Drawing the Head: Basic Construction

I start with an oval and then put a centre line horizontally (this is the "eye-line") and vertically (the nose runs down this line)

You should be able to fit 5 "eye widths" across the head. The top of the ears is in line with the eyes. The bottom of the ears is in line with the mouth.

You can then build this construction into an actual sketch of the head by adding more detail. Below is an example done with brush and black ink.

Drawing Superheroes 2: Lines

Lines:
The next thiing you do, when you are happy with your superhero's pose or stance, is to fill in the basic lines.

These are your anatomical lines that define the superhero's outline and musculature (big word). Even though the construction lines are close to what you want they are definitely not the exact lines of the human body. Notice by comparing the two sketches that many construction lines have slightly changed.

Drawing Superheroes 1: First Things First

We're going to start with the human figure first. I'll go over the different stages just to give you an idea of how I do it. There are various approaches so don't worry if you're used to doing it another way.

Construction
I've used the basic-shape construction in the sketch below. You use boxes, cylinders, spheres -all 3-dimensional shapes to construct your body. Think of it like the little art manikins you can get. Now, when drawing human anatomy there are a few basic rules of proportion. I'll mention one or two here: the elbow is at the same height of the navel; the chest is in line with the bottom of the shoulders; the wrist is in line with bottom of the groin. And each body section is measured against the length of the "head".

Usually I don't do construction lines this dark or this extensively, but I have here so you can see the lines and how they go.