Everyone Can Draw

Imagery

By putting this guy in a straight jacket I have portrayed the idea of mental instability. The buckles and straps are added detail that make the character more interesting to look at, they also represent being ‘tied up’ as you would be if you were in a mental asylum. By placing him in a mask I have added interest and concern – who is he really? Why is he in a mask? The mask itself could have been any shape or size – but you can see I have given it two pointed sections like horns, this is due to the chaotic nature of the character concerned – horns bring up old ideas about the horned man and of course the devil. The buttons on the collar and the lines down the arms add movement to the image, and if you look at the collar you can see I have placed a shadow where the line of the back of the collar would be. Knees and elbows I usually define with a rectangular shape jutting out from the muscle. A question you might ask is how to draw the straps. Basically a buckle consists of a small rectangle or square, with a larger one around it, the strap width to go with it should be the same width as the smaller rectangle or square. Something else of note – have a look at the dagger on his left boot (Right side as you look at the sketch). Notice how the handle over-laps other sections of the picture. Try to think about what would be in front of what when drawing. I usually draw it all out and then rub out whatever should be behind something else instead of trying to plan it all out from the start, this makes things much easier – make sure you have a good rubber and that you use a soft pencil (say 4B) if you want to try this though!