| ie HOW TO DRAW MODERN nCtit) a le) at AVA Featuring Fred Perry Rod Espinosa Joseph WightINTRODUCTION Welcome to the world of modern warfare. Even though it's full of high technology and sophisticated machines, it still requires a special kind of human to get the job done. In these pages, we'll show you how to draw some of today's weapons of war and the soldiers that EMR UCM MRM Reo e-em eRe RON CnN ROL jets, tanks, and ships, plus small arms and equipment, and different kinds of specialized troops to draw. While this collection of examples is by no means comprehensive, it gives the artist a great place to start learning professional tricks and techniques. We'll break down some complicated subjects into simplified shapes to help you see them clearly, then we'll bring in the details that'll give your drawings that extra bit of power and accuracy. Although this book is focused on military machines and men, it's a great guide for anyone who loves to draw. The methods we'll explore can easily be translated to any subject, and every artist will find valuable information on how to bring their talent to the next level!PART ONE: AIR PART TWO: LAND PART THREE: SEATOOLS & TECHNIQUES There's no need to get fancy when you draw, but there are plenty of interesting tools and supplies you can experiment with. All you really need are a pencil and paper to have fun and unleash your imaginaton. Professional artists explore the vast world of art supplies and constantly try out new products and tools, anything to help them get what's in their head down on paper! Stick your head into your local art supply store and look around. If you're anything like us, you'l see potential in everything it offers. PENCILS ‘The most common pencil ins the simple ‘wood and graphite, often referred to as a "Number 2". Everyone knows this old standby. Its also known as an"HB". (The "HB" notation is the hardness of the lead.) Pencil leads range from "6B" (very soft, almost like a charcoal) to "6H" (very hard, a tougher, waxy lead). You can find mechanical pencils in the same range of leads, in a variety of gauges from 03mm to 09mm. Mechanicals are refilable and don't require sharpening (they are consequently more precise), but they cant always reproduce the urgent, rougher results of a classic pencil Lead holders are also refillable and offer a lot of possibilities for rendering and gradations. Try a few of these pencil types out, and you'll appreciate each one for different reasons! ERASERS Artists make mistakes. It's how we learn. It's how we grow and develop our techniques. Fortunately, our final works need not lve with error. This book will show you the steps and missteps, and how the final pictures are "cleaned up" using erasers. Every artist finds a type of eraser they prefer, but almost invariably, it's NOT the one at the other end of the pencil! | personally use a nice, big, fat Staedtler® white eraser, because | make LOTS of mistakes.The art of "inking’ is the most difficult technique in 20 illustration, and one of the most rewarding. Your humble authors has, Quixote-tike, searched for the best pens in the world to aid him in his, desire to master inking, to no avail. | try every pen | come across, and | use many brands and types for different results Art pens have a wide range of gauges, from 001mm to .09mm, typically. These are sometimes referred to as "technical pens’. They were used in drafting and technical ilustrations before the advent of computer software, True technical pens are generally expensive and refillable, and are of very high quality. The variety of pens to experiment with is enormous. \ highly recommend trying your hand at using brushes. Whether you're using ink "wash" to give tones to your black and white artwork, or going full color with watercolor, acrylic, or cl, a brush will give you much more flexibility. The brush (or even brush pen) will be infuriating at times, and occasionally triumphant and satisfying. \ have found that with brushes especially, you get what you pay for. An expensive brush might make a dent in your wallet, but itwill last and last. A cheap brush will equire constant replacement and invite frustration. Get a great brush and TAKE CARE OF IT! Keep it clean and store it properly!Here's a real essential for your art arsenal. Your humble host has Used the marker for 15 years or more, and is still earning new uses and techniques! You can use a big black marker (ike a Sharpie®) to fil in large areas and stil retain a good measure of control to get right up to the edges of your lines. | use a ton of gray markers for toning, and the same markers are available in a TON of colors as well. My marker weapon of choice is Chartpak” brand alcohol-based ink. Its versatile, beveled tip allows for lots of variation inline width, and it can be blended to make interesting gradations from light to dark. ‘Another inking tool offering plenty of line variation and control, nibs can be changed out for a wide range of line "weight’. They are difficult to master and must be dipped in an ink “well to refi, but the results can be incredible! if you try out some of these tools (true "techs’, brushes or nibs), youll need a bottle of ink to refill them. Be careful not to spill these open bottles, as many of the best inks are "permanent"! There are a lot of different brands of ink, with different quality and consistency. If you'e just beginning, !d recommend sticking with pens and pencils before moving on, but if you're feeling adventurous...Getting a straight line is important, and every artist needs at least a ruler handy. Strange word for it, huh? "Ruler". Don'tletit rule you, but do take advantage of its strict interpretation of the universe. | actually use a {good triangle more often than a simple ruler. The triangle or T-square lets you make right-angle edges, lke the panel borders of a comic page. Just as the ruler can give you nice straight edges, the "French" curve and the compass allow you to get nice..well, curves! These tools come in a lot of styles and shapes, so shop around and try ‘em out! TEMPLATES ‘Another tool that's offered in a wide variety of shapes is the template, Squares, circles, ovals, starbursts, even letters— there's a template out there! Great for drawing wheel hubs in perspective, word balloons, tabletops, barrels, etc. Remember, these guide tools are here to HELP you, not HINDER you! Use what works for your own style; let them assist your artistic vision, not limit it. On the flp side, if you'e serious about developing your talents, try all these tools out! Don't reject any of them just because you're uncomfortable or unfamiliar with them. You might be surprised and delighted with the results of a new tool or technique, and, if you're bitterly disappointed, at least you're learning what works and what to work on!| irmly believe it's best to KNOW the rules before you break ‘em, and basic knowledge of the human figure is one of the ABSOLUTE comerstones of aristic endeavor. However you arrive at the right proportions, shapes, and perspective techniques for basic figures isn't as important as GETTING THERE. The number figure-drawing tips and technique books is endless. Endless, | say! Take a life drawing course, use photo references, read anatomy books, whatever—just learn the facts! | would NOT recommend using another artist's work to learn the basics of anatomy and figure drawing. This "How to" book will show you how these fine young lads do it and will definitely show you the shortcuts and tricks they use. It wll give you a new perspective on style and approach you can apply to you own work, but these guys learned the basics before they began interpreting and stylizing them. Case in point...The BASIC BONES Here I've drawn a couple of skeletons over the figures. Note how closely the stylized figure matches up wth the basic bones underneath. The style is unmistakable, but the anatomy here is based more in fact than fiction.ES REFERENCE There’s really no substitute for good reference. Fortunately, there's a great number of military resources from which the artist can choose. Books, museum displays, model kits and magazines, and the internet can not only provide useful information, they can spark the imagination and inspire the artist to learn more about the subject matter.SS F-22 RAPTOR | began this one with a few perspective lines: a long diagonal to give me a center line, a few rough “beams” across it to find where the wings might be, and a “cap” at either end of my long diagonal to keep the scale of the plane on the paper. CAP BEAMS BEAMS BEAMS Cey Me MN le CAP The Raptor is tricky, full of angles, curves, and odd shapes. Photos are almost essential at first. Even a small model kit or toy can be very useful to help you visualize the space, volume and shape of the plane.Next, I've roughly indicated the distinctive diamond-shaped wings, using my beams to connect some of the wingtip lines in a rough perspective. Most of this is to help me get a sense of proportion and give me a few “landmarks” to build on Ss ~ / q / Within these shapes, I'll begin building some volume, JL using these proportions to keep everything on track. y Y NX WwW.Now we start to see some volume. I've built the canopy and given myself a sweeping line back to the tail, acting as a sort of “spine”. This helps me shape the engine cans and also attach the twin tails. I've also brought the wing surfaces up to this “spine”, using it as an anchor for the vertical curves. SPINE Now that the basic shape is working, |'ll begin adding details and tightening the lines a little.When I’m satisfied with this shape, all that’s left to do is pencil in the details. Often, with a tough subject like this, I'll put the drawing on a light table and re-draw only the lines that | want to keep, removing all the messy perspective guidelines.My final inks, and it's brought into Photoshop for some tone. Using my original sketch as a guide, I've done some shading to show off some of the subtle shapes of the Raptor.F-I5 STRIKE EAGLE When rendering aircraft, you'll need some geometric guidance to keep yourself organized. | find you can get sufficient guidance from a 1-point perspective grid with parallel lines to represent the floor and walls of the area in which the