Drawing Dark Fantasy: Creating Monsters, Madness, and All Manner of Nightmarish Imagery

by Steve Beaumont

Overview

Learn how to draw the creatures and scenes of your wildest fantasies with this easy-to-follow manual. Built around a 20-page core of the basics—materials, the figure, perspective, light, and color—this book presents step-by-step instructions and illustrations that explain techniques and approaches for creating eight supernatural creatures of the night, including a dragon, a sea monster, a werewolf, a vampire, and other beastly beings.
This exciting full-color guide is geared toward fans of fantasy who enjoy drawing and are looking for tips and ideas that will help them further develop their illustrations. The author, professional illustrator Steve Beaumont, produces concept art for video games and storyboards for film, animation, and advertising. He teaches fantasy art classes and is himself completely self-taught, proving that anyone, with practice, is capable of producing remarkable artwork. The book concludes with a few pages from one of his sketchbooks that share some elements of his artistic process.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486829289
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	10/17/2018
Series:	Dover Art Instruction , #1
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	10 - 18 Years

About the Author

Professional illustrator Steve Beaumont produces concept art for video games and storyboards for film, animation, and advertising. His popular fantasy art class forms the basis for this book.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Dragon's Lair

Featuring in the mythology of many countries — including Japan, China, England, Wales, Scotland, France and South America — dragons are one of the most recognized and frequently depicted creatures in fantasy art. Although they are sometimes portrayed as the guardians of fabulous treasure and secret gateways to hidden lands, these memorable beasts are more often shown wreaking havoc on villages and castles or locked in fierce combat with a heroic warrior. For this drawing I have chosen the latter scenario. This exercise will draw upon the disciplines of figure drawing, composition and lighting and requires a pencil and a piece of paper. I used a Staedtler HB pencil on Winsor & Newton 300gsm cartridge paper.

Before jumping straight into the action I thought it would be helpful, for those of you who have not drawn a dragon before, to look at how relatively easy it is. Also, it will be a good warm-up exercise to prepare you for the main drawing.

I usually start any drawing by producing rough, loose sketches, keeping the line work light so that I can continue to draw over the top of it (Figure 1). I find reducing a subject to simplified shapes can be helpful while you are becoming acquainted with a new form, so I have shown here how the form can be broken down using some red shapes. I have not gone for the usual circles, blocks and cylinders — instead I have roughly drawn an oval for the body and created some pleasing curves for the tail and neck (Figure 2). When sketching the shapes, keep them loose and rough. Try not to become too involved with drawing the shapes — remember, you are drawing a dragon, and that is your focus (Figure 3). Try to let the lines flow. Once you have created a natural-looking pose that you are happy with, you can start to develop the sketch further by adding more detail (Figures 4 and 5).

This section examines how to develop the head. This is easier than you may think; it's just a tapered shape that comprises a semi-triangular tip and a sphere, all put together in a pleasingly fluid curved form (Figure 6). You can then add the basic structures of the eye, jaw line, mouth, nose and any spikes or horns (Figures 7 and 8).

As I child I was a dinosaur fanatic, and they have continued to fascinate me as an adult. Structurally similar to most representations of dragons, dinosaurs are the obvious reference for an exercise such as this one and can greatly assist the imaginative process. For the head, I looked at some of the big flesh-eating dinosaurs that feature in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park movies. Studying some dinosaur skulls was also helpful when it came to deciding on the shape of the eyes and jaw. My preference when drawing a dragon's jaw is to have the teeth visible even when the mouth is closed, a feature that can be seen in alligators and crocodiles (Figure 9). Scales and other textural details add both interest and depth to the image (Figure 10).

Figures 11–14 are the rough thumbnails and concepts explored in the thought process that helped me arrive at the final image. In most of the roughs (not all of them are featured here) the wings were used to draw the viewer in to the center of the image, where the action is taking place. The ever-reliable, tried-and-tested framing devices of a large sphere and a pillar of smoke were used to isolate the shape of the dragon and draw attention to the action.

Although I liked the close-up, intense image in Figure 11, its composition didn't leave space for much scenery. Since this book focuses not only on the figures but also the environments that complete the picture and provide mood and atmosphere, I felt that a wider shot was necessary to incorporate both a full-figure dragon and its setting.

STEP 1

Start by plotting out the content of the layout. For the purposes of clarity I have adjusted the strength of the line work so that it prints clearly, but I recommend you keep the rough plotting light so that it can easily be corrected with an eraser and you can work over the top of it successfully. You will notice that all the elements are composed around a central vertical line. The dragon's head is at a very slight angle so the inside of its mouth will be visible. If it helps, think of the head as a tapered rectangle shape, roughly drawing the sides as I have done, and then build the features around it.

STEP 2

Add the limbs, tail and wings to the dragon. Wrapping the tail around the stone ruin enables the dragon to further dominate the scene, and the wings provide a framing device. Pay attention to the form of the feet and hands, as these can be difficult to perfect. If necessary, practice sketching them on a scrap of paper before adding them to the artwork.

