Drawing Nature: The Quick and Easy Way to Draw Animals, Plants, and More Crochet Cuddly

The Quick and Easy Way to Draw Animals, Plants, and More

The 15-Minute Artist

DRAWING NATURE

Best-selling author of

How to Draw Cool Stuff

Catherine V. Holmes

The 15-Minute Artist

DRAWING NATURE

The 15-Minute Artist

DRAWING NATURE The Quick and Easy Way to Draw Animals, Plants, and More

CATHERINE V. HOLMES Get Creative 6 NEW YORK

For Charlotte and Taya

Get Creative 6 An imprint of Mixed Media Resources 104 West 27th Street New York, NY 10001 Editor LAUREN O’NEAL Creative Director IRENE LEDWITH Art Director FRANCESCA PACCHINI Chief Executive Officer CAROLINE KILMER President ART JOINNIDES Chairman JAY STEIN

Copyright © 2023 by Catherine V. Holmes All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage-and-retrieval systems—without permission of the publisher.

The designs in this book are intended for the personal, noncommercial use of the retail purchaser and are under federal copyright laws; they are not to be reproduced in any form for commercial use.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Holmes, Catherine V., author.

Title: Drawing nature : the quick and easy way to draw animals, plants, and more / Catherine Holmes.

Description: First edition. | New York, New York : Get Creative 6, a division of Mixed Media Resources, 2023. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2023002360 | ISBN 9781684621415 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: Drawing--Technique. | Nature in art.

Classification: LCC NC825.N34 H65 2023 | DDC 743.6--dc23/ eng/20230215 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023002360 Manufactured in China 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 First Edition

Acknowledgments I would like to express my deepest appreciation to SoHo Publishing for making this book possible. I’m extremely grateful to Library Tales for your continued support. Words cannot express my gratitude to my family, without whom this endeavor would not have been possible.

Contents INTRODUCTION: Approachable Art..................8

CHAPTER 2: Beautiful Birds................................. 58

The Basics................................................................................9 Art Materials........................................................................ 12

Flamingo................................................................................ 60 King Penguin....................................................................... 62 Eagle........................................................................................ 64 Kingfisher.............................................................................. 66 Hoatzin................................................................................... 68 Pelican.................................................................................... 70 Kiwi........................................................................................... 73 Hummingbird...................................................................... 76

CHAPTER 1: Furry Friends...................................... 14 Elephant................................................................................. 16 Squirrel Monkey................................................................ 18 Zebra....................................................................................... 20 Sloth......................................................................................... 23 Koala........................................................................................ 26 Jaguar..................................................................................... 28 Bat............................................................................................. 30 Giant Panda.......................................................................... 32 Giraffe..................................................................................... 34 Brown Rat............................................................................. 36 Platypus................................................................................. 38 Echidna................................................................................... 40 Red Panda............................................................................. 42 Capybara............................................................................... 44 Kangaroo............................................................................... 46 Polar Bear............................................................................. 48 Hippopotamus................................................................... 50 Quokka................................................................................... 52 Lemur...................................................................................... 55

CHAPTER 3: Under the Sea................................... 78 Spotted Eagle Ray............................................................ 80 Fiddler Crab........................................................................ 82 Jellyfish.................................................................................. 84 Great White Shark........................................................... 86 Goldfish.................................................................................. 88 Clownfish.............................................................................. 90 Squid........................................................................................ 92 Sea Turtle.............................................................................. 95 Seahorse............................................................................... 98 Dolphin................................................................................ 100

CHAPTER 4: Creepy Crawlies........................... 102

CHAPTER 6: Lovely Landscapes..................... 146

Dragonfly........................................................................... 104 Alligator.............................................................................. 107 Anaconda........................................................................... 110 Snail....................................................................................... 112 Tarantula............................................................................ 114 Anole.................................................................................... 116 Bullet Ant........................................................................... 118 Frog....................................................................................... 121 Blue Triangle Butterfly............................................... 124

