T04 dandy

Brenda Hoddinott T-04 ADVANCED: DIVERSE ANIMALS

In this lesson, you first choose one of three compositional options, then outline the proportions and shapes, and finally use graduated hatching to define the three dimensional forms, textures, and patterns of an adorable young giraffe named Dandy.

While the understructures of the anatomy of a giraffe are very complex, this project focuses on only the exterior forms and shapes which characterize the primary bone and muscular structures.

This project is divided into the following five sections:

INTRODUCTION: You can render one, two, or three drawings. You first choose a composition and then follow those steps that apply to each.

OUTLINING PROPER PROPORTIONS: You use a ruler to measure and set up a very simple grid, to help you draw the proper proportions of the baby giraffe.

SETTING UP FOR SHADING: You sketch the outlines of spots of various shapes and sizes over Dandy’s head, neck, body, and legs. The spots are large on his body, and smaller on his face, tail and legs.

SHADING TEXTURES AND SPOTS: You have fun adding shading to the Giraffe to bring out his personality, and the delightful spots and fuzzy texture of his fur. The process of shading Dandy’s face offers opportunities for you to use your creative license to make subtle changes, such as creating your own patterns of spots.

COMPLETING THE FINAL DETAILS: You add shading on the end of the tail, lower legs, and hoofs and add a shadow under the giraffe.

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

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.

23 PAGES - 43 ILLUSTRATIONS 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 sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

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INTRODUCTION In this project, you first choose a composition. Composition is the arrangement of the various facets of your drawing subject within the borders of a drawing space. A strong composition brings the eyes of the viewer to what you consider to be the most important elements in your drawing. By following only those steps that apply to each compositional variation, you can render one, two, or three of the following drawings:

In Illustration 04-01, a full view of a giraffe is ideally suited for a medium to large drawing format.

The close-up view of the head and long neck of a young giraffe (Illustration 04-02) is somewhat easier to draw than a full view and can be drawn any size.

Drawing just the face of the giraffe (Illustration 04-03) offers an opportunity to focus on only his gorgeous face, and is the easiest composition of all to render.

ILLUSTRATION 04-01 ILLUSTRATION 04-02

You first establish proportions; then outline the various shapes and forms; and finally use graduated hatching to characterize the texture and pattern of spotted fur.

ILLUSTRATION 04-03

Your goal in this exercise is not to render a drawing exactly like mine. Your goal is to do the very best drawing you possibly can.

OUTLINING PROPER PROPORTIONS While the understructures of the anatomy of a giraffe are very complex, in this project you focus on only the exterior forms and shapes, which characterize the bone and muscular structures. You begin this section by sketching the proportions of the giraffe. You then draw a neat outline in preparation for shading.

The instructions in this section are for the full view of the giraffe. If you are doing one of the closer-up views, please refer to only those sections of the instructions that apply.



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Don’t press too hard with your pencils! No matter how careful you are, when you draw with a grid, accidents do happen! If you draw some lines in the wrong grid squares, simply erase that section, redraw the grid lines, and keep on going! Lightly drawn lines are easy to erase!

ILLUSTRATION 04-04

1) Set up a rectangular drawing space and divide it into six equal squares. Suggested formats include: 6 by 9 inches (with six 3-inch squares); 8 by 12 inches (with six 4-inch squares; or 10 by 15 inches (with six 5-inch squares).

ILLUSTRATION 04-05

2) Sketch the giraffe’s neck and the rear end of his body. A section of this angular U-shape is in each of the top four squares of the grid.

The lower section of this shape represents the location of the rear end of his body and the upper section is his neck.

When drawing with a grid you may find it easier to draw only the contents of one square at a time. Take your time and draw your outlines VERY slowly and carefully!



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ILLUSTRATION 04-06

3) Add an oval-shape to represent the front of his body and front shoulders. Observe that this oval is tilted toward the right.

Double check the proportions of each section of your sketch as you go, by visually measuring the shapes of the positive and negative spaces.

ILLUSTRATION 04-07

4) Draw a circular shape in the upper right square to identify the placement of the giraffe’s head and face.



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ILLUSTRATION 04-08

5) Mark the placement of the rear legs with straight lines. The lines that identify the upper section of the back legs are slightly at an angle.

The lines marking the placement of the lower legs are almost vertical.

ILLUSTRATION 04-09

6) Sketch the front legs with straight lines that are almost vertical.

Draw your outlines slowly and carefully! Pay close attention to the grid lines to make sure you draw the various curved lines in their proper places, and their correct lengths and contours.



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7) Lightly sketch the approximate locations of the ears, eyes, and face so as to establish the proportions of the giraffe’s head and face in relation to the size of body.

8) Replace the straight lines that mark the position of the legs with curved lines.

