TheArtist’sGuidetoDRAWINGREALISTICANIMALS

DOUGLINDSTRAND

www.artistsnetwork.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PHOTOGRAPHINGDALLSHEEPArtistsaretheproductof their lifeexperiencesandsoalldevelopdifferently.Iwas fortunate to grow up in a small town and in a loving family that alwaysprovidedopportunityandencouragement.ThefriendlypeopleandruralcountryaroundWinthrop,Minnesota,allowedmetoroam,sketchandstudynatureandwildlife.ItwasherethatIdeterminedIwouldsomedaymakeacareerinvolvinganimalsandalso,hopefully,art.NaturallytherearedozensofpeoplethatIowethankstoforhelpingmealong

this road to becoming an artist. I have always tried to thank these kind andgenerous people and since I don’t want to name some and forgetfully omitothers,Ithereforewon’tlisteveryonebyname.Aspecialthanks,though,tomyparents,AugustandBlandina,andmysisters,JoAnn,JoyceandKarenfortheirspecialloveandinspiration.ThanksalsotothewonderfulstaffatNorthLightBooksandtoPamWissman

whoproposedandpursuedtheideaofthisdrawingbook.Aspecialthankstomyeditors, Mona Michael and Kelly Messerly, whom I enjoyed working withthroughout the book-development process and who taught me somuch abouthowtoputmydrawingtechniquesintounderstandabletextandillustrations.Theresultofthis“teamproject”is,Ihope,aninstructionalbookthatartistsmayfindhelpfulenoughtoinspirethemtopickuptheirpencilsanddraw.

DEDICATION

Thisbookisdedicatedtothoseindividualswhohavedevotedtheirtime,effort,resources and vision to the care and preservation of our planet’s magnificentwildlife.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

Doug Lindstrand is a self-employed wildlife artist and photographer living in Anchorage, Alaska. HemovedtoAlaskain1970afterfinishingcollegeinMinnesota,acquiringaneducationinartandbiologytofurtherhisgoalofworkingwithanimals.HespentanumberofyearslivinginthewildsofAlaskatostudyanimalsandpracticehisart.Doughaspublishednumerousbooks,someofwhichhehaspublishedhimself.HisworksincludeAlaskaSketchbook(FoxChapel,1995),DrawingAmerica’sWildlife(FoxChapel,2003)andMountainRoyalty(self-published,2004).

TheArtist’sGuide toDrawingRealisticAnimals. Copyright© 2006 byDoug Lindstrand. Printed inSingapore.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeansincludinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbya reviewerwhomayquotebriefpassages ina review.PublishedbyNorthLightBooks, an imprint of F+WPublications, Inc., 4700EastGalbraithRoad,Cincinnati,Ohio, 45236. (800)289-0963.FirstEdition.

OtherfineNorthLightBooksareavailablefromyourlocalbookstore,artsupplystoreordirectfromthepublisher.

111009086543

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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData

Lindstrand,Doug.Theartist'sguidetodrawingrealisticanimals/DougLindstrand.--1sted.p.cm.ISBN-13:978-1-58180728-8(pbk.:alk.paper)ISBN-13:978-1-60061-584-9(EPUB)

ISBN-10:1-58180-728-7(pbk.:alk.paper)

1.Animalsinart.2.Drawing--Technique.I.Title.

NC780.L492006743.6--dc222006000491EditedbyMonaMichaelandKellyMesserlyDesignedbyWendyDunningProductionartbyKathyBergstromandSeanBraemerProductioncoordinatedbyJenniferL.Wagner

METRICCONVERSIONCHART

Toconvert to multiplybyInches Centimeters 2.54Centimeters Inches 0.4Feet Centimeters 30.5Centimeters Feet 0.03Yards Meters 0.9Meters Yards 1.1

TableofContents

1GettingStartedLearnaboutthematieralsandtechniquesyouneedtodrawyourfavoriteanimals

realistically.

2Cats&TheirRelativesFromyourpetcat“Fluffy”tothe“KingofBeasts,”thischapterteachesyouhow

tocaptureallaspectsofafeline’snature.

3Dogs&TheirRelativesDogshavebeenlivingwithhumansforthousandsofyearsandpeoplehavebeen

drawingdogsforjustaslong.Thischaptershowsyouhowtorenderyourfavoritecaninefriends.

4Deer&SheepDeerandwildsheeparesuchelusivecreaturesthatfindingalivemodeltodrawfromishard.Learnhowtocapturethefreshnessofafieldsketchinthischapter.

5OtherAnimals,Large&SmallThewidevarietyoftheanimalkingdommakesdrawinganimalsboth

challengingandfun.LearnhowtodraweverythingfromatinycottontailrabbittoamassiveAfricanelephant.

CONCLUSION

I used an HB charcoal pencil and a tortillion to complete this drawing of abuglingelk.To indicate the long,darkhairon thebull’sneck Iappliedbolderpencilstrokesandleftthechinwhitetoprojectitforward.

BugleBoy,YellowstoneNationalParkHBcharcoalpencilonbristoltwo-plyvellumpaper11"×14½"(28cm×37cm)

1GettingStarted

Drawing animals is more than just making a realistic picture; it’s aboutcapturingananimal’sessenceinawaythatmakesitcomealiveonthepaper.Todothis,thereareafewtechniquesyouneedtoknowandmaterialsyoushouldbecomfortable with. You don’t need much to draw your favorite animalsrealistically,andthischapterwillshowyouhowtousethesefewdrawingtoolsand techniques effectively. Always remember that one of the most importantsecretstodrawinganimalsistoenjoytheadventureandchallengeofbecomingabetterartist.

Thiswhite-taileddeerhasaparticularlyniceposeandthephotographcapturesitscolorswell.Refertothephotographsthroughoutthisbookasyoucreateyourownanimaldrawings.

Artist’sField-Pack

Obtaining referencematerial on animals oftenmeans going afield. Youmust,after all, go to where the animals are. This means going to zoos, parks,mountainsandmeadows.Everyanimalhasadifferenthomeandyoumustseekthem out to obtain the necessary information to accurately portray animals inyourart.Althoughcatsanddogscanoftenbestudiedanddrawninthecomfortofyourownhome,mostbirdsandmammalsliveinthewildorinotheroutdoorenvironments.Therefore, you should travelwith a field pack stockedwith thenecessary art tools.A decent camerawithwhich to take reference photoswillsimplify your job of illustrating animals, too. After all, without adequate andaccurate reference material, it is more difficult to portray your subjectrealistically. I recommend a 35mm SLR (single-lens reflex) camera withdifferentlenses.

MYFIELDPACKMypersonalfieldpackisnormallystockedwithasketchpad,pencils,erasers,pastels,watercolorbox,brushes,sharpeningtools,tortillions,transparenttape,rulers and a can of fixative. Depending on my quarry, I may also carrybinoculars and camera gear. Certain animals such as small, fidgety birds areeasier to illustrate with reference photos. More dangerous animals are bestdrawnfromasafedistance.

DrawingMaterials

Artistrulyaprocessofsearching,experimentingandchanging.Yourstylewillcertainly evolve asyougrowas an artist, and thedrawingmaterials needwillchangeaswell.I have singled out certain drawing tools that suit me. Test these items for

yourself,butdon’t restrictyourself toonly these.Trydifferent toolsandenjoythisprocessofgrowingasanartist.Youaretrulyuniqueandyoushouldallowtheworld to see and enjoy your special vision. Study the techniques of otherartists,butalwaysmaintainthegoalofbeingyouanddevelopingyourindividualskills.Ofcourse,youalsomayneedsketchpads, tracingpaper,gridpaper,pastels,

watercolors, etc. How extended this list becomes will depend on you. Mychoicesforbasicmaterialsfordrawinganimalsare:

Pencils:IuseHBcharcoalpencils,HBgraphitepencils,andno.4extra-hardpencils.Thedarknessorlightnessofyourpencilmarksiscontrolledby two things: the type of pencil you use and howmuch pressure youapply. Harder pencils are easy to keep sharp and are best for makingpreciselines.Papers:Iusetexturedillustrationboardandbristoltwo-plycotton-fiberpaper.Illustrationboardisgreatforfeathersandfurbecauseasyoudrawa line, the paper’s firm surface and slightly rough texture (tooth)willcreatelittleskips.Bristolpaperisnotasfirmasillustrationboardbutitisstrongenoughtowithstandmanyerasings,makingitanexcellentsurfaceforinitialsketches.Asheetis23"×29"(58cm×74cm)andInormallycutitintofourequalpiecesbecauseit’seasiertofindframesforsmallersizes.KneadedErasers:Useakneadederaserforcleaninglargeareasorforshapinganderasingahard-to-reacharea.Theyalsocanbeusedtoliftoffsomeof the charcoal or graphite to soften areas that are too dark.Useharderrubberorartgumeraserstoeliminatestubbornlinesandmarks.Tortillions:Theserolled,pointedpaperstickscomeinanassortmentofsizesandareusedforblendingorsofteningpencillines.Theyhelpyoutoneinshadowareasandmakeyourdrawingsappearthree-dimensional. Razor Blades: Sometimes razor blades are good for picking out

highlightsorfordetailssuchaswhiskersinadarkareaofadrawing.Usethebladescarefully. Fixative: Fixative will “fix” your pencil marks in place. It helps topreventsmudges.Butremember,youcan’terasethelinesonceafixativeisapplied.Uselightmistswhenapplyingandnotaheavysoak.

PRACTICEWITHVARIOUSPENCILSANDPENCILPRESSURESThis example illustrates the lines of three different pencilsmadewith varyingdegrees of pressure.With practice youwill find the pencils that best suit yourneeds.DRAWINGANDSHADINGMATERIALS

Tortillion

Dullpencilsdon’tmakegooddrawingtools.Keepyourpencilssharp!

CharcoalandGraphite

Charcoalpencilsaremyfavoritemediumforanimals.Iprefercharcoalpencilstocharcoalsticksbecausethepencilsareeasier touseandare lessmessythanthesticks.Theycomeinvaryingdegreesofhardness.TheHstandsforhardandtheBforsoft.ThereisalsoanHBhardnessthatisbetweentheHandB.IuseanHBcharcoaltoaddthefinishingtouchesonmostofmywork.Charcoalpencilscan create a wider range of tones than graphite pencils, including a blackerblack;graphitecanproduceonlyadarkgray.Becauseof this,charcoalpencilscanproduceawiderrangeoftones.Manyartistspreferamoregrayishtone,soifthat’sthecase,graphitepencils

aretheperfectchoice.Likecharcoal,theycomeinmanydegreesofhardness(HthroughB). I like to useHBor harder graphite pencils for doodling and fieldsketchingbecausegraphitestickstothepaperbetterthancharcoalsoyoursketchpadsstaycleaner.

CHARCOALOUTLINENoticetherichblacksofcharcoalindicatingthedarkestareasofthelion’smaneandtail.Alwaysplanforthelightestlights—inthiscase,thehip,leg,faceandneck.

DRAWINGSECRET

Usecautionwhenusingpencilswithaveryhard lead.Theycandamageyourdrawingsurfaceifyouarenotcareful.

CHARCOALDRAWINGBecauseoftherangeofblacks,graysandlights,chacoalgivesabettersenseofdepththangraphite.NoticethatIleftpartsofthelion’ship,leg,faceandneckcompletelywhitetomaketheseareaspopoutattheviewer.

CharcoalPencilsAdrawing’ssenseofdepthisachievedbyusingawiderangeofvaluesbetweenwhiteandblack.Charcoalpencilswillgiveyouthisrangebetterthanthegray-blackofgraphitepencils.Remember tomakeyourdarkestpencilmarks last. Iprefertouseahardgraphitepenciltolayinmyfinalanimaloutline.IuseaHBcharcoalpenciliftheoutlineneedsaverysharpline.GraphitePencilsGraphitepencilsarenice,all-aroundpencilsbecausetheystaysharpandarenotasmessy as charcoal pencils, which are good for adding the darkest darks tofinishadrawing.

DRAWINGSECRET

Savetheblackestblacksfortheareasinyourdrawingthatyouwanttoappearinshadowortorecede.Theseareusuallythelasttonesyouwilladd.

GRAPHITEOUTLINENotice the tone ismoregray than therichblackof thecharcoal.Toachieveadark tone with graphite, you'll have to apply a lot of pressure to the pencil,whichmaydamageyourdrawingsuface.

GRAPHITEDRAWINGHere you can see there isn’t quite the value range that I achieved with thecharcoaldrawing.Inthisdrawingthelion’sfaceisclosesttotheviewer,soIleftalotofitwhite,whichmakesthefaceseemtoprotrudefromitsruff.

BeginWithGestureSketches

Gesturesketchesareroughdrawingsthatcapturetheessenceofamoment.Theyshouldbedonequickly.Ifyouspendtoomuchtimeonit,it’snolongeragesturesketch.Gesturesketchesaregreatfordevelopingyoureye-handcoordination.Inormallyusecirclestolayoutthebasictorsoandhead.ThenIquicklyaddothershapessuchastriangles,ovalsandcylinderstoaddthelegsandtails.Youneedgesturesketches inorder tobuild referencematerialandyourown

storeofknowledgeabouthowanimalsbehave.Petsandcaptiveanimalsinzoosmake excellent models for observing firsthand important details such as theanimal’sstripesormarkings.Recordyour observationswith field sketches and reference photographs and

savetheminfilesforfutureuse.Sitandwatchtheanimalsastheymoveaboutor rest, then create gesture sketches that capture those poses andmovements.Remember that your purpose here is only to record the animal’s pose or aparticularphysicalcharacteristic.Lateryoucanrefine thesequickdoodles intomoredetaileddrawings(andthesooneryoudothis,thebetteryou’llbeabletorecallthedetails).

GESTURESKETCHESOFTIGERSGesture sketches of cats will help you become familiar with their long, sleekforms.Copytheseforpractice,thenlookforyourownanimalsubjects.GESTURESKETCHESOFDOMESTICCATS

DRAWINGSECRETDrawinganimalsrealisticallyrequiresknowingall their littlecharacteristics,aswell as the larger form. Make notes as you doodle and sketch in the field,recordinglittledetailssuchasantlerdifferencessoyoucanapplythemtoyourdrawings and depict the creature accurately. You’ll almost always learn new,excitingandinterestingthingseverytimeyouencounterananimalandnoteitsidiosyncrasies.

BuildFormWithBasicShapes

Animalshaveveryfewsharporsquareshapes.Alwaysthinksoftandroundasyoudrawthebasicshapesofananimal.Ofcourse,youmayhave tobeginby“blocking” things in with rectangles or squares before reshaping them into amorerealisticfigure.Startingwiththebasicshapeswillhelpyouproportionanddefine your animal. Experiment with creating an animal’s form using circles,squares,cylinders,pyramidsandrectangles.Intimeyouwillbeabletoseeyouranimalmodelsintermsoftheirbasicshapes.

DRAWINGSECRETIalwaysfinishthefaceofmyanimalsubjectsfirst.ThenIprefer tostartfromtheleftsideofmydrawingandworktowardtheright.SinceIamright-handed,Ilayapieceofpaperover the restofmydrawing topreventanysmudgingmyhandmightcause.

PRACTICEDRAWINGBASICSHAPESCopytheshadingtechniquesshownheretogetthehangofmakingthingslookthree-dimensional.

1Initialdoodle

2Refinedshapeandproportions

3Furtherrefinementwithdetails

4FinaloutlinewithfacialdetailsplacedcorrectlyPUTTINGBASICSHAPESTOUSEAlthoughthiscartoonliondemonstratestheeasewithwhichyoucanturnbasicshapes intoananimal, you can seehowyoucouldalsodrawamore realisticanimal. It just comes down to making sure your proportions and shapes arecorrect.

Blockintheheadfirst...

Thinkroundwhendrawingmassivemammalslikeelephants

DRAWINGSECRETOneway toachieve thebestpossible realistic animaldrawings is to enjoy theprocessandthetimeneededtoexcutethem.Afterall,itisusuallyeasiertoexcelatsomethingwhenyouhavefundoingit.

...thenroundtoamoreaccurateshape

Work on the basic shape sketches until your animal’s body parts areproportionedcorrectly

UsingValue

Drawing a realistic form depends largely on value, the relative lightness ordarknessofatone.Youmusthavebothlightanddarkareasinyourdrawingstogive an animal shape. The fewer values you use, the “flatter,” or morecartoonlike,yourimagewillappear.Youcancreatevalueswithyourpencilsorcharcoalsusingseveraldifferentmethods.ThemaintechniquesIuseare:

Hatching:Drawingparallellinestoindicateshading.

Pointillism:Usingdotsofvaryingcolorsordarknesstocreatetheeffectofvaluechange.

Crosshatching:Line strokes that intersect eachother. Iusepointillismthe least.Usually I’ll use hatching or crosshatching to add the shadowareas, then I use a tortillion to smudge and blend my hatchmarks forsmoothtransitionsfromdarktolight.

VALUEHELPSCREATEFORMIfthesecircleswereananimalIwasdrawing,Iwouldblendthesepencilmarkswithatortilliontosoftentheedgewherethepencilmarksfadeintowhite.

Hatching

Pointillism

Crosshatching

PRACTICECREATINGVALUESWithpencilandpaper,makesimplescalesshowingtherangeofvaluesyoucancreatewithdifferentpenciltechniques.Thesescalesarecalledvaluescales.

GiveFormtoBasicShapes

Youlearnedhowbasicshapescombinetomakeanimals.Andyou’vepracticedcreatingdifferentvalues.Now,let’sputthetechniquestogetherandusevaluetogiveformtotheseshapes.

