How to Draw a Female Humanoid Robot - Lesson 2: A Side View
This step-by-step lesson teaches you how to draw a female humanoid robot, viewed from the side. Our example demonstrates a process that you can adapt to create your own imaginative version.
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A Humanoid Robot - Side View
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Preparation 1: Researching the Subject
It will greatly help your artwork if you research and gather some images to inspire your ideas for this stage of the drawing. You can access many suitable examples by running online image searches using kewords such as 'humanoid', 'cyborg', 'robots' or combinations of these. Our research images were created using the AI image generator on Freepik.
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Also check out Engineered Arts who are at the forefront of developing real humanoid robots.
The Proportions of a Head - Side View
As we are going to draw a female humanoid robot from the side, the first thing to consider is the proportions of a head from that viewpoint.
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If we take the simplified approach outlined in our sketch above, the side view of the face fits comfortably into an 8x8 square grid. This basic grid structure will help you to position and balance the features of the face.
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Fig.1: You can see what a small area of the head actually displays the features of the face.
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Fig.2: Note that the eyes are halfway down the head.
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Note that the nose sits halfway between the eyes and the chin. Note that the mouth sits halfway between the bottom of the nose and the chin.
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Note that the ears sit level with the eyes and the bottom of the nose.
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Fig.3: Notice the angles between the tip of the nose and forehead, and the mouth and chin. Observing these will help you to position the features with their natural incline.
By following these basic guidelines, you should be able to construct a recognisable female head.
Drawing the internal components of a humanoid robot may require the inclusion of entangled wiring. This can be complicated, but the following technique should help you master any difficulties you encounter.
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Fig.1: Always start drawing overlapping wires as if they are transparent, focusing on their shape and direction and ignoring which one sits in front or behind another.
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Fig.2: When you have established the shape and direction of the wires, you can then start to address the organisation of the space the occupy (red sections).
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Fig.3: The technique we use is to erase the crossover lines of the wire that you want underneath. This will create the illusion of one wire overlapping the other.
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Fig.4: Once you start to differentiate the wires by adding color, you can see their interwoven effect more clearly.
Step 1 - Draw the Outline of the Robot's Head and Shoulders
We begin by drawing an outline of the robot's head and shoulders.
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Focus on the horizontal and vertical position of each facial feature to help you create an accurate image.
- Look at the lines of the head and shoulders. They form softer curves and not as muscular as her male counterpart in the previous lesson.
To assist you with this part of the drawing, you may find our notes above on the proportions of a head helpful.
Step 2 - Remove Sections from the Robot
Next, we remove sections from the robot which gives us the space to display its internal components.
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In this case we have removed all but the face and ear from our humanoid robot.
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You now have an empty form or shape that you can fill with mechanical, electrical, or digital components of your own creation, to illustrate its inner components.
Step 3 - Start to Draw the Internal Components of the Robot
Once you have established the cutaway sections, you can start to build up the components inside of the robot's head.
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To start with we have assembled some random mechanical shapes that give us a platform to build upon.
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These do not have to be realistic, just an interesting arrangement of shapes that look like they may be functional.
Step 4 - Complete the Internal Components of the Head
The next stage is to complete the internal components of the head.
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When you are working on a complicated drawing you can be overwhelmed by the amount of detail. Consequently, it is easier to focus on one area at a time and build up the drawing section by section. So, at this stage we focus on the head and leave the body to later.
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Here we added a few more mechanical components linking them to the face to create a more unified form. We have also begun to build up a network of wires that weave in and out of the components. These help to create an illusion of authenticity.
To assist you with drawing interweaving wires, see our tutorial above.
Step 5 - Complete the Internal Components of the Body
This step concludes the drawing of the robot by finishing the internal components of the body.
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To strengthen the framework of the robot we have constructed some metal supports to the neck and chin of the robot.
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One of these is pierced with holes to increase the visual impact of the interweaving wires.
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The others have been studded with screw heads to embellish their design.
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We have also merged the flow of wires from the head to the body to create a continuous distribution.
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Finally we have built some of the outer casing over the shoulder which reveals a ballbearing joint beneath.
Step 6 - Adding a Background
Once you have completed the drawing of your robot, you should add a background.
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Your background could be a flat color, or inside a laboratory, or the landscape of an alien planet, or simply any appropriate setting or scene you can imagine.
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For our example we have used an enlarged detail of a circuit board.
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This was chosen for its relevance to the subject and for its rigid geometric pattern which contrasts with the fluid lines of the image. The thickness of the lines in the background tend to overwhelm the figure but this can be rectified when we come to apply color at the next stage.
Step 7 - Coloring the Background
With the drawing of our background complete we start to add color.
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When we begin to draw an image, we usually start with the nearest part of the subject and work towards the background.
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When we start to color an image, the opposite applies. It is best to start with the background and work towards the nearest part of the image, as this gives you the best opportunity to color over any slip-ups.
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In our example we have used a dark green, the traditional color for circuit boards. It also establishes a key color to relate to as you build up the colors in the rest of the image.
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To enhance its effect, we have illuminated some of the circuits with bright colors which act as lights to suggest an active power source.
Step 8 - Coloring the Robot
With the colors of the background complete, we begin to color the robot itself.
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Again, we start with the background of the internal components.
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We have painted this black which visually links to the black outlines of the drawing and the pattern in the background.
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It also ensures a strong contrast to make the details of the internal components stand out.
Step 9 - Coloring the Internal Components
Next we color the internal components of the robot.
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When you color an image don't make your color choice completely random. Try to exercise some visual judgement and choose those colors that strengthen the impact of the image. There can be various reasons for your choice of color such as harmony, contrast, mood, symbolism and realism.
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We have used a combination of silver-greys and golden brass for the metal supports and mechanical parts. A small amount of shading has been added to enhance their form and suggest their solidity and strength.
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For the wiring, we have used the full range of primary and secondary colors whose vibrant intensity and flowing movement bring a sense of energy to the image.
Step 10 - Coloring the Robot's Skin
Finally, we come to the surface of the skin.
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As this is an imaginary image with a flexible plastic covering, the skin may or may not be a natural color. However, we have chosen a light skin color as its warm hue and luminosity contrast with both the background and the internal components of the humanoid robot.