ILLUSTRATION 04-10

9) Outline the various shapes of the body and add a few details to the hoofs and legs such as oval shapes to mark the positions of the knees.

In the next few steps, you use the proportional guidelines as a foundation to add additional information to your drawing to help bring out the shapes of the giraffe’s face, ears, and snout.



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ILLUSTRATION 04-11

10) Refine your initial sketch by lightening the lines with your kneaded eraser and redrawing the face, head, and neck. Don’t miss the angular lines across the top of the head and through the centers of the eyes, used as guidelines.

Also, the ear on the left is higher than the other.

ILLUSTRATION 04-12

11) Redraw the ears.

12) Add two circles to represent the irises of the eyes.

13) Draw two tiny ovals to indicate the locations of the nostrils.

Pay close attention to the lengths, angles, and curves of the various lines which outline the different parts of his head, ears, and face.

The following three drawings show only the upper right grid

Take note that the whole head is tilted slightly downward and to the right.



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ILLUSTRATION 04-14

ILLUSTRATION 04-13 14) Sketch the various shapes

of the ears and head. Add a line inside each

ear, to separate the inner and exterior sections.

Add the antlers and redraw the top of the head.

Draw the upper and lower eyelids on each eye. The outline of the upper eyelid cuts through the iris. The double line of the lower eyelids indicates the thickness of the lids.

Add the outline of the snout.

Outline the cheeks and chin, and add the mouth.

15) Erase the grid lines and use your kneaded eraser to lighten all your sketch lines until you can barely see them.

With the rough sketch completed, and everything in its correct place, you now neatly redraw the contours and add additional details. Use the very faint under sketch as a guideline.

16) Add more details to the neck, mane, ears, head, and face.

Indicate the texture of the fur along the lower section of the line inside the ears. Refine the outlines of the eyes and add lines to define the shapes of the nose and mouth. Draw a bunch of fuzzy lines to indicate the texture of the mane.



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Don’t worry about trying to draw your spots exactly like mine. However, you should draw big spots where mine are large (as on his body), and smaller spots where mine are small (such as on his face, tail and legs).

ILLUSTRATION 04-15 17) Refine the sketch of the

giraffe’s body and add the details of the tail and hoofs.

SETTING UP FOR SHADING In this section you sketch the outlines of spots of various shapes and sizes over Dandy’s head, neck, body, and legs.

18) Very lightly sketch the outlines of small spots on Dandy’s cheeks and the upper section of his neck. Observe that even though the spots are different shapes and sizes, the spaces between each are approximately the same width.

ILLUSTRATION 04-16



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ILLUSTRATION 04-17

19) Add spots to his body, legs, tail and neck. Take note of which spots need to be drawn big and which ones are small.

20) Draw guidelines on Dandy’s face and neck to indicate the directions in which his fur grows. Refer to the drawing below. Keep these lines very light! These lines mark the directions in which the hatching lines will need to be drawn when you add the fur.

21) Double check that the eyes are drawn correctly. Note that the eyes appear as partial circles because the upper section of each is hidden under the upper eyelids.

ILLUSTRATION 04-18

For a refresher course in spotted-fur-shading skills, try the following before you tackle the shading of Dandy’s spots!



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ILLUSTRATION 04-20

ILLUSTRATION 04-23

ILLUSTRATION 04-21

ILLUSTRATION 04-22

ILLUSTRATION 04-19

22) Outline a few spots and sections of spots within a format of any shape and size, and add guidelines to mark the directional flow of the shading.

23) Use a 2H pencil to shade in the spots. The light source is from the upper left, so the shading will be a little darker on the lower right.

24) With a freshly sharpened HB pencil, add more hatching lines to each spot. Note that the spots are lighter in the upper left corner of the drawing space, and become progressively darker toward the lower right.

25) Use a 2H pencil and hatching lines to add shading to the spaces in between the spots. Observe that this shading is also lighter in the upper left corner of the drawing space and becomes progressively darker toward the lower right.

26) Use a 2B pencil to add darker hatching lines to the fur in the lower right.



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SHADING TEXTURES AND SPOTS In this section of the project you have fun adding shading to the Giraffe to bring out his personality and the delightful spots and fuzzy texture of his fur. The process of shading Dandy’s face offers opportunities for you to use your creative license to make subtle changes, such as creating your own pattern of spots.

ILLUSTRATION 04-24

27) Use hatching to add shading to the ears.

28) Follow the guidelines to add shading to the spots on the side of his face.

Remember, light affects the placement and value of every section of shading. Also, a full range of values gives contrast between light and shadow areas.

ILLUSTRATION 04-25

29) Shade in the dark shadow sections on the right.

30) Add the furry whiskers on his muzzle and chin.

31) Outline tiny circles in the eyes as highlights.

