A full moon is a perfect setting for a scary drawing.
The moon has always inspired human beings. It has become interwoven with our history and culture. A full moon can unveil the darkness of the night in its glow as it reflects the sun's light back onto the
Earth. The moon is present in many legends and mysteries to this day. Scary movies often show the moon in certain scenes to instill fear, mainly of whatever creatures may emerge in the glow of a full moon. Drawing a scary moon can be accomplished by adding certain suggestive features in the shadows such as gravestones or a gnarled dead tree.
Instructions
1. Assemble some good reference images of the full moon, as well as gnarly trees and graveyards. Place them beside your drawing stations for easy reference. Draw a line just below the middle of the drawing to indicate the horizon. Use the compass to draw a large circle partially overlapped by the horizon. Shade the area around the circle to show the night sky.
2. Shade large areas using the side of the pencil tip and moving it in a circular motion. Use a chamois to blend your shading until you have a dark sky with a slight glow around the edge of the circle. Shade in the ground and make it a little darker than the sky so that the separation between the sky and the earth is visible.
3. Detail the moon by outlining the dark areas on its surface. Refer to reference images to make this look realistic. Shade in the dark regions and blend with the chamois. Use fine lines to detail the moon's features and blend. Add some misty clouds passing in front of the moon to create an eerie atmosphere. Use curved, fine lines and shade the clouds.
4. Draw the outline of an old dead tree as a silhouette in front of the large moon. Draw the limbs arching over toward the center of the moon. Create random branches tapering to a few small branches as they emerge from an old tree trunk. Make sure that the outline of the tree shows its gnarled texture.
5. Draw the outlines of a few gravestones under the tree that are also silhouetted against the moon. Draw them so that they look old and abandoned and have the stones tilted to the front or back. Shade them in and use very dark shading for shadows, as the ground is already dark. Draw the shadows going away from the moon and create highlight in areas facing the moon. This will add depth to your drawing.
6. Erase any mistakes or excess shading to finish the drawing.
