Halo 3 Master Chief Drawing COMPLETED 7/5/12

Community General Discussion
1

Halo 3 Master Chief Drawing
Updated July 5th, 2012

Hey everyone! I’ve been talking about doing a master chief drawing forever and I’ve finally gotten around to starting it. I will be posting my progress of my drawing every time I sit down and put some work into it. I would greatly appreciate any feedback you guys could give me! If I’m happy with how the final product looks, my next target may be a Halo 4 drawing. Let me know what you guys think!

Final Images (Scanned Images)

Best Image 1

Best Image 2

Final Drawing:

Image 1

Image 2

Chief Chillin’

Drawing Progress:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Let me know how you think the drawing turned out guys, I worked hard on it and had a lot of fun recording my progress! I would recommend checking out the scanned image, as it has the best quality!

Hope you enjoyed it too! :slight_smile:

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Wow, looks fantastic so far. I’m no artist, but I know starting a piece of art is usually the hardest. The helmet looks very good, too.

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Thanks, for some reason starting a drawing has always been the most discouraging part for me. I get really into it, and things get easier as time goes on but I always need multiple opinions so I appreciate that.

I needed my entire families support as I drew my little sister on a 24x18 piece of paper for her birthday. THAT was stressful.

I’ll post updates as I progress!

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> Thanks, for some reason starting a drawing has always been the most discouraging part for me. I get really into it, and things get easier as time goes on but I always need multiple opinions so I appreciate that.
>
>
> I needed my entire families support as I drew my little sister on a 24x18 piece of paper for her birthday. THAT was stressful.
>
> I’ll post updates as I progress!

Aww, that’s so sweet! I bet she loved it, I know mine would :slight_smile:

I’ll be looking forward to the finished product!

5

> Thanks, for some reason starting a drawing has always been the most discouraging part for me. I get really into it, and things get easier as time goes on but I always need multiple opinions so I appreciate that.
>
>
> I needed my entire families support as I drew my little sister on a 24x18 piece of paper for her birthday. THAT was stressful.
>
> I’ll post updates as I progress!

Yeah i kno exactly what you mean. I’m the same way, i at first question my art because yourself is the biggest critic and you will always judge yourself before you even get into it. Just showing off your work can make your nervous because you not sure what people think and you dont want to hear anything negative. I have been drawing and painting for awhile so that will go away a little bit over time.

I would paint so much more in school because i had more artists around me that i could compete with and just talk art with. No that im not in school its like i dont really have a reason to do it like i did in school to get a good grade. Just stick with it

But hey check out my thread:
Spartan 4 helmet concept

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> > Thanks, for some reason starting a drawing has always been the most discouraging part for me. I get really into it, and things get easier as time goes on but I always need multiple opinions so I appreciate that.
> >
> >
> > I needed my entire families support as I drew my little sister on a 24x18 piece of paper for her birthday. THAT was stressful.
> >
> > I’ll post updates as I progress!
>
> Yeah i kno exactly what you mean. I’m the same way, i at first question my art because yourself is the biggest critic and you will always judge yourself before you even get into it. Just showing off your work can make your nervous because you not sure what people think and you dont want to hear anything negative. I have been drawing and painting for awhile so that will go away a little bit over time.
>
> I would paint so much more in school because i had more artists around me that i could compete with and just talk art with. No that im not in school its like i dont really have a reason to do it like i did in school to get a good grade. Just stick with it
>
>
> But hey check out my thread:
> Spartan 4 helmet concept

I’ve already seen this thread and already commented on it :stuck_out_tongue: Still, great job.
You are so right too, I really am my biggest critic. Im sure 343i were nervous at E3 too lol The funny thing is, I have been drawing since I was 7, I even use to go to an Art summer camp lol and yet I still have this apprehension when I first start drawing. When I complete it, I will know if I’ve accomplished my goal. Even in some of my best drawings I see minuscule things nobody will ever notice and think that could have been a little better but its good enough :stuck_out_tongue:

I’ll keep on it!
Thanks for the support guys :slight_smile:

7

I personally don’t divide the paper into sections like you did, but if it works for you, do it.

I’ll write out the process I did for the Arbiter Portrait I drew and posted on here.

Basically, I started off staring at a reference (in my case, a thumbnail of the Arbiter in the Halo 3 Guide). After looking over the reference for a good 5 or so minutes, I removed the reference from my view when I started the actual drawing. This is because I can remember the basic shape and location of key parts of the Arbiter’s face and helmet while not getting caught up in tiny details - yet. It is important to focus on the basic shape first, otherwise you’ll detail areas separately, and in the end it probably won’t “read” as a drawing.

For the actual drawing, I did a line-drawing of the entire helmet, and edited it around until I thought it looked right - it is important to make any major edits before you start shading. Then I started shading in the darkest parts of the subject. I start dark to light because I primarily use 2HB Pencils, which means you can always go lighter, but eventually you can’t get any darker with 2HB. After that I shade the entire rest of the drawing with the same darkness, after which I slightly erase the lightest areas.

Once the overall shading is done, then I look back at the reference to look for any small details I missed. In my case these small details were the teeth and wrinkles on the Arbiter’s face.

That was my basic process for my Arbiter Portrait. Using this prioritization, as well as the knowledge gained from my hundreds of previous drawings, the drawing was finished in under 45 minutes.

