How to draw Animals | Elephants in 7 Steps

August 13, 2020August 13, 2020 by hyphaem

Elephants are animals that appeal to everyone’s imagination.

There are three types of elephants, two of which live in Africa – the forest elephant and savannah elephant – and one which lives in Asia.

Actually, the elephant is not doing so well because it has less and less space to live. That is why it is even more important to give him attention.

For many cultures, the animal is the ultimate symbol of strength and power. The elephant is even the symbol for the king of Denmark and Thailand.

But enough information about these beautiful animals, we’re going to draw them. Because that’s even more fun.

In this example I took the african savannah elephant because I think it is a beautiful animal that stands high on its legs and has big ears.

All species have the same build and anatomy and if we make an anatomy study we can study how to draw the animal.

When you see artist drawing from their imagination, it means that they can skip several steps in their head.

As a artist you need to work on your visual library and process.

A visual library is necessary to allow yourself to come up with imaginary images and references.

The process is important to allow yourself to break the subject in smaller parts, after you can easily approach any subject.

By doing a anatomy study I allow myself to work on my visual library, I can check if I missed some details. And the Step by Step guide offers you a beginning reference on how I approach drawing animals.

The step by step guide is therefore my though process, If you need more steps there is nothing wrong with that, just determine what you personally need and put those smaller steps in your process.

African Elephant Anatomy for Artists

Elephants are magnificent creatures which resonate force and gentleness at the same time.

By studying the bone structure and muscle mass, it is shown that elephant can be heavily build or very agile depending on the job they are bred for.

This can also be seen in its appearance and posture. It is a heavily build animal which is not afraid to fight when it needs to.

So once again you don’t need to know the exact anatomy, it’s more about getting an idea about how to put the animal on paper.

In the picture you see the skeleton above with all the important muscle groups shown below.

In the study below the skeleton I tried to create shadows. This way the pig is more translated into large shapes and planes.

It doesn’t have to be a perfect anatomy drawing but as long as the rough shapes and proportions are correct the study should suffice.

Because remember you are only doing a anatomy study to solve problems for your initial art or drawings.

Drawing a Elephant | Step by step

When you have a rough idea about the anatomy, you’re ready to start drawing the Elephant. It is important that you can put the essence on paper.

When you draw the animal always start with the big shapes and work slowly towards the details. As shown in the steps below.

I made these images in photoshop for the sake of clarity for the website.

I advise you to start with an HB pencil and in your sketchbook or a piece of paper and for example change to a 2B or even 4B pencil from Step 3 onwards.

If you are not satisfied with a line, erase it. We are all students and don’t be ashamed to correct yourself if you don’t like the line.

Step 1 | Flowing lines and large shapes

Elephant Step 1 | Gesture and Organic shapes

Actually, all steps on this website regarding animal drawing are almost the same, it is important that you work from big to small shapes. The general though process of drawing animals is for me universal.

I always start with big organic shapes combined with gesture lines. This step is important because you lay the foundation for the rest of the drawing.

Pay also attention to correct proportions and placing of your drawing. The placement of shapes within your drawing boundaries determine your overall composition. If you only do a study this is not that important, but when you draw or sketch for a beginning painting keep this in mind.

When the ground work is laid on paper and step 1 is finished I dissect the animal in different parts mainly the head, neck, shoulders, belly and legs.

Step 2 | Construction of large shapes

This step is for the most part imaginary, I try to imagine for myself the big shapes.

Because these big shapes will often “muddy” down your drawing, therefore I try to avoid them to put them on paper.

When the drawing is ‘muddy’ed down it will lose it’s gesture, life or force. Therefore it becomes stiff and unpleasent to look at, you don’t want this because you wantthe animal to jump from the paper.

Off course, when you first draw a new animal it can help to put these big shapes on paper. But only if you find it hard to imagine then I would put the essential shapes in your drawing.

The most helpful shape for me is the keystone shape at the shoulders. You then have a good basis to put the legs down.

Step 3 | Head and Neck

When you have the essence on paper, we can draw over the large forms step by step.

