steps on how to draw a cartoon-style R2-D2. Steps 1-5 are to be
drawn lightly with a pencil. No pen, no dark lines. Finished lines
and details will come at the end.
Step One: First begin with the basic shapes. For Artoo's main
body, it will look like an oval with a flattened bottom. Across the
body draw the "T" lines to give you an idea of where to place the "eye"
in Step Two. You're also creating the main structure lines for Artoo's
legs as well.
Step Two: Draw a small circle near the top of the dome (this
is Artoo's "eye") and use the "T" shape to darken in the area that
separates the dome from body. Next draw a rectangle along the
centerline as shown. Use this step to flesh out Artoo's legs a bit
more, too. When this step is complete, you should have a pretty good
idea of where the rest of the details will fit in.
Step Three: Instead of drawing in all of Artoo's details (and he's got a lot of
them) at once, try tackling the drawing one section at a time. Let's
begin with the legs. Use a steady, thick line over your previous pencil
work, and start adding in the details as shown in the sample image. As
with most of the droids in Star Wars, there are a lot of little
gizmos and shapes to be found, so don't get too worried about this
stage. If you miss one or two tiny details, that's okay! As long as the
basic shapes and forms are there, your Artoo drawing will be a success!
Step Four: Next up, draw Artoo's dome. Most of these details
are fairly simple, so again, using the sample image as your guide, fill
in the missing shapes. Be sure your lines are appropriately rounded,
because as we know, Artoo's dome is round. Try to think of it as the
top of a sphere. If you have an Artoo action figure, keep it in front
of you while you're drawing to use as a guide! Sometimes having an
actual 3-D shape as reference can help a lot, especially while drawing
droids.
Step Five: The last section to draw is Artoo's mid-section,
or "main body." Use that rectangle you drew earlier as a guide, as well
as the surrounding areas. Again, don't be too worried about each and
every tiny detail. The key is to focus on basic shapes. Focus on one
shape at a time then move on to the next.
Step Six: Your Artoo drawing is almost complete! In this
step, go over your final lines with a pen or marker. I like to use
artist brush pens, though they take some getting used to. Once your ink
lines are dry, erase the pencil lines. Or use heavier pencil lines over
the lighter ones. However you decide to finish your drawing is
completely up to you. Be sure to darken in the shadowed spots as shown in the sample.
Step Seven: If you want to color your Artoo drawing, first
photocopy your final drawing and use that to color him in. This way you
can try different methods and you won't have to worry about making a
mistake on your original. There are many ways to add color. Use
crayons, markers, colored pencils, or even use your computer if you
have a painting program.
Step Eight: This is the final image colored in Photoshop. I added a desert
background (much like the scenes we see in A New Hope) and
played around a little by adding some extra shadows and colors.
