There are many details to consider when drawing wildlife and nature. The closer you get to your subject matter, the more difficult the details become. Let’s break down some animal drawings into small areas and study the details. I recommend practicing these small segments in your segment drawing notebook.
BUDDY
Graphite on smooth bristol
11” × 11” (28cm × 28cm)
Many small details were required to make this chimp look realistic. The combination of fur and skin was fun and challenging.
The tones were smoothed out with a tortillion. A kneaded eraser was used to lift out the catch light and highlights in the iris. The skin areas were blended to create a smooth look.
The crisper lines around the eye and the creases of the face were done in pencil. A kneaded eraser was used to lift highlights along all of the edges of the creases. Remember, anything with an edge gathers light.
When drawing the mouth and teeth, it is all about the shapes. Drawing the teeth as puzzle piece shapes will help with accuracy. Since the mouth was wet, there were shiny areas. The highlights in the lower lip were lifted out with a kneaded eraser after the area was blended with a tortillion. Since this skin was smooth, you do not see creases and wrinkles.
This dark fur was built up using long, dark pencil strokes. It was then blended with the tortillion to make it appear soft. Light strands were lifted with the kneaded eraser.
When using the kneaded eraser, it is easy to take out too much. If this happens, just fill back in with a pencil and keep going. Practice is essential to using the kneaded eraser effectively.
The main thing about drawing an area like this is to not overdraw. Making these crease lines too harsh and too dark spoils the effect. Shading and blending the tones with a tortillion helped give the skin a more subtle look. Highlights were lifted out along the creases to give depth.
This is what I call a combination area. It is smooth first and textured second. The skin tones were applied with a pencil and then blended out with a tortillion to make it smooth. The pencil was then used on top of the blending to create subtle texture. This created the look of rough skin and tiny hairs. A very light touch with the pencil is required for this. If the pencil lines are too dark or too harsh, the effect is ruined.
ZEBRAS
Graphite on smooth bristol
11” × 14” (28cm × 36cm)
The contrast between the soft tones of the grass and trees and the intense patterns of the zebras makes this composition really interesting.
Drawing in graphite always follows the same repetitive procedure:
1. Draw the shapes.
2. Fill in the dark tones.
3. Blend the tones.
4. Lift the light areas and details.
Even though this is a study of black and white, remember the theory of black isn’t black, and white isn’t white. Through the patterns you can see the effects of light and shadow within this area. Look closely and see the cylindrical shape due to the five elements of shading. To create the zebras, I shaded the form first and then applied the stripes.
The trees in this study are quite subtle. The lighting is low key, so there aren’t the extreme contrasts usually seen in an outdoor setting.
The tortillion and the kneaded eraser were the key players in creating these trees. After they were drawn in, everything was then blended out. This created the look of a dense thicket. Once the trunks and branches were lightly drawn back in, the kneaded eraser finished them off by lifting the light from the limbs on top.
The grass was drawn using the same procedure as the trees. First the vertical strokes were drawn in to create the look of grass. Then everything was blended out with a tortillion. The light grass was lifted with a kneaded eraser as the final step.
THE LONG AND SHORT OF LOVE
Graphite on smooth bristol
11” × 14” (28cm × 36cm)
Much to my surprise, I had a difficult time capturing what I wanted compositionally with this drawing. The huge difference in size between mommy and baby made getting them on the drawing paper in a way that they both could be seen quite a challenge. Because of the empty space between the two giraffes, no matter how I placed them, the baby was overwhelmed and looked like it was being pushed off the page. To compensate for this, I had to sacrifice some of the larger giraffe.
Sometimes a photo will not be everything you need for a drawing. This is where artistic license comes in. Composition is hugely important, so make sure you work out the balance of it all before you just jump in. Change it if necessary.
Patterns on an animal are always second to the form. The patterns on this giraffe would look unrealistic if the form of its anatomy was not visible beneath. The shading placed beneath the patterns gave the neck the look of muscles and a cylindrical shape.
Reflected light was laid in along the edge of the boulders after their shapes had been blended smooth. The vertical strokes of the pencil created the look of grass. A kneaded eraser was used to lift out the light stems and details.
These trees appear to be in the distance due to the blended approach. The subtle shapes of light and dark give the illusion of trees. Keeping them out of focus keeps them from competing with the giraffes, making the giraffes seem crisp and in focus.
TORTOISE
Graphite on smooth bristol
7” × 10” (18cm × 25cm)
Not all animals have fur, but this does not necessarily mean they are easier to draw. Skin textures can be complicated. The segment drawing method can help you work out the problems and gain a better understanding of what you are actually looking at. Although this is not a small segment drawing like the ones I put in my notebook, as a close-up it provides the same benefit. It allows you to see all the details and surfaces of the subject matter.
This area is very smooth. Due to the overlapping surfaces and the shell extending over the skin below, there are deep shadows. The darkness under the shell makes it look elevated. There is reflected light along the edge of the shell. (Remember the rule about edges.) The shell itself was blended with a tortillion to make it look smooth.
This area of the face is a combination of textures. The skin is a little bumpy around the eye and mouth, but not deeply creased. The top of the head is quite smooth. Creating bumpy skin like this requires remembering the sphere. The gently raised areas have the same elements. The light areas were lifted with a kneaded eraser.
The texture of the tortoise’s leg is like a honeycomb. Drawing the shapes in was very much like putting a puzzle together. When shading it, I found that the center of each honeycomb segment was a bit darker, and there was reflected light around each one of them. This made the creases between them look recessed. The reflected light was lifted with a kneaded eraser.
HERE’S LOOKIN’ AT CHA!
Graphite on smooth bristol
8” × 8” (20cm × 20cm)
This is another example of an animal with texture, not fur. The intense wrinkles and folds make this a complicated study. By closing in on the elephant’s face, all of the details show.
Notice the smooth areas of the ear and tusk. Practicing all of these types of surfaces will make you a better artist.
This ear area almost resembles a piece of fabric. Because it is a flat surface, there is a huge amount of reflected light all around it. The surface itself has a wavy appearance. It was created by drawing patterns of light and dark and then blending them out. All of the light was lifted with a kneaded eraser.
This area with its smooth rounded surface is a total cylinder. The smooth blending made this tusk look perfectly rounded.
This area is highly textured. If you compare its look to fabric, this would be an interlocking fold, with one raised surface overlapping another. Each raised surface creates a ridge. That means there is reflected light along each one. Because it is raised, there is also a cast shadow below it. Look for these details before you begin to draw.
AFRICAN ELEPHANTS
Graphite on smooth bristol
11” × 14” (28cm × 36cm)
While the textures here are not as evident as in the close-up elephant image, even from this view, the texture of the skin is an important feature. If these elephants had been drawn perfectly as far as the shapes go, but the skin looked too smooth, they would not look realistic. All aspects of an animal must be included in your drawing for it to be an accurate depiction.
This segment is similar to the previous elephant segments. While the ridges are not as distinct, you can still see them. They were created with smaller, lighter pencil lines. The patterns on the ear are almost identical.
The blending in the foliage makes the trees look a bit out of focus, while the extreme light and dark on the trunks indicates the light source coming from the left.
The ground was created with a horizontal application, which helps with the illusion of distance. The rocks are light on the top and dark on the bottom, resembling the sphere exercise.