poses and volumes.
A compressed
curve will create a
crouched position.
CREATURES
Use the templates
on this page and
the references
above to practice
posing your
creature.
CREATURES
Using the template on the page below and this image as a reference, you can now draw your very own expressive
character. Feel free to embellish him with your favorite details from the exercises.
CREATURES
CREATURES
Now you can have a go at using this simplified
template, which will allow you to build up your
own creature, choosing the pose and expression.
CREATURES
CREATURES
The Tutor
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One of the best ways to draw sort of manipulation of anatomy will easy – and fun – to draw your own
something that doesn’t exist is to help you understand how creature creations quickly and successfully.
understand the functionality of what design is like building a structure or Looking back at real-world animals
does exist. I’ll therefore be explaining engineering a vehicle. and applying this knowledge to your
how drawing creatures is merely the alien creatures is how we’ll begin to
act of blending and manipulating Once you’ve learnt the basic design of create a plausible-yet-fictional design
real-world animals. Examples of this most animals, it becomes surprisingly in this workshop.
CREATURES
Eyes are a powerful tool in design; they set the overall impression and represent
a great many things to be understood. Complex eyes portray expression and
personality, while simplistic eyes appear more alien or horrifying. This is why
many creatures with glazed-over pupils or a lack of eyes seem worrying.
CREATURES
Vertebrate creatures have an eye socket in their skull. The size and location of the eye is
based on where it’s located. The pupil and iris can provide a lot of personality.
Use the templates on this page and the references above to try out some different eye designs for your creature. Think about how
the eyes of different animals change from one family to the next. The same principle is used in creature design.
Arthropods have compound eyes which can be placed in more Now that we’ve conquered the eyes, we’ll
extravagant locations. Eyes are placed for different visual awareness. learn how to design different mouths and
Try coming up with your own unique eye design and placement. jaws to give our creature a variety of looks…
CREATURES
The head and mouth of a creature lets us know where the animal
might fit within a fictional taxonomic rank based on what it may eat. So
learning how to draw different mouths and what their functions are is
one way to establish a base for what sort of creature it will become.
Mixing various
families of animals
is a great way to
Tentacles are always going to scream create something
‘alien’. If it has elements of a Cephalopod unique. If you take
and it’s a terrestrial creature, it’ll always mammal and
look otherworldly. They could shoot out insect anatomy
of the mouth like a grappling tongue. and mesh them
together you can
come up with some
interesting mouths.
CREATURES
When rendering, your line strokes should follow in the direction of the planes that
the form is broken up into. Don’t just shade in one direction.
Using these head templates and the references above, try to come up with your own unique, interesting and functional
mouths to give your creature different looks.
CREATURES
We already know that a seamless mix of anatomy is what makes
a design plausible. Now we’re going to learn about aesthetics and
functionality. This image shows arms and legs that don’t deviate
too far from reality while still manipulating what already exists.
CREATURES
Practice drawing
hands and wrists using
these templates.
Try filling the gaps below to create your own leg designs. Use the circles for joints, but feel free to explore outside the boxes, too.
Think of your own arms and legs and how they bend and rotate at the shoulder, knee, elbow, ankle and wrists. This
is the basis of functional movement. Apply this understanding to your design and practice, practice, practice.
The numbers of fingers and toes or the types of digits also provide a form of identification in the taxonomic
ranks. Play around with different claws, hooves, suction cups and so on.
CREATURES
Use the template below to better understand where joints are located and how forms are simplified. Look at it like
an X-ray of a drawing.
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In this workshop, I will share with you also present to you some of the things in my head while I work. So for this
the techniques I use when drawing that I think about while drawing. workshop, I have chosen dinosaurs
monsters, aliens and many other While I don’t necessarily employ these as the prime focus, keeping it simple
fearsome creatures. The process is not steps or techniques all of the time, with bust drawings to build up a
unlike those of other artists, but I will they are constantly bouncing around foundation of skills.
CREATURES
All forms begin with a circle, even if I don’t stick to the
circle’s shape or area exactly. It creates a footing, or
a plot on the page for me to start. You can then draw
through the spheres to see the drawing from all sides,
placing hemisphere lines to indicate form.
CREATURES
The mouth can be a very expressive element to your design.
It can show intelligence, emotion and even hint at how the
creature lives. Imagine the volume of the mouth is like a
puppet mouth; two simple planes that divide the head into a
wedge shape. This is a good way to get started.
You can now create some open-mouth designs below. Remember that the mouth is a wedge cutting into the shapes.
CREATURES
For the most part, I feel eyes are the easiest. All things have derived
from a sphere and the eye is no different. The size can vary greatly;
experiment with different positions to balance your design.
Remember that all forms wrap around the sphere of the eye.
To convey intelligence,
imagine the pupils are
focusing on a target
without crossing their
line of sight.
The brow and cheekbone shapes
can help frame the eye and create
flow and focus to the design.
CREATURES
Reference the above images to build out your own eye designs over the templates and head designs.
CREATURES
Finalizing our drawings is a simple task, now that we have practiced
all the elements. In this exercise we will render cast shadows, wrinkles,
and put the final touches on our line art.
Don’t over do it
with details; keep
them limited to a
few regions like the
edge of shadows, the
silhouette, or selected
patches. Maintain
visual interest.
CREATURES
Draw your own dino-spheres of spikes and wrinkles, then practice with light and shadows.
Vary the amount of spikes and shapes, as well as the wrinkles.
You now have all the tools necessary to build and finish your own
creature head designs. Think of each part as a dino-sphere that
adds to the entire piece. Dino-spheres are our friends!
CREATURES
With the provided shapes, use the skills and lessons in this workshop to develop your own pack of creatures. The
exterior shapes are provided, so start by filling them in with volume and take them through to final details and shading.
Join thirty fearless artists as they explore and develop concepts for a treasure
trove of fascinating mythical beasts. Journey around the globe and unearth the
secrets of fantasy favorites and more provincial mysteries, including the legend-
ary unicorn, the elusive yeti, the Slavic leshy, and the Japanese nue, to name just
a few! Each creature has its own chapter that covers an overview of its history,
how to detail main elements, such as fur and horns, and the thought process
behind the artist’s design.
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