VALUEATWORKHere’sanoutlineofabearwithlightanddarkpencillinesshapingtheanimal.The darkest pencil marks are reserved for the deepest shadow areas and theareas farthest away from the viewer. The white (unmarked) areas are thoseclosesttotheviewerandalsothosewherelightappearstohitthebear.HIGHLIGHTS,MIDTONESANDDARKSHADOWS

HORNVALUESTUDYInthisexampleIdrewanoutlineofhornsandthenusedanHBgraphitepenciland tortillion to shape them.Note thedirectionof the light and seewhere theshadowsoccur.

BlendingandSofteningLines

Whenyou softenhard lines byblending them,your shadingwill appearmorenatural.Afterall,noanimalhasanyhardlinesinreality.

PRACTICEUSINGtortilLIONSTOBLENDANDSOFTENPENCILLINESDrawaseriesoflineswithyourpencilandthenblendthembyrubbingthelineswitha tortillionuntil the linesdisappearandyoudevelopa softgrayblendedarea.Sometimesyoumayfinditeasiertomerelyuseyourfingertiptosoftenandblendlines.

BLENDINGMAKESDRAWINGSLOOKREALISTICMost parts of an animal are rounded, with one color gradually fading intoanother. Even a black-and-white skunk doesn’t change from black to whitewithoutanytransition.Createtransitionsinyourdrawingsbyblending.

Blendingbringsthisillustrationtolife

UsingGridstoAdjustaDrawing’sSize

Oftenyou’llhavetoenlargeorreduceyouroutlinepriortotransferringittoyourfinalpaper.Employingagridofreferencepointsshouldhelpguideyou.

ENLARGEDLIONInthisexampleIwantedtoenlargetheoriginalimageby200%.SinceIusedthesame size grid for both, I used four squares (two up and two across) in theenlargeddrawingforeveryonesquareintheoriginal.AlthoughIdrewthegridforthisexamplebyhand,youcanpurchasegridpaper,whichwillsaveyoutimeandeffort.

Ipurposelyleftoutthetailontheenlargement.Trydrawingitinusingthegridlinesasguides.

DRAWINGSECRETIfyouneedtochangeyourimagesizeonlyslightly,tryacopymachine.Youcanadjust to any percentage you wish on the machine, then use tracing paper totransfertheimagebacktoyourdrawingpaper.

DEMONSTRATION

TheDrawingProcess

This detailed step-by-step process works well for me and provides consistentresults. Follow this process as you begin, altering it along the way as youdiscoverwhatworksbestforyou.

1GATHERREFERENCEMATERIALANDDRAWANACCURATEOUTLINEUsematerialsuchasfieldsketches,notesandphotographsofthechosenbirdormammaltodrawanoutlineoftheanimal.Usingthereferencematerial,chooseaposeandlayoutasketch(ordoodle)ontracingpaper.Afterthisinitialsketchismade,placeanotherpieceoftracingpaperatopthefirstsketchtofurtherrefinethedrawing.

2PREPARETHEOUTLINEFORTRANSFERTOTHEFINALSURFACEOnceyou’vecreatedanaccurateoutlineofyoursubject,checkthedrawing’sproportionsandaccuracy.Determineifyouwouldliketomaketheoutlinelarger.Ifso,followtheprocedureforadjustingadrawing’ssize.Onceyouhavethesizeyouwant,turnthedrawingoverandtraceoveryouroutlineonthereversesideofthetracingpaper.Pressfairlyhard,butbecarefulnottotearthepaper.Iliketousecharcoalpencilsforthisstep.

3TRANSFERTOTHEFINALSURFACETurnyourtracingpaperbacktothecorrectsideandtraceoverthedrawingwithyourpencil.Asyoutraceovertheoutline,youwilltransferthecharcoalonthebackofyourtracingpapertothefinalsurface.

4ADDDETAILSStartwiththeheadandadddetailstothefaceandantlers.Useapieceoftracingpaperasahandrestsoyoudon'tsmudgethedrawing.Graduallyadddetailstotherestofthebody.

5ADDTHEFINISHINGDETAILSAddtheremainingdetails,tonalvariations,markingsanddarkestdarks,givingyourdrawingtheextratouchesthatmakeitlookfinished.Atthispoint,setyourdrawingasideforalittlebit.Whenyoucomebacktoit,you’llbeabletolookatyourdrawingmoreobjectivelyandseeifyouneedtoaddanythingelse.

6CLEANUPTHEDRAWINGANDPRESERVEITEraseanyunwantedlines,fingerprintsandsmudgesandspraythefinisheddrawingwithafixativetoprotectit.Useacoupleoflightmistsratherthanaheavysoaking.

DEMONSTRATION

PracticeYourNewSkills

Let’s put some of the new techniques you’ve learned into practice. Whenlearningtodrawanimals,whatbetterplacetobeginthanwiththemagnificient“KingofBeasts,”theAfricanlion?Itsheavyneckruffandsleekhidemakeitafunsubjecttodrawaswell.

ANIMALSECRETCat bodies are longer than they are tall. Make sure these proportions arereflectedinyourdrawing.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESFirstyoumustdecideonapose.Timespentonachievinganaccurateoutlinewillsaveyoualotoftimelater.Doodletofindaposeyoulike.

2DEFINETHESTRUCTURELaytracingpaperontopofthefirstsketch.Useyourinitialsketchasabasisuponwhichyouwilldefinethelion’sstructure.Thiswillfurtherrefinetheanimal’sshapeandessence.

3REFINETHESKETCHUsinganothertracingpaperoverlay,furtherrefinethesketch(pages20–21).Cleanupyourlinesandaddmoredetailsthatdefinetheshapeofthefaceandbody.Makeallyourchangesandrefinementspriortobeginningtheworkonyourfinaldrawingpaper.Thiswillresultinacleanerpieceofart.

4CHECKOUTLINEDETAILSANDDRAWINGPROPORTIONSContinueworkingonanaccurateoutlinewithanothertracingpaperoverlay.Checkyourproportions,makingadjustmentsasnecessary.

5FINISHTHEOUTLINEANDADDDETAILSDoanothertracingpaperoverlayandfinalizethepositioningoffacialdetailssuchastheeyes,ears,noseandmouth.Checkthebodyagaintomakesureitisproportionedcorrectly.Onceyoufeelthateverythingisascorrectaspossible,youcanconsideryouroutlinefinished.Makesureyouaresatisfiedwiththeoutlinebeforeyoutransferittothefinalsurface.

6TRANSFERTHEIMAGEANDFINISHOncetheoutlineistransferedtoyourdrawingpaper,fillinthedetails.Makeyourpencillinesbothfollowthedirectionofthefurandhelproundoutthelimbsandtorso.Usehatchingtocreatevaluesthenblendthemslightlywithatortillion.Addfullnessanddepthtothemanewithextra-darkcharcoallines.Spraywithfixativeandletitdry.

MINIDEMONSTRATION

WhiteCreatesLight

A drawing’s white, unmarked areas are just as important as the actual pencillines.Inthisdrawingtherewillbeastronglightcomingfromtheleft,whichwillmakethatsideofthelion’sfaceverybright.Youwillcreatelightsanddarksintwo different ways: in one youwill fill in all the areas with tone, and in thesecondyouwilladddarkswhileleavinglightareasblank.Trybothmethodstoreallygetafeelforthedifferencewhitelightscanmake.Thecolorofthepaperisthelightesttoneyoucanget.Leavingblankareasisagreattechniquetousetodesignatethelightestlights.

DRAWINGSECRETOnce you’ve completed your final outline, try waiting a day or two beforetransferringtheimagetoyourdrawingpaper.Keepthedrawinginaplacewhereyoucanglanceatitoccasionally.Afreshlookmaymakeapreviouslyunnoticedflawobvioustoyou.

1ESTABLISHTHEBASICOUTLINEUsetracingpaperoverlaystogetanaccurateoutlineofthelion’sface.Makesureyouroutlineisasaccurateaspossible—especiallythepositionofthefacialfeatures.

2FILLINTHEDARKSFIRSTUsecharcoalandatortilliontoentirelyfillinthedarkareaofthedrawing.Thenaddpencillinestodefinethefurdetails.

2DRAWPENCILLINESANDLEAVETHELIGHTSDrawthelion’smanewithpencillines.Useatortilliontoshadeinpartsofthemaneandface,leavingwhiteareasforhighlights.Noticetheincreaseddepthyou'vecreatedwiththecontrastoflightanddark.

MINIDEMONSTRATION

PencilPractice

Practicedrawinganimalswithdifferent typesofpencilsandapplyingdifferentdegreesofpressure.Presshardforadarkcolororpress lightly for lightareas.Only by understanding your drawing tools will you be able to use themeffectively. A good exercise is to use different types of pencils on a singledrawing.Thiswillhelpyouunderstandwhichpencilisbestforwhichelement.

USEVARIOUSPENCILSONASINGLEDRAWINGLinedarknessdependsonthetypeofpencilyouuseandtheamountofpressure

youapply.(Seeforanotherpencilexercise.)

HBCHARCOALPENCILWITHLIGHTPRESSURE

HBCHARCOALPENCILWITHHEAVYPRESSURE

ShadingWithoutBlendingorSmudging

Youdon’talwaysneed toblendorsmudgeyourpencil lines.Toachievesomeeffects, such as a cub’s rough furorwhiskers, there’snoneed forblendingorsmudging; the lineswilldo thework foryou.Featurescontain linesand tonesthatindicatedetails.Evenminimalshadingwillgiveyouaninitialindicationofwheredarkertoneswillbenecessaryasyougetclosertofinishingthedrawing.

DRAWINGSECRETReferencephotosareextremely important forartistswhowant toportray theirsubjectsaccurately.Havingastoreofvariedreferencephotoswillprovideyouwithmanydifferentperspectivesofyoursubject.

LIONCUBOUTLINEThe minimal shading in this outline shows areas where darker tones will benecessary.Fromthispointyoucanbegintofillinthedetails.

LIONCUBFINISHEDDRAWINGOnce the areas of shading are determined and an accurate outline has beenestablished, you can begin to shape the animalwith pencil lines and shading.Noticehow thepencil lines indicate the fur’sdirectionandroundoutdifferentpartsofthecub.Notortillionwasusedtoshadethecub,onlypencillines.

BlendingEffects

Shadeandblendyourdarkshadowareascarefully.It iseasytoover-darkenanareaandthenbeunabletoerasetheareatoreturnittowhite.It’sbesttoleavealittle“sparkle”ofwhitepapershowingthroughonyouranimals’fur.Thishelpsillustratehowlightsparklesoffthetipsofthefur.Tortillionscomeinavarietyofsizes,soexperimenttofindonesthatsuityourneeds.

ANIMALSECRETYounglioncubshave“spot”markingsduringtheirfirstfewmonthsoflife.

BLENDINGALLOWSFORDARKDARKS,ANDGRADUALSHADING

Theshadingonthecheekmakesthenosestandoutandseemtocomeforward

Noticehowthewhiskersstandoutagainsttheblendedmoutharea

ACOMBINATIONOFSMUDGEDANDCLEANLINESWORKSBEST

2Cats&TheirRelatives

DomesticCatandCheetahGaphitepencilonbristolpaper14½"×11"(37cm×28cm)Fromdomestichousecatstowildcheetahs,allmembersofthefelinefamilyarevery similar in their basic structure. House cats are readily found in varioussitting,groomingandsleepingpositions.Thismakesiteasyforyoutopracticedrawingthemfrommanyangles.When drawing othermembers of the feline family, it’s a good idea to draw

from reference photos or from live examples as each cat species has uniquecharacteristics. Try to capture all aspects of a cat’s nature, too; practiceportrayingthembothlazilyrelaxedandexplosivelyalert.

DOMESTICCATS

Petcatsmakeidealanimalsubjects.Youcanfindtheminallsortsofinterestingpositionsandtheyare tameenoughto letyougetclose to them.Plus,youcanpracticeyoursketchesfromthecomfortofyour livingroomcouch.Onceyourgesturesketcheshaveproducedaposethatyoulike,youcanmoveontorefiningitstepbystepuntilyouhavedevelopedanoutlinetotransfertotheappropriatefinalsurface.Thenbegintoadddetailstoyoursubjectandshapeitwithpencillinesandshading.Remembertostartlightlyandgraduallybuildupthedetails.Theareasclosesttoyoushouldbeleftlight,areasinthemiddledistanceshouldbegrayandtheblackswillappearfarthestaway.

DOMESTICCATDomestic cats havemore pointed ears and proportionally larger eyes than dotheirlargerrelatives.

PETSMAKEGREATSUBJECTSSketchyourcat fromdifferentsidesandangles.Domesticcats,withtheirwidevarietyofbreeds,arefuntodrawbecausetheyaresofullofexpression.

USEGUIDELINESTOADDFACIALFEATURESMap out the facewith a horizontal and a vertical guideline to properly placefacialfeatures(seeTigerHeadandFace).

DEMONSTRATION

WalkingCat

Doodlesandgesturesketchesareessentialtogivingyouchoicesfromwhichtochoosethebestpose.Drawingyoursubjectaccuratelytakespractice;doodlethebasic shapes until you feel close to the correct proportions. Once you’veachieved the correct proportions, use tracingpaperoverlays toget an accurateform,whichyoucanthenrefineintoanaccurateoutline.I sketched this thumbnail at an animal shelter. Follow the steps to draw a

walkingcat.

1ESTABLISHTHEBASICFORMDrawthefoundationofthecatwithbasicshapes.Youmayhavetodoyourinitialsketchnumeroustimesinordertocapturethebasicform.

2ROUNDOUTTHEFORMUsetracingpaperoverlaystosmoothoutthecat’sshape.Atthispoint,makespaceswheretheeyeswillgoandrefinethetailabitmore.Onlyafewpencillinesshouldroundthecat'sform.

3ADDSHADOWSANDFURShadetheareasthatrecede,orappearfartheraway.Thecontrastwillmakethelightareasappearcloser.Youcanseehowonlyafewdarkenedareasareenoughtomakethecatappearthree-dimensional.

DEMONSTRATION

CatWithLongFur

When drawing fur, don’t make it look too perfect. Make some pencil lineswigglyandslightlychangethedirectionofsomefurwithyourstrokes.Thiswilladdtoyourdrawing’srealisticappearance.Usethesametechniquefordrawingbothlongandshortfur,onlychangethe

lengthofyourpencillines.Whetheryoudrawlongorshortfur,yourpencillinesshouldalwaysmatchthecurvesofyouranimal’sbody.

1DRAWBASICSHAPESAnimalspossessveryfewstraightlines.Thinkcurves!

2ROUNDOUTTHECAT'SFORMANDBEGINTOADDFURWithtracingpaperoverlays,refineyourdrawingwithagraphitepenciluntilitlooksaccurate.Indicatetheplacementofthefacialfeaturesandthepositionofthetoes.Sincethiscathasverylongfur,mapouttheshapeofthefur.Thiswillguideyouasyoufillinthefur’sdetails.

3TRANSFERTOTHEFINALSURFACEANDADDDETAILS

Makesurethecatiscorrectlysized,thentransferthedrawingtothefinalsurfaceandbegintoadddetails.Startwiththefacialfeatures,thenbegintorefinethedirectionofthefur,buildingontopoftheroughoutlineyoucreatedinthepreviousstep.

4COMPLETETHESHADOWSANDFURUseanHBcharcoalpenciltoaddtherestofthefurandthedetailsoftheeyes,noseandmouth.Applythefuronthechestandhipswithlong,uninterrupted,curvinglines.Thewhiteareasaccentthedeepblacklinestocreatetheillusionofathick,deepcoat.Withahardgraphitepencil,addthewhiskers.Spraywithfixative.

STUDY

StripesandSpots

Stripesandspotsaremadeupofindividualhairs.Keepthisinmindasyoudrawanimalswiththesemarkings.Giveyourstripesandspotscharacterbydrawingindividualhairswithinthecontrastingpatchesoffur.

Stripesandspotsonshortfur

StripesandspotsonlongfurGIVEFURMARKINGSCHARACTERVaryyourpencilstrokesdependingonthelengthofthefur.Don’tmakethespotsandstripestooperfect—noanimalhascompletelyuniformmarkings.

ADDINGFURRYSTRIPESCreate the cat’s dark stripes and spots with individual pencil lines, then addthicknessbymovingthepencilinazigzagfashion.

Buildthezigzagpencilstrokestomakethemarkingslookmoresolid.Begintoaddfur.

DEMONSTRATION

CatWithStripesandSpots

Thestripesonacatwillchangeandbecomedistortedastheanimalmoves,somakesureyourdrawingsreflectthis.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESUsetracingpaperoverlaystogetthebasicformandposeyoudesire.

2ROUNDOUTTHEBODYANDBEGINADDINGDETAILSOnceyou’veestablishedthefinaloutline,lightlyindicatethemarkingsonthecat’sbody.Makethemlightenoughtobeerasedandchangedifnecessary.

3ADDTHEFINISHINGDETAILSSoftentheshadowareaswithatortilliontomakethoseareasrecede.Youmayfinditeasiertoaddallthepencillinesbeforeyoublendtheshadowareas.Use a kneaded eraser to clean your drawing of smudges, then add the cat’s

whiskers with a hard graphite pencil.Whiskers are another feature you don’twanttobetooperfectlyplaced.Aboutadozen“whisks”ofthepencilshoulddoit.

