Drawing A Horse

Alright, I think that out of all the drawings I did for this project, this one was my favorite to draw. The horse section of this book is the longest of all the animals at four pages long, but once I started, I found that it was the easiest drawing to do of the ones in this book. The 6 Week Drawing Couse book that horse are an excellent subject because you can see many of their muscles (Barber 106). I got the chance to be very close to the horse and have it tethered so that it was very still for the most part. Barbers book states that you should get the main shape down as quickly as possible (108). So I did that, and to not keep the horse out in the cold too long, I skipped taking a picture of the first sketch.

But I’m very proud of how this drawing ended up, and would love to draw a horse close up again.

What do you think I could have done to improve? I attempted the cross hatch shading recommended by Ansleigh Coplin, and I think it turned out okay, but what do you think?

Barber, Barrington. 6-Week Drawing Course: a professional programme for artists.
     Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2014.

Drawing a Zoo Animal

Now, most people don't go to the zoo with the sole intention to draw. Most go to just look at all the animals and maybe take pictures. For this section of the book, I got the opportunity to go to the zoo with the sole intention of drawing. And I have to say that the next time I go to the zoo, I'm definitely bringing along my drawing pad. My chosen book 6 Week Drawing Course by Barrington Barber states that is you go places like a zoo you "usually have limited opportunity to move about much and you may not have a wide choice of viewpoint" (110). This was very true, especially around the more popular animals, which coincidentally were the easiest animals to draw, like the giraffes, lions, bears. So after roaming the entire zoo for an animal with less of a crowd, I settled for a penguin. This was one of the more difficult drawings because, not only was there a sizable crowd at the penguin exhibit, but I was also drawing them from a bit of a distance. I took a picture before it got even more crowded and I needed to walk away from the exhibit to get out of the way.

While I was forced to move away, I had been able to get down the basic shape of the penguin, which was alright, because as Barber states, "detail is less important that with domestic animals"
(100).

Then, going off of the picture, I got most of what I still needed to complete the drawing.

What could I have done to improve this drawing? Please give me any feedback down in the comments.

Barber, Barrington. 6-Week Drawing Course: a professional programme for artists.
     Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2014.

Drawing a Bird

Personally, I've never like drawing birds. There aren't many near my house, and any that are near are about the size of my palm and are still for only a few seconds, which makes it very hard to get their rough shape. When I saw birds in  6 Week Drawing Course, I was hoping I could just skip over it. But while I was doing the drawing for the next post, I had an opportunity to draw a bird so I decided to follow what the book said on drawing birds. The book states that " although they aren't often motionless, they have fairly straightforward shapes and can be drawn quickly" (Barber 100). Since I was already at the zoo for my zoo animal drawing, I headed over to the avian section and found a bird called the spur-winged lapwing and took a photo, even though the book states that " Taking a quick look and remembering what you saw is a very good discipline" (Barber 100).

I quickly sketched out the rough shape of the bird, with the only really noticeable movement being the leg.

Since there were a few of the birds, I was able to get the markings down with relative ease.

I think with a bit more practice I could learn to love drawing birds. What do you think about drawing birds? Or do you have a way that I could improve my drawing? Please let me know, I'm always looking for feedback.

Barber, Barrington. 6-Week Drawing Course: a professional programme for artists.
     Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2014. 

Drawing a Cat

Quick, which is easier to draw, a dog or a cat?

Now, this would be a pretty split question. Some people say because dogs can be trained to stay still, they would be easier to draw. Some say that because cats sleep more they are easier to draw. Then fur length becomes a factor, with most cats having longer fur. But the same could be said about most dogs, examples include Golden Retrievers, Pomeranians, and other long haired breeds. Personally I think they are both semi-difficult, with the cat being slightly easier. Because as Barrington Barber said in the 6 Week Drawing Course book "Domestic cats are very useful models as they are very somnolent - most sleep for about 16 hours a day"(101). The section of drawing cats says to draw the main shape of the pose very simply and add heads and legs to that (Barber 101).

So first, I found myself a cat to draw.

 

I kept her in the same spot by playing her favorite show and drew the basic shape.

Luckily for me, she stayed put and in mostly the same position as I added details so I was also able to add shading along with her markings.

So what should I have done to improve? Add some color? What could I have done to make it more detailed?

Barber, Barrington. 6-Week Drawing Course: a professional programme for artists.
     Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2014.

Drawing a Dog

Ask most people and they will agree that drawing can be difficult, and drawing living things even more so. Personally I disagree, because I have always found it much easier to draw animals as apposed to things that don't move. There is more room for imagination in animals with so many positions and designs to choose from, which is probably why they are used more in cartoons.

The "6 Week Drawing Course" book by Barrington Barber is a book that goes over how to draw many things, including still life and its branches, landscapes, animals and portraits/figures. But I'm going to be focusing in on the animal section. It covers birds, cats, dogs, farm life, horses, zoo life, and herds. The book states that "...you need to make a conscious effort to draw only what you see"(Barber 17). This is essentially saying that it is best to have what you are drawing right in front of you.

The first thing from the book I will be drawing is a dog, the breed being a miniature pinscher. If I had access to other dogs I would have drawn them as well. The book states that you should "... draw the main shape simply at first and add detail in the time you are given" (Barber 103). It also has  these pictures as an example.

 

First I hunted down my dog while he was mostly asleep so he wouldn't move much, and I began to sketch him down.
Here is the position

                                                      The sketch looked like this.            

 

Then I added more detail until I was satisfied with the product.

If you had done this drawing, what might you have changed? Should shading have been added? Let me know any thoughts in the comments.

Barber, Barrington. 6-Week Drawing Course: a professional programme for artists.
     Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2014.