T-03 ADVANCED: DIVERSE ANIMALS pot

ADDING SHADING AND TEXTURE: You use hatching to add values to the body to represent the texture of feathers.. The hatching lines used to draw feathers are ragged and uneven with lines o

Brenda Hoddinott

T-03 ADVANCED: DIVERSE ANIMALS

In this project, you first establish accurate proportions and outline the various shapes and forms

of an adorable young owl named Hooter; you then use graduated hatching techniques to characterize the various textures and define the forms

This project is divided into the following two sections:

PUTTING PROPORTIONS ON PAPER: You examine the structures of a wing and

feather, and then sketch the proportions of the owl While the structures of feathers and wings are very complex, drawing realistic looking birds is not difficult

ADDING SHADING AND TEXTURE: You use hatching to add values to the body to

represent the texture of feathers The hatching lines used to draw feathers are ragged and uneven with lines of various lengths and thicknesses Finally, you draw the details of the eyes and add a wood texture to the tree branch

Suggested drawing supplies include good quality white drawing paper, kneaded and vinyl erasers, and various graphite pencils such as 2H, 2B, HB, 4B, and 6B

15 PAGES - 23 ILLUSTRATIONS

This project is recommended for artists, aged twelve to ninety-nine, who have good drawing skills, and also for home schooling, academic and recreational fine art educators

Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Halifax, NS, Canada, Revised 2006

PUTTING PROPORTIONS ON PAPER

While the structures of feathers and wings are very complex, drawing realistic looking birds is not difficult You begin this project by examining the structures of feathers and a wing, and sketching the proportions of the owl

A basic understanding of the anatomy of a wing and feathers is very helpful if you run into problems trying to accurately render a drawing of a bird The next two drawings show the basic construction of a feather The long skinny thing down the center of the feather is called a shaft and the wide end is referred to as a quill Many years ago writers would dip the quill end (which has a hollow center) into ink, thereby transforming the feather into a pen

ILLUSTRATION 3-01 ILLUSTRATION 3-02

Feathers differ in size and texture depending on where they are located on the bird’s body The following words describe the various types of feathers:

Tiny, soft, and downy feathers are located on his head, chest and feet

Medium-sized, soft, and short feathers, with narrow quills, are generally found on the upper section of the wing

Long and firm, but relatively soft to the touch feathers, with wide quills and noticeable shafts, make up the middle and lower sections of the wings

ILLUSTRATION 3-03

This drawing shows

the basic construction

of a wing

While I established

this schematic for a

drawing I was doing

of an angel, the basic

wing structure is similar

to that of various types of

birds from a tiny delicate

Humming Bird to a magnificent

Sketching accurate proportions is the foundation of realistic drawing Proportion is the

relationship in size of one component of a drawing to another or others If the proportions are off, no amount of beautiful shading or fancy pencil marks can save your drawing

My drawing is tiny (6 by 7 inches), but you may prefer try a larger drawing format such as 9 by

12, or 12 by 14 inches Drawing format refers to the area of a drawing surface within a specific

perimeter, outlined by a shape of any size, such as the page of a sketchbook

ILLUSTRATION 3-04

1) Lightly sketch an egg-shape for the owl’s body, tilted slightly toward the left of your drawing space

Here’s proof that the egg came first! (Grin) Don’t press too hard with your pencil You need to erase these lines later Make sure you leave room to later add the owl’s head, the wing to the right, and the feet and tree branch below

ILLUSTRATION 3-05

2) Draw a horizontal oval (the head) that overlaps the body

ILLUSTRATION 3-06

3) Add a wing that extends from the bottom of his head at

an angle toward the lower right

Take note of the following:

The overall shape of the wing appears to

be an upside-down elongated teardrop The wing seems to point toward the lower right corner with its tip

The wing becomes gradually narrower until it finally ends in a slightly rounded point