STUDY

MouthandTeeth

When drawing big, predatory cats, youmust become familiarwith their toothstructure because teeth are an important feature of these magnificent species.Shapes and spacingwill vary among species andwill change as a cat grows.Catsareprimarilycarnivores,soeachtoothisaminiaturecuttinginstrumentandassuchshouldappearverysharpwhendrawn.

WHITEINDOCHINESETIGER

MALELION

UpperTeeth

LowerTeethPAYATTENTIONTOSHAPEANDSPACINGGettingthecorrectshapeandspacingoftheteethwillimproveasyoupractice.Trygoingtoyourbathroommirrorandobservingyourownteethtogetanideaofthetexturesandshapesofteethandgums.

DETAILEDDRAWINGOFUPPERTEETH

DETAILEDDRAWINGOFLOWERTEETH

Lion

Tiger

Mountainlion,3/4viewofteeth

Leopard

Canineteeth,sideviewTEETHAREANIMPORTANTFEATUREOFBIGCATSAfterstudyingtheteethofbigcatsitiseasytounderstandwhytheyaredeadlypredators. The lower canine teeth are closer together than the upper caninesand,whenthemouthcloses,areinfront.Therearetwolongcanineteethandsixincisorteethonboththetopandthebottom.

FULLVIEWOFALION’SMOUTH

Creating the illusion of depth is very important to properly illustrate a cat’smouth.Thevaluechangesbetweenthewhites,graysanddarkblacksadddepthtoyourdrawing.Thepurewhitecanineteetharethefocalpointhere.

TIGERS

No other animal can slink like a cat. Its sleek, athletic form emphasizesquickness and stealth. Tigers possess a certain sturdiness, power and muscledefinitionthatsmallhousecatslack.Evenifyourtigerisn’tperfectlydrawn,theadditionofitsstripeswillmakeitobviousthecatisatiger.

ANIMALSECRETTigersaretheonlybigcatswithstripes.

DRAWINGSTRIPESStripesarenormallythelastdetailyouadd.Lightlybuildupthehairswithinthestripeandusea tortillion togentlyblend these together.Makesure thestripesfollowthetiger’sbodycurves.

CAPTUREEACHTIGER’SINDIVIDUALITYCats, like people, are different from each other in variousminorways. Stripepatternsandcoloringdifferbetweentigers.Infact,tigerstripesvaryfromsidetosideonan individual tiger.ThesearesketchesofSiberian tigers,butnoticethedifferencesinthestripingpatterns.

STUDY

WhiteTiger

Evenanimalswithwhitefurrequirevaluevariationstogivethemshapeandtomakethemlookrealistic.Justusefewerpencillinestoindicatethemiddletonesandletthewhiteofthepapershowthroughforthelightestareas.

RAREWHITEBENGALTIGERWhitetigersdifferfromthemorecommonorangeandblacktigersinmorethanjusttheirfur.Theyalsohavebluisheyesandbrownishstripes.

WHITETIGERWhenyoudrawawhitetiger,keepyourpencillinestoaminimum.Yourdrawingshouldbeaswhiteandcleanaspossibletofurthersuggesttotheviewerthatthetigeriswhite.Noticethezigzagpatternonthestripes.Thishelpsillustratethatthelighter-coloredhairblendsintothedarkerstripes.

DEMONSTRATION

TigerHeadandFace

Thefaceisthemostinterestingpartofananimal,soit’simportanttodrawitasaccuratelyaspossible.Cat faceshaveaverycircularshape.Using intersectingguidelines will help you place the facial features accurately. Once you’veestablishedthebasicshapesandspacing,youcanaddthedetails.

INDOCHINESETIGER

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESDrawacircleforthehead,thendrawintersectingguidelinestohelpyouplacetheears,muzzle,noseandmouth.

2BEGINTODEFINETHEFEATURESPositiontheeyes,ears,noseandmouthonthecirclesyouestablished.Atthispointyoushouldalsobegintomapouttheplacementofsomeofthestripesandthedirectionofthefur.

3ADDDETAILSTOFINISHTofinish,addabouttentofourteenlongwhiskerstothetiger’smuzzle.Keepthewhiskersspreadout,notbuncheduptogether.Ifyoulookcloselyatyourreferencephoto,youwillseethatlongwhiskerswilldroopdownwhiletheshorteronesstaystraightorevencurveup.Useasharppencilanddrawthewhiskersinavarietyoflengths.

DETAILOFTHEEYEEyes give your animal life! The catchlight in the pupil shows how light isreflected fromaroundobject.Theblackedgealongtheeyesocketadds to thepiercingqualityofthetiger’sglance.Noticetheinsidecorneroftheeyeislowerthantheoutsidecorner.

DEMONSTRATION

SeatedTiger

Drawingaseatedanimalmayseemlikeachallenge,butyourinitialdoodlesofthebasicshapeswillgoalongwaytowardhelpingyouestablishthefinalposeandproportions.Italsohelpstokeeptheposesimple.ThisisaSiberiantiger.Ofall thetigers,Siberiantigershavethepalestcoatsandthefeweststripes.Makesure your drawing reflects this. Accuracy and detail will make your drawingrealistic.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESMakeasmanydoodlesasnecessarytofindaposeyoulikeandachieveproportionsthatarefairlyaccurate.

2REFINETHEBASICFORMUsingtracingpaperoverlays,refinethebasic-shapesdrawingintoamorerealisticoutline.Atthispoint,yourfocusshouldbegettingaccurateproportions.

3BEGINADDINGDETAILSTransfertheoutlinetothefinalsurfaceandstarttoadddetails.Lightlypencilintheeyes,nose,mouthandthelocationofafewimportantstripes.

4ADDTHEFINISHINGDETAILSFillintheremainingdetailsofthefaceandpencilinthefuronthebody.Thestripesarethedarkestpartofthetiger’scoat,darkenthosewithacharcoalpencil.Applythestripesinazigzagfashiontogivetheimpressionoflightanddarkfurblendingtogether.Letsomeofthepapershowthroughyourblackpencillinestogivethefuramorerealisticappearance.Makesurethattheringsinthetailarequitedarkandthatyoushadeinthetip.

Tiger tailshavedarkringsandadarktip.Cleanthedrawingofsmudges,addwhiskersandspraywithfixative.

ANIMALSECRETTherearefivetigersubspeciesintheworld:theSiberian(thelargest),theIndo-Chinese, the Chinese, the Sumatran and the Bengal. (Three others are nowextinct.)TheSiberiantigeristhelargestmemberofthetigerspecies.Amaturemale Siberian tiger canweigh over 600 pounds (270kg) and have a length ofover 12 feet (366cm) from nose to tail. Although Siberian tigers are one ofnature’s deadliest predators, most of my drawings show them in resting or

nonaggressivepositions.Beneaththeserene,relaxedimage,however,residesanexplosivefury!

SIBERIANTIGER

INDO-CHINESETIGER

BENGALTIGER

SNOWLEOPARD

Thesnowleopardisoneoftheworld’smostbeautifulcatsaswellasoneoftherarest.Itsspottedwhitishgraycoatistingedwithyellow.Snow leopards havevery distinct spots.As youdraw these spots, remember

that fewareperfectcircles; rather theyhavemoreofanovalshape.Thespotsalso vary in shape and size throughout the leopard’s body. For large, detaileddrawings,drawthespotswithlittlepencilstrokesinsteadofusingcircularpencilmarks.Leavingafewlightareasinthecenterofthespotsalsohelpsthemlookmorenatural.

ANIMALSECRETAnadultsnowleopardweights45to55pounds(20to25kg),is24to26inches(61cmto66cm)highandis6to7feet(183to214cm)long.

STUDYDETAILOFASPOTThe body fur of leopards is covered with large, rosette-shaped markings, notsolidspots.Besuretodrawthemwithindividualpencillines.

WHENTOADDSPOTSONALEOPARD’SBODYSince they are the darkest marks on the leopard, the spots should be the lastthingyoudraw.

FINALDRAWINGFinishtheotherdetailsofthefurbeforeaddingthespots.Leaveenoughofthepapershowingthroughsothatwhenyouaddthespots,theycanbelightinthemiddle.Therosette-shapedspotscontinueupintothetail,butIusezigzagpencillines to indicate smaller spots on the face.Not only is thismore realistic, butalsothesmallerspotswon’tdetractfromtheleopard’sface.

LONGFURLong-furredanimalsrequirelong,flowingpencilstrokes.

DEMONSTRATIONPracticethestrokesshownfordrawingspotsandlongfurbeforeyoubeginthisdemonstration. You’ll put those techniques together here to draw a realistic-lookingsnowleopard.

1DRAWTHEBASICFORMUsesimpleshapestoblockintheform.

2REFINETHEOUTLINEUsingtracingpaperoverlays,refinethesketchuntilyougetanaccurateoutline.

3REFINETHEFACEANDADDFURAdddetailstothefaceandneck.Then,startingfromthetail,layinthefurusinglongpencilstrokes.

4FINISHTHEDRAWINGBlendtheshadowareaswithatortillion.Addthedarkerfurlinesintheshadowareas.Drawtherosette-shapedspots.AddthewhiskerswithanHBgraphite

pencil.Cleanupanysmudgeswithakneadederaser,andspraywithalightcoatoffixative.

CHEETAH

Theslendercheetahisthefastestlandmammalintheworld.Whenyoudrawthecheetah, remember that itsclawsdonot retract like thoseofothercats,and itstailbeginswithspotsandendswithrings.Drawthespotsandstripesatthetipofthetailwith individualpencil lines.Keeplayeringtheselinesuntilyouget thedarknessyoudesire.

PHOTOOFACHEETAHThecheetahhasasmallheadandalong,slenderbody.Itsformandlong,thinlegsenablethecheetahtoachieveincrediblespeedswhenpursuingpreyontheAfricanplains.

DEMONSTRATION

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESBeginbydoodlingthebasicshapestoestablishyourchosenpose.Thispose

definesthecheetah:slender,sleek,long-leggedandathletic.

2REFINETHEBASICOUTLINEContinuetorefineyoursketchbylayingtracingpaperatopeachrefinementuntilyouhaveacquiredanaccuratefinaloutline.Lightlypencilinsomespots.Thiswillgiveyouaroughideaofhowtheywilllookandcaneasilybeerased,ifnecessary.

Makethespotsvarioussizes

3FINISHTHEDRAWINGAfteryouhaveyourfinaloutlinesizedcorrectly,positionitproperlyonyourpaperandtransfertheimageontoyourfinalsurface.Fillinthevaluesandfacialdetails.Addthespotswithacharcoalpencil,makingthemirregularlyshapedandlettingsomeofthewhiteofthepapersparklethrough.Addthewhiskers,cleanupanysmudgesandspraywithfixative.

LION

Likeallcats,lionshavebodiesthatarelongerthantheyarehigh.Eventhoughmembers of the cat family look different at first, they, in fact, have the samegeneralbodyshape.Drawingthislionisn’ttoofarremovedfromyourpetcat.

STUDY

LIONFIELDSKETCHESFieldsketchesandunfinishedsketchesliketheseareanimportantpartofyourreference library, providing you with reference materials and inspiration forfuturework.

DETAILSEQUALREALISMSmall details such as toes, claws and soles are necessary to making youranimalsasrealisticaspossible.Indicatehowthefurnaturallycoverspartoftheclawsandsoles.Ifyouhaveacamerawithatelephotolens,trytophotographthepawswheneverpossible.Theyareexcellentreferencesources.

DETAILSHELPESTABLISHADRAWING'SFOCALPOINTTheheadandmaneare the focalpointsof thisdrawing.Thefocalpoint is thearea that draws the viewer’s eye. As the artist, you create the focal point byaddingmoredetailstothatparticulararea.

LYNX

Knowing the subtle differences between members of the same species isimportant if you want to draw them accurately. Lynx and bobcats are twoanimalsthatlookverysimilar.Thelynx,however,islargerthanthebobcatandlives in a colder climate. This is important to know, especially in terms ofbackgroundelements.Whileyouwouldn’twanttodrawabobcatwithaglacierbackground,itwouldbeperfectlyacceptabletodothisforalynx.

ANIMALSECRETAnadult lynxweighs25 to40pounds (11 to18kg), is14 to16 inches (36 to41cm)highandis3to4feet(92to122cm)long.Anadultbobcatweighs20to35pounds(9to16kg),is12to14inches(30cmto36cm)

STUDY

LYNXFACIALCHARACTERISTICSLynxpossessbroadfaceruffsandtheirearsaretippedwithlong,blacktufts.

BOBCAT

Bobcatsareslightlysmallerthanthelynx,theireartuftsarelesspronouncedandtheirtailsarelonger.Thebobcat’sfeetarelargeforitssize(thoughalynx’sareeven larger) and its face ruff isn’t as big as that of a lynx.Bobcats havedarkbrownspotsanddarkbar-likestripes.

BOBCAT

DEMONSTRATION

1DRAWTHEBASICOUTLINEDrawaroundcircle,thenguidelinestohelpyoupositiontheears.

2REFINETHESHAPEOFTHEFACEUsingtracingpaperoverlays,addcirclestohelpyoumapoutthefacialfeatures.Scribbleinalittleshadingtoindicatethatsoftlightiscomingfromtherightside.Thiswillhelpyouasyourefinetherestoftheface.

3ADDDETAILSTOTHEFACEDoanothertracingpaperoverlayandaddthefacialdetails.Alsooutlinethefaceruffandandimportantfurmarkings.

4FINISHTHEDRAWINGAddthefur,lettingsomeofthepapershowthrough.Putinthedarkshadowareasthenaddthespotsusingshort,zigzagstrokes.

3Dogs&TheirRelatives

PantingDogStudyHBcharcoalpencilonbristolpaper14½"×11"(37cm×28cm)Thecanine (Canidae) familyconsistsofavarietyofdoglikeanimals, from thetameandcuddlytothewildandferocious.Dogs,wolves,coyotesandfoxesareallmembersof thecanine family.Caninesare foundthroughout theworldandcome inall shapesandsizes.Mostarecharacterizedby longmuzzles,pointedears,bushytailsandlong,slenderlegs.Dogshavebeenlivingwithhumansforthousandsofyearsandareoneofthe

planet’s most versatile and endearing creatures. Their friendly personalitiesmakethemafavoritesubjectforartistsandtheyarerightlycalled“man’sbestfriend.”

DOMESTICDOGS

Dogscomeinawidevarietyofbreedsandarefuntosketchbecausemostaregood models that will happily sit, lie or stay while you sketch away.Occasionally you’ll be lucky enough to find pets that just love to pose. Takeadvantageofthesewillingmodelstopracticeyoursketching.Thebasicshapesofdogsaremoreangularthanthemoreroundedcatfamily.

DRAWINGSECRETDogshowsaregreatplaces topractice sketchingdogsof all shapes, sizesandbreeds.

Germanshepherd

Labradorpup

Beagle

Bassethound

Alaskanmalamute

PointerGESTURESKETCHESOFDOGSAll dogs aremembers of a single species. It is themost varied of all species,rangingfromtinytoypoodlestogiantwolfhoundsandSt.Bernards.Noticeallthedifferentshapesusedinmakingthesegesturesketches.

DEMONSTRATION

GoldenRetriever

Thegolden retriever is amemberof theSportingdoggroupand isoneof themostpopulardogbreeds.Their instincts andpleasantpersonalitiesmake themgreatcompanions.Usingverticalandhorizontalguidelineswhendrawingadog’sfacewillhelp

youcenteritsfeaturesandspacethemcorrectly.

ANIMALSECRETThemajor categories purebred dogs fall into are: Sporting, Terriers,Working,Toy,Hounds,UtilityandHerding.Althoughdogsineachcategorysharesimilarcharacteristics,alwaystrytocapturetheuniquenessandindividualityofthedogyouaredrawing.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESSketchthebasicshapesuntilyouhaveaposeyoulikeandaccurateproportions.

Useguidelinestocenterandcorrectlypositionthefacialfeatures.

2REFINETHEOUTLINERefineyourbasic-shapessketchwithtracingpaperoverlaystoachieveanaccurateoutlineofthedog.Onceyouhavecorrectlypositionedthefacialdetails,youwon’tneedtore-createtheguidelines.Mapoutthedirectionofthefurwithlightpencilstrokes.

3BEGINTOADDDETAILSWithanothertracingpaperoverlay,definethefacialdetailsandtheplacementofthefur.

4CONTINUETOREFINETHEDRAWINGMakesureyourdrawingisasaccurateaspossiblebeforetransferringittoyourfinalsurface.

5FINISHTHEDRAWINGAddthefinishingtouchestothefacialfeatures.Indicatethefurwithaseriesoflight,quickstrokesandthenblendthemtogetherwithatortillion.Leavepartsofthemuzzleandtonguewhitetomakethemappearcloser.Uselongstrokesfortheneck,chest,hindquartersandtail.Addanotherlayerofdarkstrokesintheshadowareas.

DEMONSTRATION

BassetHound

Bassethoundsaredistinguishedbytheirlong,floppyears,legwrinklesandshortfur.Drawshortfurwithrepeatedshortpencilstrokesandletsomewhiteshowthroughyourpencil lines.Draw short-leggeddogs like these carefully tokeepthemfromlookinglikecartoons.

ANIMALSECRETThebassethoundbelongs to theHoundgroupand is a superbhareand rabbithunter.Bassethoundscanweighupto50pounds(23kg),makingthemheavyforsuchshortlegs.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESANDCORRECTTHEPROPORTIONSInthetopsketch,theproportionsareclearlywrong.Revisethiswithtracingpaperoverlaysforabetterstart.

