[Music] Hi everyone, I’m Mitch Leeuwe and I’m
a freelance artist working on character designs and environment art for animation shows, toys
and way more.
More than a year ago, I started creating tutorials about how I draw and I’m posting that on
Instagram.
And then I started selling eBooks and video tutorials and started a patreon page.
So, I became sort of an online teacher and that's also why Proko asked me to make a video
about how to draw.
Hope you liked the video, thanks.
Let's draw a bird - so I start with the line of action.
So, first I figure out what kind of character I want to draw and I want to draw this bird
that is standing on the branch.
So, I think this line will be fine for this - just a simple character pose.
So then, I start with drawing the head as a simple ball and then the main body and later,
I will start breaking these shapes down, but I always like to start with these big shapes
and I try to think about some flow of it - in energy and flow etc.
And let's draw this wing like this - a nice S shape.
So I’m always also like to use S lines, I try to avoid straight too much but for example
here for these legs.
I think these straight lines work perfect because you want them to be strong on this
branch.
So here it - branch is like this here, we have the main shapes.
So, this is how I like to start drawing and then I check if I like it and I can always
change stuff on the go, but this is the base I’m starting with.
So erasing these lines a little bit.
So, the next step is to draw the construction.
So, what I also do is look on the internet for reference.
For example, for a bird I do look up the anatomy of the birds for example - the skeleton.
When you look at the skeleton of a bird, it basically looks a bit like this.
So the skull in here and of course, I simplify it.
Then here you have these eye sockets like, this nose hole and then for example, this
mouth, this jaw - something like this.
Then I also check the other parts of the bones.
But I try to simplify this and I use this for the construction.
So for example, when - this is the head - I start drawing in - these are called perspective
guides and these help to determine the direction of this head.
So this is the direction I’m going to draw in this big - I actually think I even want
to - this beak is a bit up like this, then here - so I’m really thinking in these basic
shapes but it's also important to not make it too stiff.
So, be careful when you're drawing a character, try to maintain some flow in it - like this
angle in the head, always - also drawing through your shapes and what I mean with that is for
example, these lines, you won't see that in the final drawing but you're seeing it in
the sketch.
And then here adding here this mask to check if the eyes are on the correct spot, if that
works.
Here's some cheeks like this.
After feeling - this head is maybe a little bit high, so it's the cool thing about working
digitally, you can cheat a little bit.
That's also why I actually think it's really good to start learning to draw on paper because
you can learn a lot from that.
I draw a lot digitally.
I also try to draw a lot on paper, but when you're working digitally, because you can
cheat that much there, why not use it?
Why not make it - give this breast or do I want to give him a little tummy?
I think I want to do this.
I don't like this brush for now - duration now.
So you can see when I’m sketching, I’m just using basic rounds - round brush, nothing
special.
Of course you now see this sketch but normally nobody will see this sketch, so I don't really
mind how these lines look.
These lights are really sketchy and I’m just trying to search on some stuff.
I think this wing is way too big, so let's erase these parts a little bit.
So, when you look at the bones or how the wing is built, here these feathers go these
directions, so something like this.
And then here is this bony part, something like this.
Then I’m going to draw in the legs.
Yeah, I think I want to have this one a little bit longer.
Again, cheating a little bit.
So, sometimes I mirror my drawing to check if I like everything.
I think still this wing looks quite big.
I think I will check it later and see if it works.
So, once I have this, I can start drawing on top of it.
Let's zoom in a little bit on the head.
So, when you're zooming in, always - then it's really easy to start throwing in too
much detail, so watch out for that.
So, now I’m going to start adding the final lines - it's sort of the final sketch.
I’ll start to think about all the things I want to have in it.
This line could be - maybe this could be in a shape, S line, something like this and here
with his mouth, let's draw in this tongue.
So, I’m also thinking about the construction.
So with construction, I mean what I did with these perspective lines, that it looks solid,
that it looks three-dimensional but I also think yeah, gesture and line of action and
the flow is also important.
So, I always try to think about nice balance between those things because you need strong
construction to let it look solid but you also want to yeah, keep your drawing dynamic
and lifelike.
Eyebrows - draw in the eyebrow and then here it is...
Line and it's still not the final line art.
The final line art, I will try to add some more edges and corners just if - maybe change
some little things.
Let's add some feathers here like this.
One small, maybe something like this and let's zoom out and let's draw the rest of the body.
So here this part is connected to the head.
I want to have this one nice single line and here we have this wing.
So here you can see that I’m drawing on top of those construction shapes.
I’m also trying to avoid symmetry as much as I can.
Also, I don't like to use parallel lines, and let's throw in here this toe, these nails.
So, I’m also using overlapping lines of this branch - draw in here these feathers.
Let's break it down in three shapes at fee - what kind of shape here?
There's this gap here, there's a smaller gap here.
So, I’m also trying to play around with sizes - big, small...
Most of the time I’m playing around with big, small and medium.
Let's start throwing in this wing like this.
So, it's basically like these...
Have some fingers.
And you can see, I’m following these lines, it's almost like they're coming from one point.
