Sam Blakeley

Drawing of Superman's Portrait

I drew this sketch of Superman this morning based on a sketch of Christopher Reeve on Wiki. The interesting thing is that the drawing reminds me of Tom Welling. This means I’m on the right track in getting the key characteristics of a Superman type person.

I have decided that my first drawing of superman was too cartoonish for my liking. I want something closer to reality for my version. Two things to note on this drawing, the eyebrows and the mouth. The eyes need focus, maybe the slanting in of the brows gives that – like an Eagle stalking a prey. And the mouth needs to be gentle, soft spoken. It’s the combination of several features that give Superman his look.

I thought I would try a sketch from what unconscious might think Superman should look like. For a first try I’m thinking it’s ok, but it brings up some interesting questions:

Sketch of Superman's face

How to handle Superman’s hair? Is it gelled back? Is it side-parted? Should we add the “S”?
What did I do with his ears?
How small should his nose be?
How prominent should his chin be?
This begs the question, is my Superman more comic book or real life?

I think some research is clearly in order!