How to draw TMNT 2012 Part 2 - The Plastron and Bridge
Turtle shells are comprised of three main components:
The carapace - the part of the shell on a turtle's back
The plastron - the part of the shell that is on the turtle's front
The bridge - the part on the side that connects the carapace and plastron together
Today, we will be focusing on the plastron and bridge of the shell
Note: Many parts of this tutorial will be referencing the vertebral, costal, and marginal scutes of the carapace. To learn more about them see part 1 of the tutorial series
#1 The Plastron
IMPORTANT!!: The shape and details of the plastron vary between Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey. If you are going for a show-accurate art style, then way you'd draw the plastron for one of the brothers won't be the same you would for another. However, due to Tumblr's image limit, today we will just be drawing a generic plastron for any turtle. I will be making a separate post dedicated to the shell differences between the four brothers in the future
Now, then, we'll discuss the plastron. Typically, the plastron on real-life turtles is comprised of many scutes and bones; however, the plastrons in tmnt 2012 are much more simplified. After some observation, it's been determined that it'll be easier to break down the tmnt 2012 plastron into three skeletal components + an outline. So, let's begin
The bones of the plastron we will be focusing on are the hyoplastron, hypoplastron, and xiphiplastron. We will be working top to bottom
[the hyoplastron is labeled as "Hyo", hypoplastron"Hypo", and xiphiplastron "xip"]
The Outline:
To begin, let's draw the outline of the plastron. First, draw two lines at a slight diagonal angle in the shape of a wide ∧. Next, draw a V where the two lines meet in the middle. Afterwards, erase the part of the lines that are above the V
When we take a look at the plastron, we can see that the top of it is skinner than the bottom. Therefore, when drawing the sides of the plastron we will be drawing at a slight diagonal angle outwards. Keep in mind, these lines are not completely straight. They are rounded and extend outwards before slightly coming back inwards at the bottom
To finish, draw two diagonal lines drawing near the center with a small horizonal line in the middle to connect them. The outline of your plastron is now completed
The Hyoplastron:
The hyoplastron are the bones closest to the top of the plastron, as well as the smallest
To draw this, draw a horizontal line near the upper-middle part of the plastron, leaving plenty of room for the hypoplastron and xiphiplastron. For guidance, remember that the line you're drawing should be aligned with the shell crack on the marginal scute shown below
The Hypoplastron and Xiphiplastron:
The hypoplastron are the bones in the middle of the plastron, the xiphiplastron are the bones at the bottom
When drawing these, remember that the hypoplastron are the 2nd largest bones out of the three while the xiphiplastron are the largest.
Draw a horizonal line a little below the mid-point of the plastron. For guidance, remember that the line you're drawing should be aligned with the shell crack on the marginal scute shown below
Finishing Touches:
To finish this off, draw a vertical line down the center of the plastron to separate it in half
Next, we're going to add some cracks in the plastron where the sections of it meet together. If you look closely, the sections are not actually touching each other at the very ends. Rather, they diverge and leave small > and < shapes, similar to the cracks on the marginal scutes of the carapace
Occasionally, we find scratches as well as small cracks in between the connecting lines of the sections and on the outskirts of the plastron. As there's not a specific turtle we're focusing on today, feel free to place these extra little details wherever you like
Finally, and this is optional, we're going to add some definition by thickening the lines separating the sections. This will add depth and emphasize how the plastron is made up of several parts put together. The lines don't need to be perfect as imperfections are normal
#2 The Bridge
The bridge is the bone that connects the plastron to the carapace. So, how do we draw it?
Outline:
To begin, let's draw the top and bottom of the bridge
The top of the bridge is the armhole for the turtles. To draw it, make a line in the shape of the U connecting the plastron and carapace together. The line should start from the bottom of the upper costal scute of the carapace and connect to the upper part of the hyoplastron of the plastron
The lowest dip in the U should be around level with the crack in the closest marginal scute and the crease separating the hyoplastron and hypoplastron
The bottom of the bridge is going to be where the turtles stick their legs out. To draw it, make a line in the shape of a ⌒ connecting the plastron and carapace together. The line should start from the first crack of the lower vertebral scute and connect to the lower part of the xiphiplastron where the plastron goes inwards towards the center
Cracks and Definition:
Now, we're going to add in the cracks and definition
First, we're going to add two new lines to our bridge. Near the top we're going to add a line in the shape of a V, and near the bottom a line in the shape of a ∧. These show how the bridge is being pushed outwards due to the arms and legs and adds a 3D effect
Now, let's add the cracks. If you look at the arm and leg holes, it splits off into three pieces. To draw the cracks, we're going to place two Vs close to the plastron on the top and bottom of the bridge
As a tip, the cracks in the center of the bridge should line up with the tip of the V and ∧ lines you made in the last step
After adding the cracks, erase the part of the outline inside of the cracks to create the gaps
Extra Details:
Ever notice those brown markings on the bridge? While it's not exactly clear what they're meant to be, my best guess would be that they're inframarginal scutes (scutes that are on the bridge)
Now, If we take a look at the model, it looks like there's only two of them
However, if we take a look under the belt there's three of these scutes. You just can't see the one at the bottom due to the belt being in the way
So, how do we draw these?
First, draw a straight, vertical line near the carapace of the shell. This line is going to ensure all the scutes are the same length. Keep in mind, the inframarginal scutes take up about 3/4 of the bridge in width
It's also important to note that the scutes should be placed very close to the bottom of the bridge, leaving some extra room at the top
Next, we're going to add the scutes following the pattern shown in the diagram left to the shell
To draw the top scute, draw with a diagonal line going downwards-right for the top. For the bottom, draw a straight, horizontal line
The middle scute should be a normal rectangle
And finally, to draw the bottom scute make a horizontal, straight line for the top and a diagonal line going upwards-right for the bottom
Erase the unneeded parts of the original vertical line you drew
And that's it. You now have a bridge to connect the plastron to the carapace. With everything put together you should get something that looks like this
I hope you guys enjoyed today's tutorial, they're fun to make
Part 1 | Part 3 | Tutorial Masterpost
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So you might be saying: Lion why a guide on drawing black people? Well young blood it’s because a lot of people cant…seem…to draw…black people..Amazing I know.
Racist (caricatures) portrayals of black people have been around forever, and to this day people can’t seem to draw black people like they are human. If your artwork resembles any of the above even remotely your artwork is racist and offensive. If you try to excuse that as a stylistic choice you’re not only a terrible artist, but racist too!!! Congrats.
Whitewashing is also a problem. A lot of people refuse to draw black features on canonly black characters. While this example isn’t colored, lightening the skin-tone of a character is also considered whitewashing. So lets start with features!
Now all black people have different noses thats a no-brainer, but black noses tend to have flatter bridges, and wider nostrils. Please stay from triangular anime noses and small button noses. Your drawings should not depict black people with abnormally large noses. (Especially if you do not draw other characters this way)
If you feel like the way you draw lips on black characters is offensive or resembles a caricature,it probably does and you should change it. ABSOLUTELY AVOID PLACING LIPS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FACE.
Hair is so diverse! Please get used to drawing braids, locs,kinks and coils! If you can learn to draw ringlets and long waves you can learn how to draw black hairstyles.
Add clips! Learn how to draw baby-hairs and never be afraid to add color Pinterest and Google are free my dudes! Also try using square brushes for blocking in coils.
OK THAT’S ALL YOU GUYS
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