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Drawing Anakin Skywalker
October 10, 2005

Ever wanted to draw Star Wars characters and vehicles just like the professional comic book artists? In this step-by-step series, Star Wars artists and illustrators show you how to draw some of the most beloved characters in the saga, as well as new faces and creatures from Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (available on DVD Nov. 1). So get your pencils and paper ready!

In Episode III, fans see Anakin Skywalker at his darkest. Caught in the middle of his duty as a Jedi and his fear of visions of his wife Padmé's death coming true, Anakin must choose his destiny.

Star Wars illustrator Matt Busch explains his super-easy steps on how to draw a troubled Anakin Skywalker.

Steps 1-6 are to be drawn lightly with a pencil. No pen, no dark lines. Finished lines and details will come at the end.

Step One:
This is an angle of the head that is half-way turned between a straight 'head-on' view and a side profile. First draw a circle. This will represent the cranium of the head that you will build on. Next add the jaw below, tapering it slightly to the right. You have now drawn the basic shapes for the major bones that make up the human skull: the cranium and the mandible.
Step Two:
To find out the placement of the facial features, you need to map out where they will be. First bisect the face vertically. If this was a 'head-on' view, you would simply draw a line down the middle of the head, however, since this is a three-quarter view, you need to nudge that vertical line towards the right. Also make sure that it curves towards the middle at the top. This will make it appear to be wrapping back over the head. Next bisect the head horizontally. This line represents placement of the eyes and top of the ear. It should be half-way from the top of the head, to the bottom of the chin. Add two lines that will represent the neck, under the jaw and extending from the back of the head.
Step Three:
The horizontal placement of the eyes for a head-on view is five-eye spaces across. Since this is a three-quarter view, nudge those spaces to the right. Use your vertical bisecting line to find the center of the horizontal eye placement. You'll want about an eye space in between both of the eyes. To figure out where the nose should go draw another horizontal line that is halfway from the eye placement line to the bottom of the jaw. The nose will be centered on your vertical bisecting line, and is about an eye space wide. Also map out the ear shape towards the back of the head. The ear is the same distance as the nose -- it fits between the horizontal eye and nose lines.The horizontal line placement for the mouth is about a third of the way down from the bottom of the nose to the bottom of the jaw. For the distance the mouth is across, you can usually match it vertically with the center of both eyes. You now have the basic head mapped out! Now on to the fun stuff!
Step Four:
Using the basic construction you built for the head, you can now begin to add the features more clearly. You can begin with the eyes, which have a basic almond shape. Normally, the top of the iris is covered slightly covered by the top eyelid. Next up is the ear and nose. Do not over-draw them. Less is always more. You want to make an indication of them, and people's imaginations will fill in the rest. You can now draw the mouth with more detail as well. For drawing men, you want to be careful not to draw the lip lines to dark, or it will look like they are wearing lipstick!
Step Five:
Once you have the basic features mapped out how you like them, you can start to erase your construction lines, and draw the features in darker and with more confidence. This is important to making your drawing look professional.The eyes are very important, since it's what people will focus on most. Drawing in furrowed eyebrows will help add some sinister mystery to Anakin's overall look. Some shading under his brow will also set his eyes back, and help give that troubled look of his unknown destiny. Shade in his blue irises, but the darkest part will be the black pupil in the center. Render out the nose, ear and mouth better, too. A small cast shadow under the nose will help to make it look like it's protruding from the face. For the lips, the upper lip is angled down, so it's always darker. However, adding a cast shadow under the bottom lip will help to make it look like it's protruding, just like the nose.
Step Six:
Are you tired of Anakin being bald? Me too! Go ahead and draw in a basic contour of his long untamed locks. His hair is wavy, and pretty messy. Make sure it lifts a little from his head, instead of being glued close like a ski hat. We're going to add a slight indication of Anakin's shoulder, as portraits of just a head without a neck and shoulders often look really creepy -- and not the kind of 'Anakin-creepy' we're looking for. When adding the Jedi tunic, remember that Anakin is looking over his shoulder, so it's almost as if we see more of his back. Lastly, you can add the vertical scar above and below the eye on the left.
Step Seven:
Now that your linear drawing is complete, the last thing you can do is some shading to really make your drawing come to life. Slight form shadows will indicate the jawbone and other planes of the face. Hair is sometimes tricky, and especially tricky in Anakin's case. Look closely at some photos you have of Anakin from books, magazines, and trading cards, and even use them as reference when drawing the hair. To really make your drawing look top-notch, you often need to spend just as much time on every square inch of the hair as you do on every square inch of the face.

Once your masterpiece is complete, if you would like to submit it to Bantha Tracks, send it by regular postal mail to our NEW address here: Bantha Tracks, P.O. Box 29901, San Francisco, CA 94129-0901. Or click here to read our submission guidelines and find out where to send your art by email.
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