Watering Hole................................................................. 148 Rocks.................................................................................... 150 Riverbend.......................................................................... 152 Stone.................................................................................... 154 Waterfall............................................................................. 156 Wave..................................................................................... 158

CHAPTER 5: Fantastic Flora............................... 126 Baobab Tree..................................................................... 128 Umbrella Thorn Acacia.............................................. 130 Cacao................................................................................... 132 Lingonberry...................................................................... 134 Lotus..................................................................................... 136 Coconut Palm.................................................................. 138 Bird of Paradise.............................................................. 140 Eucalyptus......................................................................... 142 Kelp........................................................................................ 144

INDEX.................................................................................... 160

Introduction

Approachable Art Welcome to Drawing Nature! Just like the other books in my 15-Minute Artist series, this book aims to make art approachable for everyone.

Whether you’re an old hand or just picking up a pencil for the first time, my methods will help you draw anything, from elephants to ocean waves, in just 15 minutes. You may have read the previous books in the series, The 15-Minute Artist and 101 Drawing Secrets, but if you haven’t, don’t fret. This book contains all you need to make drawing accessible, easy, and fun.

Even for experienced artists, drawing realistic images can be intimidating. How do you get from a blank page to a final product full of detail, shading, and texture? That’s where this book comes in! Each tutorial contains stepby-step instructions that walk you through the process, from simple outline to finished product.

You’ll learn specific techniques like blending and hatching, but you’ll also learn the general approach I and many other artists take to drawing a given subject: start with very basic

The 15-Minute Method This is the typical process I use with most drawings, including those I demonstrate in this book.

1. Break it down into simple shapes.

2. Connect the shapes.

3. Add details.

4. Erase the initial guidelines.

5. Shade the entire object with a medium tone.

6. Darken the darkest areas.

7. Erase areas to create highlights.

8

Drawing Nature

shapes and gradually add detail. After using this approach enough times on the projects in this book, you can start applying it to objects and images in your own life.

Now, that doesn’t mean all your art will turn out perfect on the first try. Drawing is a skill like any other, and it requires practice. That’s why I designed these projects to take 15 minutes. It’s long enough to work on your skills, but short enough to fit into your schedule every day. And practicing every day is the number one way to improve as an artist over time.

Another way to improve is to draw a wide variety of subjects, and what could provide more variety than nature? In this book, you’ll find a menagerie of animals, plants, and landscapes from across the entire planet. Some subjects, like hummingbirds, you might find in your backyard.

Others, like platypuses, you might only see in a zoo. But all will take you on a delightful journey through the natural world, teaching you essential artistic skills along the way!

The Basics

This section explains the techniques and vocabulary that will be used throughout the book. Feel free to flip back to it if you forget what something means!

Guidelines

As you’ve now learned, the first step in the drawing process is to create simple shapes as a framework to build on. The lines you use

to draw these shapes are called guidelines, because they guide what you draw next.

Guidelines don’t have to be precise; they just have to give you a decent idea of where to draw. They could mark the rough outlines of a shape or its approximate center—we’ll do both at different points in this book. Sketch them in lightly, because you’ll erase them eventually.

This very simplified example shows how a triangle is used as a guideline for an evergreen tree.

Tone and Shading

In drawing, we use the terms tone and value to describe how light or dark a color is, which is especially important to discuss when drawing in black and white. When I say to “add a layer of tone” or “add value,” I’m talking about adding color with your pencil, even though, in this book, the color is usually a shade of gray. (In the projects that do use color, I might tell you to add hue instead of tone.)

The value scale below shows a spectrum from

White

the lightest tones to the darkest. In the middle is the midtone, which represents the “true” color of whatever you’re drawing. You use values lighter than the midtone for the highlights and values darker than the midtone for the shadows. The difference in value between a lighter tone and a darker tone is called contrast.