STEP 3

Begin to add more detail to the dragon and the ruin, taking time to plot carefully the steps winding around it. Notice that I have added other points of narrative interest, such as the dragon's claw demolishing a section of the steps, to suggest that this is a final battle, a point of no return for the warrior. You can also start to plot the foreground using a low point of perspective. The skulls in the foreground do not follow the perspective lines, as the ground is uneven and full of sunken areas. I chose to place skulls in the foreground to suggest that many had tried and failed to conquer the beast.

STEP 4

Take a look at the composition. Do the elements work well? What is the focus of the drawing? I decided that although the skulls were a nice feature, my eye was drawn too much to them and I wanted it to be focused on the main point of interest — the battle scene. I removed most of them, leaving one at the bottom right as a reminder of previous defeats. I decided to draw the ground as broken and floating on a bed of molten lava, to make the environment even more perilous. Notice that I have adjusted the angle of the steps at the base of the ruin. At this stage, if your drawing is looking a bit grubby, you might want to trace it onto a clean sheet of paper using a lightbox, if you have one.

STEP 5

In order to begin shading the outline, you need to identify where the light source is coming from so that you can determine which areas are highlighted and which are in shadow. In this instance, since the ground is lava — a source of intense heat — it makes sense for the lighting to come from below, creating shadows to the higher outer areas of the dragon and the scenery. Begin to shade in these areas and identify the parts that will be darkest and will anchor the image (Figure 15).

STEP 6

Once the darker areas have been identified, begin work on building up layers of tone over all areas of the drawing. This will act as a base layer upon which you can add layers of darker tone, more detail and textural interest.

Blend together the first layers of shading to meld the pencil strokes and create a smoother overall tone. I vary my tools for blending — I may use a blending stump for smaller areas and a sheet of tissue paper wrapped round my index finger for larger areas (Figure 16).

STEP 7

To create the textured effect on the dragon's wings, hold the pencil at a low angle, almost flat, and run it across the paper, using any texture within the paper's surface to add to the effect. Use this same technique on the dragon's skin, applying more pressure to create darker tones.

STEP 8

Once all the textures and tones have been applied, go over the drawing with an eraser to remove any unwanted pencil marks and shading where it interferes with the clarity of the line work.

STEP 9

I also use an eraser to create highlights, which help to lift the foreground from the rest of the background tone.

STEP 10

After creating highlights with an eraser, re-apply pencil to any of the line work that may accidentally have been erased or smudged. You need to create a defined outline that will make the dragon stand out. Use as sharp a point as you can for this. Some artists prefer to use a technical pencil for crisp line work, but a very sharp pencil will do just as well. Make sure that details such as the claws and teeth, which should look razor-sharp, are extremely crisply defined.

STEP 11

Use the flat edge of an eraser to add shafts of flickering light emanating from the molten lava below the dragon. The larger, flatter eraser won't totally erase the pencil work — instead it will make the shafts of light appear slightly translucent. Lastly, use a smaller eraser to create finer highlights and give the effect of flames. Sit back and assess the piece, making any last corrections or adjustments as required.

CHAPTER 2

Creature of the Night

Since my teenage years, I have been a fan of the comic book character Vampirella, and, more recently, Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale in Len Wiseman's Underworld series of vampire movies. This relatively simple artwork is inspired by both those characters. You will be able to produce it as a pencil or an ink drawing.

Initially, I had an idea to produce a drawing greatly influenced by Vampirella (Figure 1), in which the character is perched on a gargoyle and framed by a Gothic arch opening. However, having produced the rough thumbnail sketch, I realized it was not the layout I wanted to draw. I therefore produced another quick thumbnail sketch that looked more like a demonic Batman character (Figure 2). As soon as I saw it, I knew there was something about it I liked. I then created a third thumbnail sketch, returning to a female figure and including more Gothic architecture (Figure 3).

What I liked about the third thumbnail sketch was that most elements were more or less depicted in silhouette. It pleased me that the figure could work as a silhouette, and details were left to the imagination of the viewer. Sometimes an image that requires viewer input can be more provocative than a more explicit image. The curves of the gargoyle and the flying buttress create a nice design, too.

Since this image includes Gothic architecture, I thought it would be helpful to provide some images for reference. Almost any material you require for reference can be found on the internet, and it is well worth doing your own research so that you can create a better composition. Figure 5 shows an example of a flying buttress, a structural feature of many grand buildings and an aesthetically pleasing setting for a fantasy drawing. Some buttresses have ornamental stonework, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, which can be used to add texture and atmosphere to a drawing. Figure 6 is a pretty good reference image for the type of gargoyle depicted in the rough sketch, but there are hundreds of other examples available.

When I visit any towns or cities that have interesting architecture, I try to remember to take a camera and/or sketchbook with me in order to record any information that may be of interest at a later date. Figures 7–10 are examples of sketches from some of my days out. Figure 7 shows how crockets (hook-shaped decorative elements common in Gothic architecture) are used to decorate a spire. Figure 8 is a close-up drawing of how the detail would have looked before age and weathering took their toll, the results of which are shown in Figure 9. Figure 10 is a finial, a detail typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or other distinctive ornaments at the top, end or corner of a structure. Architectural finials were once believed to act as a deterrent to witches on broomsticks attempting to land on one's roof!