aircraft exists.Agrid is one of the most basic ways to make a layout. If layouts help you organize space and proportion, rough pencils help you nail down the form and shapes of all the pieces of all objects in the composition For aircraft, | like to rough out the wingspans first. Here | used the grid to help me place the wings in a three-dimensional space. “yy Over here, | drew a flat, overhead view of the wing's shape for this drawing. LAE banat yv-\T Wine * ARANNext, | set the areas for the F-15's fuselage, engines and cockpit. | sketched things out nice and flat first to make sure my shapes and distances were all in the right place.Next, | extruded my flat sketches into three-dimensional areas. From here, my rough pencils are set, and | can start working on my final line work.For this step, | rendered the outline of the aircraft and its largest surface areas. No real detail at this stage, just the overall silhouette.Here, | put down the final lines for sections of the aircraft that have pronounced seams.In this step, | drew all the sections that move, tilt or swivel. Thanks to my guidelines, | can keep the angles correct on all sections that need reference to the composition’s vanishing point.Some additional details help put the polish on this image. It really helps if you have models or books to look at for reference when drawing military vehicles. Models are especially useful for this kind of work.Female personnel are a standard part of the modern military, so we'll draw one for a pilot. We begin this drawing with a ( cylinder outline. | then go from AVX that to adding a few anatomical details. You can still see where the right leg vanishes beneath the left leg in the foreground \ | also take the time to y \ sketch in the helmet. At the next stage, | sketch in the uniform details. This is a pretty straightforward composition with a relatively simple pose. | also draw in the face at this point. FIGHTER PILOTHere, you can see | added part of a plane canopy behind our pilot to show the viewer why she is in that posture: St dion She is stepping up into f the plane. ladd even more details, like the survival A rh kit, front pouches and f y oxygen tubing. The inking follows next. As always, it is good to begin with the outline of the figure and separate all the major elements aD of the drawing. ; Kc ee Yi | ink the basic \ background I, iy ea element of the OU plane canopy 7 , if early to getthat / ha out of the way. ZB fF _ Zs a eee enroe| continue to separate the individual elements. The pouches and suit pockets come next. link and finish the hair and face with my finest pen, a 005 nib. The last elements to be inked are the cloth folds and seam details. | use a thicker pen (an 04) to ink the oxygen nozzle to define the flexible piping.Here is the finished piece. | ink the details like cloth folds, seams and pocket wrinkles last, making sure there is enough but not too much. It is possible to overload a drawing with way too many details and linework. The key is to have just enough detail in there without going overboard. Pilot Details: Survival kit and floatation device These kits have fire-starting tools, basic food rations, a compass, knives, and signaling devices Arm pockets Oxygen breathing tube Hip pockets These hip pockets are located on the front of the leg, not the side This makes it easy for the pilot to reach into them even when strapped into the airplane seat. Helmet Lower leg pockets These are almost / unique to pilots. The Jj leg pockets provide Te more places to store 7 Y, / maps, charts or just va “4 more survival gear. ZBie F/A-I8E SUPER HORNET First things first. The Hornet has a wing design that includes a V-shaped tail, a thick V that stabs slightly into the main wing.shape for the main body flat shape and the tail’s fin shapes. | next roughed out a flat . ) Most aircraft share similar elements of design, so a lot of planes-will look / similar in the early sketch stage.It's the details that j make them distinct. IY,elage extends 23 BE The Hornet's fus j e oz ee YN Lf7//fHere | roughed out the three- dimensional areas that the aircraft will occupy. The roughs were done at this point, ready for the final line work.Next, | worked up the basic shape of the aircraft, with emphasis on the cockpit.Next, | worked on the areas with heavy seams or folds. lalso started the basic interior of the cockpit.At this stage, | began adding contour lines and some details for the engine section. | still recommend using models for reference. Having to make up the areas for contour detail pales in comparison to actually knowing where to draw the S SS. contour lines.Finally, | polished of the details for this aircraft and added some decals and the US roundel. The roundel is the star and stripes heraldry you see on / all U.S. military aircraft.