WEBTOON Basics Drawing Webtoon Backgrounds
GCC Academy
Learning Goals Can draw backgrounds using perspectives Can draw natural objects based on principles
Learning Contents Drawing backgrounds using perspectives Drawing natural objects based on principles
Kim Yong Hoe, Webtoon artist Career Former adjunct professor at Chungkang University of Cultural Industries Former dean of SWA Representative Work Kakao Webtoon: A Flower That Blooms Again, Just That, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Masterpiece
Hello, I'm a webtoon artist Kim Yong Hoe
This time we learn how to draw webtoon backgrounds
People who love comics or webtoons will
draw something without anyone telling him to do so
They might start by drawing characters from their favorite works
When attempting to create a webtoon, there are two things that one may find challenging
Webtoon Characteristics Story driven writing
Drawing backgrounds - means drawing only characters will not be sufficient
This time, we'll explore how to draw using the first perspective method
And secondly, we'll look into how
to draw natural objects based on principles
Drawing backgrounds using perspective
First let's learn about drawing in perspective
Whether drawing characters or landscapes
perspective is essential for creating
realistic and three-dimensional images
We also call this Pers for short
Even when drawing simplified and distorted faces in cartoons
immediate perspective is still necessary
The eye seen from the front and the eye seen beyond the nose
should be drawn differently based on the angle they're seen from since they differ in distance
Since it's not a front view, the shape of the eyes should fit to the dimension
The closer eye should look more like tilted ovals from the side
and the eye beyond the nose
should be smaller than the front eye and follow the curve of the face
Even in these small faces applying perspective allows you
achieve three-dimensional results
dimension adds vitality to the drawings
Perspective
Types of perspective 1: Let's explore through the method of linear perspective
Linear perspective, the most widely known form of perspective
involves drawing objects receding into the distance
appearing smaller as they meet at the vanishing point on the horizon line
types include 1-point perspective, 2-point perspective, and 3-point perspective
1-point perspective is the most basic form of perspective and involves choosing 1 vanishing point
used commonly for creating depth in interior spaces
2-point perspective involves choosing two vanishing points at eye level
and is typically used for drawing spaces wider than the viewer's focus
It's great for drawing the exteriors of lower buildings
3-point perspective involves choosing three vanishing points
two placed horizontally on the horizon line
and the third positioned either above or below vertically
It's used for drawing the three-dimensional perspective of height and depth
when looking up or down at tall buildings
Drawing boxes and varying the thickness of lines help with creating a sense of depth
The line between thicker lines appears to protrude forward
while a thicker line between two lines appears to recede backward
Perspective - Thick lines seem closer, thinner lines seem further away
2D representation of a 3D box- the line between thick lines appears to protrude forward, thick line between two lines appears to recede backward
It may seem basic, but it's fundamental
and is essential to understand perspective to draw well
since it is basic, it should be ingrained in your learning from the start
Practicing drawing what you see in perspective and aligning it with the principles of perspective is essential
Once you grasp perspective, it becomes even more useful when
drawing man-made objects like cities, buildings, and cars
To adapt to Perspective quickly
it's helpful to draw grids on each surface
To understand Grids further
we will learn about surface division
First we have a black rectangle figure
If you are thinking of dividing this in half
We could place a line in the middle
but we wouldn't know where the middle is
In that case we draw diagonals
2 divisions - drawing diagonal lines toward each vanishing point
naturally creates three intersecting points
Drawing lines vertically from these intersections
creates division points aligned with the 1:1 perspective
about three divisions
Connect one diagonal line to each of the two divided rectangles
then draw a line where they intersenct
creating three divisions aligned with this grid
You can extend the size of the rectangle according to the perspective
You can extend the size of the rectangle by following the lines of perspective
For example when drawing a railroad or a long pole
we use this technique
Start by drawing a diagonal line from where the center line crosses in the divided rectangle
Then, draw a vertical line down from the end of the diagonal line
From there
draw another diagonal line and another vertical line downwards
like this
When you connect the intersection points - you can create objects at regular intervals according to perspective
Drawing lines that naturally fit within the grid perspective at consistent intervals
can be useful for sketching objects like power poles or railroad tracks
While the shape of buildings or cars
can be drawn according to perspective
the vitality and interest of a drawing lie in the details expressed within them
Drawing Windows window drawing is not as simple as it sounds
There's thickness to the glass and structure to the frame
It also has reflections
A building's glass fit into these frames
also called window frames
the glass is transparent
allowing visibility through to the other side
And beyond that, you can also see the window frames
Even a simple window frame includes the thickness of the glass
and this is the surface of the glass
and we can draw some reflections here
to actually represent that this is a glass
this makes it look more dimensional and realistic
