Animal Drawing

Drawing animals can be incredibly challenging because you are trying to draw a subject that just won't stay still! The two drawings that I did for my portfolio were of my uncle's whippet and a miniature pony from the local animal farm.

This is perhaps the section of the portfolio that I did the most drawings for. I tried using the same techniques that I used for the figures in the last section (using conte and newsprint) but I found that none of the drawings turned out the way that I wanted. I ended up using col-erase pencil for structure and then did clean up lines with a 2B pencil (this is a very common technique in animation. If you don't have any prismacolor col-erase pencils I suggest you get some, I can't see anyone completing their portfolio without them). I felt that this approach was much more successful for me. However, gestures in conte are perfectly acceptable, in fact, I think that the movement that you get in these drawings can be very successful.

It's probably best to stick with mammals for the animal drawings. Go to the zoo if you can, draw your pets, or go to a farm. Keep a sketchbook with you at all times and draw dogs or other animals you see from life. Again, practise makes perfect. If you know what animal you are going to draw, do sketches of their muscle and bone structure. I have a rabbit at home and struggled to draw him because he was so fluffy, so I looked on the internet for pictures of a rabbit's skeletal and muscular system and did a few studies. After that, my drawing came easier because I knew what was under all that fur! If you understand the anatomy that makes up the animal, then it is easier to show it in motion.

On a completely different note, Sheridan has a Tumblr blog where second year students answer questions about the portfolio process, drawing tips, and Sheridan in general. It was an absolute life line when I was doing my portfolio! Here is the link:

Sheridan Ritual Sacrifice Blog