How to learn to draw a dog: #2 Automatic translate

Table of contents

Light and shadow

Most of the drawings are created initially in the form of simple contours, without any hint of volumetricity - as is clearly seen in the two figures below. The first of these drawings is nothing more than cool, but if you put shadow on it, it immediately acquires a convincing roundness and tangibility.

Learning Lighting Effects

To understand the principles of the distribution of light and shadow, spend a little time and see how light affects a specific object. A simple, round shape (ball or round fruit) is best suited for such an exercise. In addition, it is better to do this at home, taking a single source of artificial lighting - a lantern or a table lamp: unlike natural lighting, such a light source is easier to manipulate, and it will not create complex shadows. Move the lamp around your round object, bring it closer, remove it, constantly observing how it affects the “modeling” - creating with the help of light and shadow a sensation of a three-dimensional shape.

Lighted areas and shadows

Light and shadow not only give a three-dimensional shape to a flat object, but also emphasize where it has bulges and hollows and pits. The beam always highlights all the protruding parts to which it reaches. The recesses and concave places located on the side of the sphere turned away from the light will lie in the shade.

Reflected light

Light can behave in unexpected ways. So, for example, the portion of the sphere farthest away from the light source will not always be the darkest. This is explained by the fact that light will be reflected from the surrounding surfaces and fall from them onto the sphere, generating shadows that are different in their intensity. And inside these shadows, lighter spots, or reflections, may occur.

In addition, light can fall on an object not only from one source, although this source will be more powerful than others.

Variations in tone

Dog image modeling is an excellent example of how these subtle mechanisms of chiaroscuro distribution work. Unlike a simple round ball or an orange, the shape of the dog’s body is quite complex, it consists of a series of bulges and hollows.

To make it easier for you to determine which areas of your subject image are brightly lit, and where penumbra and shadow are, divide it into several simple forms. You will see many shades lying between the most lighted and the most shaded places, but this exercise can be simplified by taking, say, only two or three colors: dark for areas with the most dense shadow, medium gray for medium tones and white paper for those surfaces that direct light falls on.

Daylight

Natural lighting is variable, its intensity and direction depend on the time of day. You need to remember this if you work in the open air - let’s say, make a sketch of a dog there - because this factor will affect the intensity of the illuminated surfaces and the distribution of shadows. So that you do not have to constantly amend your drawing, you can, having drawn the basic contours of the dog, do this: remember the position of the light source at some point and slightly outline the position of the shadows.

Falling shadows

In addition to the brightly lit and shady areas on the subject, light also causes the subject to cast its own shadows. If for some reason the light is directed from two or more sources, this can create difficulties for the artist, since one ray of light can destroy, partially or completely, the shadows created by another source, as shown in the figures below.

Therefore, starting to transmit chiaroscuro, simplify your task and try to ensure that light falls on your subject image from only one source.

Shapes and angles

Iodine shadows lie in the same fragile area under which snow falls on an object, so you should carefully monitor the position of the light source and the corresponding position of the shadows. Watch the shape of the shadow as well. She never repeats the shape of an object that discards her, but always distorts her. The position of the light source always affects the length of the shadow: for example, if the sun is close to the zenith, the shadows of all objects are short, and the luminary hanging above the horizon gives rise to elongated shadows.

The surface on which the shadow falls also changes its shape. A relatively flat plane, such as a wooden floor, will remain fairly smooth: an uneven surface, such as grass, will break the shadow into many stripes and spots.

Wool texture and color

To transfer the coat color and texture of different breeds of dogs requires not only skill, but also the right choice of coloring materials and image surface - only then you will be able to get the desired effect. The more you experiment with all kinds of visual aids, the better you will learn to work with them and the more successful you can make later if necessary.

Variety of textures

When drawing dogs of different breeds, you will encounter three main coat textures: short hair, giving the dog a smooth look; with long, flowing hair and with curly hair. In addition to this texture, the breeds differ in color and spots on the skin.