2REVISEYOUROUTLINEUsetracingpaperoverlaystoobtainafairlyaccurateoutline.

Experimentwiththeplacementofthetail.Bydoodlingthetailvariationsonthebody,youwillbeabletoseeyourdesignchoicesmoreclearly.Chooseatailpositionthatcorrespondstotheface—inthiscase,araisedtailtoindicatealertness.Mapoutthemajorcreasesinthebody.

3FINISHTHEDRAWINGUseanHBcharcoalpenciltodrawthecoat.Applyaninitiallightlayerwiththecharcoalpencil,thenbuildupthedarksuntilyouhaveindicatedthedifferentcolorsonthedog’sbody.Applythedarkestmarkstoillustratethedarkestbrownslast.Blendsomeareaswithatortilliontosoftenthecoat’slookandtoaddmoreshading.Useverydarkpencilmarkstocreatethewrinkles.Thesesinkdeepintothehound’scoat,makingitdifficultforlighttopenetrate.

STUDY

GermanShorthairedPointer

Unlikecats,dogbreedsaresodifferentfromeachotherthatthetechniquesusedto draw one breed will not necessarily transfer to other breeds. Learning toidentify differences and similarities is a necessary, yet enjoyable, part ofrenderingthedifferentdogbreedsaccurately.Apointer’scoatvariesincolorationandspotmarkings.Itslean,athleticbody

hasamuscularappearancethatisevidentbeneathitsshort,coarsecoat.Drawingthismusculatureisveryimportantwhenillustratinganylean,shorthairedanimal.Themusculatureusuallyislessevidentinanimalswithlongerfur.

ANIMALSECRETTheGerman shorthaired pointer is amember of the Sporting group. It is alsoreferredtoasagundoginsomecountries.

POSESHOULDREFLECTPERSONALITYSportingdogsarebestportrayedinanalertposture,withtheirheadsheldhigh.These breeds are often hyper and fidgety, and therefore usuallymake difficultmodels.My model, Ezekiel, is the perfect example of a fidgety subject, as hewouldnotholdstillevenforaphotograph!

BUILDVALUECHANGESLOWLYTOAVOIDMISTAKESRemember toadd thedarkestvaluesat theendofyourdrawing. Ifyougo toodark too soon, you may find that you needed those darkest darks somewhereelse. Building upon light pencil marks leaves you plenty of room to layer avarietyofdarker values.You shouldalsoplan for theareas youwish to leavecompletelywhitebecauseitisdifficulttoeraseandachievethatdegreeoflightagain.

DEMONSTRATION

AlaskanMalamute

OnegoalofdrawingWorkingdogslikethemalamuteistoexpresstheirstrengthand power.An openmouth and a panting expression indicate a dog trying tocool down, but it also suggests the air of happiness and friendliness that is socharacteristicofthesedogs.

ANIMALSECRETAmassively built dog that has beenbred to pull heavy,weighted sleds acrosssnow-coveredterrain,theAlaskanmalamuteisintheWorkinggroup.Theyoftenweighover 125pounds (56kg) andhave a shoulder height of about 30 inches(76cm).

ALASKANMALAMUTE

DRAWINGSECRETUsereferencephotostoachievearealisticdrawingofyouranimal.Whenyou’re

drawingfromlife,itcanbedif-ficulttocaptureallthedetailsofananimalthewayagoodphotographcan.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESDoodlethebasicshapesofthedoguntilyougettheproportionsandposeyoudesire.

2REVISETHEINITIALSKETCHUsingtracingpaperoverlays,refineyourbasic-shapessketch.Begintoaddfacialdetailsandtomapoutthefur.Thisdogissportingitswintercoat,sobesuretooutlinethemassofthefuratthisstage.

3FINALIZETHEDRAWING

Transferthedrawingtoyourfinalsurfaceandaddthefinishingtouches.Uselongstrokestodenotethewintercoat,blendingwherenecessary.Suggestchangesinfurlengthorindicatemusculaturebymakingthepencilstrokesinrowsontheseareasofthebody.Drawdeep,blacklinesinthewhiteareastocreatetheillusionofthick,heavyfur.Donotmuddythesewhiteareaswithatortillion.Addwhiskersandspraywithfixative.

STUDY

SiberianHusky

Siberian huskies have a more wolflike appearance than other dogs; in fact,wolves and huskies often interbreed. Not all the dogs you’ll draw will bepurebred,sowhendrawingyourfriend’shusky,forexample,trytoconcentrateonits individualfeaturesandnotjust thecharacteristicsofapurebredSiberianhusky.After all, you should always try to capture thepersonality and spirit ofyourparticularsubject.

ANIMALSECRETSiberianhuskiesarebeautifuldogsthatarealsomembersoftheWorkinggroup.They, like the larger Alaskan malamutes, are often harnessed and used forpullingsleds,thoughhuskiesaremorevaluedfortheirspeedthantheirstrength.Dog“mushers”oftendriveteamsofdifferentbreeds.

CAREFULOBSERVATIONWILLLEADTOACCURATEPROPORTIONSNotice the different physical features that make up your animal subject. Payattentiontotheplacementofthehead,legs,shouldersandhips.Anawarenessofyouranimal’sbasicanatomicalstructurewillmakeiteasierforyoutoachieveaccurateproportions.

DRAWINGTHEHUSKY'STAILThetailsofSiberianhuskiesareoftencurledupovertheirbacks.Usethepencilstrokesforthefurtocreatethepositionofthetail.

DRAWINGTHEHUSKY'SEYESSiberianhuskiessometimeshaveblueeyes.Tomaketheireyeslookblue,don’taddagreatdealoftonetotheirises.

STUDY

DomesticDogHead

Dogs are a varied species whose body structures and facial features differbetweenbreeds.Look at thedrawingof a bassethound and compare it to thedrawingofanAlaskanmalamuteandyoucaneasilyseewhy learning todrawone type of dogwill not necessarilymake drawing another breed easier.Andheads,ofcourse,are themost importantpartofanyanimaldrawing.Notonlydoesitindicatewhatbreedyou’redrawing,butitalsodemonstratesthecharacterandpersonalityofthedog.

1SKETCHTHEBASICFORMAlthoughthisinitialdoodleisveryrough,itdoescapturethedog’sproportionsfairlywell.

2REVISETHEINITIALSKETCHUsingtracingpaperoverlays,reviseyoursketchofbasicproportionsintoanaccurateoutlineofthedog’sface.Atthispointyoushouldalsolightlyoutlinetheareaswherethefurcolorchangesfromlighttodark.Onceyouhavethismappedout,youcantransferthedrawingtothefinalsurface.

DETAILOFTEETHANDMOUTHWhendrawingjustthehead,itisespeciallyimportantthattheintricatedetailsofthemouthandteetharerenderedaccurately.

3ADDTHEDARKESTDARKSANDFINALIZETHEDRAWINGUsinganHBcharcoalpencil,buildupthemedium-darkareasofthefuruntilyouhaveamedium-graytone.Addthedarkestdarkstothemouth,nostrilandeyesocket.Leavetheteethandtonguemostlywhitetodistinguishthemfromtheblacktonesofthemouthandlips.Cleanupyourdrawingwithakneadederaser.Addthewhiskerswithano.4

extra-hardpencil.Spraywithfixativeandletitdry.

DRAWINGSECRETAlways add your darkest darks last. If you include them too early in yourdrawing,youlimityourabilitytoaddtheverydarkpencilmarksyoumayneedtoadddepthtoyourimage.Onceyouhavereachedyourdarkestdark,youcan’tgo darker, nor can you lift these out to return to the clean, white paperunderneath.

OTHERCANINES

Althoughdomesticdogsdiffergreatlyamongthemanybreeds,mostmembersofthecaninefamilysharethesamebasicfeatures:pointednoses,pointedearsandbushytails.Therefore,learninghowtodrawawolf,forinstance,willhelpyoudraw a fox. As you work through the following demonstrations, notice howsimilarthebasic-shapessketchesaretoeachother.

ANIMALSECRETWolves,coyotesandfoxeshavefivetoesontheirfrontpaws,althoughoneclaw,thedewclaw,is locatedhigherontheleganddoesnotshowinthetracks.Thehindfeethavefourtoes.Clawmarksfortheseanimalswillshowintheirtracksbecausetheycannotretracttheirclawslikemostcats.

MEXICANWOLF(ENDANGEREDSPECIES)The Mexican wolf is smaller and rarer than the gray wolf. It lives in warmclimatessoitneverdevelopsawintercoat.

GRAYWOLFThegraywolfisalargewolf,weighingover100pounds(45kg).ItlivesfarthernorththantheMexicanwolf,soitdoesdevelopawintercoat.

Graywolf

Wolftrack

Mexicanwolf

Goldenretriever

SiberianhuskiesBORNTOBEWILDOfcoursemanydogs(likeSiberianhuskies)sharetheangularstructuresoftheirwild relatives.Emphasize thewildnessofwolves, foxesandcoytesbydrawingtheminalertposes.

REDFOXRedfoxeshavelarge,pointedears.Theirfeet,lowerlegsandbacksofearsareblack, and their tails are white-tipped. They are bigger than arctic foxes,weighing7to15pounds(3to7kg).

ARCTICFOXArcticfoxesaresmallanimals.Theyhavegrayishbluecoatsinthesummerandwhite winter coats. The arctic fox’s thick winter fur gives it a roundedappearance.

COYOTECoyotesareoftenconfusedwithgraywolves,thoughcoyotesareonlyhalftheirsize. In addition to size, the more pointed ears and nose also distinguish thecoyotefromthewolf.

Foxtrack

Redfox

Arcticfoxinwinter

Coyotes

GRAYWOLF

Anefficientanddeadlyhunter,thegraywolfisatruesymbolofthewilderness.Drawitinitsthickwintercoattomakeitlookregal.

FRONTANDSIDEVIEWOFAGRAYWOLFNoticehowthewolf’sfacelooksverytriangularfromthefront.Theprofilegivesyouagoodviewoftheteeth,tongueandlips.

STUDY

SKETCHOFAGRAYWOLFThisoutlinehasbeentransferredtothefinalsurfaceandIhavestartedfillinginthefur.Headsandfacesare themost importantpartofananimaldrawing,soget into thehabitofdoing the face first. If youcapture the facewell, thiswillgiveyoualittleleewayforminormistakesintherestofyourdrawing.

Adultwolves

Eyesketch

Most carnivores have six small incisors and two canine teeth on the top andbottomofthemouth

SAVEYOURDOODLESANDSKETCHESSave studies like this for future reference; someday theymay inspire you.Use

themformoredetaileddrawingsofeitherindividualwolvesorapack.

STUDY

WolfHead

Unlike dogs, whose breeds produce many different kinds of heads, wolves,coyotesandfoxeshavesimilarfacialstructures.Onceyoudrawthefaceofone,youcandrawtheothers!

Howlingwolf

STUDYOFAGRAYWOLF’SHEADANDFACETodrawthethickfuronthewolf’sneck,holdyourdrawingpencilmoreonitsside.Thisallowsmoreoftheleadtotouchthepaper,creatingbolderstrokes.Usethetipofthepenciltodrawthefurontheface,creatingfinerstrokestoindicateshorterhairs.

DEMONSTRATION

GrayWolfinItsAutumnCoat

Graywolvesareamongthemostpopularsubjectsforwildlifeartists.Theirfurcolor ranges from white to black, so adjust the values of your pencil marksaccordingly.Thiswolfwillhaveitsautumncoat,so leaveextraspacebetweenpencillinestoaddvolumetosuggesttheirthickerfur.

ANIMALSECRETWolvesarepackanimals,meaning that they liveandhunt togetherasagroup.Pack sizes normally range from four to twelve individuals,most ofwhomarerelated.These packs form a social structure,which helps to eliminate a lot ofturmoil among members. Dominant wolves will interact with less-dominantwolvesbycarryingtheirtailshigh.Submissiveandlow-rankingwolveswilltucktheirtailsbetweentheirlegswhenconfrontinghigher-rankingwolves.

1DRAWTHEBASICFORMSketchoutthebasicshapestoestablishtheposeandproportions.

2REFINETHEOUTLINERefinethebasicoutlinewithtracingpaperoverlaysintoanoutlineaccurateenoughtotransfertoyourfinaldrawingpaper.Outlinethefur’smassandaddsomefacedetails.

3ADDDETAILSTOFINISHTHEDRAWINGAddtherestofthefacialdetails,usingshortstrokestoaddthefur.Uselongstrokestoaddthelongfuroftheneckruff,bellyandtail.Switchbacktoshortstrokesforthewolf’sbackandlegsandaddtheclawswiththickblacklines.Cleanyourdrawingwithakneadederaser,addthewhiskers,spraywithfixativeandletitdry.

DEMONSTRATION

ProwlingWolf

Fur flowswith gravity, somost of itwill point down, especially if it’s a longwintercoat.Browsethroughanimalphotographstoseehowhairandfurchangesdirectionaroundtheanimal’sbodyandyou’llseehowlittleof thefuractuallypoints upwards.Remember the contours of the body under the fur need to becorrectoryouwillendupwithamisshapenanimal.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESDoodlethebasicshapesuntilyougetthedesiredposeandproportions.

Makesurethefurfollowsthecontoursofthebody

2ESTABLISHTHEOUTLINERefinethebasicshapeswithtracingpaperoverlaystogetanaccurateoutline.Transfertheoutlinetothefinalsurfaceandlightlyaddfacialdetailsandfur.

3FINISHTHEDRAWINGAddthemiddledarksandthedarkestdarkstothefaceandbody.Thisisawintercoat,somakethefurlookthickandlushbyleavingmorespacebetweenthelines.Thelongestareasofthefurshouldbetheneckruff,trunk,hipsandtail.

DRAWINGSECRETFurflowsinafixeddirectionregardlessoftheseason.Whenthefurislonger,itiseasiertoseewhichdirectionitflows.

REDANDMEXICANWOLF

RedwolvesandMexicanwolvesaresmallerthangraywolves,sotheirfeaturesshould be proportionately smaller. The exceptions are their ears andmuzzles,which seem large for their bodies.Their short coatsmake these features seemevenbigger.

ANIMALSECRETNorthAmerica’sendangeredredwolvesandMexicanwolvesaresmallerspeciesthan the graywolf. Since they live in thewarmer climates ofMexico and theAmerican southwest, they have larger,more prominent ears (to help dissipateheat)andareoftenmistakenforcoyotes.

MEXICANWOLF(ENDANGEREDSPECIES)

REDWOLF(ENDANGEREDSPECIES)

STUDY

KEEPYOURPENCILSSHARPAlways use sharp pencils when drawing. To vary the thickness of your lines,simplychangehowyouholdthepencil.Thiswilldeterminetheboldnessofyourlines.IfyouuseadullHBcharcoalpenciltodraw,itwillbehardertomakethefinelinesyouneedformostofthedetails.

FOX

Foxes make wonderful subjects because of their cute and interestingmannerisms, their sleek, athletic bodies and their beautiful coats. Foxes arefound throughout much of the world and their particular body characteristicsmatch their specific environments. Generally, foxes in northern climates willsport lushwintercoats, small earsandbig,bushy tails,while foxes inwarmerclimateswillhavethinnerfurandlargerearsthathelpkeepthemcool.

FENNECFOXThissmallfoxhaslargeears,whichallowittodissipatetheheatoftheSaharadesertinnorthernAfrica.

STUDYSKETCHESOFFOXES

DEMONSTRATION

RedFoxKitinSummer

Youngfoxesarealsocalledkits.Likeallbabyanimals, foxkitsaremore thanjustminiatureversionsofadults.Their faces tend tobe rounder, theireyesarelarger in proportion to their faces, and they don’t yet posses the lean, sleekbodies of their parents. The soft, fluffy fur of their summer coats are a nicedrawingsubject.

FOXKITSINJUNE

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESDoodlethebasicshapestogettheposeyoulike.Concentrateonproportionsduringthisstage.

2REFINETHEOUTLINERefinethebasicshapeswithtracingpaperoverlaystogetanaccurateoutline.Transfertheoutlinetothefinalsurfaceandlightlyaddfacialdetailsandfur.Thiswillgiveyouaroughguideasyoumakeyourfinaladjustments.

3FINALIZETHEDRAWINGAddafewlinestothewhiteareasofthechestandthroat.Leavethetipofthetail

mostlywhite.Continuetoaddfurovertherestofthebody.Useatortilliontoblendareaswhereyouwanttosuggestbodyshapeorfurpattern.Addyourdarkestdarkstothebackoftheears,legsandshadowareas.Leavesomewhiteshowingthroughfordepth.Addthewhiskerswithanextra-hardno.4graphitepencil.Spraywithfixativeandletitdry.

DEMONSTRATION

AdultRedFox

Whenmostpeoplethinkoffoxes,theytypicallypicturetheredfox,acunning,colorfulanimal found inmanyareas. Its fur isnotalways red, some foxesarecross (a brownish-gray), silver and black—though red is the most commoncoloration. Their bellies, throats and the tips of their bushy tails are alwayswhite.Besidesitssize,themostdistinguishingfeatureofafoxisitstail,whichisquitelargewhencomparedtoitssmallbody.

REDFOXINAUGUST

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESTheseinitialsketchesdetermineyouranimal’sproportions,sokeepdoodlinguntilyouaresatisfiedwiththeiraccuracybeforeyoubegintorefineyourdrawing.

