Artists Look Here!

Some tips on sketching, coloring and inking in your art. Also, all of the drawings here are mine, I did not use someone else's.

 

Introduction

 

I love to draw. Art is one of the ways I escape from life's annoyances and problems, besides writing, that is.

   If you're reading this, you're either a decent artist who practices a lot or someone who wishes they were better but you don't think you can become better. Well, if you're the second type, believe me when I say you can. If you're of the first type, then you already know most of the tricks and helpful tips of drawing, and you might not find much new info in this. But read it anyway, just in case I say something helpful.

   Keep in mind, though, that this is not a "How to Draw Anime Characters" or "How to Draw Cars" kind of thing. This is a collection of helpful tips created by an artist (me) and given to another artist (you)

   I hope this is helpful and a great resource to you, and that by the time you finish reading, you are more educated on drawing, sketching, inking in and coloring.

 

 

Part 1: Horses

 

Animals can be tricky to draw, but are probably more fun because you can add fur, claws and a tail, things that, normally, a human does not have.

   I started drawing seriously with horses, and believe me when I tell you they are not a piece of cake to draw. You should start with getting about five different books on drawing horses from the library nearest you, and go over each of them in your free time. Even if the books you get are meant for little kids, "How To Draw" is the best way to start.

   If you're drawing horses for the first time, it can be disappointing to look at a pro's work and then at your first attempt, and notice all the differences. But don't worry. There is someone else's way to draw horses, and then there's your way. They aren't the same way, and never will be. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Every artist is unique, so every artist's style will be different.

   A good way to improve your drawings is to either find pictures of horses on the web and print them, or to take the pictures yourself if that's possible for you. Photo reference is very helpful, trust me!

   Look carefully at the pictures. Notice the shape of the hooves, and how big they are in proportion to the other parts of the horse. Notice the little things, the details, that make up a horse. Try drawing different parts of a horse in little snippets. Practice hooves for a little, then try the mane and tail, then the eyes, and so forth. Like I said before, get books from the library, and use little pieces of other people's style to help you build up your own style of drawing horses.

   Once you have that down, all you need is practice, and you'll get better over time - trust me!

 

 

Part 2: Cats

 

   If you don't want to begin with horses, cats are slightly easier to draw. And if you start off with photo references and some "How To Draw" books from your library, then you're set!

   This is one of my cat drawings - do you like it? But of course I didn't draw this easily. I had to start with the basic shapes: circles make up the shape of the hips, head and chest, while curved lines are used to draw the tail and add a little bit more shape to the body. Triangles for the ears and nose, and straight lines with joints and bends in them for the basic form of the legs. Paws and eyes take practice, but you'll get them in time.

   Patterns aren't that hard to draw, like stripes, spots and splashes(shown above). Scars are difficult to draw, and you should only put them on alley cats, as a housecat generally doesn't get into too many fights. Collars can be drawn on both alley cats and housecats, but an alley cat collar should have rips and snags in it, with no bell or tags attached. Meanwhile, a housecat collar would have a clean, new look about it, with a shiny bell or tags hanging from it.

   No doubt, cats are fun to experiment with, and there at three basic ways to draw them: realistically, semi-realistic and cartoon. Realistic cats look like real cats, or as close to that as you can get.

   Jadewhisker, above, is semi-realistic, meaning she has some human qualities, like she has eyelashes like a human, and expression.

   Lastly, cartoon cats look about as unrealistic as you can get, like Garfield.

   Cats are great to draw, and similar to dogs if you want to draw dogs. I hope you enjoy this. More parts will be out soon, like Part 3: Humans, but for now this is it. I hope you've liked it!

 

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

About fifty years ago, I checked out books on art from the library, just as you've recommended, and that is how I began drawing. Your writing is excellent and tips on drawing very good, also.

[the crying cup]

Thank you :3