Animals such as this orca whale feature expressive and subtle contours.
Animals have been a popular subject of art since cave paintings were made tens of thousands of years ago. Numerous techniques, approaches and intentions have developed concerning how to draw them. Since the advent of academia and drawing schools, much of animal art has become about drawing animals realistically. When artists ask how to sketch animals, they are often asking how to sketch animals realistically. Ultimately there is not one single correct way to draw animals and each artist can develop his own approach.
Instructions
1. Sketch animals from the inside to the outside. Start by drawing the basic framework using simple lines. This is parallel to the skeleton of a body, though your lines are much simpler than actually drawing a skeleton. Use one major curved line for the torso and two perpendicular lines for the hips and shoulders if applicable. Use simple lines to indicate appendages such as the head, arms, legs, wings or tentacles, depending on what animal you are drawing. The key is to start by mapping the basic framework to indicate the locations, proportions and positions of the various body parts. Playing around with these lines helps to discover interesting poses.
2. Sketch the basic volumes of its body. Using simple shapes, sculpt the major body parts such as the torso, head and appendages. This step is about adding volume to the basic structural lines. Draw lightly so you can erase and move shapes around. If looking at the animal, find its largest parts of the torso, legs and head. Generally work from the largest parts to the smallest.
3. Begin sketching details in key areas. The structure and volume now offer you the context to add refinement. On most animals, the face, hands and feet are the areas requiring more structural detail. Draw traits such as the eyes, mouth and fingers. If drawing ocean animals, add fins now. Other parts may include tails, knees, claws and ears. These more detailed parts are crucial additions to the structure and volumes of the overall animal.
4. Connect parts together and erase obsolete lines. Now you are articulating the subtler outlines of its parts, such as the curves on its knees, wings or back. Connect the various sections of the legs and feet together by outlining them and paying attention to subtle curves. As you connect the parts, you will notice many sections of the original sketchy shapes become obsolete, including the initial structural lines. Erase them.
5. Draw surface features. Traits such as fur, scales, skin, gills, hair and feathers cover the exterior of the animal and are drawn over the forms you have already drawn. Because you have sketched the shapes of the animal, you now can place the exterior features in exactly the right places. Make sure the surface features indicate the forms underneath. For example, use the direction of the marks you use for fur to indicate the contours of the animals' structure, such as its belly, thighs and head. The direction of feathers also indicates the curved structure of a bird's physique.
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