Great Bear Art + How to Draw a Bear Video Tutorial

I recently saw the trailer for Disneynature's "Bears," and ever since have been inspired to draw bears. They're such cool animals. They're massive creatures, and can be quite ferocious, but can also be so loving and kind. I'd love to animate one, because they also have a unique gait.

So since I'm so fascinated with bears right now, I decided to make a drawing tutorial on how to draw a brown bear's face in a 3/4th view. I've also collected a number of great bear artworks to help inspire your own bear drawings. Enjoy!

How to Draw a Brown Bear's Face- Easy Drawing Tutorial

Subscribe to me on YouTube for more drawing tutorials!

Great Bear Art

 

 

 

 

 

How to Draw Dogs Video Tutorials- Panting and Cute

Today's drawing tutorials are a realistic a cute stylized puppy and a panting dog. The stylized one is perfect for beginners or kids, though the panting one isn't that difficult. It just takes a bit more attention to detail and the help of a photo reference. Be sure to check out my other dog art tutorials too!

Cute Puppy

1. Make a circle for the head and draw the center lines.

2. Draw the muzzle.

3. Add in the eyes and the top of the head.

4. Add the ears.

5. Add details.

6. Color. Don't forget a highlight on the nose!

Panting Dog

1. Make a circle for the head and draw the center line. The body is an oval shape.

2. Block out the muzzle, neck, and eye and ear placement.

3. Detail the muzzle and eyes.

4. Detail the bottom jaw and add the collar.

5. Detail the ears and neck.

6. Add some simple values and highlights.

The puppy was drawn in Flash and the panting dog was drawn in MyPaint.

Leave a comment if you have any questions! I hope this was helpful!

How to Draw Cats Video Tutorials- Cute Kitten and Grumpy Cat

Just in case people who are following me on here aren't subscribed to me on YouTube, I thought I'd start uploading my art video tutorials here again, so they can see them. On top of that, I've made still image/written tutorials to accompany the videos, just in case you want to get the gist of them really quickly.

Most of my videos are recordings of me working through the artwork, so you might want to scrub through them to get a better idea of how the drawing was made. Image tutorials always make things look overly simple, which is why I think that video tutorials are generally better. But you have both to choose from here, so go with whichever you find most helpful! Click the images to see them at full size. And be sure to check out some of my other cat tutorials!

Cute Kitten

 

1. Make a circle for the head and draw the center line. The body is an oval shape.

2. Block out the muzzle and eye and ear placement.

3. Detail the muzzle and eyes.

4. Add in the fur and eyebrow ridges.

5. Detail the ears.

6. Add some simple values and a couple whiskers.

Grumpy Cat

1. Make a circle for the head and draw the center line.

2. Block out the muzzle, neck, and eye and ear placement.

3. Detail the mouth, nose, and eyes.

4. Add in the fur, eyebrow ridges, and lines to define the sides of the muzzle.

5. Detail the ears and neck.

6. Add some simple values.

Both of these were drawn in MyPaint.

Leave a comment if you have any questions! I hope these were helpful!

How to Draw a Horse Head #1- Realistic Arabian

Ever wondered how to draw a realistic Arabian horse head? I show you how to draw one quickly and easily in this new video tutorial! You can watch me go through, step-by-step, as I work from basic shapes to the final detailed image. I chose to draw an Arabian for this tutorial because of their beautiful, distinctive sloped muzzles. They're one of my favorite horse breeds!

The final drawing:

My final artwork:

Both versions of the artwork were created in MyPaint. The reference is here.

How to Draw a Dog Face Tutorial #1

Here's a new drawing tutorial! This time, featuring my dog Corey. It's drawn in my favorite sketching program MyPaint (a free open-source program), but can be drawn in any other program or with pencil and paper. If you're a new artist, you may want to check out my How to Draw Animals post first. It outlines the steps you'd go through in drawing any animal in any pose.

In this tutorial I go one step further and add some values and highlights. Note that this is not true shading. All I'm doing is laying down values to indicate the different colors in Corey's fur and adding a few highlights so the drawing looks less flat. I didn't actually darken the sides of any of the shapes, so the the forms aren't as three-dimensional as a fully shaded drawing. This is one of many good ways to make a quick drawing.

The final drawing:

How to Draw Cat Bodies in Poses

This is the last part of this how to draw cats tutorial series. Last time I covered how to draw cat paws, and before that I gave a tutorial on how to draw cat faces/heads. I also made some how to draw cats video tutorials. Today I'm going to cover how to combine cat heads and paws with cat bodies to create cat poses. Let's get to it!

How to Draw Cat Bodies in Poses

Art Type: Traditional or Digital
I'm Using: Photoshop CS4 and an Intuos 4

I used references to guide these drawings. I suggest using references as well, especially if you're drawing an animal that you haven't practiced with much, or if you want a realistic style.

You can click the images below to see them larger.

How to Draw a Cat Sitting

1. Draw the basic shapes to form the head, chest, torso, and rear. Keep in mind that cats are longer than they are tall. They are also very graceful, so are best drawn with curving lines in mind.
2. Add the guide lines to the face and add the ears, muzzle, and eye.
3. Add the legs and tail. You can't see the hind leg on the other side of the body.
4. Either half erase your guide drawing, or draw on a new layer if working digitally. Detail the face.
5. Detail the body. Don't forget the little lines on the paw facing us that show where the claws retract.  Erase the guide drawing.

How to Draw a Cat Lying Down

1. Draw the basic shapes to form the head, chest, torso, and rear. Remember that cats are longer than they are tall.
2. Add the guide lines to the face and add the ears, muzzle, and eyes.
3. Add the legs and tail. Draw through the shapes to make placing the legs on the other side of the body easier.
4. Either half erase your guide drawing, or draw on a new layer if working digitally. Detail the face.
5. Detail the body. Don't forget the little lines on the paws facing us that show where the claws retract.  Erase the guide drawing.

How to Draw a Cat Standing

1. Draw the basic shapes to form the head, chest, torso, and rear. Remember that cats are longer than they are tall.
2. Add the guide lines to the face and add the ears, muzzle, and eyes. This breed of cat (Siamese) has a muzzle that is slightly longer than usual.
3. Add the legs and tail. Draw through the shapes to make placing the legs on the other side of the body easier. Don't forget the dew claw on the raised front leg.
4. Either half erase your guide drawing, or draw on a new layer if working digitally. Detail the face.
5. Detail the body. Erase the guide drawing.

So that's it for the how to draw cats tutorials! I'll wrap the week up tomorrow by featuring some great cat art.

How to Draw Cat Paws

Last time I covered how to draw cat faces/heads. I also made some how to draw cats video tutorials. Today I'm going to give a tutorial on something much more simple: cat paws. Unlike dog paws, which can come in a variety of shapes, cat paws are pretty much all the same.

How to Draw Cat Paws Tutorial

Art Type: Traditional or Digital
I'm Using: Photoshop CS4 and an Intuos 4

I used references to guide these drawings. I suggest using references as well, especially if you're drawing an animal that you haven't practiced with much, or if you want a realistic style.

You can click the image below to see it larger.

1. Draw the basic shapes. The paw is best represented by a shape like an oval.
2. Add the guide lines to divide the paw into toes. Make the line in the middle go all the way down, so you can be sure the paw is pointing the right way. If the claws are extended, single lines help to guide you when drawing them in detail in the next step.
3. Either half erase your guide drawing, or draw on a new layer if working digitally. Add the details. The trick to making cat paws look "right" is using curves and keeping the shapes soft and smooth, like real cat paws. When the claws are retracted, there are little areas on the paws where there is no fur, leading to those holes and lines in the front of the paws. Note that the claws are positioned more toward the inside edges of the toes, not in the middles. Don't draw the claws too long. These are cats, not tigers. Erase the guide drawing and you're done!

I know this was pretty short, but as you can see, cat paws aren't complicated. Next time I'll discuss a more involved drawing subject: cat bodies and poses.

How to Draw Cats- Faces / Heads

Now that I've got the dog site up and running, I thought it would be fun to cover something totally opposite to dogs: cats! This week is cat week. I'm going to cover how to draw cat heads/faces, paws, and bodies, then wrap the week up with a best of cat art post.

If you haven't taken a look at my "How to Draw Animals" post, you might want to. I also made some how to draw cats video tutorials. You may find some helpful tips in those that you can apply to your cat drawings.

How to Draw Cat Faces/Heads Tutorial

Art Type: Traditional or Digital
I'm Using: Photoshop CS4 and an Intuos 4

I used references to guide these drawings. I suggest using references as well, especially if you're drawing an animal that you haven't practiced with much, or if you want a realistic style.

You can click the images below to see them larger.


