Learn to Draw Realistic Animals with Pen & Marker

Learn to Draw

REALISTIC ANIMALS

Pen&Mwitah rker

From an Armadillo to a Zebra
26 Animals to Discover & Draw!

D. L. Miller

Learn to Draw

REALISTIC ANIMALS

Pen&Mwitah rker



Table of Contents

Pens and Paper.......................................8
Textures and Techniques...................... 11
Building Detail in Layers....................... 20

PAGE 42 Armadillo............................ 26
PAGE 58 Box Turtle........................... 32
Cat...................................... 38
Dog..................................... 42
Elephant.............................. 46
Ferret ................................. 50
Giraffe................................. 53
Hedgehog............................ 58
Iguana................................. 61
Jellyfish............................... 68
Koala................................... 71
Llama.................................. 75
Mouse................................. 80
Newt................................... 82

PAGE 75

PAGE 108

PAGE 32

PAGE 99 Opossum ............................ 85
PAGE 82 Pig....................................... 88
Quokka................................ 91
Rattlesnake......................... 94
Sloth.................................... 99
Toad.................................... 102
Urial.................................... 105
Vampire Bat......................... 108
Whale.................................. 112
Xerus................................... 116
Yak...................................... 120
Zebra................................... 123

Index........................................................ 127
About the Author.................................... 128
Image Credits.......................................... 128

Pens and Paper

There are two choices you need pens (under $3 each) and very There are several things to
to make at the beginning of any affordable drawing paper found consider when purchasing a pen.
drawing: what kind of paper and at your nearest office supply or As you test new pens, think about
pens will you use? There’s no craft store. This is a good place for each of these aspects to decide
quick or necessarily right or wrong beginners to start, and you can whether the pen is right for you and
answer. It mostly comes down to build up to more professional and for the drawing you are doing.
your preferences and goals. Is high-quality tools over time if you
drawing a pastime you like to do desire. With that said, following Comfort: Is it comfortable in your
to unwind and escape from your are a few quick tips to help orient hand? You don’t want your hand to
busy day? Or are you looking to you to experimenting with pens cramp after only fifteen minutes of
eventually sell your artwork and and papers. use. Even if every other aspect of
preserve it for generations? Do the pen is great, an uncomfortable
you just like to doodle and want Pens pen might not be worth it, because
to sharpen your drawing skills, it makes the experience of
draw on the go, and keep a small There is a vast array of very drawing unpleasant!
sketchbook by your side? Or do affordable pens and markers
you plan to have a studio with a on the market today from many Ink flow: Does the ink flow
drawing table, specialized lighting, different manufacturers around the evenly and produce a consistent
and a flat file for storing art? world. The only way to truly know black line? Some pens produce a
what works best for you is to test more watered-down, grayish line
For this book, everything has and experiment. instead of a true black, or skip as
been drawn with inexpensive you draw, which is frustrating.

Round-tipped pens
create consistent, thin
lines, whereas chisel-
tipped pens create both
thin and thick lines.

Bleed: Does the ink bleed, not I suggest you purchase a full Avoid brush-tipped pens or
producing a crisp, clean line? range of different pen thicknesses pens with very flexible points.
Bleeding can be due to paper not and tip shapes for your arsenal The more flexible a tip is, the less
meant for heavy ink use, such as so that you’re ready for anything. control you have when focusing
everyday copy paper or school Pen tip sizes are typically stated on placing details with accuracy.
notebook paper. Bleeding can also in millimeters, which are the sizes Brush-tipped pens are generally
be due to very thin, most often given below. Here’s a good set of designed for lettering and are not
water-based inks. four pens to start with: meant for the level of detail needed
when drawing animals in the style
Drying speed: How fast does the • Fine point, 0.1–0.4mm thickness covered in this book.
ink dry? You don’t want to spend
twenty minutes working a lot of fur • Medium point, 0.5–0.8mm There is a lot of variety in line
detail into your drawing to then thickness widths, even in what we call
suddenly see small smear lines fine-tipped pens.
appear after lightly rubbing your • Broad point with a chisel tip
hand over an area. I know from
experience that it is very important • Broad point with a round tip
to test and note the drying time
with any new pen before you begin
working with it.

Durability: How long does the
pen tip hold its shape? Finding tips
that stand up to constant stippling
and pressure is very important.
As you experiment, you’ll begin
to see which brands can be used
over and over again and which
ones lose their edge (literally and
figuratively) after only a couple of
drawings. Ink life is also a factor of
durability: how long does the ink in
a pen last?

Tip shape and size: What tip
shape does the pen have? The tip
shape and thickness of any given
pen affects how easy it is to create
the texture you’re attempting to
draw. There are many animal
drawings within this book that
require at least three different
tips styles, from a fine, hard tip for
stippling to a broad-tipped marker
for filling in heavy shadows. Keep
reading for more detail.

9

Iguana Spikes: waves Llama Fur: squiggles with random Mouse Body: short hatching
black spots

Quokka Fur: short hatching with random Whale Body: hatching pattern Squirrel Tail: waves
black spots

This frog and dragonfly duo was drawn with fine- and
medium-tipped pens. Solid shapes and stippling accents
combine for the finished effect.

