Lee J. Ames - Draw 50 Baby Animals: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Kittens, Lambs, Chicks, Puppies, and Other Adorable Offspring

Animals in artJuvenile literature. 2. DrawingTechnique Juvenile literature. [1. Animals in art. 2.

DrawingTechnique.] I. Title: Draw fifty baby animals. II. Title.
NC780.A4813 2003
743.6dc21 2002033247 eISBN: 978-0-307-98563-7 v3.1 In loving memory of Kenneth Zak, wonderful husband, father and son, brother, and great friend. His warm smile, tender heart, and great sense of humor are sorely missed he is forever in our hearts.

I draw, illustrate, paint. I cant write, said I. Were out of art projects for you to work on, so, for you to work here, write! said Bill. Okay! I said, and in a few months I managed to create a little book called D raw , D raw , D raw ! To my surprise, it did well. That started it all As a result, twenty-nine years ago we published D raw 50 A nimals , the first in this series, and now we offer you what is likely to be the last, D raw 50 B aby A nimals . We are grateful to all of you who have made these books very popular.

Among the many rewards we have enjoyed, perhaps the most meaningful was hearing from many librarians that the Draw 50s had been responsible for bringing many young people who otherwise might not have done so into using the library and its books. As for the coauthors with whom Ive worked, each in his or her own right is or was a most highly esteemed professional! For having had the privilege of working with P. Lee Ames, Warren Budd, the late Ray Burns, Anthony DAdamo, Ric Estrada, Mort Drucker (the 1988 recipient of the Rubin, the highest award granted to a member of the National Cartoonists Society), Creig Flessel (awarded the meritorious Silver T-Square by the National Cartoonists Society), my late very close friend Andre Leblanc (recipient of the Cruzeiro do Sul [The Southern Cross], the most prestigious award granted to a Brazilian citizen), and Bob Singer, I am most indebted. It has also been a privilege to be associated contemporarily with some other excellent how-to author/illustrators such as Mark Kistler, Ed Emberly, Doug Dubosque, and Bruce Blitz. L EE J. A MES , BTG

When you start working, use clean white bond paper or drawing paper and a pencil with moderately soft lead (HB or No. 2). Have a kneaded eraser on hand (available at art-supply stores). Choose any one of the subjects in the book that you want to draw, and then very lightly and very carefully sketch out the first step. As you do so, study the finished step of your chosen drawing to sense how your first step will fit in. Make sure that the size of the first step is not so small that the final drawing will be tiny, or so large that you wont be able to fit the finish on the paper.

Then, also very lightly and very carefully, sketch out the second step. As you go along, step by step, study not only the lines but also the size of the spaces between the lines. Remember, the first steps must be constructed with the greatest care. A wrongly placed stroke could throw the whole drawing off! As you work, it is a good idea to have a mirror available. Holding your sketch up to the mirror from time to time can show you distortions you might not see otherwise. As you are adding the steps, you may discover that they are becoming too dark.

Heres where the kneaded eraser becomes particularly useful. You can lighten the darker penciling by just strongly pressing the clay-like eraser onto the dark areas. When youve put it all together and gotten to the last step, finish the drawing firmly with dark, accurate strokes. There is your finished drawing. However, if you want to further finish the drawing with India ink, applied with a pen or fine brush, after the ink completely dries you can clean out all of the penciling with the kneaded eraser. Remember, if your first attempts do not turn out too well, its important to keep trying.

Practicing and patience do indeed help. I would like you to know that on occasion when I have used the steps for a drawing from one of my own books, it has taken me as much as an hour or two to bring it to a finish. I hope you enjoy drawing these baby animals. Remember, they are babieshandle them gently.