The Bottom Line
Reading this will not only give you tips on how to render a dog in your favourite drawing medium, but also make you aware of the characteristics you need to observe of any dog you’re wanting to draw.
Pros
- Covers a diverse selection of breeds
- Packed with tips and step-by-step demos
- Example drawings in various media
Cons
- Not much in-depth info on any one breed
Description
- 96 pages, hardback book, wire-bound (so it usefully stays open at a page).
- Published by North Light Books, ISBN 1-58180-198-X.
- Covers drawing dogs in graphite, charcoal, watercolour pencils, and oil bars.
- Packed with tips and close observations of breed and general characteristics.
- Step-by-step demonstrations throughout, for example long and short hair.
- Chapter 1: Basic Shapes, including proportions,
- Chapter 2: Aspects of Dogs, including head shapes, eyes, noses, ears, tails.
- Chapter 3: Fur, Markings, and Skin, including patterns and colours.
- Chapter 4: Dog Poses, including using reference material.
- Author Melvyn Pettersen is an artist and printmaker working in London.
Guide Review - Dogs How to Draw Them
This isn’t for absolute beginners as it doesn’t try to teach you to draw but rather builds up your skills at drawing all sorts of dogs. It’s packed with observations on the characteristics of dogs, both general and breed specific, and this is probably the most helpful aspect of the book in that it teaches you to really look closely at your subject. Illustrated, step-by-step sequences demonstrate specific techniques, such as drawing curly hair or a long nose, but with between three and six steps in each the jumps in a sequence can be quite large. Examples are shown in a range of mediums, from graphite pencil and charcoal to pen and watercolour pencils. Overall it’s a handy and inspiring guide.