It is difficult for an inexperienced artist to convey the softness of dog hair on a two-dimensional surface with just one pencil. There is an interesting trick - to do this with a soft pencil on smooth or slightly grained paper. Very fine strokes are obtained if you hold the pencil lightly and almost do not press on it, drawing areas of the wool on which light falls. You can increase the pressure when you need to depict hair on shaded surfaces. First, apply individual strokes that convey the direction in which the wool grows, and try to make these strokes as close to each other as possible in order to achieve a velvet effect.

Behavior and emotions

Dogs express with their body and face a wide range of emotions, from fright and aggressiveness to wild joy at the sight of the owners. By nature, a dog is a hunter and herd animal, and this makes it sociable within its group, but is ready to protect the territory from the encroachment of strangers.

This instinct is still strong in our dogs; thanks to him, many watchdogs make excellent watchmen. Until recently, the dog lived in almost every family. And every animal, regardless of breed, always showed this territorial instinct. At first, the dog behaves aggressively with anyone who approaches the house, but then, recognizing a family member, joyfully greets him. Then they - sometimes very reluctantly - accept the stranger into the new members of the "pack" - the family.

Camera help

Dogs are very active animals, especially in their younger years. Many people like to play with foreign objects, chasing the ball, take interesting poses and quickly change them.

This behavior is almost impossible to capture on paper. Besides the physical impossibility to draw a dog’s pose so quickly, or even at least a couple of strokes, it’s almost impossible to keep the right materials at hand all the time. And here the camera can be an invaluable assistant. Many photographs capturing such rare moments will help you in your work.

Fancy Angles

This type of behavior is not easy to convey with sufficient persuasiveness, even if you resort to the help of photography, since dogs are usually not seen from such angles and they look very strange. If you like to draw dogs from the most diverse and unusual points of view, and not just in traditional and familiar poses, you will most fully learn to convey the shape of the dog’s body.

Emotion Image

Dogs are intelligent and therefore very emotional animals; they can express a wide range of feelings, from evil aggressiveness to wild joy and complete submission. However, there are breeds that always have the same expression on their faces; but this only seems to be explained by the peculiarities of the anatomy of such dogs.

Your embarrassment will be aggravated when you find that such a dog expresses a variety of emotions using the same expression on its face. And then you just have to guess about the true nature of dog feelings. So, the dog presses his ears. when expressing aggression, fear, or humility. She bares her upper teeth, showing aggression or fear, and when she shows you her humility, her mouth is either closed or slightly open. Therefore, portraying some kind of emotion of a dog, you must understand it and correctly connect several elements, such as ears. eyes and pose.

And again, I remind you of caution: if the dog is scared, this does not mean at all that you can not be afraid of it. Confused dogs are often dangerous, so be careful.

Dog eats or drinks

To get started, choose something easier for you than a dog jumping or rolling on the grass. A good subject here may be a dog, stopped to eat something or drink some water.

True, dogs tend to devour their writing in a matter of seconds, but this time can be significantly increased by giving something “long-playing”. It can be artificial bone or another hard product seasoned with a meat smell - they can be bought in stalls where goods for animals are sold. In short, give the dog something that she will have to tinker with for a while. And then you will have the opportunity to choose the desired angle and either perform a carefully verified drawing, adding the maximum number of details to it, or sketch two or three quick sketches from different points

The dog will certainly lie down if it gnaws the bone; drink or eat soft food she will be standing; Remember this when you choose which situation is most desirable for you.

Flexible visual material

Due to their flexibility, watercolors can serve as an excellent means for portraying dogs and their various types of behavior. Watercolor allows you to make accurate, detailed, realistic drawings, on the other hand, you can use the same paint and brush to make a fresh sketch in a free manner. In addition, you can combine it with colored pencils, drawing them on top of the watercolor layer to emphasize individual details and give the picture a “new dimension".