ILLUSTRATION 3-07

4) Draw a V-shape on the

face with curved lines at

the top of each side of

the V

The lower tip of the

V-shape will be the beak of

the owl and the outward

curves extending from the

top of each side of the V

represent the upper

sections of the eyes

5) Add a small upside-down

U-shape above the tip of the

beak

Refer to the drawing below

ILLUSTRATION 3-08

6) Sketch a few fluffy feathers under the wing

7) Add two oval shapes to represent the feet

Observe that the foot on the right appears to be much larger than the other However, in real life when viewing an owl from the front, both feet would be the same size

In that this foot is closer to the viewer, perspective dictates that

it needs to be drawn bigger than the one farther away

ILLUSTRATION 3-09

8) Outline the owl’s eyes

Note that the eyes appear as partial circles because the inside center section of each is hidden behind the feathers between the eyes Each is a partial large circle with a smaller circle inside

9) Add an angular branch of a tree for the owl to sit on

Double check the proportions of your sketch before you begin shading, by visually measuring the shapes of the positive and negative spaces Observe the lengths, angles, and curves of the various lines which outline the owl and the tree branch

ADDING SHADING AND TEXTURE

You begin this section of the project by adding values to the body with hatching lines You then add the texture of feathers, draw the details of the eyes, and add a realistic wood texture to the tree branch

The hatching lines used to draw feathers are ragged and uneven with lines of various lengths and thicknesses While some hatching lines are dark and others are light, you still need to maintain an overall difference of values from light to dark Assume that the light source in this drawing is from the upper left Subsequently the overall values on the left will be lighter than on the right Have another look at the drawing of the wing (Illustration 3-03) Observe that the feathers are in layers with the shortest feathers close to the body The feathers become progressively longer with the thinner, more defined feathers being on the tips of the wing

10) Lighten your outline by gently patting the lines with your kneaded eraser

11) Replace the rough sketch lines of the owl’s head, body and feet with ragged fuzzy lines

to represent the texture of feathers

12) Redraw the edges of the tree branch so it looks rugged and uneven

ILLUSTRATION 3-10

Keep in mind that

a full range of values gives contrast between the light and the shadow areas

Remember,

light affects

the placement

and value of

every section

of shading

The light source is

from the left in this

drawing, so the

shading will be a

little darker on the

right

13) Add curved hatching lines to the head to represent small, soft feathers

Watch very closely the different directions in which the hatching lines curve Take your time The directions in which the hatching lines curve are important, because they help give the illusion of depth to the various forms

ILLUSTRATION 3-11

14) Draw some slightly curved hatching lines on the owl’s breast to represent spots 15) Outline feathers of different shapes and sizes on the wing

Note that the feathers are considerably shorter in the upper section closer to the head than toward the tips of the wings

16) Add a few curved hatching lines on the feet to indicate the direction in which the tiny soft feathers grow

Remember, the hatching lines used for drawing feathers, are several different lengths and values The edges are not abrupt stops, but rather feathered (or ragged) to give a more realistic appearance

ILLUSTRATION 3-12

17) With your 2H pencil, lightly shade in the feathers on the left and center sections of his feet and lower body

18) Use your 2B pencil to shade in the medium values, mostly on the right

Remember, the light source is coming from the left The feathers on the right are darker than on the left

19) Add the dark values

of his feathers on his lower body, his shoulder under his head (on the right), and under his beak and wing with a 2B

or 4B pencil

20) Add another circle around the perimeter

of the irises as the rims

of the eyes

ILLUSTRATION 3-13

21) Add shading to the

outer rims of the eyes

with a 2B

22) Complete the outlines

of the eyes by adding a

tiny highlight in the

upper left of the eye

on the left

Refer to the drawing

below

ILLUSTRATION 3-14

23) Use your 6B pencil to shade in the dark values of the pupils 24) Add a long narrow raggedy section of dark shading to the beak (on the right)

ILLUSTRATION 3-15

25) Shade the lower section

of each iris with a 2H,

and the top sections

with an HB

26) Complete the shading of

his beak with squirkles

Leave a long thin

highlight in the center,

and a light section on the

lower right edge of his

beak (reflected light)

