T03 hooter

Brenda Hoddinott

T-03 ADVANCED: DIVERSE ANIMALS

In this project, you first establish accurate proportions and outline the various shapes and forms of an adorable young owl named Hooter; you then use graduated hatching techniques to characterize the various textures and define the forms.

This project is divided into the following two sections:

PUTTING PROPORTIONS ON PAPER: You examine the structures of a wing and feather, and then sketch the proportions of the owl. While the structures of feathers and wings are very complex, drawing realistic looking birds is not difficult.

ADDING SHADING AND TEXTURE: You use hatching to add values to the body to represent the texture of feathers. The hatching lines used to draw feathers are ragged and uneven with lines of various lengths and thicknesses. Finally, you draw the details of the eyes and add a wood texture to the tree branch.

Suggested drawing supplies include good quality white drawing paper, kneaded and vinyl erasers, and various graphite pencils such as 2H, 2B, HB, 4B, and 6B.

15 PAGES - 23 ILLUSTRATIONS This project is recommended for artists, aged twelve to ninety-nine, who have good drawing skills, and also for home schooling, academic and recreational fine art educators.

Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Halifax, NS, Canada, Revised 2006

Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.

E-mail [email protected] Web site http://www.finearteducation.com or http://www.drawspace.com

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PUTTING PROPORTIONS ON PAPER While the structures of feathers and wings are very complex, drawing realistic looking birds is not difficult. You begin this project by examining the structures of feathers and a wing, and sketching the proportions of the owl.

A basic understanding of the anatomy of a wing and feathers is very helpful if you run into problems trying to accurately render a drawing of a bird. The next two drawings show the basic construction of a feather. The long skinny thing down the center of the feather is called a shaft and the wide end is referred to as a quill. Many years ago writers would dip the quill end (which has a hollow center) into ink, thereby transforming the feather into a pen.

ILLUSTRATION 3-01 ILLUSTRATION 3-02

Feathers differ in size and texture depending on where they are located on the bird’s body. The following words describe the various types of feathers:

Tiny, soft, and downy feathers are located on his head, chest and feet.

Medium-sized, soft, and short feathers, with narrow quills, are generally found on the upper section of the wing.

Long and firm, but relatively soft to the touch feathers, with wide quills and noticeable shafts, make up the middle and lower sections of the wings.

ILLUSTRATION 3-03

This drawing shows the basic construction of a wing.

While I established this schematic for a drawing I was doing of an angel, the basic wing structure is similar to that of various types of birds from a tiny delicate Humming Bird to a magnificent Bald Eagle.



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Sketching accurate proportions is the foundation of realistic drawing. Proportion is the relationship in size of one component of a drawing to another or others. If the proportions are off, no amount of beautiful shading or fancy pencil marks can save your drawing. My drawing is tiny (6 by 7 inches), but you may prefer try a larger drawing format such as 9 by 12, or 12 by 14 inches. Drawing format refers to the area of a drawing surface within a specific perimeter, outlined by a shape of any size, such as the page of a sketchbook.

ILLUSTRATION 3-04

1) Lightly sketch an egg-shape for the owl’s body, tilted slightly toward the left of your drawing space. Here’s proof that the egg came first! (Grin) Don’t press too hard with your pencil. You need to erase these lines later. Make sure you leave room to later add the owl’s head, the wing to the right, and the feet and tree branch below.

ILLUSTRATION 3-05

2) Draw a horizontal oval (the head) that overlaps the body.

ILLUSTRATION 3-06

3) Add a wing that extends from the bottom of his head at an angle toward the lower right.

Take note of the following:

The overall shape of the wing appears to be an upside-down elongated teardrop.

The wing seems to point toward the lower right corner with its tip.

The wing becomes gradually narrower until it finally ends in a slightly rounded point.



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ILLUSTRATION 3-07

4) Draw a V-shape on the face with curved lines at the top of each side of the V. The lower tip of the V-shape will be the beak of the owl and the outward curves extending from the top of each side of the V represent the upper sections of the eyes.