2REFINETHEINITIALDRAWINGRefinethebasicformwithtracingpaperoverlaystoestablishanaccurateoutline.

3ADDDETAILSTransfertheoutlinetothefinalsurface.Lightlyaddthefacialdetailsandmapoutthefur.Remembertoleavethetipofthetailmostlywhite,althoughyouwillneedtooutlineitsshapetodistinguishitfromthepaper.Asyou’readdingthefur,indicateitsdirection,notinghowthedirectionchangesaroundthefox’sbody.

4COMPLETETHEDRAWING

CompletethedrawingusinganHBcharcoalpencilandatortilliontoshadewherenecessary.Addafewlinestothewhiteareasofthechestandthroat.Leavethetipofthetailmostlywhite.Continuetoaddfurovertherestofthebody,usingatortilliontoblendareaswhereyouwanttosuggestbodyshapeandfurpattern.Addyourdarkestdarkstothebackoftheears,legsandshadowareas.Leavesomewhiteshowingthroughfordepth.Addthewhiskerswithanextra-hardno.4graphitepencil.Spraywithfixativeandletitdry.

ARCTICFOX

Whiteanimals,suchasthearcticfox,mustbedrawnwithsofterstrokesinordertoachievea realistic image.Arctic foxesarestockierandhavea rounderheadthantheirsoutherncousins.Thesecharacteristicshelptheanimalstaywarm.

MAKESOFT,BROADSTROKESMakepencilstrokeslikethesetolaydownthepatternsanddirectionofwhitefur.Tiltyourpenciltocreatethesesoft,broadstrokes.

BLEND THE LINES Once you’ve created the lines, use your finger or atortilliontoblendandsoftenthem.Useanerasertoliftoutthehighlights.

USEDARKLINESSPARINGLYDarklinesliketheseshouldbeusedonlytoillustratethearcticfox’seyes,noseandshadowareas.

STUDY

REFINEDOUTLINEMakelightpencilstrokesasguidesforthefurdirectionofthearcticfox.

FINISHEDDRAWINGOnce you’ve addedmost of the fur, Blend the shadowareaswithatortilliontogivethefurasofterlook.Applythedarkestdarkstotheeyes,noseanddeepshadowareas.

SWIFTFOX

TheswiftfoxisthesmallestfoxinNorthAmerica.Thesefoxeshavearustytancoat,largeeyesandlong,pointedears.Thisspeciesoffoxisalsoreferredtoasakitfoxbymany.

ANIMALSECRETThe swift fox has a blackish spot between the eyes and nose. This tiny foxusuallyweighs3to5pounds(1to2kg).

STUDY

USEFURTOINDICATETHEBODY’SCONTOURSUsethepointofthepenciltomakeshort,zigzagstrokestoshowbodycontoursandhair direction.Make a continuous series of these strokes around the fox’sbody.Thengobackover the strokes todarkenwithapencil or lightenwithatortillion.Saveyourdarkestpencilmarksuntiltheend.Pencilstrokeslikethese

willenableyoutocoveralargeareaquickly.

USESHADINGANDSTROKEDIRECTIONTOADDFORMUse shadingand thedirectionof yourpencil strokes tomaintain roundness inthefox’stail.

MIXITUPVary your pencil strokes to indicate hair lengths and body contours. Thiswillhelp define the animal’s shape andmusculature to make your drawingsmorerealistic.

4Deer&Sheep

White-TailedBuck(October)HBcharcoalpencilonillustrationboard10"×14"(25cm×36cm)Deer bring to mind grace and speed, while sheep suggest sturdiness andstrength.Bothspecieshavethinlegsandbarrel-likebodies.Bothspeciesarefunyetchallengingtodraw,becausenotwoindividualseverseemtolookalike.Thisis mainly due to the varied environments they inhabit, as well as the vastchanges they undergo as they age—particularly the males. In my work, I’veconcentrated mostly on the males of the species (bucks and rams). Themagnificent antlers and horns they grow as they age make them preferredsubjectsforbothartistsandartcollectors.Veryseldomwillyouhavetheopportunitytosketchtheseshy,elusivecreatures

in the field or at your leisure. Personally, I like to concentrate on renderingvariousaspectsof theseanimals’ specific environments (suchas terrain, trees,

groundcoverandrocks) inmysketches. Iuseacamera tocapturemyelusiveanimalsubjects,usinglonglensestogetcloseups.Ithenre-createthescenesinmystudiofrombothmysketchesandthereferencephotos.This white-tailed buck is in one of its many alert poses. Deer seldom look

relaxedandalwaysseempoisedforflight.

DEERANDSHEEP

THEBASICSHAPEOFDEERDeeraresleek,delicatelybuiltanimalswithlong,thinlegs.

DEERFAMILYANTLERSElk, caribou and moose also grow antlers. Antlers may vary greatly amongmembers of the deer family. Theonlyway to know them is to studyanddrawthem.

DEERANTLERSDeergrowandshedtheirantlersannually.Whiletheseantlersaregrowing,theyarecoveredinskin(called“velvet”)thatprotectsandnourishesthebone.

SHEEP’SHORNSSheep, bison, goats and gazelles are examples of animals who grow horns.Unlikeantlers,hornsareretainedthroughoutasheep’slifeandarenevershed.Theyaremadeofkeratinandnormallygrowbiggereveryyear.

THEBASICSHAPEOFSHEEPSheepare stocky,muscularanimals.Theyareproud,magnificenthigh-countrydwellers,and theirwildnatureandremotehabitatmake itchallenging to takegoodreferencephotosofthem.

FIGHTINGRAM

WHITE-TAILEDDEER

Thewhitetaileddeerhasabroadwhitetailandacoatthatisreddishtaninthesummerandgrayishbrowninthewinter.Amaturewhitetailedbuckhasantlersthatsweepforwardonamainbeam,withtinespointingupward.

WHITETAILEDBUCK,OCTOBERINTEXASIprefer todrawandpaintdeer(aswellassketchandphotographthemin thefield)when theircoatsandantlersare in theirprime,normallyduring the fallandwinter.Differentclimatesresultindifferent“primetimes”fordeeraroundthe world, but October and November seem to work well for obtainingreferences.Ofcourse,springiswhenthefawnsareborn,andyoudon’twanttomissthat!

ANIMALSECRETThewhitetailed deer ranges from the southern half of theCanadian provincesdown throughoutmost of theU.S. (except for parts of the Southwest). It canweighaslittleas50pounds(22kg)toover200pounds(90kg).Thewhitetailisnormallynocturnal,butinremoteorunpeopledareasit’sactiveanytimeofthedayornight.

STUDY

CATCHINGPOSESThisisasketchofadeermovingaboutinafieldinOklahoma.Iwastryingtocapturedifferentposesforreference.

SKETCHINGTHEWHITETAILI sketched thiswhitetailwith a charcoal pencil and blended the shaded areaswith a tortillion. Be careful in rendering individual hairs—make them moreobvious in the areaswhere the hair is slightly longer and darker such as theneck, shoulder and tail. For contrast, let some paper show through in theseareas.

STUDY

FaceandAntlers

Awhitetail’santlersusuallygrowinacirculardirection.Thatis,themainantlerbeams normally curve outward from their base and then back inward, thusforming somethingof ahoop thatyoucoulddropaball into.All antler formsvary, but thinking of them holding a round ball can help you visualize theirgeneralform.Newantlersgrowduringthespringandsummermonthsandareshedafterthe

deers rut in late fall orwinter. The antlers grow from pedestals on top of thebuck’sskull.Thebaseoftheantlersisusuallysurroundedwithburrsornodules.Useatortilliontoshadeandroundtheantlers.Remember,whenlightstrikesa

round object (like an antler) from the front, the round object will have thedarkestshadowsonitstopandbottom.Inantlers,thiswillbewheretheycurvearound to the back. If the light source is higher, the shadowwill be confinedprimarilytothebottom.Atortillionhelpstosoftentheseshadowsastheymergefromlighttodark.

ANIMALSECRETDeerhavenoupperfrontteeth,merelyatoughpad.Theyhaveincisorsonlyonthe bottom and therefore tear off most of their food rather than biting it offcleanly.

DRAWINGANTLERSRemember, all antler formations are different. This study is a quick sketch ofvariousshapes.Notmuchdetailorshadingwasdone—it’sprimarilyanexerciseintheantlers’forms.

CAPTURINGADEER’SFACEThiswhitetailed deer is one ofmy original sketchbook efforts andwas drawnwithanHBcharcoalpencil.Atortillionwasusedtoshadetheantler.

ANIMALSECRETWhitetaileddeerandmuledeer(page86)coatsarenormallyareddishtanduringthesummermonthsandagrayishtanduringtherestoftheyear.NorthernNorthAmericanspeciesarelargerthanthosefoundinthesouth.Deerreachtheirantlerand body size peak around five to six years of age.Only bucks grow antlers;theirsizeandcharacteristicsaredeterminedbyheredityanddiet.

Thisishowtheantlerswilllookafterthevelvetisshed

DRAWINGSECRETBegin your drawing session with plenty of sharp pencils ready. Stopping toresharpenpencilscansometimesdisrupttheflowofyourart.

DEMONSTRATION

WhiteTailedBuck

The whitetailed deer is the most plentiful and widely distributed big gameanimal inNorthAmerica. Its suberb senses have enabled it to live and thrivenearhumans.Thisbuckisinhisprime:hisantlershavecomeoutofvelvetandhehasathickwintercoat.

ANIMALSECRETThedeer(Cervidae)family includesdeer,moose,elkandcaribou.Malesgrowand shed antlers annually.With the exception of the caribou, females do notgrowantlers.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESCapturearoughposetoworkonthroughafieldsketchorotherquickgesturedrawing.

2REFINETHEBASICFORMUsetracingpaperoverlaystocorrectlyproportionandsizethehead,bodyandlegs.

3ESTABLISHAFINALOUTLINEContinuewiththeoverlaystoestablishthefinaloutline.

4ADDTONESANDFEATURESPositiontheoutlineonyourdrawingpaperandtransferit.Addafewtonesforshading,thendrawtheeyesandnose.Uselightpencilstrokestoindicatethedirectionofthehair.

5FINISHTHEDRAWINGCompletethedrawingwithanHBcharcoalpencil,eraserandtortillion.Leavethelowermouth,apatchintheupperneck,andthebellywhite.Shadetherestasthoughthewhitetailisstandinginanareafilledwithpatchesofbothsunlightandshadows,asinaforest.Afteryourdrawingiscompleted,eraseallthesmudgesandunwantedmarksbeforeaddingthechinwhiskersandsprayingitwithfixa-tive.

ANIMALSECRETDeerhave long, slender legsdesigned for speedand jumping. Just likehumanathletes, animalskeepa littlenatural flex in their legs shouldaquickgetawaybecome necessary. In the animal kingdom, standing too stiff-legged and flat-footedcouldresultinbecomingsomeone’sdinner!

SHAPEANDHAIRDIRECTIONThisisthebasicbodyshapeofthewhitetaileddeer.Noticehowthehaircurvesaroundthedeer’strunkandhowthehairsgraduallyturndown.Useanerasertocreateahighlight.

DEMONSTRATION

WhiteTailedDoe

This isaclassicdeerpose; it shows theanimal’s featureswelland iseasier todraw realistically than a pose that depicts the animal in a twisted or awkwardposition.

ANIMALSECRETThetailofawhitetailisdarkontopandwhiteunderneath.Whentheanimalisspookedoralarmed,itraisesitstail,exposingtheflaredwhitesideasawarningofpossibledangertootherdeer.Exceptwhenthedeerisrunning,thetailiskepttuckedagainstthebody.

WHITETAILEDDOE

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESCapturearoughposetoworkonthroughafieldsketchorotherquickgesturedrawing.

2REFINETHEBASICFORMANDADDDETAILSReviseyourbasicsketchuntilyouhavecreatedafinaloutline.Transfertheoutlinetoyourdrawingpaper.Addingfacialfeaturesfirst,thenshadetheareasthatneedtobedarker.

3FINISHTHEDRAWINGFinishthefacialdetailsandcontinuetodefinethelightandmediumvaluesthroughoutthebody.Gobackandaddthedarkesttonestothetail,neck,face,bellyandlegs,payingspecialattentiontohowthelegsbendattheknees.Makesuretoleaveawhitespaceshowingonthedeer’srumpandontheundersideofitstail.Cleanupyourdrawingandsprayitwithfixative.Besuretokeeparecordof

thisclassicpose,beitaphotographorablack-and-whitecopy.Youmaywanttousethisreferencedrawinglaterforasketchorpainting.

DEMONSTRATION

White-TailedFawn

This isanotherclassicdeerpose.Althoughmanyartistsprefer themagnificentbucksassubjects,otherschoosefawnsbecauseoftheirbeautifulcolorationandoverallcuteness.Duringtheearlyweeksofafawn’s life, itoftenmaybefoundapartfromits

mother,hidingfrompredatorsinbrushorlonggrass.Afawnwillloseitsspotswithinafewmonthsofbirth,renderingitlessappealingtoartists.

REFERENCEPHOTOFromthisphotographofa fawn,youcanseehowimportant it is tokeepyourwhitestheirwhitestinareasthatareinsunlight.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESKeeptheroundedshapesthatmakeupthedeerinmindasyoudrawandshade.

2ESTABLISHTHEFINALOUTLINEUsetracingpaperoverlaystoestablishafinaloutlineandtransferittoyourdrawingpaper.Thenlightlypencilinthefawn’sfacialdetailsandspots.Thespotsarethelightestpartofthefawn,soplanthemtoensurethattheywillbeaswhiteaspossible.

3COMPLETETHEFAWNGraduallydarkenthehairofthefawn,buildingyourpencilstrokesfromlighttodark.Blendwithyourtortillionasyoulayerthepencilmarkings.Addthedarkestdarkslast.Slightlydarkenthewhitespotsintheshadowswithatortillion,andleavethespotsindirectsunlightpurewhite.Useatortilliontoblendandsoftentheareasbetweenwhitespots.Althoughhairdirectionshowsonmanypartsofthefawn,keepthedirectional

strokesonthespottedareaofthetrunktoaminimumoritwillappeartoobusy.Be sure to add the metatarsal gland and dew-claws before you clean up thesmudgesandspraywithfixative.

DRAWINGSECRETOverworkingadrawingisnotanuncommonoccurrence.Unfortunately,anartistseldomknowswhenheorshehasoverdoneituntilit’stoolate.Agoodruleofthumbis:Bettertoolittlethantoomuch!

MULEDEERBUCK

Themule deer buck has a different tail, antler configuration and gait than thewhitetaileddeer. It is consideredamore“western”deer than thewhitetail,buttheirrangesdooverlapincertainplacesinNorthAmerica.Theantlersofmuledeerhavemainbeamsthatbranchintotwobeams,eachof

whichwillbranchagainasthedeermatures.

ANIMALSECRETMule deer are normally larger and stockier than whitetailed deer. Largespecimenscanweigh400pounds(180kg).

REFERENCEPHOTOS

THETAILENDMuledeerhavearopelike,black-tippedtail.Itsbasicshapeisthatofacylinder,so shade it accordingly, depending, of course, on the direction of the lightsource.Thehair growsdownward.Noticealsohow thewhite hairs of the tailblendintotheblacktip.

STUDY

MULEDEERBUCK

BULLELK

Elkhavea reddishbrownbody,yellow-white rumpanddark,chestnut-coloredneck.Thisbuglingelk(abugleistheelk’straditionalruttingcall)wassketchedwith anHBcharcoal pencil and shadedwith a tortillion.A sketchbook full ofanimalsindifferentposesandfromdifferentangleswillbeinvaluabletoyouinyour artistic future. Sometimes, a quick doodle becomes the inspiration for alaterpaintingordrawing.

STUDY

DRAWINGSECRETAsharppencilwillletsomewhiteofthepapershowthrough.

DRAWINGTHEBULLELK’SHAIRMakesimplepencil strokes inseparaterows to form thedarkneckof thebull.Spacethelinesjustfarenoughtoletthepapertoshowthrough,creatingathick,bushy look.The separate rowsof hair and thewrinkledneck help suggest themotionofthebull’sraisedhead.

PRONGHORN

Pronghorns are medium-sized, deerlike mammals with long, nimble legs thatmake them the fastest animal in the Western Hemisphere. Their remarkablevisionenablesthemtospotpredatorsfrommilesaway.Whendrawingpronghorns,use techniquessimilar to thoseyouwoulduse to

drawdeer;theysharebodyshape,coatsandproportions.Learningtodrawoneeasilytranslatesintodrawingtheother.

ANIMALSECRETThehornsofapronghornareshedandregrownyearly.Thesheathsfalloffthepermanent cores after the autumnbreeding season.This sheddingmakes thesehornsdifferentfromthehornsofotherNorthAmericanhornedanimals(suchassheepandgoats).Pronghornsarecommonly(andmistakenly)calledantelopebymany.

STUDY

PRONGHORNHEAD

PRONGHORNBUCKINSEPTEMBERBySeptember,mostanimalswillbeintheirprimecoatsandantlers.Thismakestheirappearancemoreappealingthanitwouldbeinthesummermonthswhentheircoatisthinnerandtheyarestillgrowingtheirhorns.

ATHREE-QUARTERSVIEWOFPRONGHORNHEADEven though thepronghorn’shornsareblack, theymustbedrawnandshadedwitharangeofvaluechangestoaccuratelysimulatetheirlookinnaturallight.Letthewhiteofyourpaperbeyourlightestlightandsaveyourdarkestdarksforthe shadows, letting a little white of the paper sparkle through even in theseareas.