—————————————— A-10 WARTHOG The Warthog may seem a little simple; no swept wing, no sleek nose taper, etc. In fact, this plane has its own set of challenges to overcome. I've started with a simple cross shape to get my bearings. I’m using the main wing brace and the horizontal stabilizers as my anchor for everything else. \ \\ \\ AS Now I'm finding some landmarks to build oS up the engines and vertical tail surfaces.Here's where things get a little tricky. Not only does the A-10 have a slight taper to the wingtips, it also has a distinctive dihedral. Dihedral is the plane. If these bits are wrong, it will throw the whole drawing off. Now that I'm satisfied with this = = basic shape, I'll be bringing it J DIED eA back to the light table to pick IY, out the lines | want to keep. YMNow that | can see the basic shape clearly, | can start to add some details. By now, I've pencilled to the point where I'm confident enough to start inking...My final inks. This might be a good place to mention my philosophy regarding the use of a straight edge. | try to avoid inking with a ruler whenever | can. | find the small imperfections that come from inking straight lines freehand can add to a drawing’s energy. It takes a steady hand and practice, but it’s worth it. Now we'll bring this drawing into / Photoshop and give it some quick toning... J J,Some quick grey tones to shade and highlight the shape of the wings and fuselage. \ I've also tried not to be precise with this \ kind of shading, especially on the A-10, a ground-attack aircraft at home in the weeds. The spots of texture help to give it a used look. Fg Ye \ \ We 58) /B-2 SPIRIT. The B2 bomber is tricky, and very different from most aircraft. All the folds are geometric and reallly close to right angles. | found that the best way to start is to rough out a perfect, bisected square for the basic shape.Next, | added three more squares. The first new square has a corner that touches the midpoint of the main square. The other two have corners that touch the midpoint of the first new square. Note how the two secondary squares fit perfectly inside their bisected areas. Yup, the B2 is pretty geometric.| sketched the wings to be about 2/3 the width of the secondary squares here. You can already make out the B2’s 4A shape from this.You can tell if you got the outer wing area just right if you extend the lines into the main body and those lines meet the midpoint of the foremost middle square.Next, | seperated the basic areas of the aircraft with a few details by following the guidelines | laid out. Thanks to the guidelines, it was easy to tell which angles pointed where.Here, | started work on the final contour lines for the B2.Some additional contour lines and some extra details, and this aircraft's composition was completed. The smooth progress was mostly thanks to the early work | did on the geometric guidelines.There's an awful lot that can go wrong when drawing a helicopter. I've decided to use the “landmark” method to help me correct proportions for this one. I've begun with the windscreen and nose, also indicating the basic direction | want the fuselage to go. Next, I'll start building the main body, moving back from the canopy frame. Now I've roughed out several main shapes, and I’m satisfied with \ Q) the general proportions. I’m using landmarks like doors to keep ~\ AN these proportions correct. Fortunately, | have a fair replica of this WSL particular chooper to help me visualize the complex shapes.Here I've begun adding lots of the positions of details: rotors, refueling probe, fuel tanks, gear, etc. I've also scribbled in the direction of the rotors. Now | can start tightening the details and get ready to ink.I've defined most of the details in pencil. Now I’m confident enough to ink the remaining stuff without drawing it all first. I've also added an indication of rotorwash \ that | might decide to paint in Photoshop.The final inks, with some shadows indicated. I've left the hubs of the rotors fairly indistinct, as | plan to do them black and add a Photoshop effect.Toned with a blurred rotor effect. | pushed the tail away \ from the camera with some dust to lend a little more depth.AH-64 APACHE | decided to start this one from the tail and to exaggerate the perspective a bit. | begin with the vertical tail and a sketch of the bottom of the fuselage. I've added a few crossbeams to help me determine the second perspective point (off camera).Next, | build the fuselage shape, with its distinctive hump. This gives me a guide for the engine placement. | also indicate the slight tilt of the engines up and inwardThis gives me enough to go on regarding the wing stubs, rotors, and horizontal stabilizer. Now that I’ve gotten a shape | like, it's back to the ; light table to redraw the chopper, cleaning up the messy lines that interfere with the clean ones.Having solidified a decent shape, I’m happy with the perspective, and | can see what I'm doing. | can begin pencilling all the little \ details and defining the final shapes.Once | finish the details, | decide | don’t need to ink this one, as my pencils are tight enough.Some tone in Photoshop and a little drop-shadow effect. Again, no straightedge linework, just \ freehand to add a touch of character.MQ-I PREDATOR DRONE I'm using the same layout grid for this aircraft. (That's how useful layout grids can be.) This is the wing shape of the Predator on my 1-point perspective grid. This time, it was more