Animal Illustration with Charcoal and Ink
Embrace the simplicity of ink and charcoal and learn to print, draw, and paint striking black-and-white illustrations full of expression
When you stop to observe the world around you, whether it’s a beloved pet or a stray pigeon, drawing it can help you gain awareness of how we all coexist. Illustrator Laura McKendry, who’s collaborated with names like Laura Ashley and Waterstones, aims to study our relationship with our surroundings in its purest form.
In this online course, learn new techniques to print, draw, and paint your favorite species. Discover how eliminating color allows you to focus on shape and expression, and compose striking black-and-white illustrations bursting with life!
Meet Laura McKendry, your teacher for the course. She introduces her work and talks about how she got into animal portraiture, as well as the artists whose techniques and philosophies have inspired her over the years.
Start by taking a closer look at the necessary materials, before diving straight in with some exciting monoprinting exercises to warm up. Explore a range of ways to make bold and unpredictable patterns with ink, and see how to use objects from around the house as artistic tools. Laura also talks about how to keep your cool in frustrating situations.
Then, your teacher shares how she uses charcoal sticks in her artistic process. After selecting a reference image, experiment with some different methods for drawing a dog’s head with this expressive and forgiving material. See how to include details like gestural lines, whether working with live subjects or from a photo. Move on to explore tone and depth whilst learning to balance accuracy and freedom of creative expression.
Now play around with charcoal powder. Focus on taking advantage of the strange and unpredictable results, without getting too caught up in the end result, and discover its dramatic effects and expressive marks. Next, Laura teaches you the foundations of a strong composition and how to map out your final piece, so you have the confidence to combine different techniques to paint living subjects.
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