Learn how to draw the tiny terror of Gusteau's kitchen!
BY MICHAEL STEWART
His hat may be almost as tall as he is, but head chef Skinner is a very big
man in the restaurant world (and in the movie Ratatouille). To draw him, all you
need to do is collect the items listed below and follow these steps.
- pencil
- eraser
- black marker or pen
- colored markers, colored pencils or crayons
- graph paper
- Start your drawing of Skinner with two big circles, like meatballs on a plate.The top circle will form the head and the bottom one will become the belly. Add an eyeline through the middle of the upper circle and lay down a vertical line through both circles to make sure they line up.
- (Note: In each step, the lines you're adding are shown in blue. Lines drawn in previous steps are black.) A few simple lines will create the shape of Skinner's stubby torso and legs. Draw the
outline of his humongous chef's hat, making sure that it's almost as big as his whole body. - Now's the time to add a neckline to Skinner's shirt. Then sketch his skinny little ankles and the great big feet below them. Erase the lower part of the center line and you're ready to move on to the next step.
- Something's got to hold that big hat on Skinner's head, so draw a wide band around its bottom edge. Then begin to sketch in his face, adding ears, eyes, nose and a sour mouth. Finally, sketch the kerchief around the neck, add the top part of the apron and put some detail on the shoes.
- Add six pleats to the hat and draw the lower part of the
apron. Next, go back to work on the face, sketching in the eyebrows, eyelids and pupils. Don't forget the pencil-thin mustache and the lower lip. Finish up by adding tails to the kerchief knot and folds on the sleeves. - Give Skinner some big, wide nostrils, bags under the eyes, creases on the cheeks and along the sides of the nose, and little pointy sideburns. Finish the detail on the ears, and the folds in the apron.
- This is Skinner,so it's never going to be a pretty picture, but once you've got all the details just right, drop your pencil and grab an eraser. Get rid of all the lines you don't want in your final drawing. Now you're ready to add the final ingredient - color.
- Skinner's hat, shirt and kerchief should be oft-white. Make his apron a grayish-tan color. His
pants should be light gray, with the checks and socks a slightly darker shade. Color the shoes dark gray. Make the face a fleshy color, leave the eyes white and blacken in the sideburns, mustache, eyebrows and eyelashes. Now this little chef is ready to command his kitchen.
