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This article was reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson. Jeanine Hattas Wilson is a Professional Painter and the President of Hattas Public Murals, Inc. With nearly 20 years of experience, Jeanine specializes in creating, overseeing, designing, and painting murals. Jeanine holds a BA in Advertising from Marquette University and a Studio Painting Minor from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. She has studied at The Atelier Artien in Paris, France, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and under renowned artists such as Robert Liberace, Michael Siegel, and William Cochran. To date, Hattas Public Murals has painted nearly 5,000 commissioned works of art in homes and commercial and public spaces.
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Since his premiere in Action Comics #1, June 1938, Superman has risen to iconic status faster than a speeding bullet. The Man of Steel's distinctive appearance has been rendered by artists ranging from his co-creator, Joe Schuster, to Wayne Boring, Win Mortimer, Al Plastino, Curt Swan, Dick Dillin, Alex Ross and other DC Comics greats. It doesn't require powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men to draw Superman, but drawing him well requires knowledge of anatomy and perspective and attention to detail. Here's what it takes to draw Superman.
Steps
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Draw a stick figure. -
Draw pipes and circles to represent volume to the muscles based on your stick figure.Advertisement -
Lightly sketch the design of superman’s costume over your drawing. Take note on the details such as his hairstyle, logo on his chest, belt, the design of his boots and his cape. -
Now add details on his face, the hands and logo on the chest. -
Finalize your line art and erase unnecessary lines. -
Color your drawing.
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On the center of your paper lightly draw the outline of the face. -
Draw a large oblong to represent the chest and two circles on opposite sides for the shoulders. -
On the right shoulder add the outline of the right arm using two oblongs for the arm and forearm, a circle for the fist. -
Lightly sketch the details of superman’s costume. -
Add facial features and the details for the hand. -
Finalize your line art and erase unnecessary lines. -
Color your drawing.
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I draw a line of hair?
Community AnswerYou won't be able to draw every line, but start out with just the shape of the hair, then fill in details and accessories. -
QuestionHow can I do different poses?
Community AnswerUse a poser. They sell small mannequins at Michael's or any art supply store. You can also find digital posers in the App Store.
Video
Tips
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If you're drawing Superman with a drawing program such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, use separate layers for the reference lines and the final drawing. Then, when you've finished drawing the Man of Steel's image, delete the layers with the reference lines. Color in the Last Son of Krypton's image, then merge the layers.Thanks
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When drawing Superman on paper, draw the reference lines lightly and the figure lines more distinctly in pencil. Then, when you've finished drawing the Man of Steel's image, erase the reference lines and ink in the figure lines before you color him in.Thanks
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If you're showing the Man of Tomorrow using his vision powers, draw narrow cone-shaped beams from his eyes and follow the convention to indicate which power he's using: X-ray vision is shown with yellow beams, heat and infrared vision with red beams and telescopic and microscopic vision with whitish beams.Thanks
References
- Rodney Ruff, Omaha, NE; lifelong Superman/DC Comics fan
About This Article
To draw Superman, start by lightly sketching a stick figure, using pipes and circles to represent the volume of the muscles. Next, sketch the design of Superman’s costume over the stick figure drawing. Then, draw in the finer details like his hairstyle, the Superman logo on his chest, the belt, boots, and cape. Lastly, add details to Superman's face, finalize your lines, and erase the unnecessary sketched lines to bring your drawing to life. For more tips on how to draw Superman in different poses, keep reading!
