Graphite pencils come in a variety of lead hardness and softness to allow for a full range of grayscale shades.
Drawing subjects such as animals will develop your artistic range, since the variety of species in the animal kingdom gives you a virtually unlimited source of inspiration. Though your subjects may vary, the general techniques for drawing in graphite remain the same. Work from source photos and practice drawing animals to improve your illustration skills as well as your understanding of light and shadow.
Instructions
1. A square head and round rib cage are a couple of shapes comprising this dog.
Study your source photo and visualize the shapes that make up the animal's body. Imagine the skeleton and how the animal's bones connect. Think about the muscles that stretch over those bones, but don't worry about the fur or feathers just yet.
2. Use a 2H pencil to sketch the shapes that make up the form of your animal. A 2H pencil contains very hard graphite, which results in light lines. As you draw the shapes, consult your source photo to check the size of your shapes. Look for parts of the animal that line up in the photo.
3. Notice that the tiger's eyes divide the head in half.
Draw a grid to indicate where the animal's facial features fall. Look at your source photo and imagine a line running down the center of its face, right through the nose or beak. Then look for where a line connecting the animal's eyes would land; this line will generally divide the head in half.
4. Draw the outlines of your subject, using an HB pencil. The softer graphite in the HB pencil results in a slightly darker line. Draw a more accurate outline of the body using the shapes you sketched as a guide. Lightly outline the shape of the facial features, using the grid as a guide. Work on the entire image; don't focus on one area for too long.
5. Pay attention to the shapes of light and dark areas.
Check your source photo for the location and shape of the shadows on the animal's body. Notice how the animal's bones, muscles and fur affect the shadows. Use the 2H pencil to sketch these shapes on your drawing.
6. Draw the details of the animal from lightest to darkest. Your pencils range from 2H (the hardest and lightest) to 6B (the softest and blackest). Use your source photo to determine shade your drawing. Make your pencil marks in the same direction as the animal's coat. Remember that animals don't have outlines in the real world. Build up layers of shadow to render your subject, not lines.
7. Use clean rags to smudge areas of graphite that need smooth transitions. Experiment with different fabrics to achieve various levels of smoothness.
8. Erase any stray lines, and then shape the eraser as needed to erase highlight areas on the animal.