KEEPTHELIGHTAREASLIGHTWhendrawingpronghorns,leavethecheeks,side,rumpandpartsofthethroatwhite. Even if your drawing is large, don’t fill in your light areas too much.Shade into these areaswith a tortillion or your fingertip, anddon’t addmanypencilstrokesinthelightestareas.

DEMONSTRATION

PronghornintheWind

Sometimesyoumaywanttodrawyouranimalwithalittlebitofwindrufflingthecoat.Thiscanprovideauniquetakeonyoursubject.Hereyou’llsketchinwindblownhaironthepronghorn’srump,shoulderandmane.Keepyourpencilstrokes to aminimum and try using some crosshatching in the shadow areas.Reservethedarkestmarkingsfortheeye,nostril,neck,shoulderandthefarthestbackleg.This pose suggests that the pronghorn could bolt at anymoment. Perhaps it

smellsapredatorinthewind?

FRONTVIEWOFAPRONGHORNBUCK

BACKVIEWOFAPRONGHORNBUCK

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESUseagraphitepenciltodrawthebasicshapestogettheposeyouwant.

2REFINETHEOUTLINEANDADDVALUESUsetracingpaperoverlaystorefinethebasicshapesintoanaccurateoutline.Mapoutthelightsanddarks.

3ADDTHEFINALDETAILSSizetheimage,asnecessaryandtransferthedrawingtothefinalsurface.UseanHBcharcoalpenciltoaddthebasicdarksontheheadandneck.Thiswillemphasizethatarea,makingitthefocalpointofyourdrawing.Finishthefaceandtherestofthebodywithacharcoalpencil.Addthedarkshadowsandblendthemwithatortillionoryourfinger.Keepyourblendingtoaminimumtoavoidgrayingdownyoursubject.Cleanupanysmudgeswithakneadederaserandspraywithfixative.

DRAWINGSECRETHornsvaryinshapeandsize.Don’tmakethemtoolargeordifferent,asthatwillcreateanunnecessarydistraction.

Toolong

Better

Justright!

REALISTICHAIRREQUIRESTHERIGHTKINDOFPENCILMARKSDon’t make your hair strokes too long; instead, make them shorter andcrosshatchthemat times.Overlapthecrosshatchedlinesin thedarkershadowareas.Thiswillallowlittlesparksofwhitepapertoshowthrough.

DRAWINGSECRETJust about every artist who uses animals in their art will keep a file ofphotographs,notesandfieldsketchesforreference.Thesecollectionsareoftenreferredtoasmorgues.Youshouldbeginyourownmorgueandaddtoiteverytimeyourunacrossaphotoorillustrationthatshowssomeparticulargestureordetailthatmaypossiblybeoffutureinteresttoyou.Thepurposeofthesefilesissurelynottocopyanotherartist’sorphotographer’swork,buttoaidyoureternalsearchforknowledgeofyoursubjects.

ROCKYMOUNTAINELK

TheRockyMountainelkisalargeNorthAmericandeer,secondinsizeonlytothemoose.Theirantlersaremoremassive than thoseofwhite-tailedandmuledeer.Elk antlers have main beams that can reach up to 5 feet (153cm) long on

maturebulls.Normally,maturebullswillhavesixtinesoneachside,butafewrecord-bookbulls sport sevenor eveneight.Asetof elkantlers canweigh50pounds (23kg).Bull elkusuallygrow their largest antlers in theirprimeyears,whichbeginatagefiveandahalfyears.

ANIMALSECRETAnadultbullisabout8feet(245cm)long,4½feet(137cm)highattheshoulderand canweigh 700 to 850 pounds (315kg to 383kg). Siberia has a stag that’sverysimilartotheAmericanelk.

STUDY

RockyMountainElkAntler

ANTLERWEIGHTANDSUPPORTBecause elk antlersweigh somuch,make sure your elk’s neck and body looksturdyenoughtosupport them.Elkbulls, like theirmooserelatives,sometimeshavetoswaytheirnecksbackandforthtomovethroughbrushandwoodsduetotheirwideantlers.An elk’s antlers, like those of a deer, are sometimes irregularly shaped.

Drawingtheseatypicalantlersmaylookodd.It’suptoyouwhethertokeepthisrealism or use your artistic license to create a more classic pose and antlerformation.

Initialantleroutline

Aftershadingwithatortillion

ANIMALSECRETOnetricktodrawingrealisticantlersandhornsistonotmakethemtooperfect!Mosthornsandantlersdifferoneach sideof theanimal’shead.Theseuniquecharacteristicswillgiveyouranimalsmorecharacterandpersonality.

ANTLERSINVELVETThis elk is shown in its August coat, with antlers that are still growing andencased in velvet. Pay particular attention to the direction of the elk’s hair,whichfoldsoneithersideofthespine.Thedirectionofthepencilstrokeshelpsroundthebody.Also,thewhiterumpmustbeblendedintolooknatural.Setitapartfromthebodyhaircolorationwithsomedarkermarksalongtheedges.

DEMONSTRATION

BuglingElk

Buglingelkmakegreatdrawingsubjects.Sportsmenoftenthinkofthisbuglingpose when they think of elk. The bugle defines the essence of the NorthAmerican RockyMountain bull elk. Although you should consider the entireanimalasyoudraw,trytoidentifywhatwillcatchtheviewer’seyefirstandpayspecialattentiontothatarea.Inthisdemonstration,thebuglingfaceframedwiththeelk’simpressiveantlers

isthefocalpoint.Youcanalmostseethemountainscenebehindit.

1MAKESOMEINITIALDOODLESTrytocapturetheposeoftheanimalwithroughsketches.

2ESTABLISHPROPERPROPORTIONSUsingtracingpaperoverlays,worktoestablishtheelk’sproperproportions.

3REFINETHEFORMContinuetorefinetheshapeoftheanimalwithtracingpaperoverlays.Atthispoint,theposeandproportionshouldbefairlyaccurate.

4CREATETHEFINALOUTLINESizethedrawingasneededandtransferyouroutlinetothefinalpaper.Beginlightlypencilinginthehairdirection.Makesurethefeaturesarecorrectlypositioned.Adddetailsandthedarkesttones.

5FINISHTHEDRAWINGUseboldpencilstrokesofanHBcharcoalpenciltoindicatethelong,darkhaironthebull’sneck.Leavethechinwhitetoprojectthebuglingmouthforward.

STUDY

RockyMountainElkCowandCalf

Althoughbullelkmakegreatsubjects,don’tneglectthefemales,orcows.Theywork well in serene, peaceful settings, whereas bulls are often portrayed asaggressivelyfightingorbugling.Ifyoubeginyourdoodleswithatrunkthat isaboutoneandahalf timesthe

length of the neck and head, you’ll have a good starting point. Then you canreviseaccordingtotheposeandproportionsofyoursubject.

COWSTUDYThese drawings are refinements of field sketches.Refine your sketches shortlyafteranoutdoordrawingsessionwhentheimagesarestill freshinyourmind;youraccuracywillbebetter.Areferencephotowillhelpyouwithsmalldetailssuchaslegpositioning.Onceyouhavetheseaccuratesketches,youcantransferthemtobetterdrawingpaperorjustfilethemforreference.

Sticktosimple,classicposesastheybestshowtheanimal’strunk,neck,headandlegsandwillhelpyoubecomefamiliarwithananimal’sproportions.

Calftrack

CALVESINJUNEElkcalveshaveacertainsimilaritytodeerfawns.Botharespottedatbirthandlosetheirspotsataboutthreemonthsofage.However,elkcalvesarelargerandtendtowalkwiththeirheadsup,whereasfawnstendtowalkwithoutstretchednecks.

ROCKYMOUNTAINBIGHORNSHEEP

STUDY

ANIMALSECRETWildsheeparemembersof thehornedBovidaefamily.Malesarecalledrams,females are referred to as ewes,and the young, lambs. Bothmale and femalesheepgrowhorns,butthemales’hornsaremorecurvedandmassive.

Rearview

Frontview

SideviewMASTERTHESHAPETobecome familarwith theshapeofananimal’sbody,practicedrawingitfromthefront,backandside.Todrawananimal’sfoot,lookatitstrackstogetabetterunderstandingofhowthefootisshapedandhowitpositionsitslegsasitmoves.

Ramtrack,3inches(8cm)fromtoptobottom

STUDY

BighornHead

ARockyMountainbighornramhasmassive,curvedhornsandcanweighover300pounds(135kg).Amatureramhasashoulderheightofover3feet(91cm)and a length of about 6 feet (183cm). A large, heavy-horned ram is one ofnature’smost impressivewild creatures, and drawing one is both a joy and achallenge. Practice drawing the horns from various angles to understand theircurvature and flare.Thehorns are truly a difficult subject.Gathering asmuchreferencematerialasyoucanonthemwillbeagreathelptoyourdrawing.

ANIMALSECRETUnbroomed (intact or undamaged) horns can hinder the peripheral vision oframs,sotheyoftenpurposelybreakthetipsonrocks.Theedgesofthehornsareoftenchippedorcrackedduetofighting,fallsorboth.Bighornramsnevershedtheirhorns;theygrowlongerwithage.

RAMINSEPTEMBERThisphotoshowstherearoftheram’shorns.

CREATINGTHEILLUSIONOFDEPTH These illustrations of a bighorn’s head show that even the faces ofanimalshavecurves,ridgesandcreases.Drawthehairindifferentdirectionstosuggestthesefacialstructures.

Theillustrationatthebottomshowshowtoprojecttheram’shornsforwardbyheavily shading the face. Study how the horns curve not only in a C-shapedpattern,butalsocurveoutward.

STUDY

BighornEwe

Thebighornsheepewehasslender,shorthornsandcanweighupto200pounds(90kg).Mature ewes have a shoulder height of over 30 inches (76cm) and alengthofabout5feet(152cm).

EWEHORNSEwe horns don’t grow longer than a half curl, whereas ram horns are oftenlongerthanafullcurl.

PAYATTENTIONTOTHETIPS

Horn tips arenormally dulledand the ridgeson thehornsare less noticeabletowardthetips.

BIGHORNEWE,OCTOBERSAVE THE DARKS FOR LAST When drawing bighorns, save your darkestpencilstrokesforthenose,hooves,tailanddeepshadowareasaroundthebody.

DRAWINGSECRETKeepyouroldfinishedsketchbooks.Theynotonlymaygiveyouagreatfutureidea,butalsowillhelptochartyourprogressasanartist.Youwillbeamazedathowmuchdifferencethereisbetweenthequalityofyourfirstsketchesandyourlaterwork.

DEMONSTRATION

BighornRam

Bighornsare stocky, somewhatblock-shapedanimals, andalthoughcircles areused here, you could just as easily use squares and rectangles to begin yoursketch. This pose shows a majestic, mature ram in an alert pose with well-defined muscles. This is an example of an animal in its prime. Its strong,muscularbodyindicatesthatitlivesinsteep,toughcountry.Yourfinaldrawingwillbeagreatreferenceforafuturelargerpainting;theshading,poseandbodydefinitionareprettyrealistic.

REFERENCEPHOTO

1MAKEAROUGHSKETCHDon’tmoveonfromthisstepuntilyouarecomfortablewiththebasicshape,poseandproportions.

2REFINETHEFORMUsetracingpaperoverlaystorefinetheshapeoftheram.Mapoutthedirectionofitshairwithshortstrokes.

3FINISHTHEDRAWINGSizethedrawing,ifneededandtransferittoyourdrawingpaper.Sheepareverymuscularanimals,sosuggestthemusclesunderneaththeram’shidebyindicatinghairdirectionwithyourpencilmarkingsandbyusinglightanddarktones.Createtheappearanceofthevariouscurvesandridgesoftheram’sbody,lettingsomepapershowthrough.Darkentheareasyouwanttorecedesuchasthehornsbehindtheram’sears,theneckandthetail.Leavelightvaluesintheareasyouwanttoseemtoadvancetowardtheviewer’seye,suchastheram’sfaceanditsrump.Addthedarkestblacksandcleanupthedrawingwithakneadederaser.Adda

few highlights to the neck, shoulder and front leg for interest and spray withfixative.

DALLSHEEP

DEMONSTRATION

DallRamHorns

Horns aremuch harder to draw than antlers, and only repeated drawings andstudiescanhelpyoutomastertheirdifficultform.Keepyourfieldsketchesandphotographsfromvariousangleswithyourreferencematerialtohelpyouasyoupractice.

REFERENCEPHOTO

1CAPTURETHECURVETrytocapturethenaturalcurveoftheram’shornsfromahead-onperspective.

2DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESUsingtracingpaperoverlays,roughoutthebasicshapeofthehornsandheadandestablishthehorns’correctproportionstoeachother.

3REFINETHEOUTLINEUsetheoverlaystofinishtheoutlineofthehorns.

4BEGINTOADDDETAILSIndicatethegrowthringsontheram’shornsintheircorrectcurvature.

DEMONSTRATION

DallRam

NorthAmerica’sDallsheepareconfinedmainlytoAlaskaandtheYukon.Theyarereferred toas thinhornsheepbecause theirhornsareslender, lessmassiveandmoreflaredthanthebighorn’s.Theircoatsarewhite,sotheydon’thavethedistinctive white rump of the brown-coated bighorn. The Dall’s horns are ayellowishbrown,andtheirbodyweightisaboutathirdlessthanthebighorn’s.

DALLRAM,SEPTEMBER

1CREATETHEINITIALSKETCHDoodletoestablishthebasicformandpose.

2REFINETHEANIMAL’SSHAPEUsetracingpaperoverlaystorefinetheanimal’sshape.Thiswillhelpyoumoreeasilyandaccuratelycreatearealisticdrawing.

3FINALIZEYOUROUTLINEUseanotheroverlaytofinishsketchingtheoutlineoftheram.Addtheoutlineofthenose,mouth,hoovesandindicatethedirectionofhairgrowth.Mapoutthehorns’growthrings.Transferthedrawingtoyourfinalsurface.

4FINISHTHEDRAWINGKeeppencillinestoaminimumonthewhitecoat,butusedark,heavylinestoindicatethehair’sdirectionandthicknessandtosuggestmusculature.Blendwhereappropriate.Pullouthighlightswithakneadederaser,usingonlythecleanpartsoftheerasersoyoudonotmuddythewhitecoat.Addthedarkestdarkstotheshadowareas,cleanupanysmudgesandspraywithfixative.

MARCOPOLOSHEEP

MarcoPoloandAltaiargalisheeparethetwolargesthornedsheepintheworld.Although a Marco Polo ram’s horns have a smaller base circumference(normally 14" to 15" [36cm to 38cm]), they are often larger than those of theAltaiargali,withexceptionalhornsgrowingtoover65inches(165cm)inlength.AmatureMarcoPoloramisoneofthemostimpressiveanddesiredtrophiesin

theworld.ItisfoundprimarilyinthemountainsofTajikistanandisthereforeawildsheepseldomseenbyartists.ThisMarcoPolosheepwassketchedfromamounted animal. Don’t overlook the opportunity to sketch in schools andmuseums thathave stuffedandmountedanimalsondisplay. Ifpossible, try tomovearoundthemounttodrawitfromvariousangles.

STUDY

FORFUTUREREFERENCEPeek back at theNorthAmerican bighorn to compare its head-on illustrationwiththeoneoftheMarcoPolosheepatthetopofthispage.Makenotesonthedifferencestokeepinyourfilesforlaterreference.

ALTAIARGALISHEEP

TheAltaiargaliisfoundintheWestAltaimountainrangeofMongolia.Oneofthe largest of allwild sheep, both in bodyweight and horn size, trophy-sizedramscanhavehornsaslongas56inches(142cm)andbasecircumferencesofupto18inches(46cm).These magnificent creatures appear to be declining in number and are

considered threatened throughout their limited region. This Altai argali wassketchedfromamountedanimalatamuseum.Emphasizetheimpressivemassofthehorns,withoutmakingthemtoolarge.

DEMONSTRATION

1SKETCHTHESHAPEDrawtheshapeoftheAltaiargali’shornaccurately.Youshouldalsoindicatetheannualgrowthrings,butdonotspacethemequally—ahorn’syearlygrowthisregulatedbythesheep’sfoodsupplyandnutritionduringthatparticularyear.

2ADDDETAILSUsetracingpaperoverlaystodevelopthehorn’screasesandridges.Onceyou’veestabishedproperproportions,transfertheimagetoyourfinalpaper.Blendwithatortilliontosmoothoutvaluevariationsasyoudeveloptheshape.

3FINISHTHEDRAWINGContinuerefiningthehorns,usingvaluevariationstocreatethecreasesandridges.Nowthatthehardestpartiscomplete,drawthefaceandneck,lettingyourpencilstrokesindicatethehair’sdirection.Cleanupsmudgesandspraywithfixative.

5OtherAnimals,Large&Small

TextureStudy:FurFeathersHideCharcoalonbristolpaper14½"×11"(37cm×28cm)Animalsareachallengingsubjectbecauseeachspeciesisdifferentfromanother.Withpracticeandperseverance,however,yourpencilcancaptureeachspeciesrealistically.Drawinganimalsaccuratelyrequiresthestudyoftheirbasicshapesand proportions. Examining the textures of different animals is anotherworthwhileexercisethatwillhelpyouseeimportantsimilaritesanddifferencesamongyoursubjects.Asyoubecomemoreadeptatdrawingdifferentanimals,itwillbecomeeasierandquickerforyoutoturnyourdoodlesofbasicshapesintorealisticanimaldrawings.