Drawing Cars I've already drawn a car here
I have used perspective of space
to give dimension
In the case of this wheel, as well as parts like the radiator grille and headlights
adding detail enhances their appearance, while the rest doesn't matter much
A variety of artificial objects can be drawn using a square grid
you can draw a cup that fits the grid like this
that applies to car wheels as well
Same with how I drew the cup
If you draw a circle within this square grid,
You can draw wheels that are undistorted
Not only for wheels but all objects
are best to be drawn using a square perspective grid
Complete the 3D car by drawing the front grill and lights - if you liven the grill and lights on the front
you can omit the rest and it would still seem sufficient
Even adding detail to the wheel of the car would make it perfect
In addition to linear perspective
there are also aerial perspective and color perspective
Types of Perspective 2: Color perspective is used alongside linear perspective
It is a technique developed in Western painting
Color perspective using the psychological effects of color
For example, vivid red appears to stand out more than blue
Types of Perspective 3- Aerial perspective can also be a form of color perspective
It utilizes the atmosphere, or air, between the
observer and the subject as a form of perspective
When looking at distant objects in real life, such as mountains
depending on the condition of the atmosphere like air pollution
they may appear hazy and less distinct
Even if pollution is not the case, spaces are full of air
so the farther away it is, the blurrier or bluer it appears
The further away the background is, the lower the brightness and saturation of the color should be
Aerial perspective provides the basis for
the concept of effective background omission in comics
If you look at Oriental landscape paintings the lower part of the mountain is naturally omitted
Creates a foggy effect
In cartoons, even if the buildings or forests drawn directly behind
are partially erased in the middle, it does not seem awkward
Readers still perceive them as complete buildings or forests
Color perspective allows to distinguish overlapping objects through contrast between light and dark
Contrast between light and dark creates a sense of distance
but it also allows you to focus more on the part you want to emphasize
As in the example picture there is a field, a forest in the middle, and a mountain in the distance
You get a sense of distance with the difference of light and dark
Dark black and bright white draw more attention
As shown in the illustration, landscapes composed of foreground, middle ground, and background
can be created using four levels of light and shadow combinations resulting in 16 possible combinations
Drawing natural objects using principles
Let's learn about drawing natural objects using principles.
People who are new to drawing natural objects
find it more difficult to draw them than artificial objects
In the case of artifacts, if you draw the visible object according to perspective
its will generally look the same
so with some practice there is usually no difficulty
Natural objects may feel more difficult because they have no fixed form
There is no fixed shape, but if you can think about why it looks the way it is
you should feel more confident in drawing natural objects
Drawing a Rock We will start with drawing a big rock
Let's assume a corner of a
large rock falls off
you must consider the direction of light when drawing an object
Draws darker areas where shadows occur
Consider the direction of light to depict darker shadows
For convenience, we will set the direction of light to be top left
Then shadows should naturally appear in the lower right corner
You can this to
to express the texture or three-dimensional effect of the rock
When the fallen pieces break apart again they will become small stones
and the smaller stones
should have irregular angles
Stones will be weathered and ground down to powder and eventually become soil
The expression of soil will accumulate by blowing wind or rainwater
If you can express the curved lines of the sediment
the surface of the soil will be expressed naturally
Nowadays, there is a 3D program called SketchUp
so 3D materials are often used instead of drawing landscapes directly
So it may not be absolutely necessary to draw
these types of backgrounds
but if you have a big heart for drawing
Where Your Own Drawings are Needed 1- When pursuing a diverse painting style
And depending on the situation, if you need a cut with a unique expression
Where Your Own Drawings are Needed 1- when you need a unique cut
In those cases you will need to draw it yourself
So, I think what is needed along with the perspective drawing
is the technical aspect of one's own hands
In terms of technique, the fundamental element that should precede all others
is actually the line
Even when drawing rocks and expressing the ground right now
a combination of long, thick single lines and small, consistent lines is necessary
You should practice using lines in general
Drawing Soil Now you can
achieve this natural expression of the soil
There is not only fine sand
but there could be bits of rocks here and there
Simply expressing the protrusion with varying degrees of light and shadow
can naturally depict a dirt floor
Also important is depicting the rain and wind
as well as
the resulting contours of the soil and the fine particles
Disconnected lines are fine
but to portray the natural sedimentary layers of soil
adding small pebbles one by one can
convey the feeling of a barren dirt floor with just thin lines and small pebbles
So instead of intricate hatching with lines gathered together
you can represent the ground with just simple curved lines, conveying the texture of soil
Since we have the soil now
Drawing Plants Let's go over to drawing plants
Let's imagine some seeds flew into the soil somehow
those will naturally sprout
sprouts will grow
If it was grass