If you want a video process, I have a tutorial on how to draw an AH-1z Viper on my Youtube Channel, which is comprised of scanned images from various points in making the drawing.
The video can be found here
AH-1z Viper Drawing Tutorial

Note: I drew tons upon tons of profile view subjects before I was 12, upon which I started understanding shadows and light. I’m only 15 now, so it only took about 3 years for me to understand shading. It really doesn’t take as long to improve as some people may think.

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I remember seeing that Arby pic, I loved it. The grids I made is just a technic I use to get the outline of whatever im drawing. I always seem to struggle with the initial outline and I find the grid technic helps me get the shape I want. From there I really don’t need the grid. As far as shading goes, thats something I’ve always felt really comfortable with in black in white. Im considering adding color to this when im done but im not entirely sure yet. Shading and lighting im very comfortable with while color im not.

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I love doing grid drawings. So far you are looking good. Though I have a suggestion. if you are doing gray scale drawings, make a black and white copy of the picture you want to draw. Makes it easier to tell how to shade the picture.

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> I love doing grid drawings. So far you are looking good. Though I have a suggestion. if you are doing gray scale drawings, make a black and white copy of the picture you want to draw. Makes it easier to tell how to shade the picture.

Thats actually a great idea that I’ve never even attempted. Im still considering adding color but color makes me nervous :stuck_out_tongue: Any suggestions on whether I should or not? Also If I choose to, any general advice? I know I can add color well but I want to do it accurately and really bring the chief to life.

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Most current image up. (Part 3)

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Most current image up. (Part 4)

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Looking great.

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> Most current image up. (Part 4)

Looking pretty sharp buddy, keep it up.

15

The baseball cap type thing at the top of the helmet (don’t know what it’s really called) looks a little out of perspective.

What I would do is make a half-oval, just like a baseball cap rim, and once you get it to look right, just cut out the center notch.

Also, the Assault Rifle looks a little large, though it could just be me.

That aside, the shading looks REALLY nicely done.

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> > I love doing grid drawings. So far you are looking good. Though I have a suggestion. if you are doing gray scale drawings, make a black and white copy of the picture you want to draw. Makes it easier to tell how to shade the picture.
>
> Thats actually a great idea that I’ve never even attempted. Im still considering adding color but color makes me nervous :stuck_out_tongue: Any suggestions on whether I should or not? Also If I choose to, any general advice? I know I can add color well but I want to do it accurately and really bring the chief to life.

It is up to you to do color or black or white. The biggest reason we did grids in high school was to help us understand shading. But I did do a Darth Maul in color once, and my best advise to you is just use the grid to get the hard lines/defined areas on the paper. Then after that start the picture with a base color and add the shading in after.

For example, with Chief’s armor. I would find the best green that matches the armor for a base color and then color large areas at a time. Then after you have your base green down, go back and add the shading with either darker greens for the shadows and lighter greens and white for the lighter areas. Just remember, do any areas that are just black last. Depending on your choice of medium (color pencils, oil pastels, etc.) if you do black first and then try and use a lighter color next to it, it sometimes will catch on the color you are using and pull into the lighter areas.

If you have anymore questions just ask. I will help as best I can.

17

> The baseball cap type thing at the top of the helmet (don’t know what it’s really called) looks a little out of perspective.
>
> What I would do is make a half-oval, just like a baseball cap rim, and once you get it to look right, just cut out the center notch.
>
>
> Also, the Assault Rifle looks a little large, though it could just be me.
>
> That aside, the shading looks REALLY nicely done.

Thank you, I love shading. The visor is not done yet, I only shaded parts I was happy with, the helmet needs a little work as well as the assault rifle. I think the size is correct though but we will see next time I draw.

> > > I love doing grid drawings. So far you are looking good. Though I have a suggestion. if you are doing gray scale drawings, make a black and white copy of the picture you want to draw. Makes it easier to tell how to shade the picture.
> >
> > Thats actually a great idea that I’ve never even attempted. Im still considering adding color but color makes me nervous :stuck_out_tongue: Any suggestions on whether I should or not? Also If I choose to, any general advice? I know I can add color well but I want to do it accurately and really bring the chief to life.
>
> It is up to you to do color or black or white. The biggest reason we did grids in high school was to help us understand shading. But I did do a Darth Maul in color once, and my best advise to you is just use the grid to get the hard lines/defined areas on the paper. Then after that start the picture with a base color and add the shading in after.
>
> For example, with Chief’s armor. I would find the best green that matches the armor for a base color and then color large areas at a time. Then after you have your base green down, go back and add the shading with either darker greens for the shadows and lighter greens and white for the lighter areas. Just remember, do any areas that are just black last. Depending on your choice of medium (color pencils, oil pastels, etc.) if you do black first and then try and use a lighter color next to it, it sometimes will catch on the color you are using and pull into the lighter areas.
>
> If you have anymore questions just ask. I will help as best I can.

Thanks for the advice, that will help if I decide to do my next drawing in color. That was really helpful.

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> Thanks for the advice, that will help if I decide to do my next drawing in color. That was really helpful.

Glad I could help. Seeing as how I might have a ton of time on my hands in the foreseeable future, I might do another grid as well. Haven’t done one in years.

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> > Thanks for the advice, that will help if I decide to do my next drawing in color. That was really helpful.
>
> Glad I could help. Seeing as how I might have a ton of time on my hands in the foreseeable future, I might do another grid as well. Haven’t done one in years.

They are a lot of fun as you may know. If you do decide to do one, please post it here, I would love to watch someone else’s progress :smiley:

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Most Current Image up. (Part 5)