Draw Nintendo Characters
Nintendo characters have come a long way since they first came out in the '80s, but drawing them can be relatively simple with a little practice.
Instructions
1. First gather some example pictures to get an idea of which character you are interested in drawing. Look over them to decide where you would like to start and get an idea of the lines involved for drawing it. Gather together your pencil and paper. Used a regular pencil or a mechanical pencil. Or you can use pencils from a set, and for initial lines you may want to start with a 2H so they are lighter and easier to erase. For paper, you can use regular print paper or bristol pad paper.
2. Now that you have your supplies and character in mind, start with some sketches to practice the general lines needed to make the character. Practice the curves for the face and the proportions for how the eyes, nose and mouth line up for your character. If you are not happy with your initial sketches, start over; there is nothing wrong with practicing first before the final. You will get better at it over time.
3. For getting the body and face in proportion, set up a scale to go by. For instance, the pencil can be used as a ruler. To use it, close one eye and hold the pencil at arms length. Using the top of the eraser down mark how big the head is and then take that measurement down on paper. Next do so for the main torso from neck to the top of the legs and mark that measurement down on paper. Then do the same for the arms and legs. If you do not like this method, you can also use an actual ruler and measure the example picture.
4. If you are still struggling with getting the proportion correct, trace the example picture to get a general idea of how the lines will go, and then practice on your paper. Over time, it will become more natural and you will be able to draw them yourself without the help of the example.
5. Once you are happy with your outline, its time to bring the character to life with shading to create the 3-D look. Back when Nintendo characters first came out, they were more two dimensional, but as time has progressed, they have become more 3-D and animated.
6. First darken in your main lines for the facial features and other lines that are black with either a harder line with a regular pencil or with a darker pencil such as a 2B.
7. Next, begin shading your character. You can practice this on some of your practice sketches until you are happy with your rendering. If you use the colored pencils, create different shadows with the pencil pressure, light for highlighted areas, and dark for shadow areas. The shadow areas can also be touched up with a gray or black to emphasize the shadow.
8. Markers are more difficult, especially depending on the style and type of marker. Prisma markers are best for shading, but if you choose to use them, you will also need paper more suitable for them, such as velum paper. The prisma markers have ten different shades of gray specifically designed for being used to shade. So first create your shadows and highlights using the grays, and then you can go over it with the color for that area, and then touch it back up with the grays if need be. If you use regular markers, you can color the entire area with the color you desire and then go back with your regular pencil or colored pencils to create the shadows and highlights, using a white pencil for the highlights.
9. Another way the character can be rendered is on photoshop on the computer. Scan in your outline and import it into photoshop. Then use the paint option to color in your colors, shadows, and highlights. There are also some techniques that can be applied in the formatting section of the program. This is one technique that will take some practice, though, before the desired end is reached, so be prepared to do several sketches on that program before getting the end result.
10. While most Nintendo characters are stylized, there are a few such as the characters from Zelda that are more realistic, and therefore have more naturalistic details to draw. They will take more time to master. Continue to practice and try new techniques until you have created your own style to make them your own.
