Level: Advanced Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 7.9 Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: 65.8 Drawspace Curriculum 6.3.A18-14 Pages and 23 Illustrations Sweet Katie the PITWEILER Use an unconventional approach to drawing with a grid to create a photorealistic drawing of this mixed-breed dog or your own favorite pet Resource: Module 3.1 Introduction to Shading Supplies: paper, pencils (2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B), sharpener, sandpaper block, vinyl and kneaded erasers This activity has four sections: Plan the Drawing Get Started with Ears and Eyes Detail a Nose and Shade Fur Shade a Mouth, Tongue, Teeth, Collar, and More Fur Figure 1 Plan the Drawing Katie is my sweet, lovable, mixed-breed dog whose pedigree may include Pit Bull, Rottweiler, and Beagle. She was adopted from our local SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) when she was two years-old. Despite the horrors of her early life, today she is a very happy critter with the waggiest tail and the biggest smile you can possibly imagine. Although the reference photo in Figure 1 is not highly detailed, it was adequate enough to create this drawing. Katie was more than happy to sit and pose when additional details were needed.
2 6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler The first task was to turn the colored photo into grayscale (Figure 2) so the range of values is easier to identify. (Most photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop has this feature.) Figure 2 Even though the instructions in this tutorial are specific to drawing Katie, you can apply the overall process and the techniques used to create an original drawing of another animal. If you are drawing your own pet, begin by drawing a grid on your photo. Photo editing software is ideal for drawing grids. If you plan to draw a grid on a print image: use a ballpoint pen on paper with a glossy surface, or use a sharpened pencil or a fine tip, permanent marker on paper with a matte surface. Photoshop was used to add a grid to the photo of Katie in Figure 3. You can either view or print off this gridded photo if you are drawing Katie. (No need to draw the glob of slobber on her mouth.) 1. Draw corresponding grids on your reference image and drawing paper. The drawing of Katie is rendered on acid-free, heavy weight paper with a vellum surface. Thanks to the slightly textured tooth of the paper, details are clearer and the individual hatching lines stay crisp without blurring. The sheet of drawing paper used is 9 by 12 in (22.9 by 30.5 cm) slightly larger than the 7 by 8.2 in (17.8 by 20.8 cm) reference photo. Each grid square on both the paper and the photo is 1 in (2.54 cm). Hence, the drawing of Katie is the same size as the photo, but smaller than the sheet of paper. The extra space around the drawing allows for diverse framing options in the future. As an Aside Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and other purebred dogs are sometimes included on lists of aggressive dogs. Thankfully, the SPCA have all their dogs assessed for aggressive tendencies before releasing them for adoption. Tip! For valuable information on drawing with a grid, refer to: 2.2.R13 Setting Up to Draw with a Grid 2.2.A14 Draw Seamless Outlines in a Grid
6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler 3 Several grades of graphite with both Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic mechanical pencils and Staedtler wood-encased pencils were used to render the drawing of Katie. Figure 3 Figure 4 shows how lightly-rendered the grid on the paper is.
4 6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler Figure 4 2. Add corresponding numbers and letters to the grid on the photo and on your paper so you have a way to identify each square. Refer to Figure 5 to see numbers and letters added to the drawing paper. Also note the diagonal guidelines added to some grid squares to help with accuracy in the detailed sections. Both Figure 5 and 6 were darkened in Photoshop so you can clearly see the outlines. Figure 5 Get Started with Ears and Eyes In this section, you draw her ears and the top of her head, then the fur around her eyes, and finally her eyes. The drawing process begins in the upper left (Figure 5) and slowly progresses toward the right and then downward. Instead of outlining the entire drawing before shading, the outlines are added to only a few grid squares at a time.
6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler 5 Shading is then added to those grid squares before outlining the next section. Working in this manner challenges you to visualize the range of values in each small section rather than the whole photo at once. A quick hint, though: white and the darkest values (shaded with an 8B pencil) are reserved for Katie s eyes, the primary focal point. Figure 6 3. Outline the grid contents of squares B2, B3, C2, C3, D1, D2, D3, and E1. Refer back to Figure 5 and the close-up view in Figure 6. Drawing the contents of one grid square at a time is much simpler than trying to tackle a whole section at once. Constantly refer to the numbers and letters on the photo to make sure you are working in the correct squares. The process of outlining and adding shading in Steps 4 to 7 is the same for adding shading to the rest of the drawing. Figure 7 4. Erase the grid lines and lighten the outlines with a kneaded eraser in squares B2 and B3. 5. Replace the outlines with furry lines that indicate the directions in which the fur grows (Figure 7). Remember to erase your grid lines in each section before you begin shading.
