How to Draw Wildlife

Drawing wildlife is easier than you think it is. Most beginners believe that you need art lessons of some sort to even attempt to draw wildlife. However, if you take your time and follow these steps, you'll be able to capture your favorite wildlife on paper in no time.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Decide on the animal you want to begin drawing. There are many wildlife animals to choose from, such as tigers, bears, wolves, owls, eagles and deer.

2. Place the pencil on the paper where you think the top part of the animal's head should be. Do not worry about details such as the ears, eyes and nose. Quickly draw a line, or even a short dash, where the top of the animal's head should be.

3. Determine where the bottom of the wildlife animal's face will be and sketch this in. It's okay if it is not perfect or in the correct place, and it may look odd right now, but the drawing will begin to take shape.

4. Draw an oval shape for the head, connecting the top and bottom sketch you made previously. Add ovals for the eyes, nose and mouth areas.

5. Draw another oval for the body, adding rectangular shapes for the legs, arms and feet. Make adjustments in height and width if needed. Shade the areas of the body where it is the darkest with short, quick strokes of the pencil.

6. Add lines and curves to the ovals, connecting the body parts, blending each stroke as you go. Draw the shapes of the legs, arms, feet, claws, mouth, eyes, nose and ears. Add whiskers, beaks and teeth if needed.

7. Continue to shade areas of the body. Sketch in fur, feathers and hair on the drawing where appropriate. Add detail to the face, blend and re-size if needed. Add color if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• Get inspiration for your wildlife drawings by looking at photographs, watching wildlife documentaries on TV or visiting the zoo with your sketchbook in hand. You can even draw the "wildlife" you see from your back porch or apartment window.