Medium: Ink Category: Animals/Wildlife This pen and ink demonstration-project is from the book, Drawing Wildlife by J. C. Amberlyn, published by Watson-Guptill Publications. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All steps in this project are included.

HOW TO DRAW A GRAY WOLF
by J. C. Amberlyn

IN THIS DEMONSTRATION I BLOCK IN BASIC SHAPES with pencil then switch to pen and ink. If you have trouble with the anatomy of the gray wolf, try to spend some time with its domesticated cousin, the dog. Obviously a husky will look more wolf-like than a poodle, but even the latter can help you put together the pieces of the anatomy puzzle. Make some quick sketches of the dog in a similar pose, then refer to them when you return to the drawing.

1 First, draw five evenly spaced vertical lines. The space between the two lines on the left is one head-length. Draw a head shape between them, including a circle for the head and a rectangle for the muzzle. Then, in the section just to the right, draw a square that is slightly deeper than one head-length. This is the chest. Make sure that the top line of the chest square lines up with the bottom of the head circle.

2 Continue the line of the back to the next vertical line and draw an oval for the hip/rump. Fill out the neck, then round out the chest area, indicating the sweep of the belly, and connect the back of the neck to the shoulders. Draw a slightly tapered, one-head-length rectangle for the front leg. Draw an oval for the hind foot and a slightly larger one for the front foot. Draw parallel lines to indicate the hind leg. Go back to the head and add the features. Continue to define the hind legs. Add width to the back of the neck and draw a ruff of fur, from the front to the back of the ear and to the bottom of the throat, allowing that area to "fluff" out a bit. Draw the tail and indicate the toes with sideways-slanted V-shaped marks.

3 At this point I would lightly erase most of the lines or transfer the drawing to another sheet of paper. Still using a pencil, define the wolf and indicate its fur patterns and facial details. Using a pen this time, ink over the main features of the wolf and indicate major fur patterns. If it helps, you can use a pencil (very lightly) to block in muscle groups and bone joints to help you visualize bulges, "fluffy" areas, depressions, and shadows on the body.

4 With a smaller diameter pen, continue defining the fur, using pen strokes pointing in the direction of hair growth. Here I added some darkness to the nose, leaving highlights, and added a shadow to the top part of the wolf's eyeball, connecting the wolf's pupil to the dark shadow and leaving a small highlight to add "life." I have toned in some of the shadow areas like the paunch of the stomach where it meets the hind leg and the back of the shoulder.

5 Now go back with the larger pen and add depth to the fur, crosshatching and shading. Create almost vertical strokes that are aligned back-to-belly, or top-to-bottom, on the tail, on the neck, and any other especially furry area where the tips of the hair are closest to and pointing toward the viewer. This technique gives the effect of a parting in the hair and it is where you would see the undercoat the most.

6 You're almost done! Finish up by going back to those nearly vertical lines where the hair parts and the undercoat shows. Using a smaller pen again, make short strokes that flow front to back horizontally, adding the final dimension to the fur and its general direction. Go back to the head and finalize the details of the face and ears. Add whiskers and shade under the lips. Add more shading and strokes and emphasize markings where needed. Be sure to shade the hollow in the heel of the hind foot and to leave some white (in this case I left the lightest areas and the ones closest to the viewer the most "white").

See full body close-up HERE

Artwork, Text Copyright 2012 by J. C. Amberlyn. All Rights Reserved.

See listing for Amberlyn's book DRAWING WILDLIFE on Amazon.com