6 6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler 6. Add shading with hatching and various grades of pencils (Figures 8 and 9). Figure 8 Use whichever grades of pencils give you the desired values. Use mechanical pencils or freshly-sharpened regular pencils to add the texture of the fur. Re-sharpen your pencil points on a sandpaper block after each few small strokes of fur. Examine the reference photo frequently and identify the forms of the various anatomical structures that need to be enhanced with shading. The light source originates from the upper left. Figure 9 7. As you complete each new section of shading, burnish the dark fur with a light grade of pencil to eliminate the white sections (Figure 9). If the fur starts to look raggedy, you are probably drawing too quickly or your pencils need to be sharpened more frequently. 8. Continue outlining the contents of grid squares and adding shading to the fur on the top of her head and ears (Figures 10 to 13). As light and medium values can easily get too dark, be sure to take lots of breaks to examine your progress. Figure 10 If a section looks too dark, gently pat the shading lines with a kneaded eraser molded into a thin wedge.
6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler 7 Figure 11 Figure 12 9. Outline and add shading to Katie s eyes (Figures 13 and 14). Use several grades of pencils (or lead) from 2H to 8B. All other values used to finish this drawing range between white (the highlights of the eyes) and the darkest value (the pupils of the eyes). Figure 13
8 6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler Figure 14 Detail a Nose and Shade Fur Figure 15 10. Outline and add shading to Katie s nose and the fur around her nose (Figure 15). Squirkling works best for shading a dog s nose! Tip! As you add shading, keep in mind that the light source originates from the upper left. Therefore, the overall shading is slightly darker on the right and lower-right sections of Katie.
6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler 9 11. Outline and add shading to the muzzle as well as the side of her head (Figures 16 and 17). Pay close attention to the directions in which the fur curves along the understructures of her head. Capturing believable anatomical forms is much more important than beautiful shading. Figure 16 Figure 17
10 6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler Shade a Mouth, Tongue, Teeth, Collar, and More Fur 12. Outline and add shading to her mouth and the sections around her mouth (Figures 18 to 20). Shading her mouth looks harder than it really is. Just take your time, and change the grades of your pencil often. Everything that needs to be shiny, such as her tongue, should have a solid base of shading before you blend (crosshatching is ideal). Figure 18 Her teeth, gums, and lips also need to be blended after you add shading. Make sure you don t over-blend easy does it! Some dark values may need to be added again after the first round of blending. Oh and don t blend fur unless you want the animal to look bald!
6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler 11 Figure 19 Tip! To make sections of shading lighter, mold your kneaded eraser to a wedge and gently and selectively pat the shading lines. To make a section darker, simply add more thin lines in between others. Burnishing medium and dark sections of fur adds to the realistic appearance of the subject. 13. Outline and add shading to her collar and additional sections of fur (Figures 20 to 22).
12 6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler Figure 20 As an Aside One of the most adorable of all dogs, the Dachshund ( wiener dog ) is noted in several studies as one of the most likely to bite humans. Most injuries from Dachshund bites are not serious and not reported. As an Aside All dogs, regardless of breed, can become aggressive if badly treated or provoked.
6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler 13 Figure 21 14. Use smoothlyrendered graduations to fade out the fur and sections of the collar around the lower sides and bottom edges (Figures 21 and 22). Figure 22 As an Aside A male dog is more likely to bite than a female. Intact male dogs are generally more aggressive than neutered male dogs. A dog that s constantly tied up or chained is more likely to bite than one that s walked frequently and/or can run freely in a large fenced area. 15. Check over all sections of shading and make any changes necessary to make your drawing look more like Figure 23. Figure 23 is approximately the same size as the actual drawing.
14 6.3.A18: Sweet Katie the Pitweiler When you re finished: scratch your tummy, give yourself a pat on the head, and enjoy your favorite cookie! Figure 23