My kids and I have been talking about becoming backyard naturalist and we hope to begin photograhing and drawing some of the local critters (cats,squirrels,beetles,etc.).

Animals with fur is intimidating to me, so this kind of place for feedback will prove comforting.

I've tried to do this cat, but I can't seem to begin correctly. Any suggestions?

Quote My kids and I have been talking about becoming backyard naturalist and we hope to begin photograhing and drawing some of the local critters (cats,squirrels,beetles,etc.).

Company!! I was getting lonely! What a great idea! And what a great looking cat! I mean it - you can tell it's character just by looking at it.

Which brings me to tip #1 - as we are humans we look at cats and interpret and react to their emotions and character as if they were human too. Do you see how the mouth quite markedly has a "grinning" upward curve? You want to be looking for things like this and making a point of emphasising them in your drawing. not overtly, just subtly. The same goes, for me, for that highlight on the bottom lip, the water at the base of the eyes and the eyes themselves. You also would be wise to decipher the hair in the ears. If you can't see it properly then invent some. You need that hair to make the inside of the ear recede by drawing it on a plane further back than the hair.

Lastly...... if you've got a choice... dump that photo It's a good photo for a head-only drawing but it's an aerial shot - the bane of my life when I was producing commissioned pieces.

If you take more photos, think of it this way.... a portrait photographer does not stand on a chair to take your portrait... so get down to the cat's eye level and take it from there.

Good to have you here Steve. If you need help with the local wildlife just shout

MIKE

www.SibleyFineArt.com
www.Starving-Artists.net

Helen

Quote ... any tips for getting dark fur to photograph well? Or do I do a 'composite' taking info from other photos?

This is always a problem Helen. Personally, I tackle it in three ways....

First: I always take many photos of every subject. You can never have too many and full understanding of what you're drawing only comes with ability to study the current area from different angles. I had 380 photos of the Cairn Terriers I used for my last drawing.

Second: I use a Canon A1 SLR camera, usually with auto exposure turned on. But white coats reflect so much light that most auto settings simply read too high a level and the result shows little or no detail. I zoom in to the area, take a light reading, take the camera off auto and set it up to under-expose. If you can't do this, take the dog around to a shady spot (it doesn't matter if you are in the sun) and photograph from there.

Third: The second in reverse. For black dogs you need to see past the highlights coming from the glossy coat and into the shadows. Take a reading and over-expose for this - or zoom in until no white (or over-bright) areas show and take your photo on auto.

Ideally, you should be working from photos that show the pose, or elements of it if it's a composite study, dark photos that show the detail in the white areas and washed-out photos in which you can see detail in the shadow areas. and while you're taking these, lift an ear and photograph the hair underneath - knowing where those hairs go to can help with your understanding.

I also sometimes pick one special photo that contains the main tonal level that I'm aiming for. Now I can take detail from any photo and adjust its tones to the master one.

MIKE

www.SibleyFineArt.com
www.Starving-Artists.net