As mentioned earlier I always divide my subject into sections, for animals this is head, neck, shoulders, body and legs.

For the Head, I start with the eyes and nose, these are important characteristics for me because they determine the proportion of the head. When these are correct I sketch the ears and the rest of the head on paper.

Try to get the proportions of the facial features right, these are often the focal point of your drawing. And people can easily sense if something is off with the drawing if the overall proportions does not match.

It is important that you draw between and around the large shapes. And only create the suggestion with minimal lines.

I work my way down and try to follow the anatomy of the beast. Try to draw ‘Over’ and ‘Around’ the imaginary shapes of step 2.

Don’t focus on every detail you see, because a drawing is just a representation of the artist perception of reality. And it is therefore not “THE” exact reality.

Step 4 | Shoulders and Body

Again, try to think in big shapes and don’t get distracted by the details.

You will notice that the simpler the drawing the more pleasant it is to look at.

Remember: When you put the lines of the shoulder and the body try to draw ‘around’ and ‘over’ the imaginary shapes and lines of step 1 and 2.

Step 5 | Legs

The legs can be a bit complex because muscles can be complex. Try to imagine the anatomy well and simplify it to the structure you see, for ease look to the anatomy study above.

If you have followed the steps above you will see that it slowly starts to look like a Elephant.

And if you have already created a good looking pig, the next step is to indicate the details. Try to stop in time and don’t include too many details in your drawing.

Sometimes drawing less lines tells you more about your subject.

Step 6 | Details , tonal value and color

When the ground work is layed down, you can finalize your line drawing by adding the details.

In the example above I sketched in the pupils of the eyes and put some suggestion of wrinkeld skin on the animal.t.

Step 7 | Color, Tonal Value and Shading

Try to add some tonal value, color and shade in your drawing, do this by applying the laws of light and shadow.

When you use a pencil only and don’t want to color the animal you can get tonal value by cross hatching or slightly fill the area with graphite. And when darker values needs to be put down on paper just press harder or use a 4B or even 6B graphite pencil.

Highlights can easily be created by erasing them in with your eraser.

Further Steps

If you have followed the steps above, there is now a cow on your drawing. Maybe you are not satisfied with it yet, but this is going to be fine if you keep practicing.

Drawing is a skill that takes time, the same as any other profession. Remember that drawing is just a hobby and try to have a lot of fun with it.

If you want to draw even more cows you can take pictures of cows outside or look up pictures online. The steps are exactly as indicated above, keep repeating this and before you know it you may call yourself an professional artist.

Good luck and more importantly have fun!

How to draw animals | Any Dog in 7 Steps

August 13, 2020August 13, 2020 by hyphaem

Ever since ancient times humans have had a special bond with dogs. And dogs come in all shapes and sizes, therefore they can be difficult but are very fun to draw.

When you study dog drawing it is beneficial to have already a dog at home, because then you don’t have to look far for a good live model. Take a good picture of your dog as a reference and you can follow below step by step guide.

These animals come in all shapes and sizes, although these differences among different species generally all have similar skeleton and muscle groups. Therefore by making one overall anatomy study I could already tackle 95 percent of the problems.

When you see artist drawing from their imagination, it means that they can skip several steps in their head.

As a artist you need to work on your visual library and process.

A visual library is necessary to allow yourself to come up with imaginary images and references.

The process is important to allow yourself to break the subject in smaller parts, after you can easily approach any subject.

By doing the anatomy study I allow myself to work on my visual library, I can check if I missed some details. And the Step by Step guide offers you a beginning reference on how I approach drawing animals. The step by step guide is therefore my thoughprocess, If you need more steps there is nothing wrong with that.

Dog Anatomy

Dog come in all shapes and sizes, although these differences the species generally all have similar skeleton and muscle groups. Therefore by making one overall anatomy study I could already tackle 95 percent of the problems.

By studying the bone structure and muscle mass, it is shown that dogs can be heavily build or very agile depending on the job they are bred for.

This can also be seen in its appearance and posture. It is an impressive animal that can make a great team when put in the hands of a right human.

