Illustration

5 Online Courses to Learn How to Draw Animals from Scratch

Whether it’s a pen, nib, or sketchbook, discover how to draw and illustrate animals using different techniques

In the art world, nature is an endless source of inspiration and knowledge. As well as showing us the range of biodiversity on this planet, nature also teaches us important lessons about light, color, and shape.

A clear testimony to this is the animal kingdom, which never ceases to amaze. With their variety of shapes, colors, textures, and characteristics, animals serve as one of the most enigmatic subjects for artists. From their gaze to their walk, no one in the field of naturalist illustration can resist drawing them and trying to capture a small fragment of their world.

Learn to draw a bird with watercolor on Sarah Stokes' course

In the following list of courses, you’ll discover a variety of artists, illustrators, and authors, each with their own unique style and technique, who will help you improve your artistic eye and master the tools you need to begin illustrating the animal kingdom.

Click on the red title to find out more about the courses.


Dip Pen and Ink Illustration: Capturing The Natural World, a course by Philip Harris

For those looking to experiment with a different technique, pen and ink is a method that allows you to use light, shape, and shadows to give life to landscapes or capture the subtleties of the animal kingdom. Using these materials, you can draw all kinds of animals and landscapes in a style reminiscent of travel notebooks used by botanists in the past.

One of the most inspirational illustrators using this technique is undoubtedly Philip Harris (@philip_harris_illustration), who has skillfully used pen and ink when working on publishing projects with different editorials.

As well as learning how nature has influenced art, in the course Dip Pen and Ink Illustration: Capturing The Natural World, you’ll become familiar with the different uses of dip pen to achieve different effects such as outlining and shading. By the end of the course, you’ll have learned how to draw a variety of natural elements using light, tone, volume, and texture.


Illustrated Animal Characters for Storybooks, a course by Kevin Waldron

Children’s literature is an incredible genre where you can give free reign to your creativity and invent all kinds of characters. While there are many kinds of characters to create, one of the most common types is animals. As a familiar reference point for children, animals are endearing and form a connection with their readers.

While we’re on the subject of children's illustration, a key figure is of course, Kevin Waldron (@kev_wally). As an author of children’s books, Kevin uses animals as the protagonists of his stories, connecting with his audience and showing his talent for creating endearing characters.

As well as exploring Kevin’s creative process, in the course Illustrated Animal Characters for Storybooks, you’ll discover the characteristics to achieve a great illustration for children’s books and stories. You’ll also work with colored pencils and watercolors to sketch your characters and create fantastical worlds for them.


Naturalist Illustration with Ballpoint Pen, a course by Ricardo Macía Lalinde

A pen is one of the easiest tools to find if you want to begin improving your drawing abilities. Despite being a common instrument, when you discover the fundamentals to correctly apply pressure, draw each stroke, and perfect the technique of hatching, you can create an incredible drawing without the need to use much else.

To learn the techniques for using a pen, there’s no better expert than graphic designer and illustrator Ricardo Macía Lalinde (@ricardomacia). Thanks to his extensive experience, Ricardo has developed specific techniques to realize a ballpoint pen's full potential.

In his course Naturalist Illustration with Ballpoint Pen, you’ll learn how to create a naturalist illustration. From achieving gradients and volume through applying the correct pressure on each pen stroke, to learning about the concepts of fluidity, line, and spacing, you’ll finish the course with an illustration of an animal that's ready to be digitally edited.


Animal Illustration: Capturing Wildlife in a Sketchbook, a course by Jenny Rae

If you like to take walks in nature, illustration is a great and personal way to reflect your findings and experiences—that’s why it’s always a good idea to have a travel book or sketchbook to hand, so you can take it out and begin illustrating whenever the mood catches you.

By combining her love for animals and illustration, self-taught artist Jenny Rae (@jenraeart) learned a wide range of techniques and strategies to interpret the complexities of the animal world and bring it to life on a blank canvas.

In her course, Jenny shares her main influences and creative process, as well as recommending essential materials to work with for anyone beginning to draw wildlife. By the end of the course, you’ll have learned various techniques to sketch your ideas, and styles such as collage to personalize them.


Artistic Watercolor Techniques for Illustrating Birds, a course by Sarah Stokes

As one of the most popular mediums today, watercolor is used to create all kinds of scenes and portraits. Among them, one of the most popular themes is animals. Allowing you to capture the subtleties and details of animals such as birds, watercolor is a great way to create intricate paintings.

As a specialist in painting animals with watercolor, artist Sarah Stokes (@sarah_stokes) has become a point of reference for drawing the animal world. With her characteristic style, her paintings are detailed and full of bright colors.

In this course, you’ll learn about tonal values and color theory to create fantastic illustrations, as well as understanding her creative process. Sarah will also teach you about the properties of watercolor such as controlling the pigment, time, and humidity for bird illustration.

Do you want to keep exploring the world of naturalist illustration? Find your new favorite teacher by checking out all of Domestika's nature illustration course here.

English version by @amy_mcgregor.

You may also like:

- Illustration Tutorial: Exercises to Learn How to Draw Animals
- Illustrated Animal Characters for Storybooks, a course by Kevin Waldron
- Free Guide to Learn How To Draw Flowers and Leaves

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