Since his first appearance in Action Comics #1 in June 1938, Superman has become an iconic status faster than a bullet. This distinctive man of steel appearance has been described by many artists, from co-creator Joe Schuster to Wayne Boring, Win Mortimer, Al Plastino, Curt Swan, Dick Dillin, Alex Ross and other great DC Comics artists. You don't need superpowers to draw Superman, but good drawing requires knowledge of anatomy, perspective and attention to detail. This is what it takes to draw Superman.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Getting Started with Stick Drawing
Step 1. Draw a stick
Step 2. Draw pipes and circles to represent muscle volume based on the stick
Step 3. Draw a fine line sketch of the superman costume design over the image
Pay attention to details such as hairstyles, logos on chest, belts, shoe designs and robes.
Step 4. Now add details on the face, hands and logo on the chest
Step 5. Finish the line art and delete the unnecessary lines
Step 6. Color the image
Method 2 of 2: Starting with the Head
Step 1. In the center of the paper draw a smooth outline of the face
Step 2. Draw a large oval to represent the chest and two circles on opposite sides for the shoulders
Step 3. On the right shoulder add a line for the right arm using two oval shapes for the arm and forearm, and a circle for the fist
Step 4. Draw a fine line sketch of the details of the superman costume
Step 5. Add facial features and details for the hands
Step 6. Finish the line art and erase the unnecessary lines
Step 7. Color the image
Tips
- When drawing Superman on paper, draw fine reference lines and clearer lines with a pencil. When you're done drawing the man of steel, erase the reference lines and bold the outline before coloring.
- If you're drawing Superman in a drawing program like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, use separate layers for the reference lines and the final image. Then when you're done drawing the man of steel, discard the reference line layer. Color this image of Krypton's last son, then merge all the layers.
- If you're drawing Superman using the power of sight, draw narrow, conical beams from his eyes and follow the drawing habits to indicate his powers: X-ray views are shown with yellow beams, thermal and infrared views with red beams, telescope and microscope views with white beams.