important for me to figure out the vertical space of the fuselage first, rather than the horizontal space.The fuselage shape seems to match a cylinder best, so that's how | extruded it here in the rough pencil stage. With the shapes defined here, | can put down my final lines for this aircraft. The final outlines for the shape were put down first. \ NN | render the shape first for all my / \ S technical objects because, unlike isolated details, if this stage is wrong, everything is wrong. So, | N SS make sure the shape is correct. \Here | separated the areas that are connected by seams or hinges. Fortunately, the Predator doesn’t have too many details to fuss over, but | did manage to find some fine details to work on near the tail.Some final lines for the contours were all this aircraft needed.RQ-4 GLOBAL HAWK Once again, | roughed out the wingspans first. Here’s an overhead look at the wings. ST The next step was a sketch of the fuselage. Once again, it really helps to have a lot of reference for aircraft shapes to help you understand the pieces. These tutorials will help you get those pieces into your art after you understand them.The Global Hawk doesn’t really have a cockpit, but the aircraft's electronic suite seems to sit in that spot. So, | roughed it out right here. At this stage, | extruded all flat shapes to flesh out the form of the aircraft.With the rough pencils all finished, | set to work on the general outline of this plane, using my rough pencils to guide my final lines. At this stage, | started on the definitive contour lines.Here, | rendered the final details and aircraft markings.PART Two: _LANIDSS MI ABRAMS | start with a simple guidebox to get my bearings. From the close comer, | make two vertical planes of perspective: the front of the chassis and the left side of the tread. A quick note about road wheels: The Abrams has seven road wheels, a drive sprocket, and a return wheel. | tend to draw the first and last wheels, then place the rest between them. Otherwise, | may run out of space.Adding some detail and sharpening up. C7 My inks, and the first use of a straightedge (top and bottom of the tread skirt).In the desert at idle... ih i |M2 BRADLEY Again, a simple box shape. I've indicated my bisection line, Which = helps me place the treads, add the front slopes, and keep my proportions. Next | add the multi-faceted turret Tet shapes 2 on yeThen some Photoshop tones, including a camo pattern.Trying out a couple of different backgrounds in Photoshop. The first is a misty European road... The next is a dark and stormy night.Reducing objects to their basic shapes is key to mastering drawing vehicles and technical objects. Here, we begin drawing the famous Humvee by drawing simple boxes and shapes. _ \\ \ . g /Once you have an accurate outline, now itis time to fill in the details. The secondary details are drawn in at this point. Smaller shapes are introduced at this stage as well. If this was a small drawing, these details will actually be enough and you can ink. Seen from a distance, you can already identify this as a humvee with just these shapes drawn in.The smallest details are added last on a pencil drawing. As you can see with this third stage, things like bolts, lights and hooks are now added. | also add the treads and details on the lights. Once again, good reference is important to drawing vehicles like this one. SQ The inking phase begins once again with tracing the major outlines of the drawing. | try to separate as much as possible all the major shapes re, of the vehicle to avoid confusion and mistakes later on.| fill in the blacks at the end of the drawing. Filling in the rest of the drawing goes by quickly if you are engaged and having fun with it. It always pays to be aware of what you are doing at the present. This means there are no distractions and you aren't thinking about other things other than the task at hand. When you devote yourself to drawing singlemindedly like this, you tend not to hurry things along. As a result, your drawings turn out better.Finishing touches can be anything from blacking in some select areas, like the interior and parts of the underside, to a little gray shading, to full-on surface detailing. Start with a strong, properly drawn object, though. Fancy finishes can’t cover poor basic structure.ARMY RANGER We'll draw an Army Ranger next. i y | wanted to sketch another running figure toting an aimed rifle forward. To convey a sense of motion, | drew the legs wide apart. Once the basic cylinder frame 7 \ is sketched out showing where ~ \ \ the major joints are, adding f \ anatomical details comes next. / A} From the basic frame above, you can now add some muscles to your figure. With guys holding rifles, the right a hand and arm are almost 7 } totally obscured by the left . J arm and the body.After making sure the anatomy is drawn accurately, | move on to adding the uniform. You can still see the basic muscles beneath as more clothing and gear are added. | sketch in the ammo pouches around the waist area by just outlining them roughly. Here is the final sketched } figure. You can still see the anatomical outline beneath all the sketching, especially around the legs. Here is where | usually add the details like small folds, tivets, buttons and seams.