CHAPTER 3 | DRAWING FROM EXAMPLES

In this chapter I would like to give you some tips for drawing animals, in real life or from images.

Exercise 1: First try to draw this cat, then draw/make up something it touches with its right paw.

THE BROKEN DRAWING STYLE

It can be difficult to draw an animal with all its soft curves. A helpful tool is the broken drawing style: you first draw the shape of the animal very lightly in loose/broken lines. Only then do you turn it into a smooth outline. Note that where muscles are located, the outline is never concave (this also applies to the human figure). The broken drawing style was already used in the Renaissance (ca. 1350-1600).

Exercise 2: Draw the dog and invent an object at nose height on which it is focused. Is he curious, playful or afraid of something?

Also in the sketch of a panther by the Dutch artist Breitner (1857-1923) you can see places where he used the broken drawing style.

USING ASSISTING LINES

With a few assisting lines for the most important directions or proportions, you are less likely to make mistakes in a posture. Basic shapes such as a triangle, circle, oval and rectangle can also serve as a guide. I chose animals from the side to avoid complicated perspective foreshortenings. You can draw assisting lines right at the beginning, but you can also use them while drawing to check whether you have seen something correctly. (See also the lesson Useful drawing tips part 2, chapters 2 and 3, level 3)

Exercise 3: Draw one or more of the following examples with the use of assisting lines.

JUST TO ADMIRE: ANATOMICAL STUDIES 

The shape of an animal, just like a human being, is determined by its skeleton and muscles. You can see this best in anatomical drawings. They can be real masterpieces, usually intended as study material. This skeleton drawing of a dog was made by the Dutch architect/painter Christiaan Kramm (1797-1875).

In a book about feline predators, the dutch artist Herbert van der Poll (1877-1963) drew beautiful pictures like the skeleton drawing of a lion from the side. Pay attention to the thin outline of the lion. It shows the connection between the skeleton and the shape of the lion. Dead and stuffed animals were used for these types of highly detailed drawings.

The last drawing with the muscles is extremely complicated. In the text of the book, all (numbered) bones and muscles are named! In this way, it is also study material for veterinarians.