STEP 1

Start by loosely sketching out the composition on a large sheet of paper. Here, I started again and went back to basics, creating the figure using circles, ovals and cylinders and sectioning the face before fleshing out the construction shape. Using this method will help you to create a more balanced and accurate figure.

Practice drawing the anatomical features on a separate piece of paper (Figure 11), so that you are familiar with them and can render them accurately in the finished piece. When drawing wings resembling those of a bat or dragon, try to keep in mind the structure of a wing and how it is held together — not dissimilar to a human arm and hand. The bat has an arm in two parts, with four fingers and a thumb. The digits are very long, however, and the skin that forms the wing is stretched across the arm and fingers. The bone structure of a bird's wing is also similar (except that it does not have four fingers), and the "arm" folds in the same way. Here, I decided not to draw the skin that covers the upper outer area of the arm on a bat's wing as I wanted to create a more angular shape around the head.

STEP 2

Draw in the outline of the surrounding building, referring to photos and the finished image for this project and making rough sketches on a separate piece of paper if necessary. It is a good idea to use vanishing points and guidelines so that the perspective is correct, especially when drawing buildings. I have not drawn in too much detail on the figure, gargoyle or the architecture, as they will mostly be solid black. I have sketched just enough information in order to plot the shapes as accurately as possible.

When drawing the decorative architectural details on the flying buttresses and the crockets on the spires, I went for irregular, inconsistent shapes. If you study the stonework of old buildings you will notice how age and the elements have worn away the shape of the stone, and I wanted to replicate this weathering.

STEP 3

Now it is time to add highlights to the gargoyle and to the outer edges of the figure, to prevent these from looking flat. As I had decided to make this a black-and-white ink drawing, I chose not to include the full moon in the background, which was going to be used to frame the figure, and was no longer needed. Nor did I add any highlights to the architecture in the background, so I didn't shade those areas.

STEP 4

Once you are completely happy with the picture, it is time to ink it in, starting off by going over the outlines with ink. How I approach inking a drawing can vary each time. Sometimes I use a couple of brushes — one for fine detail and a larger one for filling in — or I may just use a Copic Multiliner brush pen as I can produce both fine work and broad strokes with the same pen. For this drawing I used a Faber-Castell Superfine pen to create an outline to ink.

STEP 5

Ink in the hair without producing an outline first, as this could make it look too mechanical; there should be some texture to the outer shape of the hair. I used a Copic Multiliner brush pen, which produces flowing, natural-looking lines.

STEP 6

Use a brush pen rather than a superfine pen to ink in the architectural details, as these shouldn't look too precise and sharp.

STEP 7

Fill in the outlines in solid black, where required, using a brush and ink. Take care to leave highlighted areas white and do not smudge the ink. Leave the ink to dry thoroughly.

STEP 8

You can now start adding textures and tone. I applied ink to the stone wall using a flat brush. By loading the brush sparingly, the ink thins out as the brush travels across the paper, creating a dry-brush effect (Figure 12). The texture of the paper also adds to the effect, depending on its coarseness. Add in any hatching to areas that require shading. Continue to use a Faber-Castell Superfine pen to create the hatching on the gargoyle and the wings.

STEP 9

Now it is time to sit back and evaluate the drawing. Does the foreground stand out adequately against the background, or is more work required? In this case, I was satisfied that the details and texture on the gargoyle successfully create the illusion of perspective, with the gargoyle and figure appearing to be some distance in front of the flying buttress and spires in the background.

STEP 10

Once you are satisfied with the textural aspects of the drawing, assess whether you could apply more highlights to add extra interest. Using a Pentel correction pen, I sparingly drew in some fine cracks and specks on the stonework. Details such as these can also be created using opaque white correction fluid and a fine brush or a sharp white crayon pencil. Use whichever medium you feel most comfortable with.

STEP 11

Add highlights to other areas, such as the hair (for which I also used the Pentel correction pen). As mentioned above, the same effect can be established using opaque white correction fluid and a brush or a white crayon pencil.

STEP 12

Assess the image again. Are there any elements that need changing? In this instance, I chose to ink over the detail on the inside of the wing (see facing page), but decisions such as these are largely a matter of preference. If you feel your drawing will look better with the detail remaining, then keep it; do whatever you feel gives the best result.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Drawing Dark Fantasy"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Arcturus Holdings Limited.
Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Introduction, Page 4,
Materials, Page 7,
Successful Figure Drawing, Page 10,
Perspective, Page 17,
Lighting, Page 18,
Coloring, Page 20,
EXERCISES,
Exercise 1 Dragon's Lair, Page 22,
Exercise 2 Creature of the Night, Page 36,
Exercise 3 The Kraken, Page 46,
Exercise 4 Werewolf, Page 58,
Exercise 5 Rock'n'Roll Vampire, Page 70,
Exercise 6 Wild West Reaper, Page 82,
Exercise 7 Halloween, Page 90,
Exercise 8 Sea Creature, Page 104,
Sketchbook, Page 118,