Animal Pencil Drawings

Animal pencil drawings offer so much variety so where do we start? Well, beginner artists need to start with pictures to reference because animals do not sit still long enough for us to draw them from real life successfully.
Lizard Outline

I chose to draw Australian animals because they appeal to me and that makes my drawing task so much easier.

Let's start with an outline of a lizard that looks very much like a gecko.

I have drawn all of these cuties in their simplest form yet I feel like each one is a masterpiece of triumph.

Please get your pencil and paper ready and join me by doing some of these easy animal drawings.

If you are desperate to draw, I recommend you start off by copying simple outlines or drawings that appeal to you.

It doesn't matter if you don't like your initial drawings, you have to be realistic and give yourself some time to achieve your goals.

With a good variety of animals at your disposal here, you get the chance to study each one and become familiar with the differences and proportions.

As you look at your reference picture, sometimes it helps to visualize how to break the animal down into shapes on your paper. You can then build the drawing around the shapes, using them as your guide. To tidy your drawing up, just erase the unwanted lines before you declare it is done.

Draw A Goanna

I'll keep with the theme so far and show you another member of the lizard family. Goanna Drawing

This goanna drawing is so simple!

Start to draw it from any spot that makes you comfortable.

I started at the tail but that's because I have a tendency to draw from left to right which saves me from smudging the drawing as I progress.

You can use your pencil to measure and pinpoint how long the goanna is and how thick his body is. Make little dots or marks on your paper and then draw around these helpful guides.

Read more about this process on using dots, it's on the page where I discuss rhythm drawing.

This is how we all learn to draw and it is similar to training wheels on a bicycle. At first, children rely heavily on those training wheels to keep them upright but pretty soon they don't need any help at all. It is ok if you want to depend on the training wheels at the start!

Adding A Few Details To Your Drawings

Frilled Neck Lizard

A frill-necked lizard is also called a Frilled Dragon.

If I had to rate the degree of difficulty, I can safely say that this drawing was not easy.

I feel as though it is out of proportion but I thought I'd show it to you to illustrate failures are a fact of life. If you weren't here, I would hide this one!

At this early stage of my drawing experience, I selected pictures of animals that had simple angles and perspective wasn't going to be a problem.

However, while I thought this looked like something I could draw easily, I was mistaken. I take this as an indicator of what I need to focus on to improve my drawings from this point on.

The Koala

This little fellow is a koala bear.

I grew up in a country town and koalas were a common sight in the gum trees. We never got tired of admiring them.

Now, with growth and expansion happening even in country towns, they are not so easy to find and that is pretty sad.

I know I am going to create more koala drawings in the future because they are appealing and cute.

I find I don't really see glaring mistakes until I look at my completed animal pencil drawings the next day. I generally spot a flaw that wasn't evident at the time of drawing.

This is an amazing exercise. I can scrutinize a drawing at the time that I draw it and, for the life of me, I think it's fine. Next day, with a new perspective, huh, flaws are spotted no trouble at all.

The Wombat

The wombat looks cute but he can have very bad moods.

A wombat moves slowly and is quite capable of defending himself.

When you are finished your animal pencil drawings, do a quick critique.

It's a good trick to hold them up to a mirror which gives you a different perspective to the drawing. Anything that is out of place becomes more apparent this way.

It's all part of the process of teaching yourself to draw and these are your tools. It's good fun and I hope you try it out.

By trying different things, you will end up with methods that suit you and it will all become routine.

I hope you have found your favorite animal pencil drawings on this page.

A Snail

As you know, a snail moves very slowly. As beginner artists, we think we progress slowly but in reality we are making great headway with our artwork.

By copying these easy animal pencil drawings, you are giving yourself more practice. I think of it as painless practice because I enjoy seeing the results of my copy work.

I know I have mentioned this once or twice but it is very important to keep practicing.

These drawings are easy and fun to do. Show your friends, they'll be surprised by how much improvement you have made.

An Echidna

This spikey fellow is an echidna.

They are also known as spiny anteaters because their main diet is ants or termites.

I remember seeing a real one when I was at school but I wasn't brave enough to touch it.

He's certainly an interesting looking creature with an unusual name.

The Cockatoo

Here is a good, easy drawing of a cockatoo if you have a love for drawing birds. Everytime I draw a bird, I feel peaceful and closer to nature.

Keep your drawing skills sharp by practicing these animal pencil drawings.

On this page, I have shown you my first attempt for each drawing. (Well, I think I'm being brave!)

When the weather is perfect, I love to draw outside because the light is great and I welcome the peace. I created these animal pencil drawings from reference books while I was outside relaxing.

I use a clean piece of paper under my hand to stop any marks or dirt from getting onto the paper. I have printed "hand" in big letters on the paper so I don't mistakenly draw on it in the future.

I usually do a few animal pencil drawings on the same page. This is a good time and paper saver plus I kind of like having a mixture of things on one sheet.

There is no time like the present, start drawing today, you won't regret it!