How to Draw Superman (full body)
Use the videos and step-by-step drawing instructions below to learn how to draw Superman (full body). A new cartoon drawing tutorial is uploaded every week, so stay tooned!
The speed drawing video:
The written step-by-step video tutorial:
Intro: Start off with a pencil sketch. In the beginning stages, don’t press down too hard. Use light, smooth strokes for sketching.
Step 1: Draw a small circle near the top of the page as a guide for Superman's head. First draw four tiny marks for the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. The circle is just a guide and doesn't need to be perfect, but if you want a perfect circle, just trace the outline of a coin or any other circular object. Draw a small U-shaped arc under the head as a guide for Superman's jaw and chin. Don't draw the arc too low, otherwise ol' Kal-El will end up with a big chin.
Step 2: Draw a vertical line across the entire head as a guide to help you place Superman's facial features later. Add two tiny lines under the head as guides for the neck. Draw a big oval under the head as a guide for the chest. Pay close attention to the size of the chest in relation to the head. Sketch it lightly at first to get it right. Superman is a medium- sized character, so don't make the oval too big.
Step 3: Draw the middle section of Superman's torso using a series of lines under the oval. Use two slightly tilted vertical lines for the sides and a curved horizontal line for the bottom. Draw a pentagon- like shape under the midsection for the lowest part of the torso. Draw two short vertical lines for the sides, then add a wide V-shaped line at the bottom.
Step 4: Draw a small half-circle on the upper left side of the torso as a guide for the first shoulder. Add a U-shaped curved line under the half-circle as a guide for the bicep on the left. On the right side, draw the guide for Superman's bicep first as a half-circle near the bottom part of the chest. Then draw a short, curved line above the half-circle as a guide for the other shoulder.
Step 5: Draw a small oval under the U- shaped line on the left side as a guide for the top part of the forearm. Draw the bottom part of the forearm under the small oval using a series of short lines. Draw a small circle at the end of the arm as a guide for Superman's fist. On the lower right side of the body, first draw a small circle as a guide for the fist. Then connect the fist to the bicep using two curved lines to create the guide for the forearm on the right.
Step 6: Under the torso, on the left side, draw a really long U-shaped arc as a guide for the top part of the leg. Superman is a tall character, so don't draw these guides too short. Draw another long U-shaped line on the right for the other leg. This guide should be a little more tilted. Under each leg, draw a small circle as a guide for Superman's knees.
Step 7: Under the circle on the left, draw another U-shaped line as a guide for Superman's calf muscle. Draw an even smaller, thinner arc underneath as a guide for the lowest part of the leg. Using a series of angled lines, draw the guide for the foot at the bottom of the leg. Under the circle on the right, draw another curved line for the bottom part of the leg. This line should tilt behind the first leg. Now draw the guide for the other foot using more angled lines. The feet should point down to show that Superman is floating.
That's it for the guides! For the next steps, use darker lines for a more finished drawing.
Step 8: Near the middle of the entire head shape, draw two thick lines for Superman's eyebrows. The outer edges of the eyebrows should touch the lower edge of the main circle. The inner edges should be very close to the vertical line. Sketch lightly at first, then darken the lines when you get the placement and shapes right. Shade in the eyebrows. The final shape should be similar to an upside- down check mark.
Step 9: Draw Superman's eyes under the eyebrows by first drawing a curved line near the outer edges for the sides of the eyes. Then draw a half- circle under the middle section of the eyebrows for the irises. Add the inner edge of the eyes as small curved lines near the middle. You can omit the lower edge of the eye or add it. It depends on personal style. Add a line below each eye for more character.
Step 10: Draw Superman's nose under the lower edge of the initial circle. First draw a line that's similar to a wide letter V for the bottom part of the nose. Add a small line on each side for the sides of the nose and one in the middle for the tip. Feel free to change things on your drawing, like making the nose narrower or higher up. Play around with it. Add two lines near the top, near the eyes, for the bridge of Superman's nose.
Step 11: Draw a long horizonal line under the nose for the mouth. You can make the top lip thicker by making the line thicker if you'd like. Draw a shorter line below to represent the bottom lip.
Step 12: Draw the front part of Superman's hair using a series of curved lines. First draw an S- shaped line near the middle for the classic curl. Draw a curved line on the left to make the curl thicker. Add more curved lines on the left for the hairline. Draw a longer curved line on the right side of the curl for the other side of the hairline. Now draw a slightly curved vertical line on either side of the head for the sides of the hair. Use the initial lines as guides.
Step 13: Use the initial circle as a guide to draw the top part of Superman's hair. Follow the basic path of the circle but make the line more angled as you darken it. The lines should end on a point on either side of the head to create the sideburns.
Step 14: Use the initial U-shaped line as a guide to draw Superman's jaw and chin. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape more angular to emphasize the cheekbones and jawline. Make the chin flatter too and add a curved line on either side of the head for the ears. The curved lines should be close to the head. If they curve outward too much, Supes will end up with big ears.
Step 15: Draw the Superman symbol by first drawing a horizontal line near the top of the chest. Then draw a shorter diagonal line that points out, on either end of the first line. Connect the diagonal lines using a wide V- shaped line at the bottom. The bottom point should come out of the initial oval a bit.
Step 16: Now draw the top part of the S inside Superman's shield using a few curved lines. First draw a thin rectangular shape on the left side of the shield that's parallel to the short diagonal line. Now draw a couple of angled lines on the right side of the shield. Then add a long oval- like curved line in the middle of the shield. Leave enough room at the bottom for the rest of the S. This shape is a bit tricky, so please PAUSE the video as you draw along to get it tight.
