There's no better to remember a beloved dog or cat than having a portrait drawn of your best friend. Why not draw your beloved pet yourself? Here are some tips...
Drawing a pencil portrait of your dog or cat is not only rewarding, but can be a way to remember your best friend long after he (or she) has crossed over the “Rainbow Bridge”.
The Advantages of Drawing in Pencil
Less challenging - It’s easier to erase your pencil marks than colored pencils. In addition, with pen and ink there’s no erasing, so you have to be certain about where you place each stroke. After mastering a few pencil drawings, you’ll gain more confidence, perhaps wanting to work with other drawing media.
Economical – Mechanical pencils are cheaper than colored pencils and pens. Also, with colored pencils (as well pen and ink) you may need more specialty drawing papers. What’s more, if you don’t live near an art supply store, it’s more difficult to secure art supplies. Whereas if you live near a pharmacy or department store, you can always find mechanical pencils.
Take Good Reference Photos
Because it’s next to impossible to get your pet to stay still, it’s best to draw your portrait from a reference photo.
Use natural light - Avoid using a flash as objects look much better in natural light. If you can’t take your pet outside, determine when his room has the most sunlight.
Take several pictures - Don’t just rely on one photo, but take several shots of your pet in different poses. Then you can decide which would be the best reference photo.
Drawing Equipment
Mechanical pencils - Mechanical pencils are preferred by most pencil artists, as they don’t leave smudges the way graphic pencils do.
Erasers - Have an assortment of erasers, including a kneaded eraser. Also, include an electirc eraser which is excellent in rendering tiny details.
Drawing papers - For drawing, choose cold pressed papers. Illustration board and Bristol Board papers render the best results.
Chamois cloth - Used for blending and softening
Gridding
Unless you’re skilled at drawing freehand, it’s best to set up a gridding system. If you think this is cheating, then take that up with masters such as Michelangelo, who also used gridding to draw the Sistine Chapel.
Shading
Light direction - First, determine the direction of light as seen in your reference photo. It’s best to take photos in either morning or late afternoon as that’s when you get the best diagonals for shadows. For a photo taken in mid-afternoon, it would be about three o’clock. In other words, most of the shadowed areas on the animal would be on his left side.
Drawing Fur
Study photo - Before starting to draw fur, study the reference photo to determine the darkest areas of the fur. First, shade in the dark sections of your pet. Rather than being hung up on drawing hair, just differentiate what’s dark and what’s light. Amazing, you can draw a better photo by turning your photo upside or sideways helps.
Lightening dark fur - To lighten up areas, use your kneaded eraser. You can easily stretch it to the desired shape that you need to use. Also, electric erasers are great for creating light spots on fur. To soften use soft facial tissues or chamois.
Hair growth direction - Also, make sure to draw in the correct direction of hair growth.
Finally, save your initial drawings. By comparing before- and after-portraits, you can see just how much you’ve advanced.
The copyright of the article How to Draw a Family Pet in Drawing is owned by Venice Kichura. Permission to republish How to Draw a Family Pet in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
