Try This - Landscape with Animal

Updated July 2009

First, please read my post, "Anybody Can Draw," if you haven't already. And please don't copy my drawing - but do feel free to use it to inspire your own.

This is like my other examples with tracing (turtles, tea strainer) except that, instead of tracing a real-life object, you will create your own shape to trace. My frog panel drawing is another example where I made patterns that I traced around, a sitting frog and a jumping frog.

To try this, in addition to your drawing paper, you will need an extra piece of paper or a piece of lightweight cardboard like an index card.

First take your "extra" paper or card. On it, draw an animal as viewed from the side. Don't worry about how it looks. A body, head with ears, four legs, and a tail. Mine included a mane (colored red in my drawing.) Consider angling the front or back legs, like I did, for a moving animal. Now draw a smooth, curved line all around the outside of your animal drawing. (Think of an old-fashioned cookie cutter shape.) Cut it out with scissors along that line. This is your pattern.

Next, on your drawing paper, draw a 4x6" rectangle, or use an unruled 4x6" index card. (Note for card makers - Use any size that you'd like for your top card layer.) Place your pattern on your drawing space, perhaps at an angle if your animal is moving. Trace all around it, keeping your lines smooth and curved. Add a dot for the eye. Add lines to separate the legs if needed. Add a few more lines, like my animal's ear and tail, or extend the leg lines a little way up into the body.

For your landscape, add a wavy horizontal line for the horizon, a scalloped or curvy shaped cloud, and some ovals on one side for rocks. You can also add a road, like my drawing, by drawing a pair of curvy diagonal lines (you can improve on my example if you bring your lines closer together as they get near the top, for perspective).

Your drawing may look more finished if you double or triple some of your lines, like I did, by drawing similar lines alongside your cloud, road, rock, or horizon lines. Color. Enjoy.

For more drawings to try, click on "try this" just below, or in the menu bar in my blog header, or in the label list on the right.