Ever wanted to draw Star Wars characters and vehicles just like the professional comic book artists? In this step-by-step series, Star Wars artists and illustrators show you how to draw some of the most beloved characters in the saga.
Star Wars illustrator Jamie Snell explains with these easy-to-follow steps how to draw a Mandalorian Warrior from the Season 2 of The Clone Wars.
Steps 1-3 are drawn lightly with pencil. No pen, no dark lines. Finished lines and details will come at the end.
Step One:
You want to create a simple framework before anything else, so for Step 1, draw basic shapes. Use lines and circles to represent the head, knees, elbows, hands, etc. Keep your pencil lines nice and loose as you decide what poses you'd like. If you are just starting out try a basic standing pose; something easy at first till you get the hang of it.
Step Two:
Once your stick figure framework is done, then you can go in and start fleshing out the body shapes a bit more. I go with the tube format.
Step Three:
Now that your basic shapes and pose are in place, it's time to lightly pencil in some of the more detailed areas, such as his armor, gauntlets, leg holsters, helmet, and so on. Keep your lines loose and light, and don't be afraid to erase and redraw.
Once you are satisfied with your initial pencils, tighten it up. Go over the lines and shapes you've already drawn, but this time make it a bit darker. Feel free to use shading, if you like. (I tend to leave my lines and image clean and do my details and shading in the ink and color stage.) The amount of detail that goes into your final pencil drawing is completely up to you. Work it out until you're happy with how it looks.
Step Four:
In the inking stage, just add pen or marker lines to your drawing, simply go over your pencil lines. When you're happy with how it looks, go over the piece with an eraser and that will get rid of your pencil lines so that only your inked lines remain. Remember it doesn't have to be perfect the first time. Practicing is the key to getting better! Don't be discouraged.
Step Five:
Some people like to use color paints, pencils, crayons, digitally or with markers. For this image I used Prisma Color Markers, with color pencil highlights. With the markers you want to layer. Start off light and build up to the darks. I also like to keep some dried out markers lying around, especially the greys and browns, they are excellent for battle marks and wear and tear on armor. Experiment even, make copies of your inked version and try different ways to color. Just have fun.
See all our drawing tutorials in the Star Wars Drawing Archive
