acu aa ie) eae Le =CHTHE OFFI HOW TO DRAW ROBORE=GH ‘A monthly manual devoted to teaching how to learn to draw the ROBOTECH™ animated cartoon characters and fighting craft in an intelligent and easy to understand way. Each issue will cover one or more characters or devices from each of the three major storylines that make up the ROBOTECH™ saga. Each storyline will be featured in rotation. Issues 1 through 4 will focus on the MACROSS characters, issues 5 through 9 will cover the SOUTHERN CROSS characters, and issues 10 through 12 will cover the NEW GENERATION charactors. Issues 13 through 24 will repeat the rotation examining new material from each storyline. CIAL WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY DAVID CODY WEISS RICK HUNTER Rank: LIEUTENANT AGE:19 A central character in the opening story of the ROBOTECH™ saga, Rick is introduced as a hot-shot amateur pilot and close friend of Lieutenant Roy Fokker who comes to witness the historic launch of the SDF-1, the salvaged alien Battle Fortress. Caught up in the sudden interplanetary war with the Zentraedi, he distinguishes himself as a courageous pilot and dogged fighter, overcoming his initial reluctance to employ violence, even in defense of his world Throughout all of this he is also torn between two young women. The first is Lynn Minmei, a Chinese girl he befriends in the early stages of the war, and his military superior, Lieutenant Lisa Hayes. Rick's conflicts between his personal feelings and his duty to those he has vowed to defend forge him into a strong young warrior. ARTWORK BY HARMONY GOLD U-S.A., INC SDF-1 SUPER DIMENSION FORTRESS-1 A mysterious alion spaceship that crash landed on Earth on Macross Island in the South Pacific, it presents the Earth with its only defense against a sudden interplanetary invasion by the warlike alien Zentraedi. The Earth defenders have salvaged and relaunched the vessel but know little of its true capabilities and most efficient handling. The ship proves to be a battle fortress capable of incredible transformations of shape and weaponry. Unknown to the defenders, the ship has hidden within it a protoculture factory, the mysterious source of the energy that powers Robotechnology and the prize that the Zentraedi have crossed space to possess In activating a space-fold drive, the fortress accidentally transports all of Macross Island out into deep space with it. The struggle to master the alien technology in order to defend Earth while preserving the lives and social structure of the civilians unintentionally transported forms the backbone of this epic tale. THE OFFICIAL HOW TO DRAW ROBOTECH MANUALE1, Fe Blackinome Avenue, El Cajon, Calfornia 92020, USA. Telephone (6 P inatar David Johnson, Production Assatans Ann EF Stoonensan, Statt Eater. THE OFFICIA publication may be reproduced by any the percons. names, characters and/or i sirilarity which exist i ary ‘ely Colneidental, Gover color by Dennis F (OW TO ORAW ROBOTECH WANU: iy by BLACKTHORNE PUBLISHING, INC, 786 in Fer, Publishers Paul Taltarday imvray, Marketing Promotor Pupliched 2.9608. Steven J. Schanes and ara, Circulation Manager. Ci 985 by Harmon; 210n of he cubligher and copsrr von ior institutions is intended and ny fancis & Pau! Teleraay Printod in ine USATHE OFFICIAL BOW TO WRAY ROBOVEGH ATTACK MODE... RECOMMENDED RiINTRODUCTION Welcome to the first issue of THE OFFICIAL HOW TO DRAW ROBOTECH™ series, a monthly book designed to teach fans of the enormously popular ROBOTECH™ animated television serias how to draw all their favorite characters and mecha. Each month we will demonstrate how to draw one or two characters from the show in the first half of the book, and highlight how to draw some of the fantastic transforming fighting craft or Mecha, in the second half Unlike some other how-to-draw books on the stands which offer only a bland step-by-step “copy-me" approach, we will demonstrate how to actually construct a drawing, the way professional artists do. By showing the rules and the thinking that go into each drawing, we hope that you will learn more than just how to copy a face or a pose that is already in front of you. You will learn how to draw these characters and craft in any pose or angle you can imagine In addition, each demonstration will be shown on a grayed-out image of the final drawing, so you can always see how the construction steps relate to the finished art. Remember, ANYBODY can learn to draw! If you study the rules, observe carefully how something is drawn, and most important of all, practice constantly, you will learn to draw! YOU LEARN TO DRAW BY DRAWING!Each drawing is constructed from basic shapes and arranged according to relationships called proportions. Every part of a figure is placed by measuring its height or width as compared with the other parts. In figure drawing, the basic unit of measurement is the HEAD. The head is constructed from an oval or egg-shape. Lines dividing the surface of the shape into halves mark the places where eyes, ears, noses, mouths and other features are located. Always remember that you are describing a solid, curved surface, so lines wrap around the basic shape and curve when the shape is tilted or turned The body is measured in head- heights. This figure is 7 1/2 heads tall (you don’t count the hair). The legs attach to the hips at the halfway mark. Pay close attention to how long the arms and legs are, and where the joints are located. These relationships remain the same no matter what position the body is in Try to analyze each pose in stick-figure form first. This is the easiest way of establishing a strong foundation upon which to construct a lively, accurate drawing @ om HOVOUddV SISVERICK HUNTER Start out by drawing an oval to describe the head, adding two lines below to locate the neck. Divide the head with vertical and horizontal lines to locate the centerline and eye-line. Add a curved line for the shoulders across a point 1/4 of the centerline length below the chin. AL VIEW Rough in the hair, indicate the shape of the nose, mouth, sideburns, and collar, and J Add pupils and highlights to the eyes (seo © 2.14 for details). Draw through the neck to find the cylinder-shape of the shirt collar. Draw in the eyes, centering each about halfway between