The eyes appear as partial circles because the upper section of each is hidden under the upper eyelids.



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32) Beginning at the top of his ears, add shading to his ears, head, and face. Remember, the hatching lines used to draw fur are ragged and uneven with lines of various lengths and thicknesses.

ILLUSTRATION 04-26

Add shading to the dark tuffs of fur on his antlers with a 2B pencil.

Use a 2H for the light shading of the base of his antlers and 2B for the areas in shadow (on the right).

Use a 6B pencil to shade the pupils of his eyes. Leave the irises white for now. Add the dark shading under his irises with a 2B.

Shade in the forms of his snout, and the darkest sections of his nostrils with a 2B.

33) Use various pencils to complete the shading of his eyes.

ILLUSTRATION 04-27

The light sections of the irises are shaded with a 2H pencil.

I used 2B and 4B for the sections of the eyes in shadow and for the eyelashes.



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ILLUSTRATION 04-28

34) Before you begin working on the neck, check over your shading and touch up any sections you aren’t happy with.

35) Draw guidelines on Dandy’s neck and mane. These lines help you remember the directions in which the hatching lines need to be drawn.

ILLUSTRATION 04-29

The hatching lines used to draw the fur on the neck are also ragged and uneven with lines of various lengths and thicknesses. Remember, the light source in this drawing is from the upper left. You still need to maintain an overall contrast of values from light on the left side of the neck to dark on the right.

Watch very closely the different directions in which the guidelines curve. Take your time.



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ILLUSTRATION 04-30 36) Add shading to the spots on

the neck. Remember to graduate the shading according to the light source from the upper left.

37) Use a 2H pencil and hatching lines to add shading to the spaces in between the spots.

This shading becomes progressively darker toward the lower right. The values under the chin are quite dark because this area is in shadow. Yet, the edge of the neck on the far right is slightly lighter. This rim of reflected light accentuates the forms of the neck.

ILLUSTRATION 04-31

38) Add a section of dark shading to the inner edge of the mane closest to the neck with an HB pencil.

39) Lighten the outline of the fur of the mane along the outer edges by gently patting the lines with your kneaded eraser.

Other projects on drawing wild animals, including an adorable young owl, named Hooter, and a zebra named Spot, are available in T-level Advanced: Diverse Animals.



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The outer edges of the mane are ragged-looking, with hatching lines of various lengths.

ILLUSTRATION 04-32

40) Complete the shading of the longer fur of the mane. Use both 2H and HB pencils, but be careful not to make this fur as dark as the fur on the ends of his antlers.

ILLUSTRATION 04-33

The next step is to complete the shading of the spotted fur on Dandy’s body and legs.

41) Draw guidelines within the spots on Dandy’s body and legs to indicate the directions in which his fur grows.

42) Lighten the outlines of the spots by gently patting the lines with your kneaded eraser.



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ILLUSTRATION 04-34

43) Use the directional guidelines, and 2H and HB pencils, to shade in the spots with hatching lines.

ILLUSTRATION 04-35

44) Add medium values to the spots that are farther away from the light source, with an HB pencil.



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ILLUSTRATION 04-36

45) Use a 2H pencil to shade the spaces between the spots in the light sections.

46) Add medium values to the spaces in the shadow sections (use an HB pencil).

ILLUSTRATION 04-37

COMPLETING THE FINAL DETAILS In this section you add final details, such as shading on the end of the tail, lower legs, and hoofs and add a shadow under the giraffe.

47) Use a 2B pencil to add dark shading to the long fur on the end of Dandy’s tail.



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ILLUSTRATION 04-38

48) Complete the shading on the lower sections of Dandy’s legs with a 2H pencil (for the light areas) and an HB pencil (for the sections in shadow). Check over the shading on the four legs, and make sure that the shading of the two legs that are on the other side of the giraffe, are darker than the two legs closer to the viewer.

49) Add a few small faint spots to the lower sections of his legs.

ILLUSTRATION 04-39

50) Use various pencils to complete the shading of his feet and hoofs. Observe the rounded forms on the backs of his feet. Don’t miss the small sections of lighter shading on the hoofs, which defines their forms and help make them look shiny.



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ILLUSTRATION 04-40

51) Add a shadow section with hatching lines that are parallel to the bottom edge of your drawing format.

Examine the three variations of the completed drawing (Illustrations 04-41 to 04-43), and add final touches to your drawing if needed.

ILLUSTRATION 04-41



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When you practice sketching animals from life, you increase your ability to draw quickly, improve the fluidity of your lines, and sharpen your observation skills. Animals rarely stay still for more than a few seconds at a time, but with lots of

practice and patience, sketches become quick and easy to capture.

ILLUSTRATION 04-42

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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ILLUSTRATION 04-43



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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.

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.