I can do - maybe make this one a little bit bigger and then this one a little bit smaller
and then here we have a line because there are the bones and here's the most thickest
there.
What would happen if I made the eye smaller?
Be a little bit here.
Yeah, I think I do like this more.
So, that's also how I try out different things.
Normally I would even try and play around more with that.
So, even in this stage, you can still change stuff before you start inking.
The earlier you can change stuff, the better it is.
Trying to check if I like it.
Yeah, I think this could work.
So, when I really want to make clean drawing, I’m drawing on a separate layer on top of
this, but you can draw on a separate layer or on the layer itself.
So, I take a brush I want to ink this drawing with, so I’m using this rough brush as you
can see here.
If I - so it's basically like this.
It looks a bit like a pencil.
So, in a little bit - 100%.
Don't try to zoom in more than this.
Let's draw in this eye.
I’m not going to add too much details, so I’m working on a Wacom Cintiq and I like
to work on a screen tablet display because then you can see where your hand is and then
you can even measure things with your hand on the screen.
So, with my fingers I actually check the same size.
These pupils, so note that this one is bigger than that one.
That is actually closer.
So now I’m also trying to add some corners and then later I can check if that's actually
something I like or not.
Eyebrows...
This uh - here you can see it's not perfect around but I’m trying to give it a little
bit of a sharp corner and line thickness for example, these eyebrows are of course super
thick because those are really important for the expressions.
When I’m inking something, I try to give the most important shapes like the head or
the mouth the most thickest lines.
I’m not always doing that, but what you could do is first ink the most important lines
and then save the details for less then give those thinner lines this - here this cheek...
So, when drawing a line, try to think about how these lines wrap around the shapes so
it's consistent and try to be confident when you're drawing these lines.
The quicker you are with setting a line, the more nice - more energy there is in these
lines.
When you don't like line you can just Ctrl+Z, the magic of digital and just keep adding
these lines.
So, here these overlapping lines are also really important.
I think we want to have these two lines overlapping those other shapes - something like this - big,
small, medium then drop in these legs.
And if I don't like some of the lines, you can always change them.
Like this line is a little bit more interesting than the sketch it's a little happy accidents.
When I have to draw a long line, sometimes I make a separate layer, another layer so
you can easily change some stuff.
Going down like this, let's draw in some feathers and a line going like this.
But here it's a bit wider than here so that there's some - I don't want to make it exactly
parallel to the other line.
Continue like this here.
Then we print this drawing and now we can start coloring it.
So, add a layer below it.
Let's start first with coloring the parts, have this main color and I can always change
the colors later.
Especially with colors, a lot of times you can judge if it fits when it's done.
So, I’m using this rough brush because I also want to get these rough edges.
So also in the color, yeah, let's erase these parts here.
It's going to be red.
Fill this and let's make this - let's add another layer below that and take this red,
maybe make this a bit lighter...
Yeah, for these parts.
Maybe this works.
Let's just keep going.
Actually I don't mind that's not perfect at all places.
I want keep it a little bit rough.
Another color here around the eyes and make this a little bit lighter like this.
Let's go for this orange beak.
I think it also fits really well with the red and of course, it's really typical color
for the bird beak and let's Ctrl+U see if maybe different color works.
Maybe this color works better.
Yeah, I think this like works better.
I try to avoid pure white.
We're going for maybe blue eyes.
The opposite color on this color wheel, maybe - just let's try it out.
You can always change it.
I think I do like it.
It gives a nice contrast.
You can also make them green because that's actually the opposite color of red.
Something like this or maybe - I did actually like the blue.
Now, let's go for the blue one this time.
Reds, just using the same reds there.
I want to have this a bit lighter like this - a little bit less saturated.
Sometimes I also like to use the Lasso tool like this and here - let's add here a bit
of these kinds of rough edges.
So, now we can actually start adding in some shadows.
So, I combined everything here in this layer and then I switch everything - all these layers
and then I make a selection of the whole silhouette of the bird and then I turn that layer off
- I make a new layer and I put that layer on Multiply and I take this purple - light
purple color and I fill this - and you can see, it gets a bit dark.
Not super dark but just a little bit and let's take this white color.
So, let's take this gray here and then with X, I can switch between these colors.
So let's put it again on Multiply and then with white, you can start drawing in light.
So, the light is coming from this top left corner.
This chick, I just want to make it simpler.
Actually, let's add a mask.
And so control, just throw inside this.
So, now you can just add shadow and try out different stuff.
Yeah, I could better just start it with no shadow and just start adding shadow but this
one works as well.
So, light here from the breasts and some light here, here and you know what?
To finish off, let's add some highlights here in these - I think you can notice that I’m
just experimenting and always playing a bit around, so yeah.
Then I finished this character.
I hoped you liked it.
Thanks, thanks for watching.
Stan: Thank you Mitch.
Marshall: If you enjoyed this lesson and want to see more, Mitch now has a course on Proko.com.
His How to Draw Animals bundle has hours of video showing you construction, line of action,
turnarounds, portfolio tips and way more and he includes two eBooks as well.
Check out Proko.com/MitchLeeuwe to see more.
See you all next time.