Books Reviews

Draw Animals – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Dec 12, 2011, 15:24 GMT

Ideal for aspiring artists eager to learn but unable to take advantage of workshops or formal instruction, these practical handbooks offer a structured, hands-on approach to creating realistic and appealing drawings. Emphasizing the importance of observation, the series\' fun exercises present various challenges of increasing complexity. The tutorials also feature line work, sketches, and finished images drawn with an array of materials—from chalk, charcoal, graphite, and pastels to standard, colored, and watercolor pencils. Specially designed to build essential skills, this ...more

No two animals even from the same species are identical, their expressions can vary from second to second.  So how do you draw it? Anyone who has ever tried to do this knows just how difficult a task it is.  Anja Dahl has set out to try and help. 

Her book is a very practical look at how to draw expressive animal faces.  The book begins with step by step examples showing how to draw different types of animals - dogs, cats, birds, horses.  The chapters are further broken up by individual types such as Maine Coons, Persian cats, Siamese Cats, and Domestic shorthair cats. Birds include sparrows, budgerigars and magpies. 

She gives useful tips on creating fur, capturing eyes and other facial features.  A very useful book for anyone who wants to draw animals and capture the expressions on their pet's faces.