Oh Deer: Working on Proportions

I find it challenging when I make art sometimes to accurately draw proportions of animals and people, especially subjects that I don’t often draw. Deer, for instance, have very strange bodies. I recently drew a deer on a card for my mom’s birthday, and it didn’t exactly look the way I was expecting.

Below left: the reference image (I love this photo; its lighting, focus, and texture are superb); below right: my drawing.

Well, at least it resembles a deer?…

Just kidding, I’m being nitpicky. It wasn’t a terrible piece – I just missed out on some important details. The stance, head angle, ears, body, and legs are all a bit off. I think I was struggling a bit with drawing what I saw in the reference image, rather than what I felt a deer “should” look like. Recently I decided to try this drawing again, in more of my style and with a better understanding of how unique deer bodies are. I feel this drawing looks much more accurate and realistic.

First I started out with an initial sketch to get the idea down.

After comparing the drawing to my reference photo, I realized I needed to make some tweaks. Using my pencil to measure the proportions, I changed the head shape and stance and then added in some lines where the shading would be.

I then erased the entire image – just light enough so that it wouldn’t interfere with the pens I would use overtop, but dark enough that I could make out the details.

I began to fill in the deer with my water-based markers.

Once I added in the eye – and this always happens – the drawing came to life!

I continued adding shadows, texture, and details. I then used a white gel pen to add highlights.

For the background I used a light grey tone with one of my markers; I wanted the bright highlights of the fur on the legs, chest, and belly to really pop against this.

Once the background was done, I felt the piece was finished.

I like this drawing much more than the first one I attempted, although that one has its endearing quirks. My latest drawing compared to the reference photo, however, shows that I did a much better job of the proportions this time.

What I find most interesting is that the drawings were completed within only a few months between them, and yet I definitely progressed! There’s still areas where I could improve with this latest piece – perhaps I’ll try it again in a while.

To see more of my art, visit my Art & Projects page or view more of my art progress blogs here :)