Anyone who has ever wondered ‘How do I draw a porcupine?’ can learn the basics with a just a few basic steps. Drawing porcupines is a rewarding way to express your creative side – and with practice, you’ll soon be conjuring up realistic-looking creatures.
Gathering Materials
Before you can put pen-to-paper and start drawing your porcupine, you’ll need to get hold of the right materials. Don’t worry – it’s nothing fancy – just an A4 piece of paper and a selection of pencils are really all you need. To help create texture, you can also use charcoal sticks, and of course, if you’d like to bring your porcupine to life with vibrant colors, then a set of watercolor paints will be necessary.
Learn The Basics Of Porcupines
Whilst this may seem obvious, to draw a convincing porcupine, some knowledge of what the creature actually looks like will come in handy. Look up some photos or videos of porcupines, and take note of their size, coloring, and any distinguishing features they might possess. These might include the long and sharp quills that cover their back, their rodent-like tail, or their beady eyes. Your porcupine doesn’t need to look exactly like the real thing, but this understanding of detail will help you understand the proportions of your porcupine better.
Drawing
Now for the fun part – where you get to get creative. Begin by making quick sketches of your porcupine, paying attention to their head-to-body ratio, proportions of the tail and legs, and the overall look of the body and face. Once you’re happy with how your porcupine looks, you can start to get detailed with your drawing. If you’re using pencils, start simple with light, almost feathery lines, then move on to fleshing out the porcupine’s quills, face, eyes, and fur. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, these can often be the cause of some of the most interesting or humorous drawings.
Adding Finishing Touches
Now that the structure of your porcupine has been drawn and the details have been added, you can add the finishing touches. Charcoal can be an effective way to give realistic texture to the creature’s fur or quills. Additionally, if you’re using watercolor paints, you can splash some color onto your drawing to bring it to life. There is no limit to how you finish your drawing – be creative, let your imagination run wild, and you’ll soon have a porcupine that’s unique and your own.
Getting Creative With the Background
Now that the porcupine has been drawn, why not try getting creative with the background? You can simply give your porcupine a neutral-colored backdrop or, if you have a little bit of time, you can try your hand at recreating a scene. This could include a setting of the forest, meadow, or mountain view – anything that takes your fancy. Whatever you choose to do, the background should reflect the personality of your porcupine, so take care in deciding your scene.
Sharpening Details For Enhanced Impact
The final step in completing your porcupine drawing is sharpening the details for enhanced impact. Add details like texture to the lines outlining the quills and body, brighten the eyes so your porcupine looks like it’s in a state of curiosity and alertness, and give your porcupine’s fur some light and dark variations. If you want the eyes to sparkle, then draw some small glints or highlights in the pupils, and finish off with a few dabs of white around the eyes and nose.
Adding Finishing Touches
At this point, your porcupine should be complete – except perhaps for a few accents or highlights. Use your white pencil to add some stars twinkling in the night sky, trees or rocks in the background, or small critters lurking in the shadows. These small details can make a huge difference to your drawing, and help to bring it to life.
Schedule Some Practice Time
Like every skill, drawing porcupines can be improved with practice. Even if your porcupine doesn’t look like the real thing to begin with, with some patience and dedication, you will start to refine your drawing and create creatures that look increasingly life-like. So grab a piece of paper, and challenge yourself to draw the perfect porcupine!
