Drawing Realistic Animals from Photographs
By Venice Kichura
Published by
Venice Kichura on Smashwords
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Drawing Realistic Animals from Photographs
Cover art by Venice Kichura
Copyright 2012 Venice Kichura
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Table of Contents
Introduction * Drawing Materials * Basic Drawing Techniques *Making an Accurate Drawing * Choosing a Reference Photo * Drawing Animal Fur * Shading Lines *Drawing Realistic Eyes * Drawing Noses * Ears * Depicting Realistic Paws * Depicting Whiskers * Step-by-Step Drawing of a Corgi * Drawing Animals in Colored Pencil * Differences in Colored Pencils * Erasers * Papers * Sharpeners * Additional Tools * Layering Colors * Applying Pressure * Creating Textures * Step-by-Step Colored Pencil Drawing * Photos * Sources and Links * About the Author
Animals are one of the most popular subjects artists use for creating art. These creatures have long been the subject of drawings and paintings with their interesting personalities. Pet owners often immortalize their beloved furry friends by having portraits done in their memory or by drawing them themselves.
Besides drawing your own pets, you can find animals to draw almost everywhere, whether it’s at a zoo, a farm, the countryside or other nature sites. Although many artists draw animals from life, it can be hard because animals rarely are still. There’s also the challenge of changing sunlight and shifting shadows, in addition to inclement weather.
Drawing animals from photographs is just as fun and exciting as drawing them from real life. With a drawing tool as simple as a pencil artists can capture their unique traits by rendering their expressive eyes and other features that make them stand out from other animals. Colored pencils are also a good medium for capturing the likeness of animals.
This book mainly focuses on drawing realistic dogs, but the drawing principals addressed can also be applied to drawing other animals. Drawing realistic animals does take some natural talent, but don’t be intimidated, thinking you can only draw cartoonish animals. With knowledge, the right drawing tools and much practice, you, too, can become more proficient in drawing lifelike animals.
Although you’ll need some basic drawing materials and tools, these aren’t as important as the effort and practice you should be doing daily. In addition to acquiring a few art supplies, spend time studying your subjects and reference photos so you can receive the right mental images you’ll later need. It also helps to be familiar with basic body structures of different animals as they affect fur.
Pencils -- Drawing and sketching graphite pencils come in six degrees of softness. The hardest lead is a 4H pencil, with others following that includes 2H, H, HB, F, 2B and 4B pencils. However, if you have to choose only one pencil, select the 2B (.5 mm) pencil. While the B pencils are used for darker tones, the H ones are for light lines and tones. Midtones are usually done using HB or F pencils.
I personally prefer mechanical pencils as they’re neater and not as smudgy. Usually mechanical pencils only come in a basic HB lead in department stores such as Walmart, but you can stock up on 2B leads at an art store; simply insert these leads in any mechanical pencil. Mechanical pencils range in size from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm, with 0.5 mm being the most common one.
The most popular type of mechanical pencils, known as ratchet-based pencils, have leads that are at the tip of the pencil; a button, either at the end of the pencil or on the body of the pencil is propelled out of the pencil. Others are disposable, meaning the pencil is unusable once the lead is gone.
Papers -- There are several types of drawing paper. For more realistic drawings with much detail I’d recommend smoother papers instead of rougher ones that have considerable tooth or texture. These are better for drawing with colored pencils instead of graphite, as their grainy textures make it harder to draw fine details. If you choose smoother paper, you’ll need softer pencils for creating darker shades. One of the best smooth drawing papers is Bristol board. Thicker papers work better for graphite as they can endure erasing more than thinner ones.
On the other hand, if you want to add some watercolor, then choose a medium paper which offers both tooth for grasping graphite, but is smooth enough for applying fine detail. Rag paper and watercolor paper, of course, are also good when water is applied.
Erasers -- Some drawing erasers include gum erasers and kneaded rubber erasers, which can be formed into various shapes for removing graphite. I personally prefer sharp school erasers to kneaded erasers because they’re firm. Another excellent eraser is an electric eraser which is ideal for depicting tiny spots such as animal freckles and the highlights of pupils.
Adhesive putty, used for tacking posters to walls, is another good eraser. This type of eraser can also be molded and won’t damage your paper. Use plastic art erasers to erase pencil marks and remove larger areas of graphite.
Sharpeners -- Use a regular handheld sharpener for woodless and woodcased pencils. My favorite sharpener is an electric eraser, although it’s limited in controlling the shape of the pencil tip. Electric sharpeners are excellent for creating the lightest areas and they can quickly dig out pigment, such as for portraying reflections in eyes.
Blending tools -- Tortillons or paper stumps are used for blending graphite into an even, flat tone. You can also wrap a chamois cloth around your finger to blend graphite. Never use your fingers because of the skin oils that can hurt your paper. Also, be careful not to push graphite into the paper as this can make it hard to erase.
Graduating -- Graduating involves creating graduated values from dark to light. To do this drawing technique, apply heavy pressure with the side of your pencil as you gradually lighten the pressure as your stroke.
Brushes -- Brushes, such as camera lens brushes, are good for brushing away excess graphite.
Blending -- Blending is the main method for drawing a realistic portrait because it smoothes out transitions between strokes. It’s usually done with a facial tissue or tortillion.
Hatching -- Hatching is a basic drawing technique in which a series of parallel strokes fill in an area. To create a dark tone fill the strokes close together, while lighter tones are rendered by placing strokes further apart.
Crosshatching -- Crosshatching is simply crossing over strokes made from the hatching techniques. This drawing technique is mostly used for pen drawings, although it can create good tonal depth and realistic textures when done with graphite or mechanical pencils.
Use crosshatching to make a light map of your work, as light travels across your subject. Just by applying different directional strokes you can show various light sources. By using scrupulous crosshatching you can make your drawing exceptionally realistic. As you tightly weave individual lines they’re almost unnoticeable, creating a smooth and natural depiction of your subject.
Circles and Scribbles -- Use circles and scribbles for a contrast in texture between objects of similar tones. This gives a dynamic effect as it uses overlapping and intertwining circles. The circles and scribbles technique, which is also very simple, is ideal for drawing the undersides of paws and for depicting short, curly hair.