Whether you’re a beginner looking to explore the magnificence of the animal kingdom or an experienced artist seeking to refine your skills, mastering animal sketching can open up a world of creative possibilities.
Learning to draw animals is an essential part of an artist’s skillset. Once mastered, it allows you to create stunning drawings of vivid wildlife scenes or realistic portraits of pets.
In this article, we share valuable advice to help you master animal drawings. With our tips and a bit of practice, you can soon have the animal kingdom at your fingertips. Whether you wish to learn how to draw a wolf, a seagull, or a shark, this guide on animal drawing has got you covered.
#1 Observe the Animal
As with any drawing subject, observation and examination are key.
So, before beginning your sketch, take the time to thoroughly study the animal you wish to draw. Focus on details and the big picture alike.
For instance, look at the animal’s shape and form. Everything — from man-made objects to nature’s beings — is a combination of basic shapes. Is the animal’s body rectangular or oval? What about the head?
Next, divide the animal into main areas, including the head, the neck, the front legs and shoulders, the body, the rear legs and hips, and the tail. Look at the proportions between different body areas. How long are the legs compared to the body? What about the head-body ratio?
Observe how the animal moves, and look for unique features that set the animal apart.
#2 Understand the Animal’s Anatomy
Empower your observation efforts by studying animal anatomy.
Of course, you do not have to possess a Darwin- or Irwin-level understanding of animal anatomy — covering the fundamentals will do.
Thus, make sure to invest time in drawing animal skeletons and live animals to familiarize yourself with their movement, skeletal structure, muscle mass, and proportions.
If you plan to visit a particular area and do local animal drawings, do your homework on the animals you may encounter there. Go over anatomy books, do research on animal appearance and behavior, and study the artworks of other artists to see how they approached the animal.
Aaron Blaise, an acclaimed animator, director, and wildlife artist, once shared his tip on animal research. Namely, he leverages the power of the Internet to watch live web streams of the location he will go to to get an idea of their environment and insight into animals found there.
#3 Choose Good Reference
If your drawing will reference a photograph of an animal, ensure you opt for high-quality images showing the animal from different angles and in various poses. Check the photographs’ lighting and shadows and consider the background elements.
In case you are drawing live animals, keep in mind that animals usually won’t sit still for a very long time. As your model won’t pose for you it is important to combat this with the right technique.
One such is taking mental snapshots, where you will glance at the animal and then shift focus to your drawing. Avoid staring at the animal; instead, quickly capture details and instantly transfer them to your paper.
#4 Capture the Animal’s Emotions & Personality
Drawing animals is a wonderful experience because they are living beings with unique personalities, different facial expressions, and emotions that they convey through their behavior. Capturing the emotional state of your subject is essential to create a lively and realistic drawing.
To achieve this, pay attention to the animal’s facial expressions, body language, and gestures. Try to capture their mood and temperament in your sketch, whether it’s a playful grin, a soulful gaze, or a moment of quiet contemplation.
Don’t hesitate to exaggerate or emphasize certain features to bring out more personality in the image. Experiment with various mark-making techniques to add texture, movement, and expression to your animal sketches.
#5 Be Selective When It Comes to Details
When drawing animals, use detailing only when it serves a purpose.
For example, you may use details to make the drawing more realistic or to emphasize the animal’s emotions or physical features. Where you can avoid being too detailed is drawing animal hair and fur. Instead of drawing every hair on the animal, suggest it by marking the key spots, like the places where the body bends.
The background of your drawing can also benefit from adding some details, especially if you’re drawing an animal in its natural habitat. You can add leaves on the trees, rocks on the ground, or ripples in the water. Just make sure these details match the animal’s natural habitat and avoid making the background too detailed, as it may distract the viewer’s attention from the animal.
Finally, don’t get too caught up in the details right away. Instead, sketch the big shapes first, position them right, and guess the perspective, and the rest of your drawing will come together.