The general process of using different tones to convey depth, shadow, and so on is called shading.

Midtone

Black Introduction

9

Chapter 1

Furry Friends We’ll start our journey through the natural world with a chapter on drawing mammals in many different shapes and sizes. You’ll learn how to convincingly create all kinds of fur and hides, from fuzzy to spiny and everything in between.

Just follow the simple steps to draw a red panda cute enough to cuddle—or a frighteningly ferocious jaguar!

15

SQUIRREL MONKEY Much like their namesake, these South American monkeys are small and gray, with long tails that help them balance as they climb trees.

Use hatch marks to replicate the fuzzy texture of their fur.

1

Start with overlapping ovals for the head and body. Add guidelines for the tail and legs.

Add finger guidelines.

2

Thicken fingers.

18

Drawing Nature

Add facial details, finish the tail, and thicken the legs.

BLOCK IN TONE

3

Add a layer of tone to block in the major forms.

ZEBRA Sometimes things aren’t so black and white, even with zebras.

Let’s learn about the subtleties of contrast by drawing one.

BASIC SHAPES

1

Start with circular shapes for the chest and rear, leaving a generous space between the two. Add a small circle for the head and guidelines for the legs.

Head turned slightly toward viewer

3 20

Drawing Nature

2

Connect the chest and rear with curved lines.

Thicken the left front and rear legs. Add a snout and a guideline for the tail.

Add shapes for the mane, eye, and ears. Add the right front and rear legs.

KANGAROO Kangaroos are icons of the Australian outback. Keep adding tone, offset with highlights, to create depth and texture on this leaping marsupial.

SIMPLE SHAPES

1

Start with a large circular shape for the body, a smaller circle for the head, and a long line for the tail. Connect the head and body with a line for the neck.

2

Add guidelines to indicate the position of the legs. Thicken the neck and tail. Add ears and a snout.

Add lip and eye protrusions.

3

Add facial features and ear details.

Erase the tail and neck guidelines.

Thicken the legs.

46

Drawing Nature

ADD TONE

4

Erase the guidelines. Refine the paw shape. Add a light layer of tone over the entire kangaroo.

POLAR BEAR Technically, a polar bear’s fur isn’t white—it’s transparent. And the key to drawing that fur isn’t to leave white space on the page but rather to use light tone that contrasts with areas of shadow.

1

Start with a large oval for the body and a small circle for the head. Connect the two with lines.

BASIC OUTLINE

2

3

Add facial features. Erase the guidelines. Add a very light layer of tone over the entire bear.

48

Drawing Nature

Add a snout, front and rear legs, and a tail.

Slightly darker tone in shadow areas

Chapter 2

Beautiful Birds

Soar with the eagles—and dive with the penguins— in this chapter on how to draw birds from around the world. You’ll learn how to draw feathery friends both familiar and foreign, in a variety of different media. Put these lessons to use next time you see a hummingbird at your bird feeder or look at the flamingos at the zoo!

59

HUMMINGBIRD Hummingbirds flap their wings up to 80 times per second! In this lesson, we’ll use light, blurry lines to indicate the motion of the wings.

BASIC BODY SHAPE

1

Start with a small circle for the head and a slightly larger circle for the body.

Connect the two with lines.

Basic shape of foot

2

Add an eye, beak, and triangular tail.

Add a few feathers at the end of the tail. Draw a line as a guide for the wing.

Leave throat white.

Basic feather shapes

TONE AND TEXTURE

3

Erase the guidelines. Finish the wing and add a layer of tone, pressing harder in darker areas.

76

Drawing Nature

PATTERN AND MOTION

4

Add the hummingbird’s pattern using a combination of zigzag marks, lines, and curves. Add a few light lines above the wing so the top line is blurrier, indicating motion.

5

Add a very light layer of tone outside of the bottom of the wing to blur the edge. Add a few more light lines around the contour of the wing to indicate motion. Blend to smooth the tones.

Darken bottom feathers on wings.

Beautiful Birds

77

Chapter 3

Under the Sea

From crabs to squid to dolphins, the animals that live in the ocean are incredibly diverse. In this chapter, we’ll learn how to draw a variety of fins, tails, tentacles, and scales. We’ll even use oil pastels to draw a jellyfish that seems to glow in the dark!

79

GOLDFISH OK, so technically speaking, goldfish aren’t sea creatures; they’re freshwater fish. But they’re a great way to practice drawing scales and fins, especially if you have one at home for reference!

BASIC SHAPES

1

Start with an oval for the body. Add a circle for the eye and guidelines for the tail.

2

Add a pupil in the eye and a curved line for the gill. Complete the tail and add three more fins.

ADD TONE

Refine body shape here.

88

Drawing Nature

3

Add lips and a bump for the eye on the other side of the fish. Refine the body shape and erase the guidelines. Fill in the pupil and add a layer of tone over the whole fish.

4

Use a light yellow-orange to fill in what will become the highlights on the face, the fins, and the center and edges of the body.

QUICK TIP

Use a lighter, greener shade of blue for lighter shadows, and a darker, purpler shade of blue for darker shadows.

The places where they overlap will create a third shade of blue.

5

Use a slightly darker shade of orange to fill in the midtones.

Light source is here.

FINISH COLORS

Underside in shadow

6

Use a darker shade of orange to fill in the core shadow. Use blue markers to rim the fins and add shadow to the stripes. Outline the final drawing with a thin black marker.

Under the Sea

91

Chapter 4

Creepy Crawlies

Snakes, spiders, and other creepy-crawly animals don’t always get enough love. In this chapter, we’ll dive into drawing reptiles, bugs, and more, learning several different techniques along the way. If you want to know how to draw the tiny hairs on a tarantula or the intricate pattern of scales on an anaconda, this chapter’s for you!

103

DRAGONFLY

COLORED PENCIL

It may seem counterintuitive, but colored pencils can be the perfect tool for drawing transparent things, like this dragonfly’s wings. They also work well for its iridescent body.

Thorax

Abdomen

1

Start with a small circle for the head.

Draw a long line coming from it as a guide for the rest of the body.

OUTLINE THE BODY

2

Add an oval for the thorax and a long lean oval for the abdomen. Add two sets of wings.

3 104

Drawing Nature

Draw legs. Add veins to the wings.

Wings overlap.

ALLIGATOR Getting the rough, scaly texture of this alligator’s skin right will make it come to life—just watch out for those jaws!

1

Start with an oval body. Add a circleshaped head overlapping it. Draw a line for the tail. Add lines to indicate where the legs will go.

SKETCHING SHAPES

2

Add more detail to the legs, indicating placement and position. Thicken the tail and add rough lines where the mouth will go.

Short horizontal lines mark edge of snout.

3

Use the guidelines to add detail to the mouth and legs. Add claws and eyes.

Draw guidelines along the back where the scutes (bony plates) will go.

Creepy Crawlies

107

Chapter 5

Fantastic Flora

The natural world is teeming with animals, but it’s also full of plants! In this chapter, we’ll draw flowers, trees, and more from all over the world. Some of them are delicious (like the lingonberry and the cacao bean), some are beautiful (like the lotus and the bird of paradise), and others are just plain fascinating (like the baobab tree).

127

Chapter 6

Lovely Landscapes So far, we’ve covered how to draw living things in nature: plants and animals. But a big part of drawing nature is drawing the nonliving elements like rocks, rivers, and waves. That’s what we’ll cover in this chapter, using a variety of artistic media such as crayon and chalk pastel.

147

WATERING HOLE

COLORED PENCIL

Watering holes provide hydration for thirsty animals on the African savanna. As you draw this one, think about how you can use the contrast between colors to create realistic ripples.