ILLUSTRATION 3-16

27) Use very sharp pencils to add more hatching lines to all sections of the head

Use a 2H for light sections and 2B and 4B for the darker areas Note the darkest shading in the shadow areas, such as the upper part of his eye and

on the side of his beak

ILLUSTRATION 3-17

28) Add a few tiny oval shapes throughout the feathers on the upper sections and along the sides of Hooter’s head

This illustration shows a close up view of these tiny ovals If you want

to make a few of them stand out more, simply mold your kneaded eraser to

a point and lighten the center sections

of each

29) Use a freshly sharpened pencil and short hatching lines to draw the soft downy feathers on Hooter’s chest and feet

ILLUSTRATION 3-18

Don’t miss the sections

of dark values on the upper chest that look like spots

30) Add shading to the tail feathers

Refer to the drawing below Tail feathers are large and can be well defined with textured shading The values of each are very dark on the right and graduate

to light The lightest section of each is on the far left

31) Add a few angular lines on some of the feathers

ILLUSTRATION 3-19

As you can see by looking closely at

my drawing,

a few angular lines drawn on each feather completes the shading and

emphasizes the fine

details

ILLUSTRATION 3-20

32) Add shading to the feathers on the upper section of the wing

Observe that the shading

is lighter closer to the left and gradually becomes darker toward the right Also take note of the very dark shading on the upper section next

to his head This is caused by the head casting a shadow onto the body

33) Use various pencils and hatching lines to bring out the texture of the feathers on the upper section of the wing

Note that some sections are left very light to create the illusion that a few of the feathers are very light on the tips

ILLUSTRATION 3-21

34) Add shading to his talons on the ends of his toes

35) Use a combination of hatching and squirkling to add shading and texture to the branch of the tree

Take note that the shading is lighter toward each end

ILLUSTRATION 3-22

ILLUSTRATION 3-23

Add final touches if needed You can make sections of the feathers lighter by patting them with your kneaded eraser You make areas darker by simply drawing more hatching lines where you need them

Sign your name and put today’s

date on the back of your

drawing! You have just

completed a major project!

BRENDA HODDINOTT - BIOGRAPHY

As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, Brenda Hoddinott utilizes diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal, conté crayon, and oil paints

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily

on the enjoyment aspects while gently introducing the technical and academic Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter, the quest for knowledge also becomes enjoyable

>Brenda Hoddinott<

Born in St John’s, Newfoundland, Brenda grew up in the small town of Corner Brook She developed strong technical competencies with a personal commitment to self directed learning, and the aid of assorted “Learn to Draw” books During Brenda’s twenty-five year career as a self-educated civilian forensic artist, numerous criminal investigation departments have employed Brenda’s skills, including Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police departments In 1992, Brenda was honored with a commendation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and in 1994, she was awarded a Certificate of Membership from “Forensic Artists International”

Her home-based art career included graphic design, and teaching recreational drawing and painting classes As supervisor of her community’s recreational art department, Brenda hired and trained teachers, and designed curriculum for several children’s art programs In 1998, Brenda chose to end her eighteen-year career as an art educator in order to devote more time to writing, drawing, painting, and developing her websites

Drawspace http://www.drawspace.com incorporates her unique style and innovative approach to curriculum development This site offers downloadable and printable drawing classes for students of all abilities from the age of eight through adult Students of all ages, levels and abilities have praised the simple step-by-step instructional approach This site is respected as a resource for fine art educators, home schooling programs, and educational facilities throughout the world

LEARN-TO-DRAW BOOKS BY BRENDA HODDINOTT

Drawing for Dummies: Wiley Publishing, Inc., New, York, NY, this 336 page book is

available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally Drawing for Dummies

is now available in Dutch, Bulgarian, Spanish, French, and German

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing People: Winner of the Alpha-Penguin Book of the

Year Award 2004, Alpha - Pearson Education – Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN, this 360 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally