How To Draw A Ghost Step By Step
It’s no secret that drawing a ghost can be an intimidating and daunting task. But fear not! With these simple steps and a bit of practice, you can easily draw a spooky friend or create a haunting artwork.
First, it helps to think of a ghost as an unexplainable shape. Start off with a vague collection of bumps and curves – that’s it! If you focus on its translucent quality, you will have a better understanding of how to make it stand out.
Next, give your ghost’s body structure. Identify its limbs, eye sockets, and nose. Utilize thin, curved lines as well as short, straight ones to define your ghost’s features. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different shapes to create the most vibrant specter.
Thirdly, add details to your ghost. Throw a few wrinkles and bolsters into the mix to give your ghost an eerie vibe. You could also extend its arms to give it a scary gesture. If you wish, you could even add haunting expressions to your ghost’s face.
Fourth, add some shimmer and gleam to your ghost. Playing with different layers of colours can help you bring your illustration to life. Add whites, yellows and blues to depict the ghostly glow. Play with the fading and hue shifts to give it a real ghostly aura.
Finally, let your ghost float away. Here comes the fun of ghostly movement. Move its body with a few sweeping curves and circular patterns. Give it a bit of faint motion and make it look like a mysterious apparition.
Creating Shadows
Shadows can play a pivotal role in creating a spooky atmosphere. Start by identifying the source of light and where it’s hitting your ghost. Utilizing a subtle brush, add the shadow lines to create a convincing illustration.
Working with light and shadows can give an instant life-like feel to your drawing. Start by giving shape to shadows and shade them accordingly. Don’t forget to contrast the shades between the top and bottom portions of the ghost’s body.
If you wish, you could also add in some texture. Utilizing lines and dots and experiment with contrast, light and shade. This will add in some tones and create an impressive and stocky illustration.
For an extra-spooky touch, give your ghost a blurred outline. Utilizing light, airy brushstrokes, add a blurred shape around your ghost. Paint it with white, yellow and grey and make sure that the outline stands out from your ghost’s inner parts.
Adding Background
Although a ghost might look great with a plain background, a more creative approach is to add some depth and feelings to your illustration. Start off slow, by introducing a few solid shapes with subtle shades at the top, middle and bottom.
Make sure to contrast and experiment with the tones of the shape. You could also add a few smooth and hazy strokes around the edges of the shapes and make them look like they’re a part of your ghost’s body.
If you want to make your drawing look even more mysterious, you can introduce subtle forms of movement. Fill the background with some curved lines and circles and make them look like tendrils and swaths of ghostly energy.
Bringing It To Life
Now it’s time to give your ghost a life-like feel by adding a few finishing touches. Start off by giving it a subtle gradient, with light radiating from its head. Create a colour palette with white, yellow and pale shades, and adjust the hues to fit your ghost.
To make your ghost even more realistic, you could add a bit of depth. Make sure to play with the contrast between the foreground and the background. Engage in a bit of trial and error to get the correct depth.
Finally, to seal the deal, add a texture to your ghost’s body. Experiment with patterns and distorted shapes to give it an ethereal yet tangible vibe. An added texture will also help to make your ghost distinguishable even from afar. And with that, your mysterious specter creature is ready!
