Welcome back for a special Saturday edition of EmptyEasel!
Craftsy’s latest free guide to drawing animals is now available for download. Click the link above to get it now, or read on to see what’s inside. (Spoiler alert: they’ve included 7 different animal tutorials in one guide!)
While every animal is different, some techniques for drawing them are universal. (Fur, for example, can be tweaked just slightly no matter what kind of animal you’re drawing). And in many cases, getting a few pointers for each animal is all you need to get started.
Luckily, artist and illustrator Antonella Avogadro has put together a well-constructed eGuide that contains short, simple lessons for drawing dogs, cats, a few other household pets, and even some farmyard animals like horses and cows.
Basically, if you’ve been looking around for a primer on drawing animals of all kinds, this is the one for you!
Here’s a short overview of what’s included:
1. How to draw dogs
Antonella (naturally) begins this eGuide with a lesson on drawing man’s best friend. Her demonstration subject is a beagle, but the information she shares will help you no matter what breed you choose to draw.
Her first instructions explain that you should always start with a rough sketch of your subject using rounded forms, no matter what type of animal you’re drawing. In short, you’re building the animal out of circles, ovals, and basic lines. Her drawings clearly demonstrate this process, and also show how to move from those “building blocks” to the final outline that you can start to fill in with details, shadows, etc.
Other tips in this lesson include how to blend patches of fur using a kneaded eraser, and what kinds of pencil strokes (and pencil) to use when drawing shorthaired dogs.
2. Drawing cats and kittens
If you’re not a dog person, you’ll probably prefer this tutorial over the first one—but, in all fairness, Antonella follows many of the same steps as before. :)
She starts by laying out a grid and drawing ovals and circles to create a rough sketch for her soon-to-be-fluffy cat. Since the face is straight-on in her drawing, it’s very important to get the eyes, nose, and mouth aligned properly. Once everything was in place, she erased the light sketch-lines and outlined the shape more permanently with a darker pencil.
As you’ll see in the guide, different types of scribble-lines and strokes can create various fur effects, which Antonella demonstrates quite adeptly. She also goes into more detail regarding cat’s eyes, and how to make them appear exceptionally realistic just using pencils.
3. Drawing other household pets
In the middle of the guide, a bunny, hamster, and parrot get their time in the spotlight. And, just like cats and dogs, drawing a rough sketch is still key to getting the proportions right for all of these smaller pets.
Antonella does take some time to discuss the different “building block” shapes that you might use for various animals. Hamsters, for example, are generally round balls anyway, so there’s no real need to deviate from your basic circles when sketching them. In contrast, the parrot is a much longer, taller form, so ovals and lines are a better choice there.
There are also a few additional tips on drawing feathers (for the parrot) as well as techniques for drawing the softest, fluffiest fur you can imagine (for the bunny, naturally). Overall, a lot of good information!
4. How to draw horses and cows
Lastly, Antonella shares her steps for drawing a few of the most popular farmyard animals: horses and cows. Like before, she includes work-in-progress drawings that detail each animal from rough sketch to finished form—as well as the occasional tip or suggestion she’s learned from her years of illustrating animals.
I was impressed with all of the different ways that Antonella used different pencils, strokes, and scribbles to render various types of hair and fur. She’s clearly a talented artist, and has spent lots of time studying animals (as well as how to draw them).
It only takes a second to download this 25 page guide, so if you’re interested in learning to draw animals, click this link and head on over. As per usual, this eGuide is completely free—and I believe there’s even a special offer included inside. :) Check it out for yourself!
Editor’s Note: special thanks, as always, to Craftsy for sponsoring this post with a free download. Happy drawing, everyone!
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