How to Draw a Cat Face/Head- Front View

1. Draw an oval (ovals are more accurate representations of cat skulls than circles).
2. Draw the guide lines. The inside edges of the eyes connect to the inside edges of the ears.
3. Either half erase your guide drawing, or draw on a new layer if working digitally. Add oval eyes with a bit of a slant near the inside corners. Don't forget the tear ducts.
4. Add the nose and muzzle. Lines on the side of the muzzle help keep it from looking flat.
5. Add the ears.
6. Add the fur and details like the brow ridges and shading on the eyes. Erase the guide drawing. You can add whiskers if you want, but they are not necessary and can make your drawing look more cluttered if done wrong.

How to Draw a Cat Face/Head- Side View

1. Draw an oval.
2. Add the guide lines. The inside edge of the eye connects to the inside edge of the ear. Don't make the muzzle too long or it will look like a dog.
3. Either half erase your guide drawing, or draw on a new layer if working digitally. Add the eye and tear duct.
4. Add the muzzle. Let it transition gracefully into the forehead, giving the cat a smooth profile.
5. Add the ears. Notice how the other ear is offset due to perspective.
6. Add the fur and details like the brow ridges and shading on the eyes.  Erase the guide drawing.

How to Draw a Cat Face/Head- 3/4 View

1. Draw an oval. 
2. Add the guide lines. At this angle, it is very important to get the horizontal and vertical guide lines right, or your cat may not wind up at the angle you want. The inside edges of the eyes connect to the inside edges of the ears.
3. Add the eyes and draw in the side of the face. You can't see the tear duct on the right eye due to the angle.
4. Add the muzzle. Keep a square shape in mind as you draw it. This will make it wind up looking properly 3-dimensional.
5. Add the ears. Notice the detail on the inner edge of the left ear (your right as you face it). This adds to the realism and is one of the cool shapes you can find in reference photos.
6. Add the fur and details like the brow ridges and shading on the eyes.  Erase the guide drawing.

I hope this was helpful! Tomorrow I'll cover how to draw cat paws.

Recommended Reading- How to Draw Books

Hi, guys! Today I'm going to give some quick reviews of some great how to draw books. I own all of these, and they've helped me a lot. Some I still refer to, while others were helpful when I was a beginner. They all have great tips (and great art). I'm very picky when buying how to draw books, and you should be, too. If you don't like the way the person who made the book draws, why would you want to learn from them? Anyway, here is my recommended reading list for art books (in no particular order).

#1- The Art of Animal Drawing: Construction, Action Analysis, Caricature by Ken Hultgren. This guy used to be an animator for Disney, and it shows. He can draw all sorts of animals, in all sorts of poses, completely from imagination. And he does so with a realistic style. This book is a great guide to how to make your animals look like they actually have bone and muscle, and is very helpful when trying to create a dynamic pose. The caricatures are cute, too, but in an outdated, old Disney sort of way.

#2- The Art of Animal Character Design by David Colman. I mentioned this book before, but I'm mentioning it again here because it is so helpful. It has some great tips on how to learn to draw animals from imagination, and wonderful advice on designing interesting animal characters. It's also a great book because of all the awesome drawings that you can analyze and study.

#3- DragonArt by Jessica "NeonDragon" Peffer. This is my go-to book on dragon drawing. Unlike other dragon books that just show you a bunch of random (yet awesome) pictures, and then show you how to go step by step through a few illustrations, this book shows you how to make a dragon. It explains dragon anatomy, different foot, wing, head, horn, and eye types. And more importantly, it discusses how to draw dragons from different directions. The end of the book also discusses how to draw a few fantasy creatures. All in all, it's a great guide to learning how to draw your own dragon in your own poses.

#4- Freaks!: How to Draw Fantastic Fantasy Creatures by Steve Miller (with other awesome artists). This is one of my all-time favorite how to draw books. It's actually what got me interested in anthropomorphic animals beyond the usual cartoony ones and werewolves. It's full of the work of many different artists, with many different styles (though it generally has a Marvel sort of comic book style). It explains anthro anatomy, posing, and character design. It's the best how to draw anthro book I've come across.

#5- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing People and Drawing For Dummies (I've got the older version of this one) both by Brenda Hoddinott. Despite their somewhat mocking titles, the Idiot's and Dummies line of books are actually very helpful. These books were some of my most important teachers as far as my pencil drawing skills go. I learned many shading techniques from them, and got most of my people drawing skills from them as well (the Dummies book covers drawing people, too).

#6- Drawing Animals by Norman Adams and Joe Singer. This book was very helpful to me when I was a beginning animal artist. It discusses what types of shapes to use in the blocking stages of your drawing and covers animal anatomy. I mostly used it as a skeleton and muscle guide, because there are some great side view anatomy drawings of many different animals. I found the shading demonstrations to be too short to be helpful (they go from lineart, to base shading, to magically beautiful finished drawing), so this book is most valuable when approached from an anatomy perspective.

