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How to draw TMNT 2012 Part 2 - The Plastron and Bridge

Turtle shells are comprised of three main components:

The carapace - the part of the shell on a turtle's back

The plastron - the part of the shell that is on the turtle's front

The bridge - the part on the side that connects the carapace and plastron together

How To Draw TMNT 2012 Part 2 - The Plastron And Bridge

Today, we will be focusing on the plastron and bridge of the shell

Note: Many parts of this tutorial will be referencing the vertebral, costal, and marginal scutes of the carapace. To learn more about them see part 1 of the tutorial series

#1 The Plastron

IMPORTANT!!: The shape and details of the plastron vary between Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey. If you are going for a show-accurate art style, then way you'd draw the plastron for one of the brothers won't be the same you would for another. However, due to Tumblr's image limit, today we will just be drawing a generic plastron for any turtle. I will be making a separate post dedicated to the shell differences between the four brothers in the future

Now, then, we'll discuss the plastron. Typically, the plastron on real-life turtles is comprised of many scutes and bones; however, the plastrons in tmnt 2012 are much more simplified. After some observation, it's been determined that it'll be easier to break down the tmnt 2012 plastron into three skeletal components + an outline. So, let's begin

The bones of the plastron we will be focusing on are the hyoplastron, hypoplastron, and xiphiplastron. We will be working top to bottom

[the hyoplastron is labeled as "Hyo", hypoplastron"Hypo", and xiphiplastron "xip"]

The Outline:

To begin, let's draw the outline of the plastron. First, draw two lines at a slight diagonal angle in the shape of a wide ∧. Next, draw a V where the two lines meet in the middle. Afterwards, erase the part of the lines that are above the V

When we take a look at the plastron, we can see that the top of it is skinner than the bottom. Therefore, when drawing the sides of the plastron we will be drawing at a slight diagonal angle outwards. Keep in mind, these lines are not completely straight. They are rounded and extend outwards before slightly coming back inwards at the bottom

To finish, draw two diagonal lines drawing near the center with a small horizonal line in the middle to connect them. The outline of your plastron is now completed

The Hyoplastron:

The hyoplastron are the bones closest to the top of the plastron, as well as the smallest

To draw this, draw a horizontal line near the upper-middle part of the plastron, leaving plenty of room for the hypoplastron and xiphiplastron. For guidance, remember that the line you're drawing should be aligned with the shell crack on the marginal scute shown below

The Hypoplastron and Xiphiplastron:

The hypoplastron are the bones in the middle of the plastron, the xiphiplastron are the bones at the bottom

When drawing these, remember that the hypoplastron are the 2nd largest bones out of the three while the xiphiplastron are the largest.

Draw a horizonal line a little below the mid-point of the plastron. For guidance, remember that the line you're drawing should be aligned with the shell crack on the marginal scute shown below

Finishing Touches:

To finish this off, draw a vertical line down the center of the plastron to separate it in half

Next, we're going to add some cracks in the plastron where the sections of it meet together. If you look closely, the sections are not actually touching each other at the very ends. Rather, they diverge and leave small > and < shapes, similar to the cracks on the marginal scutes of the carapace

Occasionally, we find scratches as well as small cracks in between the connecting lines of the sections and on the outskirts of the plastron. As there's not a specific turtle we're focusing on today, feel free to place these extra little details wherever you like

Finally, and this is optional, we're going to add some definition by thickening the lines separating the sections. This will add depth and emphasize how the plastron is made up of several parts put together. The lines don't need to be perfect as imperfections are normal

#2 The Bridge

The bridge is the bone that connects the plastron to the carapace. So, how do we draw it?

Outline:

To begin, let's draw the top and bottom of the bridge

The top of the bridge is the armhole for the turtles. To draw it, make a line in the shape of the U connecting the plastron and carapace together. The line should start from the bottom of the upper costal scute of the carapace and connect to the upper part of the hyoplastron of the plastron

The lowest dip in the U should be around level with the crack in the closest marginal scute and the crease separating the hyoplastron and hypoplastron

The bottom of the bridge is going to be where the turtles stick their legs out. To draw it, make a line in the shape of a ⌒ connecting the plastron and carapace together. The line should start from the first crack of the lower vertebral scute and connect to the lower part of the xiphiplastron where the plastron goes inwards towards the center

Cracks and Definition:

Now, we're going to add in the cracks and definition

First, we're going to add two new lines to our bridge. Near the top we're going to add a line in the shape of a V, and near the bottom a line in the shape of a ∧. These show how the bridge is being pushed outwards due to the arms and legs and adds a 3D effect

Now, let's add the cracks. If you look at the arm and leg holes, it splits off into three pieces. To draw the cracks, we're going to place two Vs close to the plastron on the top and bottom of the bridge

As a tip, the cracks in the center of the bridge should line up with the tip of the V and ∧ lines you made in the last step

After adding the cracks, erase the part of the outline inside of the cracks to create the gaps

Extra Details:

Ever notice those brown markings on the bridge? While it's not exactly clear what they're meant to be, my best guess would be that they're inframarginal scutes (scutes that are on the bridge)

Now, If we take a look at the model, it looks like there's only two of them

However, if we take a look under the belt there's three of these scutes. You just can't see the one at the bottom due to the belt being in the way

So, how do we draw these?

First, draw a straight, vertical line near the carapace of the shell. This line is going to ensure all the scutes are the same length. Keep in mind, the inframarginal scutes take up about 3/4 of the bridge in width

It's also important to note that the scutes should be placed very close to the bottom of the bridge, leaving some extra room at the top

Next, we're going to add the scutes following the pattern shown in the diagram left to the shell

To draw the top scute, draw with a diagonal line going downwards-right for the top. For the bottom, draw a straight, horizontal line

The middle scute should be a normal rectangle

And finally, to draw the bottom scute make a horizontal, straight line for the top and a diagonal line going upwards-right for the bottom

Erase the unneeded parts of the original vertical line you drew

And that's it. You now have a bridge to connect the plastron to the carapace. With everything put together you should get something that looks like this

I hope you guys enjoyed today's tutorial, they're fun to make

Part 1 | Part 3 | Tutorial Masterpost

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drakosha54

10 months ago

CW: mild blood

future leo

this will be posted as a DTIYS on insta and twt/x (crow_stare on both) with more information on there for prizes and such. if you still want to join on here tag me, i would be more than happy to see it. :)