How To Draw Wolf Fur Texture

This tutorial describes the techniques I use to create realistic fur texture in graphite pencil. To brand your own drawings y'all volition need paper (personal preference is cardinal, and then experiment until yous find your favorite) and a full cartoon set of art quality graphite pencils. My two favorite brands are Staedtler Mars Lumograph, Derwent Graphic, and Derwent Sketching. I strongly recommend against Faber-Castell's colored pencils, as I accept e'er found them to be grainy and incapable of laying down graphite smoothly.

In this illustration I predominantly used 3B and 5B pencils, due to the small size of the drawing. The same technique tin be used with a larger range of pencils, and on a big piece I volition use everything from HB to 6B. Each has a different hardness and tone, allowing the artist to create shading with tremendous depth and detail.

Reference Picture "Don't Cry Wolf" by dudestock of deviantArt

Reference Picture "Don't weep Wolf" by dudestock of DeviantArt: http://fav.me/dr9b1n

How to Draw Fur with Graphite Pencil From a Reference Photo, by Sidney Eileen — Sketch the Basic Lines

Sketch the basic lines

Whether or not I commencement with a reference photo, I always draw an outline sketch of the field of study and background (if any). I endeavor to give the overall outlines of form, the locations of important details similar eyes, nose, ears, feet, etc., and provide an impression of fur contour, direction, and texture. I besides try to requite myself an idea of where color and shading transitions occur, although I am not altogether precise at this stage. Many of the internal lines will move as I begin to draw the piece.

Brainstorm the First Layer of Shading

When I am working in pencil I always get-go with the optics and face up of the field of study. If a cartoon has more than subject, I start with either the dominant or the near fundamental bailiwick on the paper. It is very important for me to plan out the catamenia of the cartoon at this stage and so I don't terminate upwardly smearing the fine art with my paw later. I have found that I am unable to proceed a steady manus unless it is in directly contact with the drawing surface, and so I tend to work in a circular pattern around the paper out from the face. On a minor slice like this one (5"x7"), I worked from the head, down the forepart, and then to the right since I am right-handed.

I drew in the eyes outset, with full particular, and the nose, both with a 5B pencil. I then switched to a 3B pencil and lightly drew in the base shading for the confront. This layer of shading should be about the aforementioned lightness every bit the lightest tones in any given part of the texture. Look at the highlights of the fur texture, and draw in that shade. If you find that you lot cannot draw as lightly every bit the highlights, switch to a harder pencil for your first layer (B or HB). Be certain to draw the pencil strokes in the direction the fur flows. These strokes will usually prove through in the terminal picture, and assist to define the overall texture of the fur. Stroke length is not important at this stage unless this layer of shading volition exist the top layer in the final drawing.

Kickoff Detail Layer

After creating the base shading I continued with the 3B pencil. I created the texture in the fur by applying a flake more pressure and using more deliberate strokes. When adding detail, proceed the pencil as sharp as possible, and go along your stoke lengths to most equivalent of what is visible in the reference drawing. Since I am still working in the 3B pencil, but with more pressure, these the median shading strokes. More pressure creates darkness, but not depth. The darkest areas and depth volition be added over this.

At this stage, some of the shading areas created in the starting time layer can still be changed. I decided at this point that the ears looked a little scrap pocket-sized, then I extended the shading areas and moved the placement of some of the details.

Second Detail Layer

After filling in the median shading details I switch to a 5B pencil. On larger pieces, I volition employ other harnesses than just 3B and 5B, simply I have found that with pocket-sized drawings such details are completely lost. When learning, these two pencils on a modest cartoon should provide enough depth to develop understanding of the technique.

I gently added a small amount of shading to areas that looked a chip flat, but weren't necessarily supposed to be night. Each hardness of pencil has a different tone to it, and even a light awarding tin provide a depth that a single pencil cannot. Whatever 2 pencils fatigued to the same darkness will take a different quality. I did this on the top of the nose and effectually the eyes and muzzle.

Every bit with the commencement detail layer, keep your pencil as sharp every bit possible, and restrict your stroke lengths to what you see in the reference material. Ever brand your strokes in the direction of the fur growth.

Base Shading in the Next Region

After filling in the shading details on the confront, I switched dorsum to a 3B pencil. Many of the areas along the back of the caput, around the neck, and the front legs have bright white for the base of operations color, and so in those regions I used the 3B pencil as the first item layer, using the base of operations color of the paper for the base of operations shade. When I saw areas that didn't need that white brightness but also did not need full shading, I very lightly rubbed the pencil stokes with my finger tip. This slightly blurred the graphite, creating a very gentle, slightly off-white base tone. If you prefer, yous tin as well apply a blending stump for this purpose.

Shading Details

Equally before, I went over the base shading with detail strokes in a 3B pencil, and and then the 5B pencil. In this area I switched off between the two, moving around the entire region calculation more than details. I built up the details, making them darker and darker until they matched the reference drawing.

In the region around the elbow where the fur is strongly foreshortened, I used extremely brusque contrasting dark strokes to create the impression that the fur is both rather curt and pointing toward the viewer. A quick succession of meaty, dark ticks were all that was required. In the instance of foreshortened fur, I normally draw the darkest shade immediately after the base shade and then fill in any median shades. The shadows are so curt that in that location is a lot of dissimilarity.

I filled in the pads of the feet with a 6B pencil and so they would be as nighttime as possible.

Next Regions

Continuing with the same techniques, I movement on to the details of the torso region, and add together base shading to the rear legs and tail.

Last Region

This image shows median shading details on the rear legs and tail, with some of the darker shading details to the very right of the drawing. By repeated the techniques shown in each area of your drawing, you can create a realistically textured cartoon of any furry creature.