What were the main challenges of drawing animals?
With the cats, the main problem was that they were moving all the time. This made it extremely difficult to capture any pose or detail. I was often left with an incomplete outline of a cat, with the head or some other part of the body missing because the cat had left the scene already. It went a bit better when I waited until the cat was sleeping.
For the fish, the main challenge was the texture and reflections of the surface. I found it very difficult to depict these.
Which media did you enjoy using most and which did you feel were best for the subject matter and why?
I didn’t try out so many different media in this project and liked most of them, with the exception of coloured markers which didn’t work for me when drawing the cats. I liked pencil for the cats, but I think the best for capturing their fur is soft pastel because it permits to cover a larger area with colour and interesting texture by using the pastels sticks with their side.
For the fish, I liked the watersoluble colour pencils and I think they are very good for the subject, because they permit to combine fine detail with working loosely over large areas when dissolved with water.
Where can you go to draw more animals? Think about the sorts of places that will give you opportunities for animal drawing. Have you tried drawing a moving animal yet?
Berlin has two public zoos where I could go for drawing more animals. I could also make visits to the countryside outside Berlin. On my last trip, I saw hens, goose, cows and I think just taking the time to stop and draw animals that come across would be nice.
I haven’t tried to draw a moving animal yet, but I imagine this must be really challenging.
Some personal thoughts after this project
This seemed to be another project which made me realize how much I can not draw… but looking on the work I’ve done, I can see some progress from the first animal drawings to the last. To improve, I could continue drawing animals alone for the next year or so. I’m still far away from the feeling of skill, but I’m beginning to understand the projects as introductions to the various topics in drawing.
It would be good if I complemented the directed coursework with ongoing free practice in these topics, and this would be the right thing to do in my sketchbooks! Currently I’m using the sketchbook when I’m told to do so, and I think this isn’t sufficient. I’d like to develop my skills further, so it would be good to find the time for some free work.