For grass and many other plants, their growth patterns often involve
facing each other, growing in opposite directions
or even twisting
The reason I explain these is
If it were to be drawn very small it wouldn't matter so much
but some times when you have to drawn them close up
and need to represent the details of the leaf
depending on the growth of the plant
it's necessary to depict the shape and position of the leaves in detail
Drawing Grass For Grass
some grasses grow upwards
but some growths lie flat and round on the ground
So let the low-growing grass
spread out to the sides
Upward growing grass tends to be longer leaves
like reeds or pussy willows
they grow upwards
and as for trees
Drawing Trees Trees grow by spreading out branches
Trees that have grown tall develop branches
in a manner similar to the growth pattern of their leaves
deciduous trees tend to grow in opposite directions
while coniferous trees like pine or fir tend to twist and face each other
resulting in their leaves growing in opposite directions
Therefore, the branches of such trees generally face each other
and these branches
the older branches at the bottom
will deteriorate and eventually fall off
The oldest leaves form long branches at the bottom
while the newly emerged leaves
at the top are still growing
resulting in shorter branches
This creates
a triangular shape for the tree's overall form
Unlike that, in the case of deciduous trees
the leaves grow and the branches that have grown form clusters together
Another leaf grows at the end of the branch
and these newly grown leaves become new branches
forming clusters of leaves on each branch
These clusters of leaves not only grow sideways
but also forward and backward, resulting in rounded clusters of leaves
on the branches
The leaves are from newer branches as you move upwards
so the branches themselves are smaller and younger
So deciduous trees
tend to look like a wide
cotton candy
and since the leaves are shaped round
you can draw them round
While there are tall growing deciduous trees
There are deciduous foliage
that grow low
And these are mostly used in gardens
And for conifer trees
There is a low-growing tree with round leaves
if you leave them they will grow taller
but these round leaved trees are used mostly for the garden
that is regularly tamed
You can commonly see this type of plant
at your school These small leaved coniferous trees
will be in the school gardens
Coniferous tree pruned in a round or square shape
For natural elements like this, using a curvy wavy line
as the main line makes it easier to depict
However, plant representation isn't limited to just curvy lines
straight lines can also be used
Nevertheless for a natural appearance, incorporating curvy lines is essential
So if you want to create good drawings, practicing these kinds of curves
Of course you need to practice basic straight line drawing
It's a good idea to train your hands until you get a neat line like this
and then go into practicing curves
and you can draw irregular curves
And it is very helpful when
expressing surfaces or lines with sharp lines
And if we express natural objects with these lines
Advantages of skilled line drawing 1- express a variety of textured painting styles
Advantages of skilled line drawing 2- express a fairytale-like painting style and a handmade feel
You should definitely practice the lines
Instead of using images from Sketchup or other 3D materials
drawing will result in a much more artistic outcome
Advantages of skilled line drawing 3- express emotional feelings through pictures
You can also mix curves and straight lines like this
Continuing with the deciduous trees
each cluster of leaves is positioned with respect to the light source
you can depict shadows on the opposite side to suit the direction of light
You can represent shadows with curves
or use straight hatching lines
What is important is
the shape of this broadleaf tree
To make this more dimentional
you need basic understanding of what these lumps are
These clusters as mentioned earlier
consist of leaves emerging from individual branches
While each cluster of leaves is irregular,
they tend to gather in a somewhat oval shape
Therefore, by depicting shadows for each of these independent clusters
you can ultimately create a more three-dimensional representation of the tree
In works like Naruto, expressions of trees are often standardized
As fans might already know
In some works, the direction of the shadows is sometimes standardized to one direction
That means the author has decided to draw the tree in a standard format
Also since the artist works with a team of staff members
they standardize the depiction of trees to ensure
that each person's artistic style doesn't clash
Therefore, in works like Naruto, you'll notice that all forests
are completed with the same direction of hatching
If you see it in the work
It is recognized as the artist's painting style and appears more professional
when first encountering the trees in the series
it might seem somewhat bland and awkward
Over time this awkwardness
was mitigated by the overlapping hatching which consistently added depth
as readers associated this style with Naruto's forests
over an extended period
they no longer perceived it as awkward
Instead, they came to recognize it as the characteristic style of forests in Naruto
Trees and plants need water to thrive
Drawing Water Let's learn about drawing water
I will draw a puddle
and for that
Let's bring the trees here
still water does not have waves
so the surface acts as a reflection
but instead of drawing them like a mirror
and representing that this is water indeed
we can added ripples caused by the wind
Because it is not solid like a mirror
There will be a crease on the water somehow
Just by expressing those creases
can give an expression that this is a still lake or pond
Adding just a bit more ripple or
disturbance to the water can instantly make it
appear more fluid and natural
