From Nordic fantasy and mythology as well as Scandinavian folklore comes a class of beings known as trolls. According to myths they dwell at a far distance from human habitation and is a dangerous species to humans. Be that as it may, despite the stories of unpleasantness that trails the mention of them, we would agree that there are rumored features about fantasy trolls that are quite intriguing such as their tough rock like skins, their strength and their sluggish speed of movement. Having said that, today we have decided to concern ourselves with drawing a flawless image of a fantasy troll. This would be done in eight steps. The better acquainted you are with each step, the more amazing and natural your final image would be. To get this done we would first be creating a dummy which we would use as a base in arriving at our final sketch. So let’s roll up our sleeves, pull out our tools and get drawing.
How To Draw A Fantasy Troll.
Our primary objective in this tutorial is to guide you through the drawing of a well detailed and realistic image of a fantasy troll. To help you through, we have devised an eight-step plan you should follow strictly.
A) Drawing the Rib Cage
B) Drawing the Core and the Pelvic area
C) Drawing the legs
D) Drawing the arms
E) Drawing the Head
F) Drawing the Weapon
G) Drawing the final Line
H) Detailing the Character
Step 1: Drawing The Rib Cage.
The rib cage of a fantasy troll is unlike any other. As depicted by the image above, a fantasy trolls rib cage is quite big and it can be drawn by linking four curved lines together as though trying to draw a rectangle but this time the lines are curved. Within the shape you’ve carved out, a vertical line would be drawn to divide the rib cage into two. However, the left side should be larger. This is in line with the 3/4 drawing scale. Still within the cage, just at the bottom draw a horizontal curved line and do the same at the top of the rib cage. These lines would outline the collar bone and shoulders of your fantasy troll and also create a base for the drawing of the core and pelvic area. Going on from there, a base would need to be created for the drawing of the head and arms. So, on the left side of the trolls rib cage draw a small sized oval shape. Do the same at the top of the rib cage. At this point, we’ve covered the details for the rib cage. Let’s work some magic in creating the core and pelvic area.
Step 2: Drawing The Core And The Pelvic Area.
Using the above image as a guide, our characters core would be drawn as an extension from the inner horizontal curved line located at the lower point of the rib cage. This core is meant to be in some way protruding. So draw the lines curved as though you’re trying to depict a bloated sack. Going on from there, draw a vertical line within the core that divides it in two. This line should connect with the vertical line that divides the rib cage and the left side should be larger.
For the pelvic area, it should be drawn as though trying to draw a man’s underpants. This would also serve as a foundation for drawing the legs. Now that we’ve gotten that through, let’s get to drawing the legs.
Step 3: Drawing The Legs.
Emerging from the pelvic area are the legs. You can draw them as two tubes that narrow in size as they get to the knees. The knees of each leg should be marked by two horizontal lines. One should be placed at the top of each knee and the other right beneath each knee. It seems almost like a band. Within these lines, there should be a circle. Going on from the knees, keep drawing the legs as though drawing a pipe and narrow it down till you get to the ankle. Then wrap it up with broad feet.
Step 4: Drawing The Arms.
At this stage, we would be creating arms for our character. Essentially we would begin by drawing its upper arms In the shape of a tube that narrows as it goes all the way to the elbow level. Then go on to include the biceps and triceps as seen in the above picture and bend the elbows slightly. Having done that, go on and complete the arms from elbow to wrist and hands as seen in the picture. The wrists should, however, be marked by a line. The right arm of the troll should be raised higher and the hands should be clenched as it holds onto the handle of its weapon while the other end of the weapon rests on its shoulders.
Step 5: Drawing The Head.
The head should be drawn as a medium sized circle. Within the circle should be two lines that cross at the middle. These lines would help detail the face. At the lower end of the head, you should include the ears.
If you are interested in learning how to draw faces properly you can check my step by step tutorial here.
Step 6: Drawing the Weapon
Next step will be to draw the huge Troll’s weapon. This weapon is something in between an axe and a scythe. The handle is a long and the blade is made of the serrated jaw of the skull some sort of monstruos creature. God knows which terrible creatures this Trolls deal with!
Step 7: Drawing The Final Line.
Here is the point we include the final lines of our character and try to make it more realistic. To get this stage flawlessly done, the dummy we have created this far would need to be slightly faded out. This is to prevent it from hindering the flow of your final lines. With that done, go on and use the traces of the dummy left to draw our fantasy trolls final lines. You can take it one body part at a time.
Step 8: Detailing The Character:
Using the image as a guide, this step basically involves giving your drawing that ten over ten appearances by shading, adding shadow and lighting, adding the body hairs of our fantasy troll and generally touching things up so that your finished work looks hundred percent natural and believable.
Conclusion:
At this point, you’ve successfully completed the seven steps and you should have a pretty amazing drawing. However don’t hang up your drawing tools yet. Go on and practice these steps repeatedly. Doing this would enhance your skill and you just might get so good that you can dispense of the need for tutorials.
If you are interested in more Fantasy Drawing Tutorials click here and visit our tutorial section.
Artist: Toni Justamante Jacobs.
Writer: Eseandre