START WITH PENCIL

1

Lightly draw an oval shape for the outer edge of the watering hole. Draw curved lines for ripples. Add an animal if you want; I used an elephant.

Shaky line for shadow/ reflection

Light blue

ADD COLOR

2

Using colored pencils, add a light layer of blue to the water.

Fill in the dirt around the watering hole with a light solid tone of goldenrod. Add a light coat of brown and black to the elephant.

Light aqua Lighter blue tone on left

3

Add another layer of tone, deepening the darker tones by using more pressure with your pencil. Blend the dirt with white or light tones to remove the paper tone underneath. Go over the ripples and the elephant’s shadow with blue, pressing harder. Darken the elephant.

Darker blue tone on right 148

Drawing Nature

Blue inner rim

BLEND WITH COLOR

4

Darken the water more to blend out any paper tone.

Use a peachy tone to do the same with the dirt. Smooth the tone with a yellow ochre.

QUICK TIP

Use the side of the pencil tip rather than the point to make the tone smoother and fill the area in quicker.

Brown outer rim

ERASE

5

Use a rubber eraser to erase some of the blue in the water in the shape of ripples. Erase some areas in the dirt to make it lighter.

6

Darken the elephant’s shadow. Use an eraser to “draw” tusks. Add mediumblue tones next to the light ripples in the water. Darken the brown and blue rims around the watering hole.

Deep blue shadow lines Lovely Landscapes

149

Index A

acacia, umbrella thorn 130–131 alligator 107–109 anaconda 110–111 anole 116–117 ant, bullet 118–120 anteater, spiny 40–41 apple 11 art materials 12–13

B

baobab tree 128–129 bat 30–31 bears 26–27, 32–33, 48–49 berry 134–135 bird of paradise 140–141 birds 58–77 blending 11 blending stump 12 blue triangle butterfly 124–125 brown rat 36–37 bullet ant 118–120 butterfly, blue triangle 124–125

C

cacao 132–133 capybara 44–45 cast shadow 10 chalk pastels 13, 158–159 clownfish 90–91 colored pencils 13, 34–35, 104–106, 112– 113, 134–135, 148–149, 152–153 contrast 9 core shadow 10 crab, fiddler 82–83 crayon project 156–157 creepy crawlies 102–125 crocodile 109 cross contours 11 cross-hatching 10, 75

D

dolphin 100–101 dragonfly 104–106

E

eagle 64–65

160

Drawing Nature

echidna 40–41 elephant 16–17 eraser, kneaded 12 eucalyptus 142–143

F

fiddler crab 82–83 15-minute method 8 fine-tip pen 13 flamingo 60–61 flora 126–145 flowers 136–137, 140– 141 French pastels 13, 158–159 frog 121–123

G

giant panda 32–33 giraffe 34–35 goldfish 88–89 graphite pencils 12 great white shark 86–87 guidelines 9

H

hatching 10, 75 highlights 9, 10 hippopotamus 50–51 hoatzin 68–69 hummingbird 76–77

J

jaguar 28–29 jellyfish 84–85

K

kangaroo 46–47 kelp 144–145 kingfisher 66–67 king penguin 62–63 kiwi 73–75 kneaded eraser 12 koala 26–27

L

landscapes 146–159 lemur 55–57 lingonberry 134–135 lizard 116–117 lotus 136–137

M

mammals 14–57 markers 13, 90–91, 124–125 materials, art 12–13 midtone 9, 10 monkey, squirrel 18–19

N

needle scratch 24

O

occlusion shadow 10 ocean animals 78–101 oil pastels 13, 66–67, 84–85 oil wax crayons 13, 66–67, 84–85

P

panda giant 32–33 red 42–43 paper 12 pastels chalk 13, 158–159 oil 13, 66–67, 84–85 pelican 70–72 pen, fine-tip 13 pencils colored 13, 34–35, 104–106, 112–113, 134–135, 148–149, 152–153 graphite 12 watercolor 13, 140–141 penguin, king 62–63 plants 126–145 platypus 38–39 polar bear 48–49

