Animal Drawing Part 6: Birds

[New Masters Academy]

In the final lesson of Glenn Vilppu’s Animal Drawing series, he focuses on our feathered brethren– birds. Their compact resting positions, their elongated gestures during flight, and their wonderful textures offer excellent drawing opportunities. The many different kinds of winged animals share a similar inner structure, but their outer cloak of feathers hides much of their construction. Follow Glenn’s lead to gain an understanding of how to approach drawing birds. The last chapter is a timed assignment for you to practice what you’ve learned. Premium members have hi-res downloads of the same references that Glenn uses, plus others.

Glenn’s approach to drawing animals is similar to his approach to figure drawing-– start with the gesture, then construct and use light to describe form and accentuate movement.

Instead of copying what you see, you will learn the skills necessary to draw animals from imagination. Glenn will start with Comparative Anatomy between humans and animals, and then break down specifics of animal anatomy. Specifics such as knowing what an animal eats and its place in the food chain can be discovered by analyzing its anatomy and structure.

By taking this structural point of view, you will be able to draw any animal from your imagination. This is beneficial to all artists, whether their interest is in Fine Art, Animation, Comics or other fields.

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