Hello! This book is a how-to guide for drawing fantasy-themed characters, creatures, and items. I work with a variety of art mediums and will try to give tutorials using all of them. This book most likely won't be published until I've done a few cha...
IMPORTANT!!! Any steps with asterisks (*) should be done softly with a pencil. This is the sketching phase, so you want to be able to erase your work if you don't like something!
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Mermaids! :D
They're so gosh-darn fun to draw! Well, they are for me, at least!
I've always felt a special connection to mermaids and sirens, though I don't live anywhere near the sea. I think that maybe my soul is that of a siren/mermaid, or maybe I was one in a past life. My best friend and I thought for a while that we were an elf and a siren, respectively. Though for a long time I stopped believing that, I've realized recently how much more fun life is when I open myself to the possibilities and believe a bit of everything.
What do you guys believe in? Do you believe in yourselves? I hope so :)
Anyhow, without further ado, let's get started! I'm figuring that for this section, I'm going to assume you all know what you're getting into. Drawing humans, humanoid creatures, and animals can be a lot more complicated than drawing items! It's all the more rewarding, too. Something I love about drawing creatures is the sheer amount of emotion and truth you can express through them. It's one of the reasons I love drawing so much.
Basic Version:
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*Step One: I start with a basic circle and egg-shape for the head, then add a cross for the shoulders.
*Step Two: I start adding in basic features. Rectangles for ears, circles and lines for the arms, and a more defined neck. I decide I want the character to be looking slightly to the left, too. At this point, I've also decided I want to make him a boy. So, he'll have a fairly flat chest that looks more like a trapezoid. In addition, his face will be more rectangular.
*Step Three: I add in the nose, eyes, ear fins (I like adding these to all of my mermaid / siren characters), and the beginnings of his coat. I want him to be a noble mermaid, so I'm giving him a fancy outfit. Also, here I add in some gills on his neck, and hair!
Tip: Look up "Cool fantasy clothing". It's really helpful for getting outfit-inspiration!
*Step Four: Here, I define the eyes further. You totally don't have to draw facial features in the particular stylization that I do—feel free to take it all as inspiration! I also add little swirls to the ears on this step, scales on his cheeks, and make his expression.