And this water forms concentric circles
even from small ripples caused by
gentle winds or the impact of a single small pebble
by depicting objects projected onto the circles on the surface
it's possible to effectively convey the representation of water
From this we can discern the height of the water
These water ripples indicate the height of the water
and this height influences the shadows cast and the reflection of light
If the height is larger
it will become waves
and you add shadows according to the height
It could be from the wind or other outside force
There should be a direction of water
and the water races as waves to that direction
and there is the emergence of water spouts
Imagine the waves
run up and crash to
this rock
If the waves came from over there
It will hit the rock and water will splash everywhere
Expressing scattered white foam in all directions creates strong waves
And the direction of the waves
should reflect the direction and strength of the motion
Let's express a wave that hits head on to the rock
Let's say the winds blow hard this way
the water will hit and splatter
we can express the splatter with fine lines
If we deform this simpler
waves can be expressed with just one irregular curve
We finished the water now we need to
draw the air that creates things like waves or the shaking of leaves
To draw air
If you understand fire, you can understand air
Drawing Fire Fire is an energy
This energy expands to all sides
and meets the air
When it meets air and gravity, the fire energy goes up
So it finds some hole that spreads upward and the heat spreads out
but because it is blocked by the atmosphere and goes sideways
the fire not only goes upwards
but the flames expands sideways as well
And because the temperature that meets the air cools
the fire has different colors from the center
the middle is the brighter
as you go outwards, it has a reddish tone
Middle has a lot of yellow
the outside is red
And there will be ashes of the flames that cooled
So this will be represented black
Drawing Explosions For explosions
draw several circles and a strong force protrudes out of the circle
explosion is stronger energy than fire
So enlarge the circle as much as the stronger energy
The energy that pokes out
and the ashes will be expressed in shades of black
It is the same principle
Applying the principle of force pushing the atmosphere away from a point of explosion
Representing the force of the explosion with concentric circles will
eliminate any awkwardness
and if this is the ground
The force of hitting the ground and bouncing back is expressed sharply
You can express such things like bouncing force in a sharp shape
You can depict it with lines like this for a impactful effect, or depending on the artistic style
you could also represent it with deformed shapes
In more realistic or lifelike drawings, hatch lines are drawn
in the direction of the force to add detail
Exploded flames like this
are depicted as burning flames after expending their energy
and the flames that meet the air and cool
will make black ash
and because the ash is heavier
they will eventually come downwards
some ashes will float up again
due to the energy of the fire
However, the upward momentum of rising smoke is countered by gravity
causing some of it to settle downward as black ash
This is how smoke is depicted
while the air itself is not visible to the eye
elements that allow us to sense the atmosphere are used to represent it
This includes portraying air and atmosphere not just as smoke
but also as dust particles floating in the air
By setting a light source within the air cut
and depicting a few dust particles floating thinly like particles
readers can still sense the presence of air and atmosphere
You can express space with how the dust floats
In my personal opinion depicting the atmosphere or air
is the most difficult skill that can be expressed through drawings
So we have depicted nature's water, rocks and sand
the plants and trees that grow from there
and water, which makes them grow
and also the fire
These are the natural drawings using the most basic principles
I recommend to practice drawing with lines while understanding the principles
You should be able to draw beautiful natural objects
thank you
Drawing natural objects using principles Natural objects lack fixed forms and are more difficult
Practicing to deduce why natural objects look the way they do is necessary Recommend practicing sketching with lines while understanding the principles
How to draw natural objects using principles Rock: Depicted by observing the direction of light and expressing depth through thick lines and hatching
Soil: Use curved lines or hatching to depict the lines of texture Coniferous trees: Represent the leaves by twisting and facing each other, forming an overall triangular shape
Deciduous tree: Clumps of leaves forming clusters on each branch are alternately arranged to give an independent three-dimensional effect and are expressed in cotton candy
Water: Consider the principles of wind blowing on the surface, depicting the ripples and height of the water, express the direction and strength of movement
Fire: Expanding energy radiating outward in all directions, while also extending upward
Explosion: Concentric circles of varying sizes convey the powerful force of the explosion. After expending its energy, depicts flames, ash, and smoke to represent the air
Drawing the background in Perspective Types of Perspectives
Perspective: Involves converging lines at vanishing points to create depth, there are one-point, two-point, and three-point perspectives
Color perspective: Based on the psychological effects of color, where red appears more prominent than blue
Aerial perspective: Utilizes the atmosphere between the observer and the subject, depicting reduced brightness and saturation as objects recede into the distance
Drawing grids on each surface according to perspective allows for quick adaptation to the principles of perspective