FREE CHAPTER

BY DARREN BARTLEY
 The Sketch Workshop is a complete sketching solution for beginners and hobbyists alike. It is an innovative and fun way for people of all ages
to find the inspiration to pick up a pencil – and draw! We’ve created a number of guides that cover popular topics such as anatomy, characters,
creatures, cityscapes, and robots and spaceships, all loaded into ready-to-go sketch workbooks.

To complete your Sketch Workshop collection, be sure to check out all five workbooks in this series.

Visit www.3dtotal.com/shop for more information

3dtotal Publishing
Correspondence: publishing@3dtotal.com
Website: www.3dtotalpublishing.com
Sketch Workshop: Robots & Spaceships © 2014, 3dtotal Publishing. All rights
reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by any
means, without the prior written consent of the publisher. All artwork,
unless stated otherwise, is copyright of 3dtotal Publishing. Any artwork
that is not copyright of 3dtotal Publishing is marked accordingly.
First published in the United Kingdom, 2014, by 3dtotal Publishing.
3dtotal.com Ltd, 29 Foregate Street, Worcester WR1 1DS, United Kingdom.
Soft cover ISBN: 978-1909414181
Printing and binding: Everbest Printing (China)
www.everbest.com
Visit www.3dtotalpublishing.com for a complete list of available book titles.

Every effort has been made to ensure the credits and contact information Deputy editor: Jess Serjent-Tipping
are present and correct. In the case of any errors that have occurred, Managing editor: Lynette Clee
the publisher respectfully directs readers to www.3dtotalpublishing.com for Designers: Aryan Pishneshin, Imogen Williams
any updated information and/or corrections. Proofreader: Adam J. Smith

Robo cyborg sketching
Learn how to sketch a seemingly complex robot
This character is meant
to look like he could
handle himself but not be
extremely aggressive or
intimidating. The round
forms which make up most
of his shape language help
with this.
The lines are loose and
rough; the way I like to
sketch. If you prefer to
draw neat that is fine
too, what’s important is
that the line quality is
consistent.
Sketching a cool and believable
robotic character can be a little
intimidating. Unlike when drawing
humans, we rarely have the luxury
of a full set of recognisable human
The Tutor
The sketch has areas that Darren Bartley
Concept Artist
are full of detail and areas www.fightpunch.cghub.com
that are fairly bland. This
is a design choice to help
the eye flow. Plastering
detail over every surface is
generally a bad thing.
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The overall silhouette of the
sketch is vaguely human and
recognisable. This helps ground
the design and makes it easier
for people to relate to it, and
ultimately believe in.
features to help us convey emotion, give him character, revealing to you
and drawing masses of overlapping how things like shape language can
shapes and machinery can seem help define a drawing’s personality.
difficult. This workshop aims to show
you how to draw a complex robot and So let’s get started…
 The head area of a character is nearly always the most important part. It is
vital that it looks both cool and believable. The following references have
all been drawn to the same scale as the original and help to show how to
construct a nifty robot head.

The angular forms

used in this head
variation make the
character seem
more aggressive.
Pointed sharp
Robot heads should have a focal
shapes tend to do
point, like the large lens here.
this, whereas soft
Different shapes within the lens can
shapes suggest
suggest different characteristics.
friendliness and
Simple lines could indicate high
squares imply
The nuts and bolts tech, whereas nuts and bolts could
strength.
of robot design is indicate a lower tech.
machinery and is used
to suggest character
and function. Different
technical forms such
as these different
pistons can all have a
subtle effect on how we
perceive a character.

It is important that each

part of the design at the very
Once believability has been established, least looks functional and
adding elements which break the believable upon first glance.
silhouette up further is a fun way to Pistons, ball joints, servos and
make your character feel unique. so on are a great reference
and starting point.
 Using these templates and the references above draw a believable yet fun robot head.

Try mixing and matching successful

elements from each of your sketches
to create new design ideas.
Once you’ve created some cool cyborg
heads it’s time to tackle the body…
 The body of a robot character is a great area to show detail and
suggest complex forms and functions. The following references have all
been drawn to the same scale as the original and help to show how to
construct a solid robot body.

Caps and fasteners will play a large

part in designing robots – you can never
have enough variety. This is also an
opportunity to get more character into
your sketch. Do you use a high-tech cap
or a low-tech cap; chunky or clean?

Cannisters, pipes,
cables, pistons... The
bread and butter of a
robot’s guts.

When breaking up larger

forms or surfaces, avoid
cutting it clean in half.
Sketch a cool component such as Instead, try more pleasing
a piston system then simply draw proportions like 70/30.
it again underneath to create cool
overlapping areas of tech that will
help to sell your design.
Even something as simple as
cables can add character. A
thick encased set of cables
Adding details such as fans or venting suggest strength and
systems create nice areas of visual reliability. A kinked cable
interest, while also selling the design’s suggests a more ‘on edge’
believability. Machinery gets hot while robot. Always try to inject
working and needs to let off steam. character at every level.
 Experiment with adding pipes, pistons and cables, using the references above.

Use the template shapes to guide you in breaking up larger forms. Think about your proportions.

Overlapping forms are your best

friends in this area; experiment to see Once you’ve created some cool robot bodies
how far you can push them. it’s time to tackle the upper arm and hands…
 The arm of a robot is a great area to showcase its primary functions. The following
references have all been drawn to the same scale as the original and help to show
how to construct a solid robot upper arm.

Surface detailing helps to tell stories A cool advantage that robot character
and add character. Military-style plating design has over human is that we can push
or junkyard-style makeshift armor can things quite a bit further. Really thin arms
both have a large impact. can be explained away via sci-fi technology.

Having arms that don’t even connect

via physical materials is possible as
long as it looks believable. This is a
great way of making your design seem
even more futuristic.
Much like the
The forearm and upper arm,
hands of a robot liberties can
are a great area to be taken with
further showcase robotic forearms.
its functions. The Decals such as industrial Solid pistons,
following references striping are great visual thick/thin
have all been drawn shorthand that instantly forms and even
to the same scale as suggest the types of materials disconnected
the original and help the robot is constructed from. pieces of
to show how to create machinery are all
a cool and functional fair game.
robot hand.
Explore different
believable joint
Robots are created with systems. Do you
function in mind, so their want a futuristic-
hands don’t have to be looking ball-
traditional hands. Try thinking joint or a more
in terms of tools or weapons grounded piston-
and let your imagination fly. based joint?
 Using these templates and the references above draw a cool robot upper arm. Experiment
with different
forms here; think
about thick/thin
transitions as well
as materials.

Using these
templates and
the references
above draw a
cool robot hand.

Now you’ve drawn all the parts of the

sketch separately, it’s time to combine what
you’ve learned and do the whole thing…
Utilize what you’ve learned so far and take your time to slowly build up the forms – and most importantly, have fun.

download extra templates from

3dtotalpublishing.com/resources
 Now that you’ve completed a cool
cyborg, it’s time to get a little more
adventurous. Below you’ll find a
stripped-back template for you to
use. Don’t be afraid to move away
from the shapes and forms that I
have used to create your very own
unique robot design.

You should also try to make your

own templates. It’s really easy to
create your own, just remember
that all forms can be broken down
into five simple shapes: cubes,
rectangles, cylinders, prisms and
cones. With these shapes you can
construct a simple and easy-to-
follow guide that will give you a
solid base to sketch awesome robot
designs whenever you like.
Check out the full Sketch Workshop range
available now at shop.3dtotal.com