Pencils are ideal for drawing due to their capability for shading and correcting errors.
Adding three-dimensional characteristics and elements to drawings helps them to appear more realistic and jump off the page. Even children can learn to incorporate basic 3D techniques into their simple line drawings to give the animals depth and make them stand out from their backgrounds. Always draw in pencil, as it makes it easier to add shading and correct your mistakes. Drawings can be enhanced later with color.
Instructions
1. Shade in portions of the animal to create depth. A lighter color makes an object appear closer and a darker color makes it appear farther away. For example, since the nose of a dog protrudes out, if drawing the dog's face head-on, his nose area would be lighter than his cheeks and forehead.
2. Add shadows to make the animal pop from its background. Decide what direction the sun would be coming from so all shadows are uniform. If the sun were directly in front of the animal, the shadows would be behind it. If it is coming from the left, the shadows would be slanted right.
3. Add views from the side and back angles as opposed to flat line drawings. For example, add a slanted line alongside the outline of an animal's leg to create a rounded limb. Showing a slight view of the side of the leg in addition to the front makes the limb appear to pop and gives the animal drawing itself a 3D quality.
4. Apply proportion to help the animal pop forward. If the head of a horse is facing frontward and the body is extended behind it, the legs in front should be slightly larger than those in back since the front legs are closer to the viewer.