#7- The Artist's Guide to Drawing Realistic Animals by Doug Lindstrand. This was another book that helped me a lot as a beginner. While "Drawing Animals" is a great anatomy book and not a great how to shade book, this one is a great how to shade book and a poor anatomy book. It has you drawing various types of ovals and refining them into recognizable animal forms, without much though given to bones or muscles. However, it does an awesome job of describing how to draw details and is excellent at describing how to shade fur. So if you combine this book with "Drawing Animals" you've got some good information on how to be a graphite animal artist.

#8- Any of the How to Draw Anime and Game Characters books by Tadashi Ozawa. Surprisingly, when I first started out (before I got online with my art) I was a manga/anime style artist. I don't think I actually made much original art in that style, I mostly redrew stuff from manga, but it was with this style, and these books, that I got my first taste of being an artist. I never really liked the style of the other how to draw manga/anime books I came across, which is why this is the only series I recommend in that style. They are great at showing you how to make your own characters, poses, and facial expressions. I especially like how the books focus on character continuity from different poses.

So, those are my recommendations. Have any great how to draw books that you think I left out? Tell me!

Until next time!

Great Dog Art

Now that I've covered how to draw animals, how to draw dogs (Part 1, Part 2), and listed 10 great dog art tutorials I found, I'm going to end this dog themed week with some inspirational images. Some of these artists are classical dog drawing masters, while others are living artists. Make sure to follow the link on any images you like to see what else the artist has to offer. Enjoy!

 

Beagle by Marshall Robinson

Lady Maria by Oha

Dog's Company by Edgard Farasyn

Australian Shepherd no.2 by Lynn Culp

Basset Hound by Susan Donley

Irish Wolfhound by Elena Kolotusha

Naughty Boy or Compulsory Education by Briton Riviere

Ted by Nicholas Beall

Portrait of "Pearl" by Colette Theriault

Rummy by Danielle Haney

So I hope this was inspirational! There are tons of other great dog artists out there, so I may have to do a post like this again someday. Until then, you can always follow my Pinterest board "Inspiring Images" where I pin all the great art I come across.

Until next time!

How to Draw Dogs: The Best of the Internet

Now that I've given my own tips on how to draw dogs in my two part tutorial (Part 1, Part 2) and my tips on how to draw animals, let's take a look at what other people have to say on the subject of making dog art. I've always found that the best way to learn how to do something artistic, aside from practice, is get various perspectives on the subject. However, it can be hard to find any good tutorials that go beyond simple how-tos for kids, which is why I hope this list will be helpful. If there are any good ones you think I've left out, feel free to leave a comment linking to them!

From Tutorial #2

The Best How to Draw Dogs Tutorials

Please note that in general I don't suggest using tutorials that just teach you how to draw one type of dog in one type of pose, which is why you won't find any here. These can be helpful (and fun) when you're starting out, but you're soon going to want to draw a different dog in a different pose. The only way to learn how to do that is to learn at least some basic anatomy and practice from photos or life (this is how I learned). Step by step how-tos will only take you just so far. I also don't suggest using the grid system, unless you plan on only ever doing pet portraits. It's a very helpful system, but doesn't teach you much about anatomy, which can restrict you later if you want to do any imaginative art.

1. Canine Anatomy Tutorial- This tutorial by Photografever gives a great introduction to canine anatomy and how to use it in relation to posing, without any major skeleton or muscle study required.
2. How to Draw and Shade a Dog Sketch- Shows how to use a phot reference, and gives a short discussion how to see form with light and shadow and how to add fur texture.
3. How to Draw Mammal Legs- A great tutorial by Elruu that explains the do's and dont's of posing animal (mainly canine) legs.
4. Dog Pose Tutorial- A great guide to dog body language and expressions by SleepingDeadGirl.
5. Canine Ear Variations- Dalmatianluver drew some great dog ear references, showcasing the many different types from different angles.
6. Fur Tutorial (Traditional Art) (Digital Art)- Two different tutorials about how to draw fur, since I didn't cover it. These are very detailed and helpful (I've used both).
7. Basic Animal Anatomy- by Majnouna. There's a canine in the third row, but I suggest you read everything because there is some great information in this guide.
8. Dog Teeth Tutorial- This tutorial by WolfPearl goes very in depth into things regarding dog teeth. This is a good read if you're studying dog anatomy seriously.
9. Canine Hind Paw and Forepaw Studies- These aren't exactly tutorials, but if you're wondering what type of art to make when studying dog anatomy, these studies by ArnaThornwolf are great examples. They also are great references of different paw angles and poses.
10. Canine Anatomy Illustrations- I linked to this collection in my tutorials, but it's so helpful that I'm putting it here, too. This isn't a tutorial, but it is my main guide to animal anatomy (canine anatomy begins on the page with images 37-48; "der hund" = the dog). Using this can save you the money you'd normally have to put into buying a decent animal anatomy book. And seeing as how this came from a veterinary anatomy book, you can be sure all the illustrations are scientifically accurate.

