How to Draw Cyber Sub-Zero, Mortal Kombat

how to draw a realistic rhino, realistic rhinoceros

Step 1.

Ok, let's get started by drawing some guide lines. Simple stuff, here. Draw an oval for the chest and a ball for the head. These shapes will be facing in opposite directions, so we'll indicate that with curves. Draw an angular shape for the lower torso and hips. Then draw in the arms and legs, with triangular shapes for the hands and feet. We're going with a pretty standard action pose, here.

Step 2.

After lightening up your guide lines, let's begin with the face. The strongest feature is the vertical snout in the center of the face, so we'll start with that. Large curves outline the cheekbones below the eyes. At their peak, the lines trace down the jawline and back to the chin to complete the "face guard."

Step 3.

Now draw in the eyes, which are very squinted. Follow that by drawing a pair of stripes starting from just below the eyes and traveling back, over the head.

Step 4.

The next major detail is the large, bluetooth-like devices on each side of Subby's head. Beneath those, draw a series of rings for the ear plates. There's a little overlap here with the face guard, but we'll clean that up at the very end.

Step 5.

Next we'll add the details surrounding the snout and cheekbones, and we'll add a panel sticking out from the back/top of his helmet.

Step 6.

Moving on to the torso, we'll begin by drawing an armored ring that wraps around the upper chest. It's kind of like he has an ornate toilet seat hanging around his neck. The lowest part of this shape will become part of the chest armor.

Step 7.

Draw in the two large "muscles" of the neck, connecting to the "collar bones." All of this will eventually be detailed so that it reads as being metal. We'll add some more panel lines now, and draw in a pair of rectangular lights on the lower part of the armored ring.

Step 8.

Draw in the large pectoral plates, as well as the armor for the surrounding chest area. The bottom part of this armor follows the shape of the ribcage.

Step 9.

Draw a T-shape for the pelvis, and connect it to the ribcage with vertical lines. These will define the shape of the stomach and oblique (side) muscles.

Step 10.

We can start adding some detail in the form of horizontal panel lines. These will mimic ribs and the rows of abdominal (stomach) muscles.

Step 11.

Moving onward, draw a large curve for the top of the leg. At the end, draw in the kneepad from a side angle. There's a large, circular disc on either side of the knee, which connects to the actual knee joint on the inside. Keep that in mind while placing this that shape.

Step 12.

Now draw in the armor plates of the thigh, and repeat on the second leg.

Step 13.

Here we'll begin to armor up the lower legs, and we'll fill the inner thigh area with tube-like shapes to mimic muscles and tendons.

Step 14.

Finishing up the lower legs and drawing the feet. There's one block for the big toe, and the other toes are combined into a second block on each foot. This seems to mimic Tabi, the shoes worn by ninjas.

Step 15.

Now we'll bounce up to the upper body. First draw a diamond-shaped armor plate, and draw the shoulder beneath it. Do this on both sides.

Step 16.

We're going to face some overlapping shapes, here, so we'll use the guide lines and start by drawing the back of each hand, along with the armored knuckles.

Step 17.

Now fill in the fingers and palms, clasped in a fist.

Step 18.

Now for the forearms. Each gauntlet has small, cylindrical shapes circling around the elbow area. The armor plates begin at the wrist, and fit smoothly around those shapes.

Step 19.

Adding details to the forearms...

Step 20.

We can now connect the forearm to the shoulder by drawing the biceps and triceps, adding some basic panel lines for detail.

Step 21.

Add a second diamond within the each small armor plate on the shoulders. Behind these, draw the larger shoulder plates, also shaped like diamonds. Complete the small armor panels on either side of the neck.

Step 22.

For the final shape, draw in some dreadlocks. I can't imagine these serve any purpose on a robot, but they look pretty cool. Rather than just having them hang like palm tree leaves, let's trying to give them some life by using different shapes, and overlapping some of the dreads. This will really add some action to this pose. Oh! If you stop here, don't forget to erase the overlapping lines on the face.

Step 23.

You could call it done here, but I suggest at least adding the finer details of the helmet and neck area. The stomach plates should also be filled in, as well as the muscle strands below the shoulders.

Step 24.

If you have the time and patience, and really want to add something special to the drawing, sit back, relax and start adding details throughout the body. Notice the shadows where the muscle strands meet the armor, as well as the neck. This really adds some dimension to those areas. Reinforce the outline of the armor plates, and add some rectangular notches for added complexity. Dust and scratches are a good way to define form on large, empty, white spaces. Some dirt spots also help to break up the sterile, mechanical drawing and make the character seem a little more tangible.

Step 25.

...and here's the finished line art. I could continue adding details, but I think the drawing looks good as is. I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial. This is a fun robot, and you can use a lot of the shapes here to create your own original characters. I think there's another version of Cyber Sub-Zero floating around, so if I can find some good reference material, maybe I'll add another tutorial for that design. Can't have too much Sub-Zero, right? Anyway, check back for more fighting game character tutorials soon. Thanks for viewing!