Step 17: Draw the rest of the S in the shield by first drawing a small triangle at the top. Now draw the odd shape for the bottom part of the S that consists of curved lines. Again this shape is weird, so please pause the video to get it right. Essentially the S is attached to the outer edges of Superman's shield. Add another small triangle at the bottom to finish the negative space that forms the S inside the shield.
Step 18: Use the initial oval under Superman's head as a guide to draw the upper part of the torso. First darken the neck lines. For the collarbones, draw two horizontal lines below the neck that are slightly tilted. Add two smaller lines directly under the head for the neck muscles. Draw Superman's chest by darkening the bottom edge of the initial oval using angled lines and a line across the middle of the S. It's okay to draw directly over the S symbol. It helps define the pectoral muscles.
Step 19: Use the initial oval shape as a guide to draw the top part of Superman's cape. The lines for the top of the cape should start at the collarbone and curve over the initial oval shape. Add a few lines inside the shape for the creases on the cape's cloth. Draw the top of the cape on the right side the same way. Start at the base of the collarbone, then curve the lines over the shoulder and neck.
Step 20: Use the lines under the chest as guides to draw the lower part of the torso. Follow the basic path of the guides but angle the lines a bit more as you darken them to make the top part wider. Draw two diagonal lines near the top of the midsection for the bottom of the rib cage. Now draw a series of short, curved lines under the rib cage for Superman's abdominal muscles. Don't close the shapes of the individual muscles. Leave a few gaps so that they don't look too pronounced.
Step 21: Draw Superman's belt by first drawing the buckle as a small oval below the abs. Now draw the actual belt as small rectangular shapes on either side of the the buckle. Draw two smaller rectangular shapes on either side to create belt loops. Use the pentagon- like shape under the belt as a guide to draw his underoos. Follow the basic path of the guide but curve the lines more as you darken them.
Step 22: Use the initial shapes on the left side of the body to draw the arm. Darken the outer edge of the initial half-circle to create the shoulder. Add a few lines inside for the muscles. Simply follow the path of the guides and darken the outer edge of the shapes to create the arm. Add a few lines within the shape of the arm to emphasize Superman's muscle structure. Draw a line at the bottom for the sleeve.
Step 23: Use the initial circle as a guide to draw Superman's fist. Follow the path of the circle but make the fist smaller and more angled. Draw a small line similar to an angled letter U on the right side for the visible part of the thumb. Draw a series of short, diagonal lines on the bottom edge of the initial circle for the visible section of the folded fingers. Above each line, draw a small, curved line to represent the knuckles protruding. Draw a few short lines within the shape of the hand to indicate the tendons.
Step 24: Use the shapes on the right side of the body as guides to draw Superman's other arm. Just darken the outer edge of the guides to create the shape of the arm. Add a few lines inside the shape of the arm to indicate the flexed muscles.
Step 25: Use the small circle as a guide to draw Superman's clenched fist. First draw a U-shaped line at the top for the thumb that's going to be folded over the other fingers. Draw a series of curved lines on the right side for the knuckles. Inside the shape, draw a few more curved lines for the folded fingers. The fingers at the top will be behind the thumb, so only draw a few small lines to represent them.
Step 26: Use the shapes on the lower, left side as guides to draw the first leg. When you get down to the knee, make the shape thinner than the original circle. For the rest of Superman's leg, just basically darken the outer section of the guides to create the shape of it.
Step 27: Use a few long lines within the top shape of the leg for Superman's muscles. Add a few smaller lines near the middle to emphasize the kneecap protruding. The kneecap consists of two half-formed oval-like shapes on top of one another. Under the knee, draw two lines that have a V-shaped angle in the middle for the top part of the boot.
Step 28: Use the shapes on the lower, right side of the body as guides to draw Superman's other leg. Darken the outer edges of the guides to create the shape of the leg but draw some lines coming inward for the muscles. A portion of the foot will be behind the first leg, so don't overlap the lines.
Step 29: Draw a few lines within the shape of the leg at the top for Superman's muscles. Add a few shorter, thicker angled lines inside the initial circle for the bony kneecap. Use the lower edge of the initial circle as a guide to draw the top part of the boot.
Step 30: Use a series of very long, wavy lines on either side of Superman's body to represent the cape behind him. The shape on the left should be similar to a wavy triangle to indicate the cape folding over itself. Draw a similar wavy line on the right side of the body for the other end of the cape.
Superman's cape shouldn't be too long, so don't draw it past the feet. You can even make it shorter than that. Now draw the bottom part of the cape using curved lines. Also add a few vertical lines within the shape. The vertical lines represent the cloth undulating in the wind. The more lines you add, the more creases the cape will appear to have. For a simpler cape, just draw a diagonal line on either side of the body and a horizontal line at the bottom.
Step 31: For a more finished inked look, carefully go over the final sketch lines with a pen or marker.
Step 32: After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.
Final Step: Color your Superman drawing using color pencils, markers or even crayons! Color the hair black but leave a couple of streaks blank to represent shine. Add a bit of blue to the streaks. Use light brown to create some shadows on the skin. Color the rest of the skin peach. Use dark brown to create the shadows on the red sections of Superman's costume. For an easier drawing, simply color these sections red, without the shadows. Add red on the S, the underpants, the boots and the cape. Color right on top of the brown to make these sections darker.
Use dark blue for the shadows on the rest of Superman's costume. Do NOT color the inside of the shield blue like I did in the video! Oops. Color the rest of the costume blue but use less color around the middle of the muscles to give them more dimension. Use yellow for the negative space on the S and for the belt. Add a bit more brown to the red part for stronger shadows.
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