For Cat Eyes Only

Tags

animal, animal drawings, art, Carla Sonheim, cat, Drawing, drawing tutorial, realism

This post is adapted from For Your Eyes Only (Lesson 12 in Drawing Lab)

Hello!

Even though I love drawing stylized animals the most, I believe drawing from life as much as possible makes my stylized work more “authentic.”

If you want to practice drawing realistically, eyes are a fantastic place to start.

What are some of the most fascinating eyes out there? Cat eyes! Almond-shaped, other-worldly and appearing to gaze beyond mere human experience.

Assignment: Draw 4 Variations of a Cat Eye

We are going to draw four different cat-eyes, the first one using only pencil, the second with pen and ink, the third with vine charcoal, and the fourth in color, using colored pencil.

Materials:
Your sketchbook
Pencil
Kneaded rubber eraser
Felt tip pen
Vine charcoal
Small set of colored pencils

Instructions:

1. With your pencil, draw a grid with four rectangles and lightly sketch the basic shape of the cat-eye in each box. Try to make them all the same size, and as accurate as you can (though you can adjust as you go, so there is no need to spend too much time erasing at this point)! I’ve worked small; the outer edge of the frame is about 5.5 inches.

2. In the first box, use your pencil for shading and cross-hatching and building up value (lights and darks). Keep your eraser handy and use it to pull out highlights. Reference your photo often!

3. Repeat the above step for the three other eyes, now using pen, vine charcoal, and colored pencils. Look at the all subtle variations in the iris. Be as detailed as you like.

4. This is a chance to play around with different media and let your intuition guide you. The assignment should take no more than a half hour total; try to let go of perfection and just do your best!

Taking it Further:
Once you practice drawing realistic eyes, drawing stylized ones will become even more fun:

Have a wonderful day!

Minnesota Art Retreat • August 15-18

Tags

animal drawings, art of silliness, Artwork, figure drawing, Midwest Art & Lettering Retreat, Minnesota Art Retreat, rabbit drawing

I was happy to receive an email last week from the organizer of the Midwest Art & Lettering Retreat that the four-day workshop in August is nearly filled (there’s three spots left).

Here’s the class description:

The class is four days long. In the mornings we’ll draw, doing a series of serious and silly drawings (mostly silly) from life, from photos, and from imagination:

We’ll even draw from the live figure on the fourth morning!

In the afternoons we’ll add color and collage and turn those drawings into a multi-layered, mixed-media book (or series of books): 

I think it will be so fun! I’ve never taught a four-day workshop before, and look forward to the more leisurely pace.

Have a great week!

Pencil Porcupine

Tags

animal drawings, drawing animals, porcupine, porcupine drawing

Have a wonderful weekend!

Day #9 • Book Release Blog Celebration • Artist Dar Hosta and Giveaway

Tags

animal drawings, animal paintings, bird drawings, Cranky Birds, Dar Hosta, painting animals

It’s Monday. And Mondays are sometimes Cranky Days. Enter Dar Hosta Cranky Birds!

(Photos used by permission from Dar’s blog.)

Cranky Birds are the brainchild of my friend Dar Hosta, a children’s book author, illustrator, and educator from New Jersey.

These birds are so funny. They say what they think. Well, they say what you and I think, and daren’t say.

But don’t be afraid of Dar, because she swears it’s not really her — it’s the BIRDS! From her website:

Dar Hosta is a nice, well-mannered children’s book author who is neither cranky, nor a bird. 

You would like her.  Lots of people do.

She does, however, have a flock of birds who rant about lots of things.

In general, they are nice birds. They are just a little cranky.

I’m so happy have been able to include one of Dar’s Cranky Birds in the book. Go here to see more….

Art Assignment and Book Giveaway!
Are you a Cranky Bird today? Then head on over to Dar’s 52 Mondays Blog. Dar has created an assignment for you (and me… see it on her blog), and also has a copy of “Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals” to give away, so head on over!

(And if you do make your own Cranky Bird, you can upload it at the new Drawing and Painting Imaginary Creatures flickr group!)

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This post is part of a Two-Week Book Release Celebration for my new book, “Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals: A Mixed-Media Workshop with Carla Sonheim.” For the schedule, which includes book and art giveaways, contributing artists features, tutorials, and assignments, click here.