So once again you don’t need to know the exact anatomy, it’s more about getting an idea about how to put the animal on paper.

In the picture you see the skeleton above with all the important muscle groups shown below.

In the study below the skeleton I tried to create shadows. This way the pig is more translated into large shapes and planes.

It doesn’t have to be a perfect anatomy drawing but as long as the rough shapes and proportions are correct the study should suffice.

Because remember you are only doing a anatomy study to solve problems for your initial art or drawings.

Drawing a Dog | Step by step

When you have a rough idea about the anatomy, you’re ready to start drawing the pig. It is important that you can put the essence on paper.

When you draw the animal always start with the big shapes and work slowly towards the details. As shown in the steps below.

I made these images in photoshop for the sake of clarity for the website.

I advise you to start with an HB pencil and in your sketchbook or a piece of paper and for example change to a 2B or even 4B pencil from Step 3 onwards.

If you are not satisfied with a line, erase it. We are all students and don’t be ashamed to correct yourself if you don’t like the line.

Step 1 | Flowing lines and large shapes

Dog step 1 | Gesture and Big Organic shapes

I always start with big organic shapes combined with gesture lines. This step is important because you lay the foundation for the rest of the drawing.

When the ground work is laid on paper and step 1 is finished I dissect the animal in different parts mainly the head, neck, shoulders, belly and legs.

Step 2 | Construction of large shapes

This step is for the most part imaginary, I try to imagine for myself the big shapes.

Because these big shapes will often “muddy” down your drawing, therefore I try to avoid them to put them on paper.

Off course, when you first draw a new animal it can help to put these big shapes on paper. But only if you find it hard to imagine then I would put the essential shapes in your drawing.

The most helpful shape for me is the keystone shape at the shoulders. You then have a good basis to put the legs down.

Step 3 | Head and Neck

When you have the essence on paper, we can draw over the large forms step by step.

As mentioned earlier I always divide my subject into sections, for animals this is head, neck, shoulders, body and legs.

It is important that you draw between and around the large shapes. And only create the suggestion with minimal lines. for example when you draw a pig with fur you only want the suggestion of hair or fur.

I work my way down and try to follow the anatomy of the beast. Try to draw ‘Over’ and ‘Around’ the imaginary shapes of step 2.

Don’t focus on every detail you see, because a drawing is just a representation of the artist perception of reality. And it is therefore not “THE” exact reality.

Step 4 | Shoulders and Body

Again, try to think in big shapes and don’t get distracted by the details.

You will notice that the simpler the drawing the more pleasant it is to look at.

Remember: When you put the lines of the shoulder and the body try to draw ‘around’ and ‘over’ the imaginary shapes and lines of step 1 and 2.

Step 5 | Legs

The legs can be a bit complex because muscles can be complex. Try to imagine the anatomy well and simplify it to the structure you see, for ease look to the anatomy study above.

If you have followed the steps above you will see that it slowly starts to look like a dog.

And if you have already created a good looking pig, the next step is to indicate the details. Try to stop in time and don’t include too many details in your drawing.

Sometimes drawing less lines tells you more about your subject.

Step 6 | Details , tonal value and color

When the ground work is layed down, you can finalize your line drawing by adding the details.

In the example above I sketched in the pupils of the eyes and put some suggestion of fur on the animal. Also I tried to put some lines around the various muscle groups to show the strenght and power of the dog.

Step 7 | Tonal Values and Shading

Try to add some tonal value in your drawing, do this by applying the laws of light and shadow.

Erase the HB pencil construction lines from step 1 and 2, if you don’t want them in your details.

When you use a pencil this can be done by cross hatching or slightly fill the area with graphite. And when darker values needs to be put down on paper just press harder or use a 4B or even 6B graphite pencil.

Highlights can easily be created by erasing them in with your eraser.

I even went a step further and gave the dog some color, this final image you can see in the first page of the blogpost.

Further Steps

If you have followed the steps above, there is now a cow on your drawing. Maybe you are not satisfied with it yet, but this is going to be fine if you keep practicing.

Drawing is a skill that takes time, the same as any other profession. Remember that drawing is just a hobby and try to have a lot of fun with it.

Good luck and more importantly have fun!

How to draw Animals | The 5 step Horse

August 12, 2020 by hyphaem

Ever since the first cave drawings people have been fascinated by horses, even if you don’t find horses that interesting you will notice that when you draw them. They are gracious and magnificent animals.

Horses have a beatiful gesture which as a artist can be hard to capture, but by studying their anatomy and their behaviour . We hope to give them the honor they deserve.

They are graceful beasts which makes everyone a little bit loose. There are many different kinds of horses. But I’m going to teach you to draw every kind of horse.

I’m not saying it will be easy, maybe your first drawing won’t look right. But this doesn’t matter because my first horse wasn’t pretty either, and I promise you I’m still not a professional horse artist.

The most important thing is that you know what to look for in your subject and keep practising. As always we start by drawing the big basic shapes in combination with flowing lines, after which we refine them more and more.

In below step by step guide I hope to give you a sense on how I approach drawing horses. Keep in mind this is not ‘THE’ way to draw but just my method and thought process.

Horse Anatomy for Artists

Most online tutorials show only a step by step guide on how to draw a animal, in my opinion this is the easiest way to sell ‘how to draw’ tutorials. An important step which is often missing is the anatomy study.

Artists are doing anatomy studies to learn the structure/ gesture and planes of the animal. You are trying to solve problems before you are making a final art piece.

If you would skip the anatomy study when you start out with a new animal, you will notice it is difficult to draw a realistic animal.

When you start out with drawing a animal you the anatomy study is often neglected. Because it is often boring but nonetheless crucial for developing skill in mastering horse drawing.

Above you will find my detailed study for the skeleton and muscles. The most striking thing I found was that the neck is actually hidden between a lot of muscles.
I thought the neck was at the top, similar to the vertebra. Which was wrong afterwards.

This also gives the nice curvature in the neck that horses have. It gives them a good posture which radiates elegance and strength.

Like I said before, I’m not a horse expert, but I got more respect for the build and strenght that the horse radiates.

In the study below the skeleton I have tried to create shadow effects. This way the horse is more translated into planes and shapes.

You really don’t need to know the exact anatomy, it’s more about eventually getting an idea about how to put the horse on paper. In the end, your drawing gets a lot more life if the rough basic forms are correct.

This has everything to do with the fact that everyone has seen a horse before and subconsciously knows what a horse looks like. If you want to draw a realistic horse and the proportions or anatomy are not quite right then people will realize that there is something wrong with the drawing. Even if they can’t bring it home.

Therefore it doesn’t have to be a perfect drawing but sketching the rough lines or proportions can help a lot.

Drawing a horse | step by step

When you have a rough idea about anatomy, you’re ready to start drawing horses. When I want to draw an animal, I always try to get the essence on paper.

You work from big to smal, it’s a process or step-by-step plan that comes back all the time. When you see artist drawing from their head it means that they can skip several steps in their head.

I made these images in photoshop for the clarity of this website. I advise you to start with an HB pencil and in your sketchbook or a piece of paper and for example change to a 2B or 4B pencil from Step 4 onwards.

If you are not satisfied with a line, erase it. We are all students and don’t be ashamed to correct yourself if you don’t like it.

Step 1 | Flowing lines and large shapes

Start with large shapes and flowing lines to get the essence on paper. I usually start at the head and put a centerline over the head. As follows I put a circle to estimate the size of the body, when this is correct I put a couple of construction lines to put the shape of the neck.

As you get more drawing experience these steps go automatically, I always think from head to ass. Think in shapes like head, neck, shoulder, belly and legs.

Step 2 | More construction lines for head and legs

The next step is to get more clarity in the forms. We give the head more clarity and draw a cornerstone shape where the neck and body meet. This shape can be used in the construction to indicate the legs.
On the joint points of the legs I draw circles and try to indicate the direction with construction lines. I have also drawn a piece of the tail and mane.

Step 3 | Smaller basic shapes and ellipses

Slowly but surely we see the horse emerge, for example at the legs you can see that I have applied cone shapes and cylinders. If you now find it difficult to see depth in these 2D shapes, you can draw ellipses over the shape.

I also did this as an example and you can see that the horse has more form. This might help you if you want to hatch the different planes.
When you draw ellipses do this with a sharp HB pencil, when you go over them with a 2B pencil you can hardly see the lines anymore.

Step 4 | Hatching

If you don’t have colouring pencils at your disposal, you can use the hatch technique to indicate the areas within the shape. If you hatch try to follow the shape, it is also possible to indicate shadows. For shadows, for example, you can hatch it from another direction, for example as is done on the belly.
I always use the rule of thumb: “More tone is more line”. So keep an eye on the tone value you want when you hatch and plan your drawing as well.

You notice the construction lines are from step 1 to 3 are gone, be sure to erase them before you start hatching.

Step 5 | Color ,Tonal values and Shading

For just drawing the horse you could have stopped at Step 4, but when I was drawing the horse I enjoyed it so much that I also colored it and added shadow.

I usually start with a middle tone, as follows I color in the dark areas and add highlights.

Congratulations if you followed the steps above you can now draw horses. This is probably only the beginning and you will draw many more horses, because you will only get better if you keep drawing a lot.

And I trust that your horses will be much better than in this example.

Further steps

If you still find it difficult to follow the step-by-step plan, take a look under the heading Drawing Fundamentals.

Here I explain what you need to know to become a good artist.

To study horse anatomy I recommend the book ‘Animal Anatomy for Artists by Eliot Goldfinger’ which I used for the example above. And besides horse anatomy there are many more animals in it.

Good luck and more importantly have fun.

How to draw animals | The Pig in 6 Steps

August 13, 2020August 11, 2020 by hyphaem

Pig Drawing | Step 6 Details, Shade and color

Pigs are smart creatures and from utmost important as a domestic animal for the human species. Pigs are omnivores which mean the eat almost anything.

The ancestor of the pig is the wild boar, but early humans have domesticated this animal which is used for meat and other hand crafted products. Small pigs are called piglets.

These few facts are already reason enough to start drawing pigs and learn more about them.

In this blog you will also a step-by-step plan to learn yourself how to draw pigs.

These animals come in all shapes and sizes, although these differences the species generally all have similar skeleton and muscle groups. Therefore by making one overall anatomy study I could already tackle 95 percent of the problems.

When you see artist drawing from their imagination, it means that they can skip several steps in their head.

As a artist you need to work on your visual library and process.

A visual library is necessary to allow yourself to come up with imaginary images and references.

The process is important to allow yourself to break the subject in smaller parts, after you can easily approach any subject.

Pig or Boar Anatomy

By studying the bone structure and muscle mass, it is shown that the animal is a solid and heavy with a low center of gravity.

This can also be seen in its appearance and posture. It is an impressive animal that can defend itself well with its tusks.

So once again you don’t need to know the exact anatomy, it’s more about getting an idea about how to put the animal on paper.

In the picture you see the skeleton above with all the important muscle groups shown below.

In the study below the skeleton I tried to create shadows. This way the pig is more translated into large shapes and planes.

It doesn’t have to be a perfect anatomy drawing but as long as the rough shapes and proportions are correct the study should suffice.

Because remember you are only doing a anatomy study to solve problems for your initial art or drawings.

Drawing a cow calf | Step by step

When you have a rough idea about the anatomy, you’re ready to start drawing the pig. It is important that you can put the essence on paper.

When you draw the animal always start with the big shapes and work slowly towards the details. As shown in the steps below.

I made these images in photoshop for the sake of clarity for the website.

I advise you to start with an HB pencil and in your sketchbook or a piece of paper and for example change to a 2B or even 4B pencil from Step 3 onwards.

If you are not satisfied with a line, erase it. We are all students and don’t be ashamed to correct yourself if you don’t like the line.

Step 1 | Flowing lines and large shapes

Actually, all steps on this website are almost the same, it is important that you work from big to small shapes. The general though process of drawing animals is for me universal.

I always start with some big organic shapes combined with gesture lines. This step is from utmost importance because you lay the foundation for the rest of the drawing.

When the ground work is laid on paper and step 1 is finished I dissect the animal in different parts mainly the head, neck, shoulders, belly and legs.

Step 2 | Construction of large shapes

This step is for the most part imaginary, I try to imagine myself the big shapes. Because these big shapes will often “muddy” down your drawing. Therefore try avoiding them on paper.

When the drawing is ‘muddy’ed down it will lose it’s gesture, life or force. Therefore it becomes stiff and unpleasent to look at, you don’t want this because the animal needs to jump from the paper.

Off course, when you first draw a new animal it can help to put these big shapes on paper. But only if you find it hard to imagine then I would put the essential shapes in your drawing.

The most helpful shape for me is the keystone shape at the shoulders. You then have a good basis to put the legs down.

Step 3 | Head and Neck

When you have the essence on paper, we can draw over the large forms step by step.

As mentioned earlier I always divide my subject into sections, for animals this is head, neck, shoulders, belly and legs.

I work my way down and try to follow the anatomy of the beast. Try to draw ‘Over’ and ‘Around’ the imaginary shapes of step 2.

Don’t focus on every detail you see, because a drawing is just a representation of the artist perception of reality. And it is therefore not “THE” exact reality.

Step 4 | Shoulders and Body

Again, try to think in big shapes and don’t get distracted by the details.

You will notice that the simpler the drawing the more pleasant it is to look at.

Remember: When you put the lines of the shoulder and the body try to draw ‘around’ and ‘over’ the imaginary shapes and lines of step 1 and 2.

Step 5 | Legs

The legs can be a bit complex because muscles can be complex. Try to imagine the anatomy well and simplify it to the structure you see, for ease look to the anatomy study above.

If you have followed the steps above you will see that it slowly starts to look like a pig. And if you have already created a good looking pig, the next step is to indicate the details. Try to stop in time and not include too many details in your drawing.

Sometimes drawing less lines tells you more about your subject.

Step 6 | Details , tonal value and color

Try to add some tonal value in your drawing, do this by applying the laws of light and shadow.

Erase the HB pencil construction lines from step 1 and 2, if you don’t want them in your details.

Highlights can easily be created by erasing them in with your eraser.

I gave the cow some colour in this last example. I only did this because I liked it. And with colour everything just gets a little happier.

Further Steps

If you have followed the steps above, there is now a cow on your drawing. Maybe you are not satisfied with it yet, but this is going to be fine if you keep practicing.

Drawing is a skill that takes time, the same as any other profession. Remember that drawing is just a hobby and try to have a lot of fun with it.

Good luck and more importantly have fun!

How to draw animals | The 6 step Dairy Cow

June 26, 2020June 8, 2020 by hyphaem

Cows and calves can be found all around the world especially in the western culture are typical scenery of the landscape. As a dutch citizen cows are part of our culture and scenery. Ever since we started draining the polders 500 years ago, these beautiful animals are showing off in the meadows.

Cows are sweet and curious animals who like to stand in herds. Because cows are such big interesting animals I like to draw them.

In this blog you will also find a step-by-step plan so that you can learn to draw a cow step-by-step.

Cows come in all shapes and sizes in the netherlands comman species are the holstein-friesian (black and white cow), dikbil cow, blister heads, and several more.

These cows all have the same build and so we can make one anatomy study for mulitple species.

Cow Anatomy

All cows have the same muscle groups and by making an anatomy study, I usually get a good idea of how to simplify the cow to the most essential basic shapes and planes.

By studying the bone structure and muscle mass, you can see that the cow is a solid and heavy animal.

This can also be seen in its appearance and posture. It is an impressive animal that can defend itself well in the herd.

So once again you don’t need to know the exact anatomy, it’s more about getting an idea about how to put the animal on paper.

In the picture you see the skeleton with all the important muscle groups underneath.

In the study below the skeleton I tried to create shadows. This way the cow is more translated into large shapes and planes.

It doesn’t have to be a perfect anatomy drawing but as long as the rough shapes and proportions are correct. We’re just trying to put our idea of reality on paper.

Drawing a cow calf | Step by step

When you have a rough idea about the anatomy, you’re ready to start drawing the cow. It is important that you can put the essence on paper.

In this example I chose a calf, because I liked the picture I used as an example. And who doesn’t like calves.

When you draw the calf always start with the big shapes and work slowly towards the details. As shown in the steps below.

When you see draughtsmen drawing by heart, it means that they can skip several steps in their head.

I made these images in photoshop for the sake of clarity for the website.

I advise you to start with an HB pencil and in your sketchbook or a piece of paper and for example change to a 2B or even 4B pencil from Step 3 onwards.

If you are not satisfied with a line, erase it. We are all students and don’t be ashamed to correct yourself if you don’t like the line.

Step 1 | Flowing lines and large shapes

Actually, all steps on this website are almost the same, it is important that you work from big to small. The general though process of drawing animals is for me universal.

I always start with some big organic shapes combined with gesture lines. This step is from upmost importance because you lay the foundation work for the rest of the drawing.

When the ground work is laid on paper and step 1 is finished I dissect the animal in different parts mainly the head, neck, shoulders, belly and legs.

Step 2 | Construction of large shapes

This step is for the most part imaginary, I try to imagine myself the big shapes. Because these big shapes will often muddy down your drawing. Therefore try avoiding them on paper.

Off course, when you first draw a new animal it can help to put these big shapes on paper. But only if you find it hard to imagine then I would put the essential shapes in your drawing.

The most helpful shape for me is the keystone shape at the shoulders. You then have a good basis to put the legs down.

Step 3 | Head and Neck

When you have the essence on paper, we can draw over the large forms step by step.
As mentioned earlier I always divide my subject into sections, for animals this is head, neck, shoulders, belly and legs.

It is important that you draw between and around the large shapes. And only create the suggestion with minimal lines. As you can see above I only try to draw the “suggestion” of fur.

I work my way down and try to follow the anatomy of the beast. Because the cow has a lot of fur – depending of the subspecies – as opposed to the dog in another example, I don’t draw lines but sketch curves which should indicate the fur.

Don’t focus on every detail you see, because a drawing is just a representation of the artist perception of reality. And it is therefore not “THE” exact reality, you notice around you.

Tip: When drawing the coat don’t try to draw each hair separately but try to give the suggestion of shape.

Step 4 | Shoulders and Body

Again, try to think in big shapes and don’t get distracted by the details.

You will notice that the simpler the drawing the more pleasant it is to look at.

Cows stand high on their legs and are heavily built. When they are still calves they often have long legs in relation to their body. This can make them look clumsy when they hop through the meadow or fields. But this also gives them a lot of charm.

When I put the lines of the shoulder and the body I try to draw ‘around’ and ‘over’ the imaginary shapes and lines of step 1 and 2.

Step 5 | Legs

The legs can be a bit complex because muscles can be complex. Try to imagine the anatomy well and simplify it to the structure you see, for ease look to the anatomy study above.

If you have followed the steps above you will see that it slowly starts to look like a cow. And if you have already created a good looking cow, the next step is to indicate the details. Try to stop in time and not include too many details in your drawing.

Sometimes drawing less lines tells you more on the drawing.

Step 6 | Details , tonal value and color

Try to add some tonal value in your drawing, do this by applying the laws of light and shadow.

Erase the HB pencil construction lines from step 1 and 2, if you don’t want them in your details.

Highlights can easily be created by erasing them in with your eraser.

I gave the cow some colour in this last example. I only did this because I liked it. And with colour everything just gets a little happier.

Further Steps

If you have followed the steps above, there is now a cow on your drawing. Maybe you are not satisfied with it yet, but this is going to be fine if you keep practicing.

Drawing is a skill that takes time, the same as any other profession. Remember that drawing is just a hobby and try to have a lot of fun with it.

Good luck and more importantly have fun!