An example of dog art from my portfolio

If you have a tutorial you think I should add, leave a link in the comments and I'll take a look at it. And if you're in need of any dog drawing inspiration, in my next post I'm going to show you tons of great dog art (and great dog artists).

Until next time!

How to Draw Dogs: Faces and Bodies

Since this week's theme is dogs, yesterday I covered how to draw dog paws, eyes, and noses, and today I'm going to discuss their faces and bodies. If you are wondering how to get started drawing animals, check out my how to draw animals tutorial. It has videos and a ten step guide for animal drawing.

If you're a new artist, or just want to find some fun new tools or programs to work with, check out my traditional art supply and digital art program recommendations. So, let's get started!

How to Draw Dogs Pt. 2: Face and Bodies

Art Type: Traditional or Digital
I'm Using: MyPaint and an Intuos 4

In this last part of this dog drawing tutorial, I'm going to give you something to put those paws, eyes, and noses on. Just as those details vary in shape, so do dog faces and bodies, but to an even greater extent. Let's start with their faces.

From the University of Wisconsin's Digital Collection

Just as I suggested you study the anatomy behind the dog's paw, I suggest you also study the anatomy of the dog's head. Drawing skulls isn't a morbid activity at all. I find it to be extremely helpful. While I'm limited to photos I find online, you can always buy a fake or real skull that you can turn to draw from all conceivable angles. Let's take a look at some dog faces I drew from photos, keeping in mind the underlying structure.

Something you'll probably notice right away is how varied the faces are. Some dogs have pointier faces, some have rounded faces, and other's faces are more square. Also, some have long muzzles, some have short muzzles, and some have practically no muzzle. Long nosed dogs (like the Greyhound) have what is called dolichocephalic skulls. Medium length muzzles (like those on the Pointer) are called mesocephalic. Compressed muzzles (like the muzzle of a Boxer) are called brachycephalic, and really compressed muzzles (like on a Pug) are called extreme brachycephalic. The terms don't really matter, what matters is how these skull shapes make dogs look different.

Dogs also have very different looking body shapes. And by different, I don't mean just the obvious difference between a Labrador and a Dachshund (though the positioning of Dachshund's legs is very interesting). I'm talking about the more subtle differences as well. Look at these dogs I blocked out and notice some interesting things: #1- Some dogs, like Greyhounds, have deeper chests. This has to do with running and endurance. #2- Some dogs have broader chests. Some breeds, like Bulldogs, are naturally barrel-chested, while some breeders breed dogs like that to make them look tougher. #3- Some dogs have thicker limbs, while other dogs are skinnier. #4- Some dogs are longer than they are tall (the Dachshund isn't the only one, another example is the Cesky Terrier).

Greyhound

Cesky Terrier

By paying attention to all of this, you will be able to replicate dog photos better, and design more interesting dog characters. That's what I think is so great about dogs: they are all so different. You could even play on the differences in their temperaments. Dogs vary from sweet, laid-back, aloof, protective, selfish, etc. Ask any dog owner, and they will give you a list of human-sounding traits that they (probably very accurately) attribute to their dog. Incorporating some personality traits like those into your work will help make your dog art come alive and make you stand out from all the other pet portraitists and dog artists out there.

Reccomended Reading: The New Encyclopedia of the Dog is the reference I've used for all the drawings I made for this two-part tutorial. It's not a drawing book, but it's my go-to reference for all things dog. But you're probably wondering, can't I just Google dogs and get my references and discover fun breeds? Well, you can. But I find that when I Google I tend to get distracted, especially by cute puppy pictures. With this book I can get right to work, and don't have to search around trying to find a proper face angle reference. On top of that, it's easy to flip through it to find interesting new breeds. Lots of people draw Huskies. But how many draw Peruvian Inca Orchid dogs? This book can help you become a more unique dog artist.

A good example of lively dog art, from my old deviantART account

In my next post I'm going to list some good dog drawing tutorials that I've found throughout my searches of the Internet. They may go more in depth into some of the things I covered here.

Until next time!