5) Add a small upside-down U-shape above the tip of the beak. Refer to the drawing below.

ILLUSTRATION 3-08

6) Sketch a few fluffy feathers under the wing.

7) Add two oval shapes to represent the feet. Observe that the foot on the right appears to be much larger than the other. However, in real life when viewing an owl from the front, both feet would be the same size.

In that this foot is closer to the viewer, perspective dictates that it needs to be drawn bigger than the one farther away.



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ILLUSTRATION 3-09

8) Outline the owl’s eyes. Note that the eyes appear as partial circles because the inside center section of each is hidden behind the feathers between the eyes. Each is a partial large circle with a smaller circle inside.

9) Add an angular branch of a tree for the owl to sit on.

Double check the

proportions of your

sketch before you

begin shading, by

visually measuring the

shapes of the positive

and negative spaces.

Observe the lengths,

angles, and curves of

the various lines which

outline the owl and the

tree branch.

ADDING SHADING AND TEXTURE You begin this section of the project by adding values to the body with hatching lines. You then add the texture of feathers, draw the details of the eyes, and add a realistic wood texture to the tree branch.

The hatching lines used to draw feathers are ragged and uneven with lines of various lengths and thicknesses. While some hatching lines are dark and others are light, you still need to maintain an overall difference of values from light to dark. Assume that the light source in this drawing is from the upper left. Subsequently the overall values on the left will be lighter than on the right.

Have another look at the drawing of the wing (Illustration 3-03). Observe that the feathers are in layers with the shortest feathers close to the body. The feathers become progressively longer with the thinner, more defined feathers being on the tips of the wing.



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10) Lighten your outline by gently patting the lines with your kneaded eraser.

11) Replace the rough sketch lines of the owl’s head, body and feet with ragged fuzzy lines to represent the texture of feathers.

12) Redraw the edges of the tree branch so it looks rugged and uneven.

ILLUSTRATION 3-10

Keep in mind that

a full range of

values gives

contrast between

the light and the

shadow areas.

Remember,

light affects

the placement

and value of

every section

of shading.

The light source is

from the left in this

drawing, so the

shading will be a

little darker on the

right.



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13) Add curved hatching lines to the head to represent small, soft feathers. Watch very closely the different directions in which the hatching lines curve. Take your time. The directions in which the hatching lines curve are important, because they help give the illusion of depth to the various forms.

ILLUSTRATION 3-11

14) Draw some slightly curved hatching lines on the owl’s breast to represent spots.

15) Outline feathers of different shapes and sizes on the wing.

Note that the feathers are considerably shorter in the upper section closer to the head than toward the tips of the wings.

16) Add a few curved hatching lines on the feet to indicate the direction in which the tiny soft feathers grow.



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Remember, the hatching lines used for drawing feathers, are

several different lengths and values. The edges are not abrupt stops, but rather

feathered (or ragged) to give a more realistic appearance.

ILLUSTRATION 3-12

17) With your 2H pencil, lightly shade in the feathers on the left and center sections of his feet and lower body.

18) Use your 2B pencil to shade in the medium values, mostly on the right. Remember, the light source is coming from the left. The feathers on the right are darker than on the left.

19) Add the dark values of his feathers on his lower body, his shoulder under his head (on the right), and under his beak and wing with a 2B or 4B pencil.

20) Add another circle around the perimeter of the irises as the rims of the eyes.



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ILLUSTRATION 3-13

21) Add shading to the outer rims of the eyes with a 2B.

22) Complete the outlines of the eyes by adding a tiny highlight in the upper left of the eye on the left. Refer to the drawing below.

ILLUSTRATION 3-14

23) Use your 6B pencil to shade in the dark values of the pupils.

24) Add a long narrow raggedy section of dark shading to the beak (on the right).

ILLUSTRATION 3-15

25) Shade the lower section of each iris with a 2H, and the top sections with an HB.

26) Complete the shading of his beak with squirkles.

