Animal Illustration: Capturing Wildlife in a Sketchbook

Get to know your teacher Jenny and how she transformed her love of animals into a profession. Go behind the scenes of the experiences that influenced her career as an artist and discover the people she looks to for inspiration, before delving into what you can expect from this course.

Learn about the materials she recommends, from collage papers to graphite pencils, then explore the different techniques to practice using your materials. Jenny shares her tips for finding a good animal reference and researching your subjects as well as turning complex animal anatomy into simple shapes on the page.

Start adding detail to your initial sketches, then learn to draw quickly, and get familiar with your subject by taking part in Jenny’s Time Challenge. Next, she walks you through drawing animals from your imagination using the techniques learned so far. Start with the basic shapes before moving on to more exaggerated references. Learn to develop your own unique style of illustration to add visual appeal to your drawings and make them your own. Then add watercolor to your illustration to emphasize your story.

Take your drawings to the next level by creating collages to frame them using scrap paper, colored tape, and stickers. To finish the course, Jenny shares her advice for photographing your work for your portfolio and sharing it with the world on social media.