Drawing Animals
A 10 week course which teaches you the tools and techniques required to draw animals with convincing and believable features
Teacher Artwork by Mike Wiesmeier
Drawing Animals
Would you like to be able to elegantly and accurately depict the natural world in your art? Ideal for those interested in illustration, concept art, animation, comics, or fine art, this course gives you the techniques and anatomical knowledge required to beautifully and believably draw a wide variety of mammals, birds, and insects. You will learn to use line, tone, texture, and composition to create convincing sketches of creatures, both real and imaginary.
Through gesture drawing and rotation studies from photo reference, you will build your visual library and learn to represent the essential anatomical and behavioral elements which make each type of living being unique. You will also complete texture studies and learn to render specific features while receiving one-on-one feedback and correction from the instructor.
By the end of this class, you will have the skills and knowledge to quickly and accurately sketch a wide variety of species. You will have the tools necessary to create compelling nature illustrations, credible creature designs, more believable comics, and beautiful fine art studies. You will have several new pieces for your portfolio and the experience of having taken one of the most fun classes that Syn Studio has to offer!
- Course Type Traditional Drawing Classes
- Duration 10 weeks
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Skill Level
Level 2 Level 2
Second level classes are for students who have a good foundation in the basics of realistic drawing (such as perspective, proportion, shading and colour theory) and already know how to use Photoshop, but need more in-depth knowledge to create professional and complex artwork.
This level is about expanding knowledge, strengthening skills, and transitioning to the world of concept art and illustration.
- Language English
Winter term classes begin on January 10th. Late registrations still available for some classes.
Schedule
Note: This class will be offered online only
Class Timings: Thursdays from 2 PM to 5 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST or UTC-5h)
Date of first class: January 13th
Duration: 10 weeks
If you are unable to attend the class during the times listed above, you will still have access to video recordings of the class lectures and will still receive personalized feedback from your instructor.
Pre-Requisites
To enroll in this course you should have:
- A foundation in the basics of realistic drawing, such as basic perspective, proportions and shading.
- Ideally completed our Foundations of Drawing class or have equivalent practice/experience.
If you are unsure of your skill level, please contact [email protected] for additional guidance.
You should have at least intermediate level English to take this class. Please note that Syn Studio’s classes are targeted towards adults and students should be 16 years or older to enroll.
Required Materials
You may draw with traditional materials (pencil, paper, eraser, marker, etc.) or digital materials (Photoshop, Procreate, etc.) or whatever you feel most comfortable with.
Tech Requirements for Attending Syn Studio Online Classes
Minimum Requirements
- A strong uninterrupted broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE) connection with a minimum 600kbps bandwidth (up/down).
- A Laptop/Desktop computer equipped with a single core processor (at least 1 GHZ processing speed) or a smartphone/tablet with equivalent processing capabilities
- Good speakers/earphones to listen to the classes
- Browser - IE7+, Safari 5+, Firefox, Chrome
- Operating System - Windows XP, Mac OS 10.6, Linux distro based on 3.0 kernel, Android 5.0, iOS 10
Syn Studio Recommendations
- A strong uninterrupted broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE) connection with a minimum 1.5Mbps bandwidth (up/down). You can also connect to the internet directly using your ethernet cable to improve your experience.
- Laptop/Desktop computer equipped with a dual core processor with at least 2 GHZ processing speed and a 4 GB RAM
- High Quality speakers/earphones to listen to the classes
- Browser & Operating System - We recommend using the latest version of the browser and operating system for an optimal online classroom experience.
Course Outline
In this course you will learn to accurately and spontaneously draw the natural world. Each animal drawing class begins with a short presentation on anatomical features and behaviour. This is followed by a series of sketches to study anatomy, movement, skin textures (fur, scales, feathers) and explore different drawing techniques while receiving personalized feedback and correction from the instructor. Each species studied will be completed with a final drawing to be presented the following week.
*This course outline is currently being updated and a new, more detailed outline will be sent to students before the start of the course.
Week 1: Introduction to the course; ‘scribbling’ and letting go - dynamic sketching through letting go and getting in touch with our kinesthetic sense; sketching from animal videos
Week 2: Capturing the pose by looking for and sketching rhythms within the ‘line of action’; creating three-dimensional perspective by utilizing simple volumetric forms; sketching from reference
Week 3: Quadruped skeletal anatomy; sketching from reference
Week 4: Gesture sketching reference and structural/anatomical study
Week 5: Quadruped muscular anatomy; muscle groups; sketching from reference
Week 6: Drawing from the imagination; introduction to creature design; begin creature design project - brainstorming ideas; sketching from reference
Week 7: Creature design project - developing the design by analyzing function and constructing with simplified anatomy
Week 8 and 9: Review of creature design projects; Thinking animation - showing emotional states and expression through gesture; begin creature expression sheet project; drawing from animation videos
Week 10: Review of expression sheet assignments; review of course
Registration
Syn Studio offers the highest quality education at the most affordable prices.
This course is back due to popular demand and we expect it to fill up quickly!
Winter term classes begin on January 10th. Late registrations still available for some classes.
You will soon receive an email receipt for your purchase.
Please bring a photo ID for the first day of class.
Your transaction was not completed. Please try again. If the problem persists, please email us at [email protected] or call us at 514-998-7625
Speak to an advisor
Feel free to send us an email at [email protected] or give us a call at 514-998-7625