Learn to Draw Easy
Animals are such beautiful creatures, and it is no wonder why many artists love to draw them. Art enthusiasts adore animal drawing too, and they pay big bucks to bring home a painting or two. And if you have the passion to learn to draw animals, then you are in the right track.
Basic Rules
Drawing animals has some basic rules that you need to consider.
Draw live animals
A lot of artists are drawing animals based on photos, but still images can never replace the beauty of live ones. Since you are just starting out as an artist, you should come face to face with an animal of your choice and draw live. Visit a local zoo in order to have a clear idea of how animals live. And this opportunity allows you the freedom to study animals more closely. You can see how the shades and highlights play out, and so you can commit to memory how animals look without camera filters. But if you do not have easy access to a zoo, study your pet animal instead. Or hang out in a dog park, or visit an animal shop.
Capture animal photos yourself
One way that you can properly channel your artistic passion for drawing animals is to take their photos. You can use your own animal photos to draw your animal subjects. It is always better to capture animal pictures yourself so you can create an emotional response that you can absolutely relate to. Because if you rely on another photographer’s photo, you are exposed to how they see the animals, and not yours. But when you take your own photos, you can capture the animals as you view them. With that connection, you have the insight of exactly how to portray the animals in your drawings.
Another reason why you should take photos on your own is the copyright. If you pick an animal photo from the web and draw them, you can face copyright issues with the owner of the photo if you intend to sell your drawing. But, if you want to draw animals that are not easily accessible, you can ask permission from the photo owner. However, if your animal drawings are for personal use only, then you can use whatever photos are available in the internet.
Start simple
All great artists start from a simple drawing. Choose an animal that has a simple shape. You should not dive directly into a complicated size and shape animal. Start simple, and go on from there. You must repeat you drawing over and over until you find the perfect outline, contour, and shading. Never use another animal subject until you are fully satisfied that you have mastered one animal drawing. The lesson there is to not leave any unfinished drawing.
Disregard fear of erasures
No artist is perfect. Even the most popular artist in the world commits mistakes and erases them. It is right to put a high standard on your drawing, but do not be afraid of making mistakes. When you make mistakes, you learn from them. That is why erasers are essential part of your drawing supplies, because they have a purpose. If you make a mistake, erase it. Learn from it. And correct your drawing.
High quality drawing materials
Invest in your drawing materials. If you truly want to become a famous artist someday, you need to practice using the best pencils, erasers, sketchbooks, sharpener, charcoal, and more. You must see the true beauty of your drawing, and you cannot do that if your paper is too coarse or too plain or lacking texture. You cannot draw excellently if your pencil is not soft or hard enough, or if the texture of the charcoal is bad. Your pencil will not last long if you use a cheap sharpener that does not cut properly. Cheap erasers can ruin your drawing, and that leads you to start over again. So do yourself a favor and spend money on your drawing supplies.
How to draw animals
Now that you know the basic rules of drawing animals, it is time to look into the general method of actually drawing them.
Geometric shapes
Look for the geometric shapes that form the animals. Observe the lines that connect every part of animals, and check how far they are. Create sections of the animal you want to draw, and focus on each area closely. Draw each section individually and fit them together to see the whole picture.
Animal parts
Pay close attention to each part of the animal’s head, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, ears. Remember that the face of the animal shows emotions. And you to captivate your audience to your drawing, you need to draw the face perfectly.
- Eyes – Take note that the eyes are round, so when you draw the eyes, always make a curve shape.
- Nose – A nose mostly does not have hard edges, so be careful to draw the nose lightly.
- Mouth or muzzle – The mouth and nose are usually at the same section in animals. Pay attention to how the mouth connects to the nose.
- Ears – The ears of an animal says a lot about the state of the animal. Raised ears could mean alertness or anger, so be very careful in your drawing.
Right proportions
Study your animal subject closely. Notice the distance of the eyes from each other, or the ears from the eyes, and so on. Make sure that you have the accurate proportions of every inch of the animal, and draw your subject accordingly.
Bottomline
Drawing animals is a relaxing experience. Animals always manage to poke a soft spot in people’s hearts, and they are simply adorable. In your goal to learn how to properly and excellently draw animals, you must follow some guidelines in order to succeed. And never be embarrassed to ask help from existing artists if you need help. See mistakes as challenges that can make you better.
