Animation Source Forums

Feel free to add any tips of your own! I want this topic to be available for all artists who're looking to improve, or perhaps figure out how to do something new.

• When first learning to draw, it's best you do not reference other artists' works (no matter how "good" or "realistic" they are). This actually applies to your entire drawing "career." Why? Because all artists make some kind of mistake, even if they've been drawing for decades.

• VISIT THE ZOO. This gives you, not only variety, but accuracy for your drawings. Draw (quickly) what you see the animal(s) doing, or certain anatomy bits you think you need help on. Draw more than one drawing, and make sure it's loose (this is like a "contour" drawing). You can work on making them more detailed and more "artsy" later.

• Once you work on the proper anatomy/build for the organisms you're drawing, you can develop your own "style." This being your own special way of drawing things (such as Catwhohas14tails's art, DrewtheWolf, Lyanti, and so forth). But get anatomy down first!! You don't want your art to look like this, do you? (Note the horrible, bleeding-eye anatomy.)

• I suggest working with traditional art (drawing with paper and pencils) before you start digital (drawing on the computer). This way, you have a better idea of what you're doing before you do it. Of course, it doesn't have to be this way.

• If you use programs such as Photoshop, Coral/Corel, Illustrator, and so forth for drawing -- learn how to use the program first.

• Work slowly, or at a comfortable pace. There's no need to rush in your final drawings. c:

• KEEP IT FUN! If you start to get frustrated, take a break. This way, you're not overworked and you're still passionate about your picture.




Once more, feel free to add any of your own personal drawing tips. However, this is not a tutorial, so please keep that in mind. Enjoy!

Wow! Love those tips! Lol, cute doodles! Hmmm...

Tip from me: Also, be sure to make it your own. Add a more humanish look, or add a more other animalish look. Like make a dog with cat like ears, and dogs have whiskers, so draw those too! Or if you like cute things, make your animal cutesy like. Be sure to find your own style. And don't forget to practice! Practice, that means drawing pictures and finishing them! Or doodleing the head or tail, or whatever you're having real trouble with.

Make a morgue, fill it with pictures of animals, close ups on the body parts of areas of trouble.

=] I hope I added useful tips XD

These are some great tips, Kirada!
It helps if you study the skeleton too.

I love the tips all ready given. Here are some of mine: (that I was told to do many times before)

Use a reference picture

Start out realistic then fiddle around with it until you find you own style (my own tip to myself lol) ex: Adding a little hair, making the tail longer, shorter of fluffier ect.

Make the eyes big and have expression most animal art the expression comes from the eyes

A reference picture is fine; HOWEVER, don't use a reference as a crutch! Instead of drawing from one picture (making a "direct copy"), look at two or three pictures and make up your own pose, "combining" elements of the image(s) you like and want to draw.

Many people use Google Images to find a "reference," which could be very dangerous. If the original photographer doesn't allow referencing (whether it be at all or without their permission), you don't know who that photographer is. Many Google Images are various "famous" images in a slew of websites -- so the real owner can be difficult (if not impossible) to find. This could lead to what's called "copyright infringement," which is highly illegal and punishable by federal law.

This leads us to my drawing tip -- VISIT THE ZOO. This way, you are drawing what you're seeing. Cameras, no matter how good, distort the images they are capturing by a tiny bit. Using other drawings by artists is also a bad (and another illegal) idea.

If you have no access to the "real deal" (zoos, friends with such animals, etc.), visit DeviantART's stock image galleries, where the photographers offer their photos as references for free under simple terms (such as "tell me about it, credit me, don't take the original photo and claim it as yours," etc).



Actually, no. Artists use body language to convey a mood with animals. This requires extensive study and knowledge of what you're drawing. Eyes can be used to show some emotion (tears when it's crying -- but animals don't cry out of emotion), even when they're drawn at normal size. "Anime eyes" on a realistic drawing will just look ridiculous.

These are great tips Kira!
I was wondering, how do you know when you can start developing a style of your own?

From my experience, if you try to make your own style it comes across as contrived (faked/forced). For me (and several of my artist comrades), my style evolved on its own as I studied animals and their anatomy. "Style" is just how you convey this or that. For example: Yellow-Eyes has realistic artwork but her "style" still differs noticeably from GoldenWolf, me, or Spirit the Cat.

As opposed to "trying" to make a style, let it evolve with you. A lot of artists gather inspiration from their friends or idols (look at Keilidh compared to AppleMutt and Pirategirl-Tetra), and even more-so from their environment.

The second tip on going to the zoo is definitly worth a try for anyone looking to improve anatomy c:
I did this a while back, and this was my result ^^ I'm quite proud of it really.

Excellent job on the lioness fan art,diego.^^