GRAY SQUIRREL

Step One First I use an HB pencil to sketch the basic shapes of the squirrel’s body, head, and tail. Then I add the legs and ears. I draw the vertical centerline on the face to help place the facial features, and I add curved lines to indicate the tree branch.

Step Two I refine the shapes and add details, including the individual toes and claws. Then I add some short, quick lines to the tail to show the direction of fur growth. I also add details to the branch.

Step Three I add the whiskers with the HB pencil; then I switch to a very sharp cool gray 90% and begin establishing the dark areas. First I darken the whiskers with medium pressure; then I use short strokes for the shadowed areas on the legs. I also darken the toes and claws. I use a light touch to shade around the nose and under the eye, and I use short strokes for the fur on top of the head. Using firm pressure, I fill in the eyes, leaving the highlights and a line under the squirrel’s left eye white. Next I add short strokes to the tail, varying the pressure and the direction of the lines to indicate the changes in the fur. Then I lightly apply a small amount of henna to the insides of the ears and add sienna brown to the edges of the ears and in a few places in the tail. I apply a light layer of burnt yellow ochre to most of the head, using short strokes for the body. Then I use long and short strokes to add details to the branch with cool gray 90%. Next I use indigo blue to add shadows where the paws touch the branch. Then, with medium to hard pressure, I apply cool gray 30% to the chin, chest, parts of the legs, and the stomach.

Step Four Using short strokes with medium to light pressure, I apply sepia to the head and body, making the strokes slightly longer on the legs. I leave some areas white on the toes to help indicate their rounded shape. I use longer strokes in the tail, leaving the edges of the tail white. I add cool gray 30% to the underside of the top section of the tail to put it in shadow. Then I create the ridged texture of the branch with long strokes of sepia, using more pressure for darker areas.

Step Five I soften the highlight in the squirrel’s left eye by applying indigo blue along the edge; I also use this color to draw a few eyebrow hairs over the eyes. Next I apply cool gray 30% to the tips of the paws to show how they curve around the branch. I add more strokes of cool gray 90% to the branch, using more pressure on the lower shadowed side to make it darker. I draw a few small, circular spots on the branch with the cool gray 90%; then I use the same color to add more short strokes to the squirrel’s body and long strokes to the tail. I still leave a few white areas on the body and in the tail, especially along the edges of the tail to show the white-tipped fur. Next I apply a very light layer of cerulean blue to the gray chin, chest, and tummy; I also apply some spots of this color to the squirrel’s tail. I add a tiny spot of cerulean blue to the eye highlight and then I use a small amount of indigo blue on the underside and along the top edge of the branch. These touches of blue add some color to the mostly brown and gray composition. Now I use a very sharp cool gray 90% along all of the edges to sharpen the drawing. Using firm pressure, I deepen some of the darkest areas with black for more contrast. Now my drawing is complete.