Beginner's - ArtTrader Magazine

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How to Draw (cute) Animals
By Angela Kingston-Smith
Greetings and welcome to my new tutorial. As many of you know, I am somewhat fond of the critters
and love to draw wildlife. There are such a wide range of animals out there! Now, I am no expert at
animal portraits and cannot do realism to save my life, but here is my step-by-step guide to drawing
animals. Cute fashion! My style tends me to over-exaggerate certain features like eyes and ears and
aim for quirky expressions.
Step 1. What to draw?
First decide on a species. For the purposes of this tutorial I am concentrating
on mammals. Do you have a favorite species? Maybe you could draw one
of your pets?
Step 2. What does it look like?
Now you need some references. Always use a photographic reference.
Never, ever copy off a handdrawn piece unless it is the only resource available.
And don’t rely on your memory either. It is surprising how many stereotypic
features lodge in your brain, and make you forget other important factors. If
you don’t believe me, try drawing a rabbit. Unless you’ve drawn a great deal
of bunnies, or see the real thing on a regular basis, chances are it will end up
looking rather like the rabbit at right. Now, compare it with the rabbit below.
Recommended resources are photographic books (the library is a good place
to visit, if you don’t own a small bookstore of your own). Or you can ramble
along into http://www.flickr.com and search for whatever you like. Try to find more than one reference
from different perspectives. It is best not to copy directly.
Or, if you prefer, you can draw from life. After all, cats do sleep 20 hours a day. I have selected these
references:
Even when closely related animals are involved the details are quite different. Now comes the first of
the tricky states.
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