Q

quokka 52–54

R

rat, brown 36–37 ray, spotted eagle 80–81 red panda 42–43 reflected light 10 riverbend 152–153 rocks 150–151

S

scumbling 10, 27

sea creatures 78–101 seahorse 98–99 sea turtle 95–97 shading 9–10 shadows 9, 10 shark, great white 86–87 sloth 23–25 snail 112–113 snake 110–111 sphere, shading 10 spider 114–115 spiny anteater 40–41 spotted eagle ray 80–81 squid 92–94 squirrel monkey 18–19 stippling 10, 97 stone 154–155

T

tarantula 114–115 tone 9 tortillon 12 trees 128–131, 142–143 turtle, sea 95–97

U

umbrella thorn acacia 130–131

V

value scale 9 vase 11

W

watercolor pencils 13, 140–141 waterfall 156–157 watering hole 148–149 wave 158–159

Z

zebra 20–22

The 15-Minute Artist DRAWING NATURE

Art | Techniques | Drawing

Catherine V. Holmes grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where she took an interest in art from an early age. She has been drawing ever since she can remember and specializes in portraits, architecture, and illustration.

Painting, drawing, and creating are Catherine’s profession and her passion. She teaches K–5 art, is an online art instructor for Craftsy.com, and has also taught at the middle school level. Holmes previously taught students in the juvenile justice system, helping to educate, rehabilitate, and create a positive

Drawing Nature Around the World

ARTIST AND BEST-SELLING AUTHOR CATHERINE V. HOLMES is back with another book to teach you how to draw beautiful pictures in just

social-cultural outlet for court-involved youth

15 minutes. Drawing Nature takes you on a tour of animals, plants,

working towards their educational, behavioral,

and landscapes from every continent on the planet, from koalas

and vocational goals.

and penguins to sharks and baobab trees. Each project breaks the

Catherine’s art is inspired by her experiences and influenced by the varied interests and

process down step by simple step, so you can improve your art skills

suggestions of her students. To see success

while drawing adorable pandas, majestic waterfalls, and scaly snakes.

through their eyes inspires her to be a better

Quickly and easily learn techniques such as blending and shading

of The 15-Minute Artist, The 15-Minute Artist:

as you explore a variety of artistic media like pencils, markers, and

101 Drawing Secrets, and the How to Draw

pastels. What are you waiting for? Let’s draw!

Cool Stuff series of drawing books, which were originally intended as guides for her students and have gained worldwide recognition.

Catherine lives with her family near Boston.

Also available from Catherine V. Holmes: The Quick and Easy Way to Draw Almost Anything

The 15-Minute ARTIST

The15-Minute

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shading and blending), which are described in detail in the introduction.

Then it is on to a menagerie of engaging denizens of nature to draw (more than 60 in all), with chapters on: • Furry Friends (learn to draw a zebra, sloth, koala, and more) • Beautiful Birds (flamingo, hummingbird, pelican, kingfisher) • Under the Sea (seahorse, dolphin, goldfish, sea turtle) • Creepy Crawlies (dragonfly, frog, tarantula, alligator) • Fantastic Flora (lotus, bird of paradise, coconut palm)

How to Draw Cool Stuff

60 drawings, showing you how to achieve satisfying results while developing your artist’s eye.

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including blending, scumbling, stippling, and crosshatching

Start at the beginning or pick your favorites and begin sketching.

ng animals, plants,

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Catherine V. Holmes

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DRAWING NATURE

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DRAWING NATURE

The15-Minute

You’ll learn how to:

w book? With

The 15-Minute Artist

Catherine V. Holmes

teacher and creator of art. She is the author

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Catherine V. Holmes

• Lovely Landscapes (waterfall, riverbend, and more) Come along on this delightful journey through the natural world that will teach you essential artistic skills along the way! You just need 15 minutes a day!