Semester 2 Life Drawing Week 9 (Zoo Trip)

Zoo Day

We went to the zoo for life drawing this week, and we've been given an assignment for the trip. First, I'll go through my drawings at the zoo, and secondly I'll talk about the assignment itself. 

Drawing the Animals

I was a bit nervous about drawing the animals, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I rarely draw animals, so I thought I would be unable to make any drawings work. I only really had trouble with mammals on four legs. I think that part of that is just because I'm far less used to seeing these animals in normal life, so I can't see if I'm far off or not. Regardless, I think I got some good stuff down.

Barn Owl Warm-ups

I began with some farm animals. I think this was basically my warm up for the day. I had to remember to draw the animals the same way that I draw people. I had to keep drawing the basic shapes, and then going from there.

Chicken Warm-Up Drawings

I think I struggled with depth a lot throughout the day, and that's visible in the farm animal drawings. I was surprised with the result, though, and I felt more confident as the day moved on. I think a big step for me was to share my drawings with others, which happened around the time I started to struggle with Four-Legged animals.

With the Prairie Dogs, I started to run into problems. I couldn't get a system down to draw them well, and a lot of them just turned into blobby messes. The legs were the main problem, since the shape of them are so strange compared to humans. I also really had trouble drawing them in any position other than in profile or head-on. I began asking others about their drawings around here, which I think was a big change for me. That kind of communication isn't something I'm used to. Asking other people about their strategies for drawing, and being willing to ask them for advice, was really useful. While my comfort with showing others my drawings has improved a lot since I started the course, this was still tough for me. Although, it was helpful.

Attempting to draw a Maned Wolf

Drawing some Big Cats.

The big cats had the most unfamiliar shapes to me, and it's clear that I don't really get how they actually work. Trying to draw them with more depth would probably help, but mainly I think I just need to study the shapes more. 

The best drawings were definitely the Primates. I figure it's because I'm the most familiar with the animal, and they share a lot of similarities with humans. This one is my favourite from the whole day:

It's where I felt the most comfortable by far, since I felt like I could get the attitude of them down on paper much better than others. Again, it's more familiar territory for me.

Finally, I started drawing more of the Birds. These were also easier, but I think it's because they're pretty straightforward, especially when they aren't moving. I also found it easier to simplify their faces and to give them an attitude. Also, I think these went well because I was communicating with the people I was drawing with.

Considering the length of this post, I'll be splitting it into two. In the next one I'll talk about putting these drawings into one animal, and how that goes. I think it'll be really difficult, since I'm so weak with animals without human limbs.