Leave a long thin highlight in the center, and a light section on the lower right edge of his beak (reflected light).



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ILLUSTRATION 3-16

27) Use very sharp pencils to add more hatching lines to all sections of the head. Use a 2H for light sections and 2B and 4B for the darker areas.

Note the darkest shading in the shadow areas, such as the upper part of his eye and on the side of his beak.

ILLUSTRATION 3-17

28) Add a few tiny oval shapes throughout the feathers on the upper sections and along the sides of Hooter’s head.

This illustration shows a close up view of these tiny ovals. If you want to make a few of them stand out more, simply mold your kneaded eraser to a point and lighten the center sections of each.



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29) Use a freshly sharpened pencil and short hatching lines to draw the soft downy feathers on Hooter’s chest and feet.

ILLUSTRATION 3-18

Don’t miss the sections of dark values on the upper chest that look like spots.

30) Add shading to the tail feathers. Refer to the drawing below. Tail feathers are large and can be well defined with textured shading. The values of each are very dark on the right and graduate to light. The lightest section of each is on the far left.

31) Add a few angular lines on some of the feathers.

ILLUSTRATION 3-19

As you can see by looking closely at my drawing, a few angular lines drawn on each feather completes the shading and emphasizes the fine details.



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ILLUSTRATION 3-20

32) Add shading to the feathers on the upper section of the wing. Observe that the shading is lighter closer to the left and gradually becomes darker toward the right.

Also take note of the very dark shading on the upper section next to his head. This is caused by the head casting a shadow onto the body.



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33) Use various pencils and hatching lines to bring out the texture of the feathers on the upper section of the wing. Note that some sections are left very light to create the illusion that a few of the feathers are very light on the tips.

ILLUSTRATION 3-21

34) Add shading to his talons on the ends of his toes.

35) Use a combination of hatching and squirkling to add shading and texture to the branch of the tree. Take note that the shading is lighter toward each end.

ILLUSTRATION 3-22



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ILLUSTRATION 3-23

Add final touches if needed. You can make sections of the feathers lighter by patting them with your kneaded eraser. You make areas darker by simply drawing more hatching lines where you need them.

Sign your name and put today’s date on the back of your drawing! You have just completed a major project!



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BRENDA HODDINOTT - BIOGRAPHY As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, Brenda Hoddinott utilizes diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal, conté crayon, and oil paints.

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the enjoyment aspects while gently introducing

the technical and academic. Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter, the quest for

knowledge also becomes enjoyable. >Brenda Hoddinott<

Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Brenda grew up in the small town of Corner Brook. She developed strong technical competencies with a personal commitment to self directed learning, and the aid of assorted “Learn to Draw” books. During Brenda’s twenty-five year career as a self-educated civilian forensic artist, numerous criminal investigation departments have employed Brenda’s skills, including Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police departments. In 1992, Brenda was honored with a commendation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and in 1994, she was awarded a Certificate of Membership from “Forensic Artists International”.

Her home-based art career included graphic design, and teaching recreational drawing and painting classes. As supervisor of her community’s recreational art department, Brenda hired and trained teachers, and designed curriculum for several children’s art programs. In 1998, Brenda chose to end her eighteen-year career as an art educator in order to devote more time to writing, drawing, painting, and developing her websites.

Drawspace http://www.drawspace.com incorporates her unique style and innovative approach to curriculum development. This site offers downloadable and printable drawing classes for students of all abilities from the age of eight through adult. Students of all ages, levels and abilities have praised the simple step-by-step instructional approach. This site is respected as a resource for fine art educators, home schooling programs, and educational facilities throughout the world.

LEARN-TO-DRAW BOOKS BY BRENDA HODDINOTT Drawing for Dummies: Wiley Publishing, Inc., New, York, NY, this 336 page book is

available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally. Drawing for Dummies is now available in Dutch, Bulgarian, Spanish, French, and German.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing People: Winner of the Alpha-Penguin Book of the Year Award 2004, Alpha - Pearson Education – Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN, this 360 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally.