Illustration Tutorial: Exercises to Learn How to Draw Animals

Learn the technique to draw animals with basic shapes from scratch with Puño, illustrator and teacher

The good thing about drawing is that it gives us infinite possibilities: we can follow all the rules, or break them to let ourselves be carried away by our intuition and imagination. Regardless of whether we have a better or worse style, the important thing about drawing is that it allows us to express ourselves to have a lot of fun.

In the following video tutorial, the illustrator and teacher Puño (@ puño) invites us to put aside embarrassment to learn how to create animals with simple geometric shapes, just with a marker and a sheet of paper or cardboard. Based on his advice, we can begin to realize that drawing is available to anyone. Discover it below

Square

Starting from a square, we can draw large and heavy animals, which correspond to the size and angles of this geometric shape. To start, we just have to draw a large square and draw four smaller squares in its lower part. We already have the body and the legs, which we can improve by drawing a m-shaped hoof at the bottom.

Now, we can add a tail. We just have to draw a line that starts from the upper left corner of the square, and place some stripes at its end that will be like the hairs on the tip of the tail.

With this base, we can draw, for example, a hippopotamus: we add a head on one side of the square, we add eyes, ears, a mouth, a nose and teeth, and that would be all. With the same head but varying its different parts a little, we will get a rhinoceros, adding a pair of horns.

Drop

We can also obtain many animals from a sideways drop shape. If we place a nose-circle at its more angled end and larger ear-circles at its top, we will almost have a mouse. After adding two eyes, a mouth with two teeth, a tail and some lines for the legs, it will be complete.

Puño recommends adding a straight line under the character to achieve the effect of speed and jump, which gives more depth to the illustration.

Starting from the drop, we can also create a hedgehog. Add legs, nose, eyes, and mouth, but don't put ears on it. Instead, draw thick lines coming out of the top of its back, which will act as spikes.

Another option is to make a bee: a pair of eyes on one side of the drop, a stinger on the other and a pair of wings on the top will allow us to begin to identify this insect. Complete it by adding six legs to the bottom and a vertical striped pattern on its body.

[h] Circle and triangle [/ h]

Combining these two simple forms we can also obtain many animals. For example, with a circle on top of a triangle we will already have the head and body of a cat. Add pointy triangle-shaped ears, two almond-shaped eyes, an inverted triangle-nose, a w-shaped mouth, and whiskers to complete the face. Add a sinuous line to represent the tail and some stripes for the legs.

Drawing a dog is very similar, but with some differences. Draw two ears in the shape of a drop, two dots for the eyes, a normal triangle for the nose, a w for the mouth and some dots on it, and we will have our own dog. The legs are the same as those of the cat and the tail is perhaps a little bit less sinuous.

With these same forms (circle and triangle) you can also create a tiger or a lion. Both have semicircle-shaped ears, an elongated triangle-shaped nose with a semicircle at the bottom, a w-shaped mouth, and dotted eyes covered by a straight-line eyebrow.

Add stripes to the body and tail of the tiger, and a mane and a few stripes at the end of the tail of the lion. You can try different manes until you find the one you like the most.

Did you enjoy this tutorial? Remember that you can learn with Puño how to train children and adults' creativity just by using your hands, your brain and some basic tools, on his online course 'Drawing and Creativity for Big Little Artists'.

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