In the fifth part of Glenn Vilppu’s Animal Drawing series, he focuses on elephants. The sheer size of these gentle giants requires a different skeletal structure than the other animals you’ve learned about. Elephants are known to have a high degree of intelligence and a pleasant social demeanor, which make for excellent drawing opportunities. 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.