1: It's okay...
I bought this book so I could learn how do draw not just animals accurately, but also parts of the animals and positions of animals. I was disappointed when I got this book because the directions are not very good. This author wants you to use tracing paper and gives the exact same directions at the beginning of every drawing. They say to make sure you get the shapes of the animals accurate and on tracing paper, then on another sheet of tracing paper, make your lines more accurate, then transfer to your final piece of paper. I personally do not use tracing paper, and would like to know how to "accurately" draw the animal shapes. This is not explained in this book.
Throughout the book, you will see beautiful sketches of all the animals, but the author does not show you how to draw them. The sketches in the book are completed in 3 to 4 steps. I'm not sure how they get from a bunch of circles, to a really nice outline of the animal, to a completed and shaded drawing.
I was also excited to learn how to draw an owl but highly disappointed when I found the owl page. The Female Snowy Owl is completed in 4 steps. Each sketch is about 1 1/2" to 2" tall. There is no focus on detail. How the artist got from step 3 (basic outline) to the final drawing is beyond me.
I do not consider myself a beginner when it comes to drawing. I have taken many art classes in my time and thought it would be fun to get a couple books on how to draw and start drawing again. This book is a big disappointment and I'm really glad I ordered "Drawing Wildlife" by J. Amberlyn. I've checked that one out at the library and have now purchased it. When that comes in the mail, I will use that one mainly and will probably get little use out of this book.
If you're a beginner at drawing, do not get this book. If you are looking for a book to explain to you what to look at when looking at a picture, this may work out for you. I'm a visual learner myself, so again, this book isn't that great.
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