Drawing is a great way to express yourself and to explore new forms of creativity. With a little practice, anyone can learn to draw 101 different animals! Whether you’ve been drawing for years or you’re just starting out, these tips and tricks will have you creating amazing animal drawings in no time.
Grab Your Supplies
The first thing you’ll need is the right supplies. Get yourself some quality pencils, paper, charcoals, erasers and any other materials you need. This can also include things like markers, different types of pens, and colored pencils. Stock up on all the supplies and get ready to start drawing!
Start With Basics
Before you get into drawing more complex animals, it’s important to understand the basics. Start by finding some basic shapes and practice drawing circles, triangles, and different line variations. This will help improve your skill and provide you with the foundation to draw more realistically.
Join a Community
Nothing helps you learn how to draw faster than joining a supportive community of like-minded creatives. From slack communities and online forums to in-person classes and art school sessions, there are plenty of places where you can learn and find encouragement.
Practice with Animals
Start slowly. Choose an easy animal to draw and practice. Focus on simple things like lines and shading – don’t worry about details and complexity. As you get better, move on to try challenging yourself with different animals. Do some research on the anatomy and structure of different animals to understand the structure and proportions of different creatures.
Pay Attention to Detail
Take time to fully enjoy the process and be mindful of the smallest details. Notice the patterns and colors of the animal and take your drawings to the next level by capturing and adding those details.
Work on Proportions
It’s important to maintain basic proportions as you draw different parts of the animal and create the overall drawing. Measure the size of the head against the body and the size of the legs against the tail. This will make the proportions more realistic and make your drawing look better overall.
Find Inspiration
Find inspiration in the world around you. Take photos of animals in your neighborhood, check out documentaries and art books, or follow some inspiring animals artists. This will give you ideas of how to translate what you see in 3D into a 2D drawing.
Learn to Shade
Shading is the key to making your drawings look realistic and it’s one of the basic skills necessary to successfully completing a drawing. Start by working on shading techniques such as hatching, crosshatching, and stippling.
Try Different Tools
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different tools and materials to switch things up a bit. Don’t limit yourself to just pencils, try out charcoals, watercolors, crayons or whatever you have on hand. You never know what results you’ll get and the funny thing about drawing is – mistakes are just part of the learning process.
Copy Other Drawing
Studying different drawings and copying the style of master artists is always a good way to learn and improve. Start by copying the work of your favorite artist and then challenge yourself by copying some of the most difficult artworks you can find.
Put in the Hours
Drawing skills take time and practice. The more time and effort you put in, the more you’ll get back. Set a schedule and make it a goal to spend a few hours every day drawing and you’ll be surprised by how much your skills improve over the weeks and months.
Work on Perspective
When you draw animals it is important to understand perspective and create a 3 dimensional effect. Play around with one-, two-, and three-point perspective and pay attention to how your drawings look when seen from different angles.
Bring Your Drawings to Life
Your drawings will come to life when you start bringing a little motion into them. As well as correct proportions, use dynamic lines to show movement and draw the way the fur falls and light catches the eyes.
Have Fun
Drawing isn’t something you do to pass the time, it’s a way of expressing yourself. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and play around – have some fun and you’ll find yourself enjoying the process more and more.
Add Details
It’s the little details that will bring your drawings to life. Add intricate details to the fur and shading of the animals to give your drawings that added realistic edge.
Finishing Touches
No matter how perfect you think your drawing is, there is always room for improvement and adding some finishing touches. Add some background elements, draw some props, and add some more line and shading to make your drawings pop!
Use Symmetry
Understanding how symmetrical shapes can help add balance to your drawings is an important part of creating realistic animal drawings. Here, understand and use the basics of symmetry in your drawings to bring balance and realism to the overall look.
Commit to a Schedule
If you really want to improve your drawing skills, it’s important to commit to a regular schedule. Think of it as a habit that you need to follow every day – and this will help you improve greatly over a period of time.
Start Drawing Animals
The best way to get started with drawing animals is to dive right in and start with something simple. Use simple shapes and lines to form the basic structure and with a little practice, you’ll quickly start refining your drawings and improving your skills.
Focus On the Small Things
Pay attention to the little details in your drawings and you’ll be able to spot mistakes and take corrective action. These details don’t always have to define the whole drawing but added together can form a realistic and striking final image.
Play Around
Don’t be afraid to play around and experiment. Drawing isn’t only about being perfect, it’s also about expressing yourself through your artwork. Let go of the pressure of perfection and let your creative side flow.
Find the Right Lighting
Lighting is one of the key elements of creating a realistic drawing. Analyze the lighting of a photo and find out the right way to use it in your drawing. this will help create a realistic shadow and help make the final piece stand out.
Look For Contrast
Adding contrast makes the elements of your drawing pop and come to life. Contrast usually consists of using light and dark colors to create drama in your drawing and make the end result stand out.
Switch Up Mediums
You don’t have to stick to the same medium all the time – exaggerate textures, use new materials and experiment with bold colors. Adding your own twist to different drawings will give you a unique and interesting style.
Have Patience
Always remember – Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your animal drawings. Have patience and take your time – practice and a few tips can take your animal drawings up to the next level.
Refine Your Skills
The best way to refine your drawing skills and techniques is to practice; practice and practice some more. Keep practicing and you’ll soon be able to draw 101 animals in no time!
