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Watch more How to Draw for Beginners videos: http://www.howcast.com/videos/262331-How-to-Draw-Animals
Learn to use simple shapes to draw your favorite animal kingdom buddy or beast.
Step 1: Draw basic form
Study your animal photo. Break the form into circles, triangles, rectangles, and oval shapes, establishing accurate proportions.
Tip
Begin a fish drawing with a large oval. Use circles for the hips of many four-legged creatures and triangles for heads, ears, and legs.
Step 2: Round and contour form
Round the animal’s outline and define contour details by observing photo details.
Tip
Draw details after establishing outside contours.
Step 3: Add details
Add features such as eyes, ears, mouths, hooves, fur, and tails. Let your photo guide you in feature placement and in sketching the finer points of each.
Step 4: Erase guidelines
Erase your original shape guidelines.
Step 5: Add shading
Add shading to create realism and depth to your drawing. Now you have the basic skills to draw anything from a gerbil to a giraffe.
Did You Know?
Did you know? Polar bears are among the animals declining in population as a result of melting sea ice and were designated a threatened species in 2008.