the centerline and the side of the head. The nose line falls about 2/3 of the way between the eye-line and chin, with the bottom lip halfway between nose line and chin. The ears fit between the nose line and the bottom of the eyes Tighten up all the details and erase your construction lines or lay a piace of tracing paper over your rough drawing and redraw only the finished forms.YALNNH Mold Drawing the profile is very much the same —_ Again, locate the eyes, nose, mouth and ears as doing the front. Start with an egg-shape, in the same relationship as in the front view. then divide with centerlineand eye-line Note, however, thal the ear is located on the as you did the front view, but this time tilt centerline in the profile. The head balances the center line forward. Once again, the on the neck like an egg on a thick round stick shoulder falls about 1/4 of the head height below the chin oy Rough in the hair and other facial details as Erase construction lines or trace over before. Add costume details, sketch for final drawing. °A1dOu"dRICK HUNTER To draw the figure, start with a ball- and-stick diagram, placing the parts in proper relation to each other. Use sticks to indicate the arms, legs and neck; rounded shapes for the head, chest, hips and at the elbow and knee joints; and wedges or mitten-like shapes for the hands and feet. Pay attention to proportion here: Rick stands 7 1/2 heads tall, The legs attach at the halfway mark, but the knees are 2/3 of the way up the leg The chest is 1 1/2 heads high, the neck, 1/4 Start turning the sticks into cylinders now. Draw through the ends of the cylinders (called ellipses), so you can see where they overlap or pass behind other shapes. Mark off the features on the face as before, being careful to shift the centerlines to the left, because Rick's head is turned slightly Drop a line from where the neck meets the front of the chest straight down to the floor. This line (called the center of balance), always falls on a line drawn from one foot to the other.Now you can start roughing in the uniform and other details. Remember that the clothes wrap around the form and hang on the body parts. Finish the head and hands now. aYundid TINA As you tighten up your drawing, visualize all the costume lines (sleevebands, stripes, seams, etc.) as lines on the surface of these curved and folded forms, wrapping around cylinders, running up and down the hills and folds and creasesRICK HUNTER Here are a number of poses of Rick's head with a variety of expressions. In each case we show the final drawing next to an example of the basic construction. If you start each of your own drawings with this basic analysis. all your heads will be solid and consistent Observe how, when the head is ti'ted, the centerlines become ellipses, that is, lines wrapped around the curved surface of the head. Draw through the head, following the lines around. This way all the features you draw will stay properly related no matter how the form is turned and you will be constantly aware that what you are drawing is a solid form in space only described by lines on paper.EXPRESSIONSRICK HUNTER To draw Rick's helmet or any other headgear, the same rules apply as in previous sections. Since a helmet usually is found on a head, it's best to start by drawing in the head shape first, complete with rough indications of where the features are. When roughing in the helmet, reduce all parts to their simplest shapes; a cut-up sphere for the helmet itself; thick curved wedge shapes for the visor; a thick strip with pointed ends wrapped around the sphere for the side-pieces; and so on.YVa9qV3HRICK HUNTER Here are a variety of poses for you to practice you construction skills on. Analyze each pose carefully before you start drawing. Sketch in the stick figure first and then build on that. Don't expect perfection on the first try, most professionals do a series of rough sketches before selecting the best and refining that one to final form. Remember that getting the feel of a pose is as important as the accuracy of the details.POSESRick Hunter, like all the other ROBOTECH characters, is drawn in a distinct style. This style is very popular in Japanese animation and is probably the most recognizable thing about these characters. Here and in later issues we will point out and demonstrate how to draw the details that will enable you to do good ROBOTECH art. This issue we'll Point out some important things about the way eyes are drawn in this style In ROBOTECH character faces the eyes are easily the most important feature. Their size and expressiveness convey the strong emotions these characters experience. Notice that the mals face shown here is 3 1/2 eyes wide, with the pupil about 1/2 an eye wide. All pupils have at least one shiny highlight, and in close-ups, two or three. Always remember that the eyes work as a pair; when one moves, the other does the samo. JAPANESE DRAWING STYLES Ss &) ~~ / CLOSE-UP SHOWING REFLECTED HIGHLIGHTS *EYESOn first look, something like the SDF-1 may look too complex to draw, but, if you know how to analyze the forms properly, it becomes easier to master. The first thing to do is to visualize the ship in its most basic shape, in this case, a long flat box with a thin wedge on front. All the lines defining the box are really parallel, but because the shape is tilted towards the viewer, they are drawn as all converging toward a distant point at the upper right. This is part of something called perspective, which we can't explain here but can be found in many good drawing books (we name one in the recommended reading list on p. 28). Next, break down the turrets, guns, engines, pods and other shapes that fit on or into the main ship structure into thelr simplest forms. Pay close attention to keeping lines parallel and to follow the surface of the forms you are describing. Watch how lines bend as they change from one surface to another. When you have all the forms located and roughed in, erase and redraw or trace over your sketch to make a final drawing with all the details in place. on o 7 1 —_ AGOW Y4aSsINYDM3lA AdisCRUISER MODE “peut st diys ey Ueym 06 Aeyt ee4M ino einBy ©} 91Ge 2q JIM nok Peusea| exe s\le1ep ey! 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