[blockquote source=”Morley Safer”]The helicopter is a fine way to travel, but it induces a view of the world that only God and CEOs share on a regular basis.[/blockquote]
During an amazing project day with our nation’s U.S. Army Airborne in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, I found myself needing to draw quite a few helicopters. . . something I don’t usually need to draw. Facing my own challenges with this particular image inspires this week’s Good Enough drawing tutorial.
So whether you are drawing forth a helicopter for the military, or drawing one simply to tap into a bigger picture view, here’s how!
How to Draw a Good Enough Helicopter
Three Tips
- Whenever I draw a helicopter from the side-view, I start by drawing a “tadpole.” After all, the basic shape of a helicopter is a bit tadpole-ish with a large body and a thinner, high “tail.”
- A helicopter has two sets of rotors (or blades) to help it fly: the big one on top and a second one in the tail area. While the back set looks like it’s attached straight to the tail, the top set is spaced up on the top a bit with a rotor mast
- Remember: your helicopter needs some landing gear, too! Earlier today, after drawing my first full-frontal view of a helicopter during the meeting, I kept looking at it and wondering what was wrong. It simply didn’t look right–more like a ski car on a cable than a helicopter. When I asked what was off with the drawing, a helpful soldier pointed out that it was missing the skids.
With the skids in place (and some other descriptive details), our helicopter flies into view!
There you have it: instant helicopter!
What does YOUR helicopter look like? Draw yours up, Tweet it out to @jeannelking #goodenough, and watch it rise.
I cannot wait to see what you draw forth,
P.S. Want to have fun drawing AND inspire others to pick up the pen at the same time? Got something you wish you could draw, but you’re not sure how to approach it? [highlights color=”ffea00″]Tweet your drawing or idea to @jeannelking and tag it with #goodenough: it could be featured in an upcoming “how to draw Good Enough” blog post![/highlights]