HORSES

Thehorsehaslongbeenafavoritesubjectforartists.Theyarelarge,muscularanimals that are distinguished by their long tails andmanes, long snouts andsemicircularhooves.

WILDHORSEINCOLORADOAfewareasofNorthAmericastillhaveregionswherewildhorsesroam.Theyaresometimesrounded-upand“adapted”bypeople.

STUDYOFFIGHTINGPracticingyourquicksketchingwillhelpyoucaptureimportantgesturesandpositionsofyoursubject.HORSEHEADSTUDY

Profile

Step1

Step2

Step3

STUDY

Horsesvarywidelyinappearancebetweenindividuals.Capturingtheuniquenessofeachhorseisimportantindrawingthemaccurately.Visualizehorsesassolid,muscularcreatureswithlong,thinlegs.Mosthorseshaveshortbodyhairthatisoftenbestillustratedwithshadingratherthanpencilinginindividualhairs.

HORSEINTEXAS

ACCURATEOUTLINE

AddtheblackestblackslastSUGGESTHAIRBYBLENDINGSmooth-coatedanimalssuchasthishorsemayberenderedwithoutdepictingtheindividual hairs of their coats. Blend the darkest areas with a fingertip ortortillion.

The shadow areas were created by rubbing some of the pencil lines with myfingertipUSETHESIDEOFTHEPENCILLEADNoticehowmostof thepencil lineson the finishedhorseweredrawnwith thepencil heldmoreon its side, thususingmoreof the lead surface than just thepoint. This roughpencil lookhelps giveanatural, texturedappearance to the

horse’scoat.

STUDY

Zebra

A zebra is essentially a horse with stripes. Notice, however, that zebras haveproportionally larger heads, shorter, heavier necks, smaller hooves and shortertails and manes than horses do. Learning to draw zebras, such as the youngGrant’szebrashownhere,willhelpyoulearntodrawhorsesmoreaccurately.

ADULTZEBRA

Wildhorse

Crosshatchingontopofthezigzagpattern

Initialzigzagpattern

MAKINGZEBRASTRIPESLOOKREALISTIC

Onceyouhavecurvedyourzigzagstripesaccording to theanimal’sbody,addanother layer of zigzagmarks to darken them.Add a littlemore character byfinishingoffthestripeswithsomecrosshatching.

Wildhorsessketchedwithano.2pencilADDSTRIPES,THENBLENDThisGrant’s zebra foalwas sketchedwith anHB charcoal pencil and shadedwithatortillion.Addthestripesrightbeforeyoumakethefinalshadingstrokes.Zebra stripes varyamong speciesandamong individual animals.Be sure to

study their individual characteristics before you pencil them in. In the actualcoat, the dark stripes seem to bleed into the white areas, creating a zigzagpatternalongtheedges.

DEMONSTRATION

Three-QuartersViewofaHorse

Thisrearthree-quartersviewwiththehorselookingbacktowardtheviewerisapopularangleforartists,asitemphasizesthefriendly,intelligentgaze.

REFERENCEPHOTO

1ESTABLISHANACCURATEOUTLINEOnceyou’vesketchedthebasicshapes,refinethemwithtracingpaperoverlays.Mapoutthelinesthatdefinetheangleofthehorse’sheadandneck.

Headdetail

2PENCILINTHEMANEWithanothertracingpaperoverlay,pencilinthemaneandmapoutsomeoftheshadowsalongtheheadandneck.

Createthehairsofthehorse’smaneandtailwithlong,flowingpencillines

3ADDTHESHADOWSANDFINISHWithanotheroverlay,addmoredetailtothefaceandtransferthedrawingtothefinalsurface,resizingitifnecessary.Finishshadingthefaceandblendinsomeoftheshadowareas.Toachievesmoothgraypencillines,layyourpencilonitssideanddragtheleadacrosstheroughtextureofthepaper.Thiswillletsomeofthewhitepapersparklethrough,givingthehorse’scoatashiny,smooth

appearance.Addthebodyandshadeitusingthesametechniquesyouusedfortheface.Addthetail,butdon’trushitwithabunchofrandompencilstrokes.Thinkoftheflowofthetailfirstandthenpencilthisshapeinlightly.Onlythenshouldyouuselong,darkstrokestofinishit.Eraseallsmudgesandspraywithfixative.

DEMONSTRATION

AppaloosaHorse

Horsescomeinallsortsofshapesandsizes.Somearetruly“oldnags,”othersare bulky, powerfully-built animals and still others are sleek, magnificentcreatures such as theAppaloosa.TheAppaloosa is awonderfulhorse todrawanditsspotshelpmakeitaninterestingchallenge,too.

1INITIALAPPALOOSADOODLESDrawthebasicshapesandbegintorefinethem.

2ESTABLISHTHEOUTLINEUsetracingpaperoverlaystoestablishtheoutline.Addthepositionoftheeye,noseandmouth.Outlinethehaironthemaneandtail,aswellasthemajormusclelines.

3ADDDETAILSTransfertheoutlinetoyourdrawingpaperandaddshadowsanddetailstothenostrils,ear,eyeandmouth.Showtheplacementofthehoovesandbegintorefinethetail.

4FINISHTHEDRAWINGAddtheshadingandgraycoloringwithpencillinesandblendthemwithatortillion.Makeafewhairsquigglestogivetheimpressionofhair,butuseblendingtoindicatethesmoothsurfaceofthecoat.Shorthairedanimalscanbedrawnrealisticallywiththistechnique,butlong-hairedanimalsgenerallyrequiremoredetailedstrokes.

DRAWINGSECRETDo quick sketches in sketch pads with a hard-leaded pencil to minimizesmudging.

GIRAFFES

Thegiraffeisoneofnature’smostuniquemammals.Itslongneck,longlegsandwonderfully spotted coat make it fun to draw. Giraffes are a common zooanimal,soyoudon’thavetogoallthewaytoAfricatofindthem.Remember,drawinganythingwillhelpyoudraweverything,sodon’tavoiddrawingmoreexotic animals such as giraffes and elephants just because they are unusual.Cherishthechallengeandtrustthatitwillhelpyougrowasanartist.

ANIMALSECRETThegiraffe'slonglegsgiveitagracefulgaitwhenrunning.Inaddition,itslegsarelethalweaponsagainstmanypredators.

ADULTGIRAFFEGIRAFFESKETCHES

Asagirafferuns,itstailappearstoflyout

STUDY

Use gesture sketches to capture the essence of how animals move. In thisexercise you can see how the legs support the giraffe.Notice how a front legmustmoveforwardtokeepthegiraffefromtippingovereverytimeitlowersitsneck.Playwithyourinitialdoodlesbeforeyoubeginalarge,detaileddrawing.Draw thegiraffewithdifferent legplacements andheadandneckpositions todecide what looks accurate. Using tracing paper to make these changes willmakethismucheasierbecauseyouwillbeabletoseethechangeasyourmovethetransparentpaper.

ANIMALSECRETAgiraffe, like allmammals, has seven vertebrae in its neck.Because of theirlong necks, giraffes often have to position themselves in awkward, spread-leggedposesinordertoeatordrink.

THEHEADANDNECKOFAGIRAFFE

CAPTURETHEESSENCEOFTHEGIRAFFE’SMOVEMENTSGiraffeshaveaverysmoothgallopthatalmostlookslikeitisrunninginslow-motion

STUDY

GiraffeSpots

Thisstudyevolvedfromafewpagesofsketchbookdoodlesdoneatawildlifepark.Thepattern and shapeof the spotswill vary amonggiraffes. It’s a goodidea to do some sketches that focus mostly on the giraffe’s spots before youbeginadetaileddrawing.Donotcompletelyfillinthespots.Usingapaperwitha lotof toothwillallowsomewhite toshowthroughwithout theneedforanyspecialpencilstrokes.

GIRAFFELEGSANDKNEESCreate creases in the giraffe’s kneeswith darklinesblendedintothewhiteofthepapertosimulatefolds.

Giraffes need a solid base to support their long necks, somake the hooveslargeandbroad.Thehoovesshouldbemostlydark,withlightbouncingofftheircurvedsurfacestoadddepthandshape.

DRAWINGSECRETWhen drawing the long hairs of the tail, make long, individual strokes. Thisallowsbitsofwhitepapertoshowthroughashighlights.

STUDYOFGIRAFFESPOTSOutlinethespotsfirst,thenfillthemin.

DEMONSTRATION

Giraffe’sHeadandFace

Largedrawings,especiallythosethatfocusontheface,requireintricatedetails.Try to capture the individual features that define thegiraffe.Referencephotosare especially good for this and will help you illustrate details such as theeyelashes,mane and the pattern of the facial hair. Reference photos will alsoallowyoutocarefullymapoutthefacialcreasesforshading.

REFERENCEPHOTO

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESMakedoodlesofthebasicshapestogettheformyouwant.

2REFINETHEOUTLINERefinetheshapestogetanaccurateoutline.Mapoutthefacialfeaturesandthespots.

3FINISHTHEDRAWINGResizetheimage,ifnecessary,andtransferittoyourfinalsurface.Addthehaironthegiraffe’sface.Usethedirectionandlengthofthehairtogiveshapetotheface.ddthelongerhairsoftheneck,makingsinglepencilstrokestoallowthenecessarywhitespacestoshowthrough.Addthedarkestdarks,includingthespots,thedarkhairsontopofthehornsandtheshadowareas.Cleanyourdrawingofunwantedmarksandsmudges,thenaddthewhiskersandeyelashes.Spraythedrawingwithfixative.

DRAWINGSECRETUsing texturedpaper foryourdrawingwillallow littlewhite"sparks" toshowthroughthetones—bintentionallyblackenthemoutviaextralinesorsmudging.

DEMONSTRATION

AdultGiraffe

This adult giraffedisplays a commonpatternof spots.Of course, theyarenotreally spots,butmore likevariously shapedmosaicpieces.MarkingscanvarygreatlyingiraffesfromdifferentareasofAfrica.

ANIMALSECRETBothmaleandfemalegiraffeshavehorns.

1DOODLETOACHIEVETHECORRECTPROPORTIONSDrawthebasicshapestodeterminethecorrectproportionsandpose.Keepdoodlinguntilyouhaveafairlyaccurateshape.

2REFINETHEOUTLINEANDBEGINTOADDDETAILSOnceyouroutlineiscomplete,transferittothedrawingpaper.Layinimportantdetailssuchastheeyeandmuzzle.

Don’t make the giraffe’s neck too straight. Let it curve a bit to suggestmusculature

3FINISHADDINGTHEDETAILSBegintolightlypencilinthegiraffe’smarkingsandfeaturessuchastheeye,ear,maneandhorns.Usinglightstrokeswillmakeiteasierforyoutoerasemistakes,ifnecessary.Outlinethespotswithirregularedges.Keeplayeringinthespotpatternuntilyouhavecoveredtheentiregiraffe.

4FINISHTHEDRAWINGFinishaddingthedetailstotheface.

Then,usingthesideofyourpencil,applyallthespotsinthesamegeneraltone,asifthegiraffewasinasoft,diffusedlight.Noticehowthewhiterecessesofthetexturedpaperremainwhiteandhelpgivetheillusionofhairandarealisticappearancetothecoat.Youmaywishtofillinthewhitehighlightswithyourtortillionorfingertipintheareasyouwanttoappearmoreshadowed.Oncethispatternislaidin,useatortilliontoshadetheshadowareasthatwill

giveformtodifferentpartsofthegiraffe.Atthispointyoudonotneedtoaddanyhairstothegiraffe'scoatbecausethey

havebeencapturedalreadywithyourshadingandblending.Add the mane and tail with individual pencil strokes, allowing some of the

whitepapertoshowthroughandgivethemshape.Pencilinthedarknessofthehooves,leavingsomewhitehighlights.Spraywithfixativeandletdry.

Make the spotsmore light and raggedwhen you first start to pencil them in.Theywillbeeasiertochangethisway

ELEPHANTS

Elephants, likegiraffes,arefunandchallengingtodrawbecausetheytrulyareunique. These massive animals are the largest land mammal in the world. Amaturebullcanweigh5to6tons(4500to5400kg)andhaveashoulderheightof12feet(366cm).Therearetwospeciesofelephants:theAsianandthelargerAfrican.

STUDYOFANAFRICANELEPHANTBULL(MALE)You could add character by breaking off the tip of one tusk or bymaking thetusksasymmetrical.

FACEOFANAFRICANELEPHANTBULLOntherightearIjustpenciledintheear’soutline(andafewcreases);ontheleft ear I took similar pencilmarks and rubbed themwith a tortillion andmyfingertip.Ithenaddedafewdarkerpencilmarksandliftedoutafewhighlightswithanerasertoadddepthandshape.

DRAWATUSK1|Drawtheinitialoutline2|Shadetheoutlinewithatortillion

3|Addmarkstogivethetuskcharacter

SIDEVIEWOFANAFRICANELEPHANTBULLAdultmaleAfricanelephantshaveheavierandusually longer tusks thanadultfemales.

SIDEVIEWOFANAFRICANELEPHANTCOW(FEMALE)After I finished drawing in the wrinkles and creases on this female Africanelephant, I shaded the drawing by rubbing the pencil lines withmy fingertip.ThenIsprayeditwithfixative.

STUDY

AfricanElephantFaceandTrunk

Whendrawingthefrontviewofanelephant’sface,thinkofatriangleasitsbasicshape. This will make your illustrationmuch easier to execute. I recommendusingthesideofyourpencilleadwhendrawingelephants;it’sespeciallygoodforportrayingtheirrough-texturedgrayskin.Elephantsdohavesparsehairsontheirbodies,buttheseareinsignificantenoughtoignore.

DRAWINGANAFRICANELEPHANT’SEARThebottompartof thisear isrenderedbyholdingthepencilataslightangle.Thesideoftheearisalsopenciledin,thenblendedwithatortillion.

ANIMALSECRETBothmale and femaleAfrican elephants sport tusks. The elephant’s tusks areactually elongated incisor teeth; they will grow to lengths of over 10 feet(305cm) and weigh 200 pounds (90kg). Tusks usually aren’t absolutelysymmetrical,sodon’tmakethemtooperfect.

DRAWINGANELEPHANT’STRUNK1|Drawinthewrinklesandridgesoftheelephant’strunkwithanHBcharcoalpencil.2 |Addtonebyblending thepencilmarkswithyour fingertip tograyover thearea.3|Adddarklinestotheshadowareasandlightenthehighlightedareaswithafewstrokesofakneadederaser.

DEMONSTRATION

AfricanElephantCow

This illustration portrays an adult cow in a pose that shows off its individualfeatureswell.Thisisparticularlytrueofthesmooth-lookingears,thelongtrunkandthewrinkledhide.Payspecialattentionto thewrinklesandnotehowtheyaremoreevidentattheelephant’slowerbodythanatthesmootherupperbody.Although the skin is shaded to a gray, there is still a lot of white evident.Muddyingpencildrawingsisacommonmistake.Remember,toolittleisbetterthantoomuch!

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESDoodletogetthecharacterandshapeyouwant.

2DRAWTHEFINALOUTLINEOnceyouhaveyouroutlineestablished,transferittoyourdrawingpaperandmarkintheeyes,earsandsomeofthemoreprominentcreasesandshadows.

3FINISHTHEDRAWINGSlowlyadddetailsanddarkershadestothefacebeforemovingontotherestofthebody.Afteryouhavepenciledinthewrinklesandspacedthemcorrectly,gobackovermanyofthemwithacharcoalpenciltodarken.Holdingyourpencilalittleonitssidewillgiveyouabroaderlineandamorerealisticwrinklefold.Cleanupanysmudgesandspraywithfixative.Letthisdry.

STUDY

AsianElephant

Asian elephants aremuch smaller than their African relatives. Their ears andtusksarealsosmaller,andtheyhavesmootherskinandconvexbacks.BASICSHAPESOFANASIANELEPHANT

Use a circle as the basic shape if you’re drawing the profile of an elephant’shead

OUTLINEOFANELEPHANTWITHTHESHADOWSMAPPEDOUTTakeyourtimebuildingthedarksinyourelephants.Toomanypencillineswillmaketheskinseemmoremuddythansmooth.

FINISHEDASIANELEPHANTDRAWINGIt’s imporant to know what distinguishes an Asian elephant from an Africanelephantsoyoucandraweachoneaccurately.

ASIANELEPHANTFOOTTheelephant'stoenailsareveryevident.Makethemlighterthantheskinsotheystandout.

BEARS

BearsaremembersoftheUrsidaefamily,whichcomprisesninedifferentspeciesintheAmericasandEurasia.Althoughtheyarealldistinctlydifferent,theyalsosharemanycommoncharacteristics.Drawing realisticallymeans including thesmall but necessary details that distinguish individual animals. Grizzly bearshaveamuscular,denselyfurredbody,smallroundedearsandaconcave,ordish-shaped, face.Theypossessaprominentshoulderhumpandhave long,slightlycurved claws. They can range in color from almost white to almost black,dependingonheredity,sunbleachingandmolting.

ANIMALSECRETThegrizzlybearoftenstandsonitshindlegstoimproveitsviewortosmelltheair.

GRIZZLYBEARFINALOUTLINEThisfinaloutlineindicatesfurdirectionandthedarkestvalueareas.

