There is no doubt Zombies have taken the world by storm. Now, I’m not talking about a zombie apocalypse (any day now, I’m sure of it). The undead has crept into popular culture.
Originally horror a subject, they are now featured in dramas, action movies, science fiction, and other genres.
Zombies are taking over, one brain at a time.
Originally they were dead bodies reanimated through magic and religious rituals. These days, zombies are depicted as a result of a viral outbreak, mental disease or parasitic brain bug.
The ideas are endless! From the cartoonish depictions with their stitched-together face and limbs, to their gory and downright creepy realistic counterparts. There is no shortage of great artwork and inspiration.
Here is a tiny portion of some of the best zombie drawings and concept art I’ve found.
By JP Targete
By Minjun Kim
By Roman Chaliy (Feature Image)
By Brett Parson
By BigGreenPepper (Deviant Art)
By BigGreenPepper (Deviant Art)
By Devin Platts
By BigGreenPepper (Deviant Art)
By BigGreenPepper (Deviant Art)
By Mariya (Deviant Art)
By David Kegg
By Roman Chaliy
By Kuang Hong
By Mike Butkus
Zombie Apocalypse Concept Art
The idea of a zombie apocalypse has become somewhat of an obsession these days.
Google ‘zombie apocalypse’ and you will over 25 million results including movies, tv shows, games, books, research studies, and even survival guides.
This idea has captured people’s imagination. How would it happen? How would you survive? Would you survive a zombie apocalypse?
By Hyoung Nam
By James Harren
Zombie Girl Drawings
Zombie females have definitely been one of the more interesting takes on the undead. You have your standard gory, and creepy zombies, however many drawings have mixed the zombie genre with completely unrelated subject matter to create something unique.
From pin-up girls to brides; these drawings often find a stylized way to explore the undead. It juxtaposed the gory details with something that is usually visually appealing.
The result is some interesting and entertaining pieces of artwork.
By Apterus (Deviant Art)
By dark134 (Deviant Art)
By Munk One
How To Draw A Zombie
Learn And Practice Human Anatomy
To get good at drawing zombies, you have to get good at drawing human anatomy. There is no doubt, to draw a skeleton, you will need to know what it looks like.
From bones to muscles, understanding and drawing the human body will help you create a believable and dynamic zombie.
When you start to deconstruct the body, this knowledge will help you put the right organs in the right place.
Below is a great video by Proko as he takes you through his process of drawing a zombie.
He also has an excellent course on anatomy. (Gore free for those with sensitive stomachs)
Work From Reference
For this next section, I’m going to assume you have a stomach for a bit of blood and gore. If you don’t, just stick to the above…you’ll be fine.
With any genre, working from reference can vastly improve the realism and believability of an illustration. For this reason, developing a visual library is important.
Find images of injuries, cuts, and how the body reacts to damage. Study bruising and images where there has been a lack of blood supply. What does pale dead skin look like? What does fresh blood look like? What color is it ten days later?
(Yep, I told you this section isn’t for squeamish people.)
Study skin diseases, sores, and wounds. What does a wart look like? How would a giant pimple look oozing puss? Study photos of people with older skin, who are pale and unhealthy.
These might not be the most pleasant things to look at (and people might think you are a psychopath) but it will stimulate ideas and help you create more believable zombies.
And don’t forget, a working off figure drawing reference can really boost the believability of your zombie, and help with any proportion challenges.
For more cool drawing ideas, check out this list of our favorite things to draw.
What fascinates you about the zombie genre? What tips do you have when drawing?
