YOUR QUESTIONSDRAWING ANIMALS
AS THE UK’S BEST-SELLING PENCIL ARTIST, GARY HODGES IS THE PERFECT PERSON
TO ANSWER YOUR QUERIES ABOUT CREATING REALISTIC DRAWINGS OF WILDLIFEWhat are the benefi ts of working in black and white?
I found many years ago that, by drawing in monochrome,
I could really bring out the wonderful characters of animals
without any of the distractions of colour. I rarely include
backgrounds either and that also focuses the eyes straight
to the heart and beauty of the creature.
By stripping things right back like this, it has made me
a better composer of pictures. You really need to have a
strong composition if you get rid of any colour and scenery.
Also the negative space between shapes becomes
massively important to the dynamics of the whole picture.I fi nd drawing animal hair a real challenge. Any tips for
how I could improve?
The obvious answer is to really look deeply at your subject
matter, whether you are sketching an animal right in front
of you or, as I do, studying the many photos I take as
reference material. There aren’t really shortcuts to drawing
in great detail. My greatest ‘tools’ are my patience and my
love of the subject. The technical side of what I do, I’ve
slowly learnt over 30 years, so my advice would be to
practice until you like what is appearing on the paper.What’s the best way to achieve the deepest black values?
I gradually work the pencil layer upon layer, working in small
areas at a time and then moving across the paper until it
looks right. My drawings can take up to about 200 hours.
I rest my hand on a piece of recycled paper to avoid
unwanted smudging – some will still occur but it prevents
most. I can’t stress how important it is to regularly step
back from your drawing to get an overview of what you’re
creating as well. You want each little bit of the drawing to
fl ow seamlessly into the next or it will end up looking like a
patchwork quilt.How do I capture a sense of movement?
That’s a diffi cult one to answer. If an animal is running,
adding dust obviously helps create a sense of movement,
but I try to make even a static picture have ‘life’ by making
sure it fl ows well and injecting my love of the subject.How do I create a sense of light on water?
I treat each texture differently. With fur, I want it to look
soft, but still have a sense of sharpness and movement.
With water, I soften any edges to the patterns I draw for
creating the water effect. Once shaded, I use tissue paper
and really blend it fi rmly, pushing the tissue with my fi ngers
into the paper’s fi bres. I’ll then go over the area again with
more shading until I’ve achieved the effect I want.What’s your approach to planning out a new drawing?
I start by sketching my picture out with a softer graphite
pencil, an HB or B. This stage can take up to about six
hours – I drew a full-length eight-foot crocodile that took at
least that long to get the sketch just right. I always use a
larger piece of paper than I actually require, so that I can
cut it down to size once the drawing is sketched out. I make
sure all proportions seem correct before I move forward.
I’ll roughly draw in some of the darker areas, using clean
fi ngers to smudge the graphite a little. I then use a fi rm
plastic eraser to pick out highlights. Once this gives me a >I want to create authentic-looking shadows. Got any tips?I want to create authentic-looking shadows. Got any tips?
My main advice if you are working from photos would be to My main advice if you are working from photos would be to
make sure you don’t create solid, dark shadows – there make sure you don’t create solid, dark shadows – there
should still be detail in those shadow areas. I love creating should still be detail in those shadow areas. I love creating
rich dark patterns within them.rich dark patterns within them.ABOVE Iberian
Wolves – Hope
for the Future,
graphite on paper,
60x45cm
OPPOSITE PAGE
The Orphans,
graphite on paper,
55x40cm
Artists & Illustrators 7170 Your Questions.indd 71 18/02/2016 15:03