Trying to draw Medusa is no easy feat. It’s not just because she’s a mythical creature with features that don’t exist in the real world. It’s also because she’s a complex and dynamic character with an intense backstory, which can make capturing her essence on paper an overwhelming experience. But if you’re willing to challenge yourself and follow a few simple steps, you can create a detailed and captivating depiction of Medusa.
Choose an Expression
Before you take any pencil to paper, it’s important to decide what type of expression you’re looking for in your drawing. Medusa has been depicted a multitude of ways, but her face is usually described as being filled with anger, grief and sorrow. You can choose something straightforward like a scowl, or you can go a slightly different route and infuse her expression with a glint of cunning awareness. Either way, decide what you want your Medusa to be conveying before you get started.
Define Your Lights and Darks
Drawing Medusa is all about big, bold lines, and defining where your lights and darks will be—before even beginning to sketch—is a great way to make sure your composition remains cohesive. Schedule in time to outline the different regions of light and dark that will exist on your page, and build out the initial sense of depth in your drawing. By blocking out where the contrast punctuations of your drawing are going to live, you can focus on small details, like Medusa’s features, with much more ease.
Bring Out Her Secondary Features
Medusa is most known for her powerful gaze and wild, serpentry hair. But don’t forget about her additional features. Bring out the wrinkles in her forehead that symbolize her aged wisdom, or the curves of her lip and chin that personify her strength and ferocity. Creating an emphasis on these secondary features is key to bringing her character to life, so don’t overlook them.
Embrace the Snake Hair
This is definitely the most intimidating step, but also the most important. After all, the entire purpose of drawing Medusa is to capture her full essence, and showing off her snake hair is the core of her character. To help ease your fears, dedicate a little time for research. Don’t be afraid to look up live snake videos, gathering accurate information about the texture, movement, and features of the real reptiles. This can bring whole new life and realism to your drawing, vivid enough to scare away even the bravest of warriors.
Finesse the Details
Once you’ve completed your snake hair, the remaining details will come to you like a luxury. With her primary features already constructed, adding in the nitty gritty pieces like the sternness of her eyes, the wrinkles around her nose, and the crease in her lips, can be done in a matter of minutes. Choose a pencil lead you’re comfortable with, and accentuate the main sections of your drawing. For the finishing touch, make sure to dedicate a few strokes of the same pencil to blending and smoothing your illustration.
Play with Color and Shade
Now comes the fun part, adding a vibrant and alluring glow to your Medusa. Feel free to keep her all one color, like charcoal gray so she exudes an air of mystery, or experiment with layering warm and cool tones. You can also add splashes of contrast to give her form, and make her appear three dimensional. Additionally, think about ways to bring her to life further. Can you render her hair more realistically by adding downy feathers to the serpents’ heads? Or make her eyes more discerning by creating a brighter and deeper blue? Give your Medusa the time and attention she deserves so that in the end your drawing is not just picture, but a masterpiece.
Give Her a Backstory
The last step in the drawing process is to introduce her to the world. Medusa is a strong character— she’s a victim of circumstances and a heroine of her own journey. To really bring your drawing to another level, consider what kind of narrative is behind her gaze and why her expression is so filled with emotion. Give her a backstory that speaks to her being more than a mythical character, and make her into a representation of strength and courage. By giving your Medusa a purpose, you’ll create a drawing that will captivate and intrigue.
Get Creative With It
Drawing Medusa should be an inspirational and delightful experience. Don’t be afraid to show off your artistic flare, creativity, and inner-rebellion while adding details and highlights to your design. Make those eyes glimmer and give her cheeks a rosy flush, or add a backdrop of vivid and pastel colors. If a flame can come out of her hair, why not add silky tendrils of smoke to bring her to life even further? Embrace the process of creating art, let your imagination run wild, and give your Medusa the platform she deserves to shine.
