How To Draw Saturn
Creating a beautiful, entertaining and accurate picture of the largest known planet in the universe, Saturn, can be a challenge. So, let’s take it step by step and learn how to draw Saturn like a pro.
The first step to draw this enigmatic gas giant is gathering your supplies. Gather everything you need such as an HB pencil, eraser, A4 size drawing paper, a sharpener and a ruler. Additionally, you may use an inking pen and markers if you like, but these are optional.
The next step you’ll take is to sketch the basics of the planet. Start by drawing a circle with the help of a ruler to represent the shape of the planet. Make sure this isn’t too small and use your HB pencil to draw the circle.
It might seem like an easy task to draw a circle, but for it to look like the planet Saturn you’ll need to draw two additional features. These features are the iconic rings that surround the planet and the seven major moons revolving around it.
For the rings, start by sketching two small circles placed on top of the main circle. Make sure these two circles fit the circumference of the planet. After that, use short lines to complete the rings and add details such as shadows or highlights. For the seven major moons or satellites, use small circles to represent each one and place them close to the planet’s surface.
The remaining steps in order to finish drawing Saturn are the details. With an HB pencil darken the areas of the planet where light doesn’t touch, and use short diagonal lines in order to represent the shadows of the rings. Additionally, details such as a texture applied to the moons or the highlights of the rings will make the illustration come to life.
Coloring Saturn
Once you have a finished sketch of Saturn, you’re now ready for the next step: adding color. As it’s an illustration of a gas giant you can use warm colors such as oranges, yellows and reds. Grab the most suitable materials you have, such as watercolours, gouache or acrylics, and start layering the colors on the main body of the planet. For an even more beautiful effect you can also use a mix of white and any of the previously mentioned colors.
When it comes to the details, adding shadows and highlights can make a huge difference. Shadows will give a sense of volume and help you emphasize particular parts of the illustration. Also, highlights make the planet look much brighter and give it the ultimate realistic look.
Adding color can also help simplify the look of a planet. Too many lines and details can make it look cluttered and confuse the viewer, so hiding them with a solid color can make it look much more interesting. Additionally, you can use an inking pen to give the illustration a comic or manga-like feel.
Finishing Touches
The last step in order to finish your Saturn illustration is to complete it with the finishing touches. This can be done by using markers, if you don’t want to use watercolours or gouaches, which deliver more opaque and intense tones and can be used for additional fine details.
Knowing how to draw Saturn like a pro isn’t that difficult as we’ve learned. With a few additional supplies and a bit of attention to detail, you can get the results you’re looking for.
The final touch that you can use to really make your illustration stand out is using two fixed points or rulers, placed symmetrically to draw all the details with a perfect symmetry. This will make it look amazing and you’ll be proud to show it off!
Adding Textures
Textures are an essential element of any surface illustrations. In the case of Saturn, it will give your final illustration an even more realistic effect, making it look like a real image of the planet taken from a telescope.
Adding textures can be done in many ways. There are plenty of materials you can use to make it look realistic, such as sponge, salt, sand, pencil or ink. Depending on the effect you want you can use one or more textures and you can even blend them together to make unique blendings.
Additionally, you can combine these techniques with adding highlights and shadows and all of these will be combined will the already colored planet. But make sure to keep the color scheme the same in order to make the illustration look balanced and eye pleasing.
Adding Shadows and Highlights
Adding shadows and highlights to the area of Saturn can help to bring your illustration to life. You can use markers, paintbrushes and pencils to add some variance and give it a more 3D look. Shadows and highlights help to contrast the planet from the rings as well as each one of the satellites.
Additionally, you can use white metallic highlights for a more realistic approach, as you would see in real life images of Saturn. The highlights can be applied to the satellites, outer parts of the rings and even cloud belts in order to make it look more appealing.
Finally, shadows and highlights will help you to add the last details to your illustration. Choose the point of view of your illustration and add the shadows and highlights to the correct sides in order to create a 3D illusion. With that in mind, your illustration of Saturn is ready!
