Drawing Zircon: Long Tutorial!

From the studios that have brought you way more Zircons than is appropriate for one person to draw on their own...I bring you a how to draw Zircon tutorial! Which may or may not be helpful.

I will be drawing Blue Zircon since she's a little more popular (sorry, Yellow!) but the same principles can be applied to all Zircons.

- More Tutorials -

- Peridot

- Jasper

- Steven (mini tutorial)

- What You Need -

- Paper

- Pencil

- Eraser

- Reference images of whatever zircon you desire

- Optional Tools -

- Pen (Recommended: Archival ink; India ink)

- Markers or colored pencils

- White tempera paint

— :small_blue_diamond: —— :small_orange_diamond: :diamond_shape_with_a_dot_inside: :small_orange_diamond: —— :small_blue_diamond: —

1.) Head shape

Draw a long oval, a little thinner than you would usually draw for a person. (I like REALLY thin, but that's preference.)

Cut that oval in half horizontally — this is what tells us how far down to put the nose and eyes.

Then, draw a vertical line from top to bottom about 2/3rds - 3/4ths the way across. This shows us which direction she will be facing. It's easiest to draw the zircons facing in 3/4ths view, rather than straight forward! Keep this in mind when you're making up your own drawings.

Make sure to keep your lines very light, since most of them will be adjusted or erased!

2.) Nose

Maybe this is personal preference, but I always like starting with the nose! Draw it right where the two lines intersect.

In the Trial, there's some differences in how Crewniverse draws the zircons' noses, but I like giving it a slight curve upwards. Don't be afraid to make it longer than you're used to! The Zircons have very unique and fun designs that most cartoons don't give their female characters, so it's often hard to get used to it. Practice on another sheet of paper if you need, and make sure to look at references!

3.) Eyes

You can start with either eye, but I always start with the outer eye that isn't hidden by the nose. Like her head, Zircon's eyes are usually long ovals.

If you need help knowing how big to make them, I usually draw the bottom in line with the bottom of her nose and the top ending about halfway up her forehead. I drew a line to show where the top is.

For the second eye, draw a slightly narrower arch over the nose. Unless you're drawing her from a weird angle, the bottom of her eye won't show under her nose.

You may have to adjust both eyes or the side of the face.

When she's looking forward, her irises/pupils tend to float near the middle. , unlike in realistic art, the irises/pupils don't touch the outer lines of the eye!

I like to make her irises/pupils slightly larger for a calmer expression, and smaller for a more alarmed expression.

Speaking of which...

4.) Mouth/Expression

Since I'm drawing Blue Zircon, I'm going to give her more of a worried expression (poor girl). Start by drawing a sideways oval for the mouth.

In stylized art like Steven Universe's, features are often asymmetrical (not symmetrical) to give them more feeling. For BZ, I'm offsetting her mouth slightly to the left, away from the center vertical line.

(The teeth and tongue can be made by doing a kind of sideways Y.)

One thing about art is that the eyebrows and eye shape often play into the expression! For a worried look, I'm going to erase the tops of the eyes and draw her brows right on them, slanting up into the middle. I also added a little line underneath her eye for eye bags. Poor girl is TIRED.

For other expressions, look at references! There are many shapes of eyes and mouths that you can mix and match. I referenced The Trial for this expression sheet.

5.) Hair/Scarf

You can say it's hair, but it's a scarf for me. I know what Colin Howard thinks. And I don't care.

Start by drawing two lines — one at the top of her forehead, and one coming down the side of her face, wrapping under her chin.

Draw a thin neck, leaving the left line lighter. You will probably have to adjust these! The top of Zircon's "hair" connects with the color around her neck, so most of the time, you will want to connect that left neck line with the next one we are going to make.

(This is where you can ignore me if you're drawing Yellow Zircon or a zircon OC.)

The next line is the main shape of BZ's scarf — from this side, it kind of resembles a backwards question mark.

This is probably the hardest part to draw consistently. As for me, I draw it a little differently depending on the angle; I'm not entirely happy with how I drew it here. Even Crewniverse doesn't seem to have decided on one certain shape! I advise just practicing, referencing screenshots, and developing your own way of doing it.

Sometimes the curve just connects from the side of her head to the tip, like this.

Or sometimes it's one line, like in this screenshot. Do whatever!

6.) Cravat and Gem

Start with a shallow little U-shape in the middle of her neck, then form the sides of the collar. No easy way to explain this, so to keep your pencil marks light!

Her gem is set right underneath that! Think of where your collarbones form two little lumps right under your neck. That's where it should be.

Draw it by making one large rectangle and then a second, smaller one inside. Connect the corners.

For the cravat, I usually draw it almost like a triangle, but with curvy sides and a sideways S-shaped bottom.

7.) Jacket (Shoulders only — sorry guys; don't want this tutorial to be too long!)

From the sides of the collar, draw two gently-sloping lines out for the shoulders. Don't make them go out too far! This will also take some practice.

Her shoulder pads are like half-almond shapes. They don't go straight up, so keep them at a little angle.

8.) Monocle, Lines, and Color

Outline what you want to keep in pen. Erase the pencil.

I recommend using archival ink pens such as Micron or india ink, but a ballpoint, gel pen, or mini Sharpie will also work! Just make sure it is dry and won't smear when you erase the pencil.

Add color however you would like! For this, I used Prismacolor Premier colored pencils and white tempera paint to outline the monocle.

*** THE MONOCLE!***

Obviously you can draw it in your regular pen too. But for a full color drawing, I recommend using a white or light blue for the edge.

— :small_blue_diamond: —— :small_orange_diamond: :diamond_shape_with_a_dot_inside: :small_orange_diamond: —— :small_blue_diamond: —

Well, that's it! Good luck guys, I hope this tutorial helped a little! If it didn't...well, I never promised it would WORK. I wash my hands of this.

If you did like this tutorial, I'm excited see your art! Leave a link or pic in the comments; I love to see them :relaxed: :blue_heart:

Bye for now, guys!

#ArtCuratorReview