Animal Illustration: Capturing Wildlife in a Sketchbook

Animal Illustration: Capturing Wildlife with Watercolors

“We have made it to the end of this course! Congratulations on working through it. You are now ready to create your final project using the tips and techniques I have shown you through the previous units. Using the techniques I have shown you, you will create an illustration in your sketchbook of an animal of your choosing, designing the page with aspects that make your image visually appealing. I encourage you to try out all of the methods I have shown you during the period of this course. It is important that you keep trying and really focus on what makes your art unique. It is invaluable to recognise that mistakes happen and not being completely satisfied with the work you make are completely normal parts of the process when learning and that every time you try, you get a little bit closer to achieving your desired result. For your final project, think of what animal you want to draw. It could be anything! The techniques I have shown you will apply to absolutely any animal you choose. Once you have chosen your subject, start going through the motions of creating an illustration. Once you’ve picked your animal Start by gathering references. This is important for animals you’ve never looked at or ones you’ve seen a million times. A good understanding of the animal is a fundamental basis to being able to convey your subjects believably, no matter how stylised it is later on. The best animal illustrators have drawn from life and references dozens or even hundreds of times before they can do so from imagination.

Think about the shapes that make up that animal which you’ve chosen. Start with a simple frame, for example, circles where the head and ribs will be or rectangles for more angled parts of the animal's body. There is no right or wrong way of doing this - it’s all about getting your eye in and turning the complicated animal into a simpler form. Also, consider the animal’s story. Is it happy or wild and free? How will this affect your illustration? Think about whether you will draw directly from the reference you have or if you are going to create a completely new pose from your imagination. Once you’re ready, get drawing! The stylisation and using visual appealing techniques can be planned or you can make it up as you go. However, you like to work! In my final project I chose to draw a horse. This is something I am very comfortable drawing so thought that I could give it a go without using a reference but you don’t have to do a horse! Start with a very light sketch of the shapes that make up the animal. It can be useful to choose a coloured pencil or hard leaded pencil so that it can be hidden or erased later if you choose. It’s good at this stage to go with the flow and very basic build up the structure. Once you have the pose or structure on your page, it is time to start adding detail. You can continue to do this lightly or faintly if you’re still unsure. If you are feeling brave and confident (which I encourage regardless of what stage you’re at!), have a go at pressing harder and use long, bold strokes. This can be nerve-wracking, but what better time to explore than when you’re creating? If you don’t like something or how it’s turning out, you can just start afresh! As you begin to add detail to your illustration, think about visually appealing techniques that you could apply. Vary the line thickness, perhaps use thick lines for parts of the animal that are bearing weight to emphasise strength or thin lines for soft parts of the animal. Or you could leave parts of the line completely missing to allow yourself or others seeing your illustration to fill in the blanks. This is your illustration. Once your illustration has been drawn, perhaps you’d like to add some colour? Using watercolour is one way of doing this, but it can be done however you’d like. For watercolour, you can apply the paint and water directly over the sketch. If one of your chosen materials was a watercolour pencil or a water-soluble ink, consider how adding paint and water may affect your initial drawing. It’s all about learning about how your media work. Also, remember that waterproof inks can be painted over. Or, if you would rather, you can add ink once the watercolour has dried or even not add it at all. You can always refine the illustration with different media if you’d prefer. After you’ve completed your illustration, feel free to start building up a collage! You can use anything you have to hand in or buy specific collaging materials. An old book or scrapbooking papers work well here. Washi/paper tapes and stickers are also great fun to play with. Again, there’s no right or wrong so have a play and really compliment your illustration with a beautiful border. For your Final Project, have a go at creating an illustration and collage in your sketchbook. Consider the tips I have shown you through the course and apply them for yourself. Start with an animal you love and think about the story you will tell with the illustration. Once you’re ready to share your creation, upload it! I am so thrilled to see how you use the techniques I have shown you. I will be watching and assisting you with your progress from the forum and cannot wait to see what beautiful images you create. Converse with others who learn alongside you and enjoy what you have all been working towards. Enjoy! ”

Partial transcription of the video

“We've now reached the end of this artistic animal sketchbook course. Congratulations on all that you've achieved. You've learned so much in each lesson that you should be now ready to carry on sketching beautiful animal illustrations in your sketchbook. In this course, you've learned how to select media for your drawings, including pencils and sketchbooks, as well as understanding what makes good collaging materials. I showed you how to go about finding the best references to learn and interpret. before grasping the skills you need to turn complex animals into simple shapes. Together, we we...”

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Course summary for: Animal Illustration: Capturing Wildlife in a Sketchbook

• Level: Beginner
• 96% positive reviews (113)
• 3644 students
• 4 units
• 11 lessons (1h 26m)
• 3 downloads

• Category

  Illustration

• Areas

  Collage, Naturalistic Illustration, Sketchbook, Traditional illustration