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Chou-Tac Chung – Arachnid Creature
TIP 20 | Draw a Giant Creature Instantly (Scaling Effect)
Insert a small human silhouette as a scaling measure. Few pen strokes will do.
The creature will appear giant like David and Goliath.
Osmar Schindler – David and Goliath
One simple but powerful trick to make your creature drawings instantly impressive is by adding a small human silhouette as a scale reference. Just a few pen strokes to insert a tiny human figure beside your creature will create a dramatic size contrast, making your creature appear enormous, like the classic David and Goliath story.
This scaling effect is widely used by transport designers and concept artists to communicate size relationships clearly and effectively. For example, including a person next to a vehicle or building immediately conveys its massive scale. Without this reference, even a well-drawn creature can lose impact because viewers struggle to grasp its true size.
Practice
Try this technique in your next drawing: sketch a small human shape close to your creature and watch how it transforms the perception of your design, elevating your drawing’s narrative and visual impact. Feel free to share this tip with fellow artists, and if you try it, let us know your experience in the comments!
This tip encourages a simple mental shift that amplifies your sketches visually and conceptually. It requires minimal extra effort but significantly boosts your drawing’s storytelling. Whether you’re sketching fantastical beasts or mechanical giants, the scaling silhouette technique ensures your work grabs attention and conveys clear meaning.
![arachnid-creature-theDesignSketchboo[14]](https://www.thedesignsketchbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/arachnid-creature-theDesignSketchboo18.jpg)
![arachnid-creature-theDesignSketchboo[13]](https://www.thedesignsketchbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/arachnid-creature-theDesignSketchboo5.jpg)
![arachnid-creature-theDesignSketchboo[7]](https://www.thedesignsketchbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/arachnid-creature-theDesignSketchboo6.jpg)
![arachnid-creature-theDesignSketchboo[15]](https://www.thedesignsketchbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/arachnid-creature-theDesignSketchboo.jpg)
If you like this trick, let me know in the comment box below.
Feel free to share this tip among people who may like it too.
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Was there supposed to be text added to this?
Hello Chris,
It’s just a simple tips commonly used that display a standard human as a scaling reference.
Imagine you draw the human so much bigger than the creature. That creature may look like small like a ant ! So tiny that it won’t be that impressive anymore. :)
Transport designer, or concept art artist often draw a people beside (or inside) the vehicle to show the scaling for example.