Theearsaremoreprominentwhenthebearisinitsthinnersummercoat

GRIZZLYFINISHEDDRAWINGThis final drawing was sketched with an HB charcoal pencil. Before it wassprayedwithafixative,Imadeafewswipeswithanerasertolightenthebear’sback. These slight highlights help to round the animal’s body. Also, a slightrubbingwith a tortillion darkened the area under the bear’s head and helpedadddepthtothedrawing.Thisbearisinitssummercoat,soIdidn’tdrawthefurasfullandthickasIwouldhavehadthebearbeeninitswintercoat.

DEMONSTRATION

GrizzlyBear

This grizzly’s interesting pose canwork for almost any purpose,whether as asimpleillustrationorasareferenceforapainting.It isadifficultposetodrawaccuratelybecauseofthecomplexshadingrequiredbytheturnedhead.Profiledrawingsareeasier,butnotas interesting.Moreover, thisposeemphasizes thegrizzly’sdistinguishingfeatures:thehumpedshoulder,theround,dish-likefaceandthelongfrontclaws.Asyoudrawthefur,keepyourindividualpencillinesascleananddistinctaspossibletoillustratehowthebear’sfurchangesdirectionarounditsbody.

GRIZZLYBEAR

1ESTABLISHANACCURATEOUTLINEOnceyou’veusedbasic-shapessketchestoestablishcorrectproportions,usetracingpaperoverlaystocreatetheoutline.Lightlytransferthistothefinalsurface.

2ADDTHEFIRSTLAYEROFFURLightlypencilinthebear’sfur,makingsureitfollowsthedirectionofthebear’sbody.

3FILLINMOREFURAfteryouhavethefirstlayeroffurlightlyappliedintheproperdirection,youcanbegintooverlaymorefur.Asyoufillinyourdrawing,slightlychangetheangleofyourfurstrokestomakeyourimagelookmorenatural.

4FINALIZETHEDRAWINGAddthefacialdetailsandthepawsbeforeaddinganyshading.Noticethefaceislighterontheleftsidetoshowthedirectionofthelight.Putinthedarkestareas,whicharetheshadowsbehindtheface,underthechinandunderthebacklegs.Makingtheseareasthedarkestdarkswillemphasizethehead.

POLARBEAR

Light-coloredanimalssuchasthepolarbearareachallengebecauseyouneedtostrikeabalancebetweenaddinglinesandtonestosuggestthetextureofthefurandleavingenoughwhitespacetodefinethecolor.Animalswithwhitefurareadefinite case for the “less is more” attitude, so consider this an exercise inillustratingananimalwithaminimumoflinesandtones.Aswithotheranimalswithwhitefur,don’tmuddythecoatofpolarbearsbydrawingtoomanypencillines.Instead,uselinessparingandshadewithyourfingertiporatortillion.

ANIMALSECRETGrizzlybearsandpolarbearsbothevolvedfromacommonancestorandhavesomewhatsimilarweights.Brownbearsbelongtothesamespeciesasgrizzlies,but are distinguishedmostly by their locations.Grizzlies normally live inland,while“brownies” livenear thecoast.Due tobetter foodsources,coastalbearsnormallygrowmuchlargerthaninteriorbears.

POLARBEARSOWANDCUBINNOVEMBER

DRAWINGSECRETWhen polar bears are dry, their individual hairs are less noticeable thanwhenthey are wet. When the fur is wet, draw the fur in clumps that are a littleseparated from one another. When the bear is dry, keep your linework to aminimumanduseshadingtosuggesttexture.

STUDY

POLARBEARCHARACTERISTICSTheir whitish coats, streamlined bodies, smaller ears, longer necks and largepawsdistinguishpolarbearsfromtheirgrizzlyrelatives.

DEMONSTRATION

PolarBearCub

Polarbearcubsarenotassleekandstreamlinedastheadults.Theirroundfacesandbodiesandsoftfurmakethemadorablecreaturestodraw.

POLAR BEAR CUB Wild polar bear cubs are born between November andJanuary.Theyweighonlyabout1pound(45g)atbirth,butgrowquickly.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESDoodletoestablishthebasicformandtocapturethecub’sproportionsandpose.

2REFINETHEOUTLINEUsetracingpaperoverlaystorefinetheshapesintoanoutlineandtransferittoyourdrawingpaper.Transferitlightlysoyoucanstillmodifythedetailsasyoufillintheimage.Begintomapouttheshadowareas.Asyoucansee,onceIgottothefinalpaperIslightlyliftedthebackfoot.The

adjustmentwaseasilymadebecauseofthelightpressureIhadusedtotransferthedrawing.

3ADDTHEFINISHINGDETAILSKeepingyourlinestoaminimum,fillinthefuronthefaceandbody.Shadethecub’sfarlegswithatortillionandusetheblackesttonesfortheclaws,nose,mouth,eyeandshadingonthefarlegs.

Cleanupanysmudgesandspraywithfixative.Letitdry.

BIRDSOFPREY

Birdsofpreyareperhapsthemostrecognizedandmajesticbirds in theworld.These hunters of the sky display sharp beaks and talons, beautiful featherpatterns and stern, penetrating eyes.They are also the birdsmost often drawnandpaintedbyartistsyoungandold.

DRAWINGSECRETPhotographs are very important to artists who draw birds as they capture thedetailsnecessarytoillustratebirdsaccurately.MountedbirdscanoftenbefoundattaxidermyshopsandskinscanoftenbeseenatmuseumsoratFish&GameDepartments.

LAYERSOFFEATHERSLearning how layers of feathers fit together is half the battle of learning toillustratebirds.

PEREGRINEFALCON

LAYERINGFEATHERS

1ESTABLISHTHEBASICLAYOUTOFTHEFEATHERSDrawthebasicshape,thenoutlinethefeathers.

2SOFTENTHELINESUseatortilliontosoftenthelinesandcreateshadowsbetweenlayers.

3ADDMARKINGSANDDETAILSStartwithlightvalues,thenaddthemarkingsuniquetothebirdandfinishwithdarks.

DEMONSTRATION

FemaleSnowyOwl

Thisisaverycommonposeforanowl.Ilikeitbecauseitshowsofftheowl’sinterestingfaceandbright,intelligenteyes.Inyourdrawing,addaminimumoffeathermarkingsoryouwillmakethesnowyowllooktoodark.

ANIMALSECRETSnowyowlsarenotallwhite.Adultmalesnowyowlsaremuchwhiterthantheheavilybarredfemales,whileimmatureowlshavethemostmarkings.Keepthisinmindwhendrawingafamilyofsnowyowls.

1DRAWBASICSHAPESDoodletoestablishthebasicformandtogetaposeyoulike.

2REFINETHEOUTLINEUsetracingpaperoverlaystorefineyouroutline.

3BEGINTOADDDETAILSLightly transfer the outline to your drawing paper. Notice how I changed thepositionoftheface.Simplyerasethelightlinesyouinitiallydrewandrepositiontheeyes,beakandmajorfeathermarkings.Alsomapouttheoutlineofthewing,themassofthefeathers,thetailfeathersandthelegs.

4FINISHTHEDRAWINGAdd the details to the face. Snowy owls have bright yellow eyes, so leave theirisesmostlywhite.Putintheshortfeathersoftheface,usingthemostdetailforthe feathers around the beak and the eyebrows. Add spots to the face. dd thebodyfeathersusingtheprocess.Addthebarmarkingslast.

STUDY

GreatHornedOwl

Owlshavealwaysbeenofinteresttoartists.Theyareasymbolofwisdomandknowledge and are thought to possess supernatural powers. Since they areusually nocturnal, you will probably have to rely on photographs, zoos ormountedanimalsforyourreferencesources.The head will determine the success of your owl drawing, as an owl’s

characterseemstorestinitsbig-eyedface.Thearrangementandpatternofthefeathersonitsfacemustalsobemasteredtodrawowlssuccessfully.

GREATHORNEDOWL

BASICFEATURESOFFEATHERSEach type of bird has feathers that differ from those of other birds, but allfeathershavethesamebasiccharacteristics.

GREATHORNEDOWLSTUDYI like this pose because it captures all the major features of an owl: its facemarkings,wingarrangement,bodymarkingsandtalons.

FINISHEDDRAWINGOFAGREATHORNEDOWL

STUDY

Eagle

The eagle is amajestic bird of prey that has an independent, free spirit and afierce, intimidatinggaze. It isoneof thegreatesthunters and rules the skyonwingsthatcanreach6feet(183cm).Itscolors,featuresandsymbolismmaketheeagleafrequentsubjectforartists.

ADULTBALDEAGLEBaldeaglesacquiretheirwhiteheadsandtailsafteraboutfiveyearsofage.

ADULTGOLDENEAGLEMaturegoldeneaglesareslightlysmallerthanbaldeagles.Theygettheirnamefromtheirgoldennape.

BEAKSTUDYRubthepencilmarkswithatortilliontoshapethebaldeagle’sbeak.Takeyourtime toshape thebeakcorrectly.Byrubbingalongyourpencil lineswithyourfingerortortillion,youcangivethebeakthecurvedlookitrequires.

ADDINGGOLDENEAGLEFEATHERS1|DrawtheOutlineDoodletoestablishanaccurateoutline.2|LayintheFeatherLinesOutlinethefeathersinabalancedpattern.Thiswillmakethefeatherslookseparatefromoneanother.3|BlendtheFeathersandAddtheFinishingDetailsAddfeatherstothehead,thenmoveontothebody.

DEMONSTRATION

BaldEagle

Aprofileisrelativelyeasytodraw,butitisaparticularlygoodposeforthebaldeagle because it makes it look so dignified. This pose also shows the wing’slayout,faceprofileandtalonstance.

REFERENCEPHOTO

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPES

Doodletocaptureyourposeandproportions.

2REFINETHEOUTLINEUsetracingpaperoverlaystoclarifytheproportionsandbasicfeatures.Begintomapoutthewingandtailfeathersaswellassomefacialfeatures.

3FURTHERREFINETHEOUTLINEUseanotheroverlaytofurtherrefinetheoutline.Layinfeaturessuchasthe

featherarrangementofthewingandthedetailsoftheface,particularlythebeak.

4ADDDETAILSLightlypencilintheeyesandaddfurtherdetailtothebeak.Begintooutlinethedirectionoftheheadfeathers.Layintheoutlineofthewing,chestandtailfeathers.Keepyourstrokeslightsoyoucaneasilyfixmistakes.Transferthistoyourdrawingpaper.

DETAILOFBLENDEDLINESHere the lines are softened by blending with a tortillion. Add fine lines toindividualfeatherstoindicatetheshaftandbarbs.

5FINISHTHEDRAWINGStartingwiththehead,finishtheeyeandbeak.Addafewlightlinestosuggestfeathersandshading,butleavemostoftheheadwhite.Blendtheoutlineofthefeathers(seedetail).Thendarkenthelines,followingthedirectionofthebarbsandshafts.Continuetobuilddarkerlayers,placingshadowsaccordingtothedirectionofthelight.Thenliftoutthehighlightswithakneadederaser.Addthedarkestdarkslast.

DETAILOFFEATHERLAYOUTThiseaglewingshowshowfeathersarearranged.

WATERFOWL

Waterfowl drawings and paintings are very popular among hunters andsportsmen—bothmale and female. Ducks are a particular favorite because oftheirinterestingcolorsandtheirworldwidedistribution.

ANIMALSECRETMaleducksarenormallyreferredtoasdrakesandfemalesarecalledhens.Maleand female ducks have vastly different colorations. Males are brighter, whilefemalesaremoredrab.

MALEGREATERSCAUP

CREATINGREALISTICDUCKFEATHERSFeathersaresoftandshouldnothavehardedges.Althoughonerowoffeathers

is distinguishable from another, on close inspection they still appear to blendtogether.Useatortillionanderasertosoftenandblend.

THEPROCESSOFAPPLYINGFEATHERS1|Startwithasmallsmountofsquiggles2|Buildupthemarks

3|Addthefinalsquiggles,butletsomepapershowthrough

FEMALEMALLARDDUCK

MALEMALLARDDUCK

DEMONSTRATION

EmperorGoose

The emperor goose is a beautifully colored largegoose thatmany artists havefoundintriguing.Itswhitetail,whiteheadandgraybodymakeitidealforpencildrawing.Unlikeducks,maleandfemalegeeseareidentical in theircoloration.Usethephotographtohelpyourenderthedetailsofthismagnificentbird.

EMPERORGOOSENotice the gray feathers are edged in white, with black markings along theborder.

1DRAWTHEBASICSHAPESDoodletoestablishthebasicformandpose.

2REFINETHEOUTLINERefinewithtracingpaperoverlays.Outlineimportantfeathersandfacialfeatures.

3ESTABLISHTHEMAJORFEATURESTransfertheoutlinetothedrawingpaperandbegintoestablishthemajorfeatures.Addaneye,anostriltothebeakandalineseparatingtheupperpartofthebeakfromthelowerpart.Startingatthehead,makeadetailedoutlineofallthedifferentfeathertypesandoutlinethelegsandfeet.

4FINISHTHEDRAWING

Usethephotographtohelpyourenderthedetailsaccurately.Finishtheeyeandbeakandsuggestfeatherswithafewlightstrokes.Blendforshapewithatortillion.Startingfromtheneckandmovingdown,fillintheblackareasofthebodyfeatherswithcharcoalandleavethetipswhite.Putindetailstothelegsandfeet,usinglinestosuggestridgesandblendingtosuggestareasofsmoothtexture.Cleanupanysmudgesandspraywithfixative.Letthisdry.

SMALLANIMALSTUDIES

Squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, raccoons and prairie dogs are common smallanimalsthathavebecomefavoritesubjectsforartists.Manyofushavegrownupwithanimals suchas these runningaround in thebackyard.Small animals areoften best illustrated with some sort of background, such as tree branches,flowersorgrass.

RACCOON

PRAIRIEDOG

SQUIRREL

COTTONTAILRABBIT

STUDY

RACCOONSTUDYRaccoonsare cleverandmischievousanimals.Theyare successful scroungersand are not above raiding and overturning garbage cans at night. Their cutemaskedfacesmakethempopularmodelsforanimalartists.

FINISHEDCOTTONTAILDRAWINGUse a tortillion to blend the shadow areas. This will help to round out therabbit’sshape.Liftoutafewlighthighlightswithakneadederasertogivethefurcoatanaturalandinterestingcharacter.Usethesesametechniquestodrawthejackrabbit(page138).

DEMONSTRATION

Jackrabbit

This creature is called a rabbit even though it’s actually a hare. While littlecottontailsseldomweighover4pounds(2kg),largejackrabbitscanweighupto10pounds(5kg)andcanrun35milesperhour(56kph)overshortdistances.

JACKRABBIT

ANIMALSECRETThesmallersizeandearsdistinguishthecottontailrabbitfromthejackrabbit.

1DOODLETOESTABLISHCORRECTSHAPESDoodlethebasicshapestoachievethecorrectproportionsandpose.

2REFINETHEOUTLINEUsetracingpaperoverlaystorefinethebasicshapesintoanaccurateoutline.Addsomeofthefacedetailssuchastheeyeandnose.Outlinesomeofthejackrabbit’smusculatureandthecontourbetweentheinnerandouterear.

3ADDTHEFINISHINGDETAILSThedrawingoftherabbitisshownunfinishedhere.Thisillustration,however,showshowI’llworkfromlefttoright(sinceIamright-handed)tominimizesmudging.Also,Itrytodotheanimal’sheadearly;iftheheadisn’tsuccessful,thewholedrawingmightaswellbescrappedandbegunagain.

DEMONSTRATION

Raccoon

Thismischievousbanditisacommonandcutesubjectthatmakesagoodblack-and-white pencil drawing. Remember when viewing an animal straight on tothinkofitsfaceandbodyasessentiallyequalhalves.

ADULTRACCOON

1DOODLETOESTABLISHTHEPOSEDoodlethebasicshapestoestablishaccurateproportionsandaposeyoulike.

2REFINETHEOUTLINEUsetracingpaperoverlaystoestablishamoreaccurateoutline.Mapouttheplacementofthefacialdetails.

3INDICATEDARKVALUEAREASTransferyouroutlinetothedrawingpaper.Lightlyindicatetheareasthatwillbethedarkestdarks.

4FINISHTHEDRAWINGUseanHBcharcoalpencilandatortilliontoaddthefinishingdetails.Addthedarkmaskwithsinglepencilstrokes,allowingalittleofthewhitepapertoshowthrough,togivethefuramorenatural,realisticappearance.Addthewhiskersonceyouhavecleanedthedrawingofmarksandsmudges.

DRAWINGSECRETNoticehowthewhiteareasofthedrawingappeartocometowardyouandthedarkestareasseemtorecede.Thismakesaflatdrawinglookthree-dimensionaltoeyeandgivestheviewerasenseofdepth.

RockyMountainBighornRamHBcharcoalpencilonbristoltwo-plyvellumpaper11"x14½"(28cm×37cm)

Conclusion

Ihopethisbookofsecretshasproventobeinstructionalandhelpful,andthatithas inspiredyou topickupyourpencilanddraw.I trulybelieveeveryonecanlearntodrawanimalswiththehelpofalittleinstructionandalittlepractice.Ifyoufeelyouhaveaninterestinthiscraft,Ihopeyoutakethetimetopursuethischallenging endeavor. Instructional books and art classes make good startingpoints.Onceyou’velearnedsomebasictechniquesandhowtouseyourdrawingtoolsproperly,youcancontinueyourdrawingeducationatyourownpace.Sogood luck, good drawing and have fun wearing out those pencils! Alwaysremember:yourgoalistobecometheunique,originalartist thatonlyyoucanbe.