18 Learn to Draw Realistic Animals with Pen & Marker

Sloth Face: stippling, waves

Toad Body: random open and closed circles

Bat Wing: hatching pattern, heavy stroke fill This sloth face was
drawn with fine- and
medium-tipped pens. The
techniques used include
stippling, wave lines, heavy
hatching, and long free-
flow strokes.

Rattlesnake Body: heavy solid Textures and Techniques 19
line, stippling

Building Detail in Layers

Drawing with pen and marker
is somewhat like painting on a
canvas. Although there is no color
or paint involved, the process of
building up an image in layers
is very similar. For every animal
project in this book, the drawing
steps break down roughly into five
general phases or layers:

• Layer 1: Stipple Outline
• Layer 2: Shadows and

Dark Details
• Layer 3: Initial Body Details
• Layer 4: Additional Body Details
• Layer 5: Finishing Touches

You may be tempted to start the
first layer, the stipple outline, with
a pencil, but I strongly recommend
starting with a fine- or ultra-fine-
tipped pen. I discourage starting
with a pencil because a pencil,
which is erasable, won’t build your
confidence or force you to truly
focus on the task at hand. By using
a pen, over time, you train your
hand and eye to work together
when stippling in the initial outline.
Another reason not to use a pencil
is the eventual need to erase the
pencil marks. There is always the
risk that you’ll damage the paper’s
surface, create an unnecessary
smudge, or leave discoloration from
the eraser.

Let’s go over each layer in more
detail as we examine the koala.

Always start with a reference photo that you like of your chosen animal.

20 Learn to Draw Realistic Animals with Pen & Marker

Layer 1: Stipple Outline

The stipple outline is the most critical part of any pen
drawing. For most drawings, begin at the bottom end or
feet and work your way up toward the head, constantly
referring to your selected reference image. Stipple the
entire outer outline as well as any body parts
that will need more definition later, such as
the legs and arms. Also stipple in the face
details, primarily the eyes, nose, and
ears—you want to make sure the face
shape and features are satisfactory
from the beginning.

Switch from stippling dots to
stippling lines when outlining areas
with long hair or fur, drawing the lines
in the direction of the hair. Use as few
dots as possible when outlining areas
that have little detail.

Don’t worry if you find that a stipple
line is starting to go too far in one
direction or another. Simply go
back and stipple in the right line.
Most mistakes easily blend in
when adding layers of detail.

If, when finished, you’re
not completely satisfied,
simply start over with
a new stipple outline.
The more practice you
have, the better you’ll
become at drawing
your initial outlines.
A good outline
means the difference
between a finished
drawing that feels
natural and one
that seems awkward
or unbalanced.

Building Detail in Layers 21

Armadillo

This armored little creature is famous for being able to roll into a ball
to protect itself from predators. Pay attention to its plates of armor as
you draw.

Recommended Pen Tips Primary Techniques

• Fine • Stippling
• Medium • Circles
• Short hatching
• Crosshatching

1: Stipple the body, head, feet, and

tail outline, including the eye detail.
Important iconic features to focus
on are the clawed feet and the
triangular head.

2: Stipple in where the shell band

lines are found, which define the

body dimension and shape.

26 Learn to Draw Realistic Animals with Pen & Marker

3: After completing the primary

band line details on the body,
begin adding scale details with
tiny circular shapes, starting
with the head.

Oval body with 7–11
overlapping armor plates

Curved, sharp claws

Pointed snout

A r ma d ill o 27

4: Continue adding band details

to the body. In armadillos, there is
a distinct difference between the
patterns of the armor on the body
and the patterns of the armor on
the head and legs: shapes are more
triangular and linear on the body,
as compared to more rounded on
the head and legs.

28 Learn to Draw Realistic Animals with Pen & Marker

5: With a medium-tipped pen, 29

begin filling in shadow details,
focusing first on the feet, ears, eyes,
and tail. Use heavy hatching and
crosshatching, but be careful not to
fill in every space solid black.

A r ma d ill o

PICK UP A PEN
& MAKE AMAZING ART!

Capture the hard shell of a turtle, the woolly hair of a llama, What’s Inside:
and the scaly skin of an iguana! Learn to Draw Realistic
Animals with Pen & Marker teaches aspiring artists of any skill • A complete overview on pens and
level how to draw extremely detailed animal portraits using paper, textures and techniques,
affordable, beginner-friendly supplies. Practice drawing 26 and building detail in layers
wild animals from A to Z and all of their unique features and
textures, including an elephant, giraffe, jellyfish, koala, newt, • Step-by-step guidance on how
sloth, and more. With step-by-step instructions and illustrations, to draw realistic animals and
you’ll master several drawing techniques—from stippling to their unique physical traits using
crosshatching, short hatching, and other pen strokes—to create different pen techniques and
tons of realistic details that you’ll want to reach out and touch! strokes
Each project is also accompanied by a reference photo to guide
you as you draw. Fun and easy-to-follow, this complete guide is • 26 animals to draw from A to Z,
an excellent source of inspiration for anyone seeking to learn from a box turtle to a vampire bat
how to make stunning art—without using fancy pens!
• Reference photos for each animal

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EAN ISBN: 978-1-4972-0478-2 51499

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