A hundred years ago in 1916, during WW1 on the battlefields of the Somme in Northern France, a revolution in armed conflict made its first appearance. This weapon was the tank! In this tutorial, come and learn how to sketch and construct a truly historic piece of modern warfare.
In 1916 these early machines were very clumsy at first, but over the next century these machines made static warfare a thing of the past and truly defined their place in history!
1. How to Set Up a Correct Perspective
Step 1
Firstly, we are going to establish a guideline for our tank,
beginning by drawing a horizon line across your page just above the halfway
point.
Step 2
For this drawing we are going to be using two vanishing
points. These points need to be correctly placed, and with this picture these
have to be placed off the page in order to make the dimensions of the tank more
believable. Therefore, to set this up correctly, you may have to use a single
piece of masking tape placed on either side of your canvas and then add both of
your points using a steel ruler and marking them with a cross.
Step 3
Having drawn your vanishing points, take your ruler again and
draw a single line from the left vanishing point across the canvas, marking the
bottom of the tank.
Step 4
Next, draw a second line coming from the left vanishing
point that will be used as a guide for the top of the body.
Step 5
Draw a third line coming from the right-hand vanishing
point that converges with the first line.
Step 6
Now draw a fourth line coming from the right vanishing point
which converges with the upper line coming from the left-hand side vanishing
point.
Step 7
We need to add two lines coming from the left-hand vanishing
point for the turret section that sits directly above the tank, starting with
the bottom of the turret.
Step 8
We then follow with two more lines from the right-hand side
vanishing point for the top of the turret. Notice the upper lines for the
turret sit just above the horizon line.
Step 9
To complete our rough guide, we need a final two lines to
mark out where the tip of the main gun will be—this particular part of the
tank will be a focus point for our image.
Step 10
Now we have a rough guideline that we can use to start
blocking our tank out with.
2. How to Block Out a Tank
Step 1
Now that we have a perspective set up, the next step for us is to
block out our tank using simple shapes, so start by drawing a simple box for
the lower part of the tank body.
Step 2
On top of this first box comes a slightly smaller box for the
turret section.
Step 3
Alongside the box for the lower part of the tank, we need to
draw in a small rectangular box. This will be for one of the caterpillar tracks
which give the tank its traction.
Step 4
Next, you need to draw the track on the opposite side of the
tank. The usage of tracks for tanks was originally developed from the
inspiration of motorised tractors at the turn of the 20th century.
Step 5
On top of the turret sit two separate machine guns. To
capture these, we need to draw a few thin rectangular boxes, and the first
sits almost upright on its end. Additional weaponry beside the main gun has
been in place since they first appeared in warfare.
Step 6
A second wider box needs to be drawn and placed on its side
alongside this first box, depicting the second gun emplacement, which sits
slightly lower than the first. This gun also has a shield around it, which is
why we need to draw a wider box.
Step 7
Now we have to draw in a guide for the main gun, and to
create this we need to draw a long cylinder. Perspective plays a very important part with this section of the tank,
so keep it in mind as you are drawing. The closer to the viewer the cylinder is, the larger the end should be, as you can see in the picture.
Step 8
We need to draw a slightly larger cylinder next to our
first cylinder to represent a fume extractor within the main barrel.
Step 9
After the extractor, we need to draw a third cylinder for
the end of the main gun, and again you must pay close attention to your
perspective as the end will be very close to the viewer, thus increasing the
drama.
Step 10
Now we have a complete layout with which to proceed into
more detail.
3. How to Build on a Rough Layout
Step 1
Now that we have a layout for our tank, we shall begin going into
more detail with our drawing. Working from left to right (or if you are left-handed you can work the opposite way), we are going to start
with the end of the main gun, including the sights on the top.
Step 2
We now move down the main gun, making sure to include all
the joins.
Step 3
Next, we can draw the turret section, and don’t forget the
pivot section for the main gun.
Step 4
Having done the upper part of the tank, we can now move on to
the lower body. Thanks to perspective, some of the tank is hidden, but be
careful when you are drawing that you do not spoil the construction work you
have done.
Step 5
Now we are going to work on the driving wheels but, before
we do, I would advise it is a good idea to practice drawing circles and
ellipses. You will need to be comfortable with this to carry out the following
steps.
Step 6
You can now draw in the wheels on the side of the tank that
might be partially hidden by the side armour plates and by the perspective of our drawing.
Step 7
Next, we need to draw in those armour plates that sit
alongside both sides of the tank and protect the wheels and tracks.
Step 8
We then move on to draw the tracks themselves. Each one of
these tracks is made up of segmented sections that help the tracks to pivot and
run smoothly around the drive wheels.
Step 9
Now a more detailed drawing for our particular tank is
emerging. As you can see from the examples in the screenshot, tanks have
changed much over the years.
One of the earliest designs, the Mark 6 tank from 1916 (top), did resemble pretty much a mobile box, whereas the Lee and
Sherman American tank of WW2 (bottom) incorporates a similar design to
that we are used to seeing today.
4. How to Add Finishing Details
Step 1
Now that we have a more refined basic sketch of our tank, we can add some of the finer details that will really make our piece stand
out. We shall start first with the four radio aerials that are vital for communication in battle.
Step 2
Don’t forget to draw the hatch
that allows access to the interior of the tank!
Step 3
On top of the turret sits a
thermal scope housed in a protective cowl, and we need to draw this next.
Step 4
We shall also add the machine gun that sits on top of the tank;
at this point take great care as you draw, as this particular piece of the
tank has a lot of fine details. A good drawing will pay off in
the long run!
Step 5
A big machine gun like this needs a soldier to fire it, so
let’s add him next.
Step 6
For the soldier himself, you either can use references from
various print or online sources to help construct him or, if you are confident
enough with your drawing skills, you can create him from scratch.
Step 7
Next we need to add the second gun emplacement that sits
lower than the first. We shall leave this gun emplacement empty as the first is
occupied by a soldier.
Step 8
Moving down to the main body of the tank, we can now also
add the driver of the tank. Like the soldier we have already drawn, he is
mostly obscured, but you can still see his head poking out of the driving hatch.
Step 9
Once more, you can either use references from print or online to help you
draw him or create him from scratch.
Step 10
To the right of the driver sits the hatch cover, which can be moved to one side when the driver takes up his position. To the driver’s left is an inspection cover which also needs to be added.
Step 11
On the front of the tank there are two small lights that
need to be placed on either side.
Step 12
On the rear of the tank on either side are two air intakes
but, because of the turret’s angle, we can only see one in this image.
Step 13
There are many other small parts of this tank that now need to be added now that we are approaching completion of this drawing.
And There We Have It
Also at this point, if you are inking your drawing, you can flip your canvas horizontally if you wish to do so. And at last we have a completed tank! Now you can clean up all
your construction lines, and you should have a completed drawing.
You can now add a touch of colour to your drawing to bring
your illustration to life. With the tank revolutionising warfare, battles began
to cover larger distances much more rapidly, but that still has not diminished
the reality that many lives have been lost over the last century, and it is
those lives that we should never forget.
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