Be Creative
Most of all, when creating your animal drawings, be creative and have some fun. There is no right or wrong way to draw an animal, so let your imagination go wild and add your own twist to each drawing.
Grab Your Supplies
The first thing you’ll need is the right supplies. Get yourself some quality pencils, paper, charcoals, erasers and any other materials you need. This can also include things like markers, different types of pens, and colored pencils. Stock up on all the supplies and get ready to start drawing!
Start With Basics
Before you get into drawing more complex animals, it’s important to understand the basics. Start by finding some basic shapes and practice drawing circles, triangles, and different line variations. This will help improve your skill and provide you with the foundation to draw more realistically.
Join a Community
Nothing helps you learn how to draw faster than joining a supportive community of like-minded creatives. From slack communities and online forums to in-person classes and art school sessions, there are plenty of places where you can learn and find encouragement.
Practice with Animals
Start slowly. Choose an easy animal to draw and practice. Focus on simple things like lines and shading – don’t worry about details and complexity. As you get better, move on to try challenging yourself with different animals. Do some research on the anatomy and structure of different animals to understand the structure and proportions of different creatures.
Pay Attention to Detail
Take time to fully enjoy the process and be mindful of the smallest details. Notice the patterns and colors of the animal and take your drawings to the next level by capturing and adding those details.
Work on Proportions
It’s important to maintain basic proportions as you draw different parts of the animal and create the overall drawing. Measure the size of the head against the body and the size of the legs against the tail. This will make the proportions more realistic and make your drawing look better overall.
Find Inspiration
Find inspiration in the world around you. Take photos of animals in your neighborhood, check out documentaries and art books, or follow some inspiring animals artists. This will give you ideas of how to translate what you see in 3D into a 2D drawing.
Learn to Shade
Shading is the key to making your drawings look realistic and it’s one of the basic skills necessary to successfully completing a drawing. Start by working on shading techniques such as hatching, crosshatching, and stippling.
Try Different Tools
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different tools and materials to switch things up a bit. Don’t limit yourself to just pencils, try out charcoals, watercolors, crayons or whatever you have on hand. You never know what results you’ll get and the funny thing about drawing is – mistakes are just part of the learning process.
Copy Other Drawing
Studying different drawings and copying the style of master artists is always a good way to learn and improve. Start by copying the work of your favorite artist and then challenge yourself by copying some of the most difficult artworks you can find.
Put in the Hours
Drawing skills take time and practice. The more time and effort you put in, the more you’ll get back. Set a schedule and make it a goal to spend a few hours every day drawing and you’ll be surprised by how much your skills improve over the weeks and months.
Work on Perspective
When you draw animals it is important to understand perspective and create a 3 dimensional effect. Play around with one-, two-, and three-point perspective and pay attention to how your drawings look when seen from different angles.
Bring Your Drawings to Life
Your drawings will come to life when you start bringing a little motion into them. As well as correct proportions, use dynamic lines to show movement and draw the way the fur falls and light catches the eyes.
Have Fun
Drawing isn’t something you do to pass the time, it’s a way of expressing yourself. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and play around – have some fun and you’ll find yourself enjoying the process more and more.
Add Details
It’s the little details that will bring your drawings to life. Add intricate details to the fur and shading of the animals to give your drawings that added realistic edge.
Finishing Touches
No matter how perfect you think your drawing is, there is always room for improvement and adding some finishing touches. Add some background elements, draw some props, and add some more line and shading to make your drawings pop!
Use Symmetry
Understanding how symmetrical shapes can help add balance to your drawings is an important part of creating realistic animal drawings. Here, understand and use the basics of symmetry in your drawings to bring balance and realism to the overall look.
Commit to a Schedule
If you really want to improve your drawing skills, it’s important to commit to a regular schedule. Think of it as a habit that you need to follow every day – and this will help you improve greatly over a period of time.
Start Drawing Animals
The best way to get started with drawing animals is to dive right in and start with something simple. Use simple shapes and lines to form the basic structure and with a little practice, you’ll quickly start refining your drawings and improving your skills.
Focus On the Small Things
Pay attention to the little details in your drawings and you’ll be able to spot mistakes and take corrective action. These details don’t always have to define the whole drawing but added together can form a realistic and striking final image.
Play Around
Don’t be afraid to play around and experiment. Drawing isn’t only about being perfect, it’s also about expressing yourself through your artwork. Let go of the pressure of perfection and let your creative side flow.
Find the Right Lighting
Lighting is one of the key elements of creating a realistic drawing. Analyze the lighting of a photo and find out the right way to use it in your drawing. this will help create a realistic shadow and help make the final piece stand out.
Look For Contrast
Adding contrast makes the elements of your drawing pop and come to life. Contrast usually consists of using light and dark colors to create drama in your drawing and make the end result stand out.
Switch Up Mediums
You don’t have to stick to the same medium all the time – exaggerate textures, use new materials and experiment with bold colors. Adding your own twist to different drawings will give you a unique and interesting style.
Have Patience
Always remember – Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your animal drawings. Have patience and take your time – practice and a few tips can take your animal drawings up to the next level.
Refine Your Skills
The best way to refine your drawing skills and techniques is to practice; practice and practice some more. Keep practicing and you’ll soon be able to draw 101 animals in no time!
Be Creative
Most of all, when creating your animal drawings, be creative and have some fun. There is no right or wrong way to draw an animal, so let your imagination go wild and add your own twist to each drawing.
