For the list of challenges see part one.

This particular model has had experience modeling for Disney animators. He’s such a professional when it comes to expressive and dynamic poses. The gestures were a lot of fun.

As an Animal

I thought of drawing him as an animal at the last minute, so unfortunately, I didn’t get to ask for his favorite one.

Already having taken 20 minutes to draw his pose, I thought it would be fun to transfer that into the anatomy of an animal, and a giraffe seemed challenging enough. My sketchbook already had giraffe sketches from a recent sketching trip at the zoo, and they served as a handy reference.

The giraffe’s expression came out this way, not because the model was particularly bored or depressed, but because that’s just the typical expression for most models in the long pose. Being able to hold the same pose for six 20 minute sessions is a challenging feat, and it unfortunately eliminates the more interesting and dynamic poses from play. Any model I’ve seen attempt a standing pose for that long has passed out—not good!

Drawing a model as an animal is an exercise in animal anatomy. It pushes you to understand the anatomy enough so that you can manipulate it in an exaggerated and yet believable way. Master illustrator Heinrich Kley and his sketches of dancing alligators is the pinnacle example.

When drawing animals, push to see how we all are more alike than different. Since drawing is an empathetic process, let’s extend that empathy to animals. How is your skeletal structure like a giraffe or an alligator? How would it feel moving, breathing, and living as that animal?