| use a 005 pen on the face and, once | have it in hand, | finish the face early. | then move to 01 and 02 pens for the details of the gun and cloth folds. | also finish the rifle early so that | can concentrate on the freehand elements of the drawings. Inking comes next. | begin this figure by tracing the outlines of every major shape. First, | begin with the whole body outline. Then | separate each pouch and individual element, like the knee pads, the left arm, the helmet and the rifleeee i The drawing is almost done. In fact, some people might look at this and call it completed already. However, | add a few last little bits: tiny details like the \ small canvas folds on the boots, small details on the ; pouches, and folds on the \ pants and sleeves. Ny It's attention to this kind of N detail that makes a drawing shine.Ranger Details: Helmet with Carbine rifle ight visi : night vision Radio The CAR15 is a smaller, mount ik more compact version of ee the M16 assault rifle. ) This helmet is mounted with a 4s radio link. o Arm pockets Combat vest Grenad with body iaaachee ey Packed ina protective sheath, to be Chest taken out h when need pouches arises Hold ammunition magazines Hip pocket Knee protectors Rubberized combat bootsSS AKRMY GREEN BERET We'll do three small figures iy on this one instead of one huge drawing. Mt \ This time, we will try our i hand at a crouched figure. ) The crouched figure is es \ : | where you really need the i cylinder model so that you can get the arm and leg posture right. Once the cylinder figures are done, you can add \ i anatomical details like basic leg and NG arm muscles. S | also add the rifle r ( r f and gun outlines by « tA sketching out : RS rectangles where } they will be ea XK positioned in the Zs drawing. \ ~Here, you will see | am drawing different looks for the Green Beret soldiers. The first one is in full uniform. The next two have been in the field for a while. They may even dress similarly to local fighters. Inking begins, as always, with the outlines. | fiinish all the weapons first to get those out of the way.The bearded duo have obviously been spending some time out in the field. Their unshaven look may even be part of their duty as cover. | do the tiny folds and pouch details last. Our little strike team is ready for action!Green Beret Details: Sunglasses Alot of these special units Grenades soldiers can personalize their These can gear. They can wear non- Green beret beeither regulation accessories like This is the iconic explosive sunglasses. , A headwear of this or smoke Non-regulation haircut branch of the grenades and clothing military. Green Berets spend lots of time in the field or immersed in the culture of the countries they are in. They are encouraged to adapt their clothing and hair to the area's norm. Earbud radio \ / Best Carbine rifle JL pouches Holdexta Hip J. A f jocket “an a Zp a Sf = ~o 3 - we oO aw "oO"COLT .45 Now let's take a look at some small arms, starting with the classic military sidearm, the Colt .45 semi-automatic. / ff | start with boxes for the basic shape, using a tilted box for the grip. In the detail stage now, adding parts like the grips, trigger, and vertical notches on the slide.While the Colt has a couple of tricky spots, namely the trigger guard and the nose, on the whole, it's pretty simple.—— Getting a Grip I One-Handed Weapon-Holding Postures CORRECT INCORRECT Notice how the fingers curl around the gun handle. The grip must look organic and plausible. The grip of the fingers on the handle is too tight, a fairly Xq common artistic mistake. There is no way the hand ‘ can hold a gun like this. CORRECT INCORRECT Again, the fingers must curl around the gun handle. The hand should not be not be Drawing a closed fist and then drawing balled into a fist. the gun over it is a common mistake some artists make when drawing Note where the thumb is positioned people holding guns. ‘compared to the wrong example on the right. For the grip to be believable, the fingers should be drawn slightly open.M4 CARBINE The M4 is the most common rifle in the military today. Itis a descendant of the M16 first used in Vietnam. As usual, | begin with a basic shape and outline for the weapon, reducing the complex shapes into boxes and simpler forms at first. Itis always a good idea to use reference photographs. Getting j these is easier than ever with advances in information technology. Y, Ve, va Le Once you have the basic outlines set, you can draw in some of < the larger details of the weapon. Note that the lines on the ammunition magazine aren't equidistant to the edge. FsPenciling the details comes next. Once again, it is important to note proportional distances and such larger details as the number of holes on the barrel. You don’t have to put in every nut and bolt, however. Inking begins with tracing the outline of the object and any major shapes involved in the drawing. This separates the areas that you will work on later and make for less confusion as you finish the drawing. | use a larger tip pen for this, typically 04 or 03.One key detail to get right is where the bullet casing ejection port is located. In this case, it's on the right-hand side of the rifle. Finally, | go in with an 01 and put in the details of the rifle. Those tooth-like bumps on the barrel are rails where you place a scope or other assisting devices such as a flashlight or targeting laser. Rear sights Muzzle Front Sights / Handl Barrel Extending ae Rail j ails stock 1 Bullet ejection IY, Shoulder rigger port LM stock G3 “te Ammunition / ‘ Magazine SfVL ii jy TT Th if WZThe M4 Carbine is a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 assault rifle, achieving 80% parts commonality with the M16A2. ‘The M4A1 Carbine is an improvement upon the M4 Carbine intended for Special Operations use, featuring a fully automatic fire mode, aflattop NATO M1913-specification rail on top of the receiver (for attachment of optics and other devices), and a detachable, rail mounted carrying handle. Because the weapon is shorter and lighter, it is more comfortable to carry than a full-length rifle and serves as a candidate for non- infantry troops and other seeking a compact weapon for close-quarters combat. The MAA1 can be found in use in many USS. military units, including the U.S. ARmy Rangers, the elite Delta Force, the U.S. Navy SEALs, and the United States Marine Corps Foroe Reconnaissance comparies.M203 refers to the U.S. military's single-shot, 40mm grenade launcher that attaches to the M16 assault rife or the M4 Carbine, The device attaches beneath the barrel and forward of the magazine of the rifle. The magazine functions as handle of sorts when firing the M203. Another sighting system is added to rifles with the M203, as the rifles regular sights are not matched to the launcher.1 ess ES M4 Tech Summary Caliber. 5.56 mm NATO Firearm action: Gas-actuated Rotating bolt Barrel Length: 14.5in Overall Length: 33.5 in Magazine capacity: 30 or 100 rds Effective Range: 360 m Maximum Range: 3,600 m Muzzle velocity: 2,970 fs Weight wio Magazine: 65 1b Weight w/ Magazine: 75 lbM203 Tech Summary Caliber: 40mm Grenade Firearm action: Single-shot Barrel Length: 12 inches Effective Range: 492 feet (150 m) Maximum Range: 1,312 feet (400 m) Rate Of Fire: 5 t0 7 rdsimin Muzzle velocity: 250 ft/s (76 m/s) Weight, launcher (loaded): 3.5 Ib Weight w/M16 (loaded): 75 lbAK-47 Famous for its durability and reliability, the AK-47 is the world’s most produced assault rifle. Once I’m satisfied with my shapes, | start adding details, beginning with the grip and trigger assembly and going from there.Cleaned up and inked, almost ready for action. Note the position of the banana-shaped magazine, right in front of the trigger assembly. Too often, artists draw this too far forward, making the weapon look toy-like. Final tones and shades. You don't need to get this detailed to let the viewer know it's an AK, just get the shape and “landmarks correct.The AK-47 was designed by Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, who set out to create a new gas-operated rile based on the M43 cartridge to replace the SKS45, the Soviet rifle that was in use during World War Il‘The Main Artillery Commission in Moscow decided that his design had merit and gave him a green light to create several prototypes. Between 1946-1948, work progressed on the Kalashnikov rifle, but progress was slow because changes had to be made every step of the way.In 1949, the 1947 model of Kalashnikov's rifle was accepted as the Soviet Army's AK-47 (Avtomat Kalashnikova Obrazets 1947). Today, its one of the most widely produced firearms in the world.Caliber: 7.62 mm Cartridge: 7.62 x39 Sighting radius: 378 mm Overall Length: 870 mm Barrel Length: 415 mm Magazine capacity 30 rds Sighting range 800mWeight wiempty magazine: 4300 g Weight wloaded magazine 4876 g Rate of fre: 600 rds/min Muzzle velocity: 700 m/s Kiling range: 1500 m Rifling Grooves: 4 Rifled Bore: 378 mmSS SS Getting a Grip Il Two-Handed Weapon-Holding Postures On the left, you see the correct way to draw a soldier holding a rifle and pistol two-handed. The human hand is difficult to master, so practice is always key to nailing this kind of drawing. Right Wrong The right hand is balled into a fist. The left jhand is drawn 7 /' wrong, gripping + the whole barrel with the ~ thumb protruding up top. Fingers should not be aligned like shown The right hand would have to be flat to grip it that way. Notice how the fingers act when they are wrapped around a cylindrical object. The index finger bends and tucks in a bit further than the others.SS AIRCRAFT CARRIER | start with a perspective box and plenty of photo ref. Carriers are large, complex machines, “\. but don't be intimidated. The flight deck has lots of angles and odd shapes, but once I'm satisfied with the basics, | pencil in the island and other details.More details and ink. | decide to use markers to give the flight deck a rougher texture. | also draw a bunch of aircraft separately to put on the deck. Using Photoshop, | can move the planes around until | get them just where | want them.The final pic, with my carrier operating at dusk. A Photoshop background, additional markings, and lights.MISSILE CRUISER | start with a box and cut it in half to indicate the waterline. Now | can build the basic shapes above and below the line. —— Now I’ve drawn a few of the main features: mostly box shapes above and the tapered hull below. I’ve also defined the bow curve and the angled stem. Now to start figuring out the L Fg angles and shapes on the deckfeatures, and I'm satisfied with the proportions and placement, so it's Y back to the light table! |} \ N This pencilled version is tight enough to ink. The smaller WN details (ralings, windows) | can just draw with my pen. \ ~ = SENSThe final inked version, after spending a long time squinting. And some quick tones in Photoshop.SS U.S. MARINE | begin this drawing of the Marine by sketching the cylinder outline. Almost immediately afterward, | sketch in the muscles as well. | also sketch in the gun and add some ofthe | major shapes, like the ammo box, handle, and rifle bore. At | draw in the clothing next and add in the details of the rifle. No other accessories are present yet. | sketch the left arm covered by the machine gun even though it will eventually be erased and covered up. This is to make sure the hand is placed correctly beneath the barrel of the gun.Now | add the belts, f radio gear, straps and he pouches. | also add g more folds and seams in Ih? the uniform. Drawing military figures is always a challenge because of the accessories and gear. y 4 They have to be done j NE KD) right to be believable. \ LMS ~ / When | ink, | begin by tracing the outlines of all the major j shapes of the figure. A lot of IY, times, | actually start by LA outlining the things that are in / V4, the foreground, like the s machine gun and right arm. JS fF _ ~s _ - or of ee enroe| finish the machine gun early so that | can concentrate on the rest of the body. | start from the largest shapes, then work my way to the smaller details. That prevents confusion and mistakes in inking. The drawing is almost done! I sketch in the last of the details, like the folds and seams in the clothes and pouches.Here is the final, finished piece | ink heavier black lines on parts of the rifle to add some depth to some of the mechanical parts. coal Marine Details: helmet These new helmets are lighter and more durable than the metal pots of bygone years. Arm oi Radio Combat armored vest Belt pouches SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) Every squad of men has one or two guys with heavy machine guns. magazine Machine-gunners usually carry a lot of ammunition for their rapid-firing weapons. Combat bootsSS NAVY SEAL | begin this drawing of the Navy Seal by sketching the cylinder i outline along with a small ty indicator of where the rifle will go. He is walking towards us but facing to the side, ever watchful for any threats. Wr The second stage is adding in the anatomical details. \\ put in the basic shapes for the rifle Drawing military people anc / equipment requires a lot o } referencing, so keep those \ books or a search engine a \ the ready on your computer \ so you can look at these things easilyAfter you have the anatomy sketched in, you can now begin drawing the uniform around the figure. Draw the pouches and attached gear last. 6 Ay Ta | draw in more of the rifle at this point, defining and separating shapes. Here we have the final penciled drawing. | add the tiny folds and seams last. | also finish the rifle at this point. i Essentially, a good rule of thumb is to go from large shapes down to the smaller and smaller shapes, and then finally to the tiny details like small folds, buttons and rivets.Inking comes next. As always, | begin with the outlines of the figure. | separate the major shapes and joints. | draw enough of the rifle to separate it from the rest of the figure. | also outline the arm in the foreground | finish the rifle early as always to get the rulers out of the way. | also draw and finish the face fully so that | don’t have to go back to it. From here on in, it's just adding the freehand details. This is really the fun part of drawing for me.The seams and tiny folds come in last. | forgot to sketch the rivets on the belts, so | just ink them in straight. Sometimes you can do this if you really are confident of your pen stroke skill. “aeNavy Seal Details: Boonie hat Ahandy and light item for CARI5 rifle protecting the Asmaller head against version of the harsh climates M16 assault rifle Water canteen Ceramic bulletproof vest These modern vests can stop most small arms fire and usually weigh about 18 pounds. Garrison Belt pouches belt Belt pouches contain survival gear, additional ammunition and food. Hip pocketstenon, sole! Are you red ole heron nes sure uniforms, hardware, and weaponry! You wil lean about ‘making battle tactics believable and action shots gripping! Your greatest enemies are self-doubt and lack of training. You must not underestimate them, but with our training, you wll know them and know how to deteat them! ISBN: 978-0-9844879-9-8 $24.99 U.S/Can. lil {MIL} iii Pso9sutaarsse) I ill