How to Draw a Crossbow, Draw Crossbows

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Crossbows are kind of complicated, but once you understand the main pieces of the machine, you should be able to draw one from almost any angle. In this image, I've drawn the crossbow from the side, with the back end on the left. It does resemble a s   

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For the next section, Not-Daryl is going to pose for us as we draw the crossbow from a 3/4 angle. Start by drawing the outline of the butt of the crossbow and the top edge of the... what do you call that? The stock? Anyway, the next part is the front   

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Next we tackle the sides of the bow itself. This is exactly like a bow from a bow-and-arrow, but it lays on its side, across the stock. At each end of the bow is a small wheel. With the bow drawn in, add the hand grip and some details to the stock.

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Use Step 1 for reference when drawing in the scope. The main detail here is the drawn string, which runs from just in front of the scope to each end of the bow, around those small wheels, and then across to form a triangle. We can also add part of th   

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Here we'll complete the arrow carrier, with arrows. Add some more detail to the stock, and I think we can call this shot done.

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Touched up Not-Daryl's face a bit for the finished sketch.

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Ok, this is the main portion of this tutorial. We're going to draw the crossbow from a top-down perspective, as Not-Daryl holds it for us. The first thing to draw is a cross. Wait, like a CROSS-bow? It all makes sense now. Wait, the bow lies aCROSS t   

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Start by detailing the bow first. You could simplify these details if you're in a hurry. A simple bow shape might get the job done if you're drawing an elf or Amazon character, but this is a modern, high-tech crossbow, so we'll try to add as much aut   

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You want to keep things as symmetrical as possible. With the main curved details already drawn in, we can start adding the blockier components.

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After bulking up the outline of the bow, we can add the main shape of the stock. It's much narrower from the top view than it is from the side view, just like a rifle or shotgun. At the bottom, we'll draw the metal wire shape where the arrow carrier    

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Here we'll add the scope and an arrow. Use Step 1 for reference again. The scope is just made up of simple, geometric shapes. The modern arrow has a small tip, but you could get a little crazier with the arrow design if you want. Indian arrowheads ar   

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Bulking up the outline again. Now we can add the butt end of the stock. Finish it off with a triangle for the pulled string.

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Here we'll add the arrow carrier on the front of the crossbow. It actually hangs below the bow, so it's partially covered here. This is an optional detail that probably wouldn't be necessary on a simpler crossbow design. I suppose a more medieval cha   

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Ink it up and you should have something like this. Now we have a side view, a 3/4 view, and a top view of this modern crossbow. From here, you can either simplify or embellish the design to suit your needs.

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Not-Daryl makes his final appearance to pose with the crossbow. The crossbow I used for reference can come with a camouflage print. Here I just drew some dust and scratches. I used small hatch marks to shade below the arrow and the front of the bow s   

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Released

January 5, 2013

Description: Hey guys. This time I'll be tackling how to draw a crossbow. We'll be using Daryl's crossbow (The Walking Dead) for reference. Ok, let's get to it.

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#how to draw crossbows
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