January is national hobby month and the perfect time to try out something new! I enjoy plenty of hobbies, but I was feeling the itch to try some drawing, and a quick search through the library catalog revealed a number of options for a variety of skill levels. "Drawing Class - Animals" was one of the titles I grabbed and it seemed approachable. A step-by-step guide to drawing cartoon animals, the concept of using simple shapes to build up to a finished product was quite appealing, so I tested a few designs on a scrap of paper.
Drawing a sheep, wild boar, and bison gave me a sense of the techniques the book would require, and I was gratified to learn that it was just as straightforward as I expected. The book is broken into different biomes, and frequently seen animals in each environment. The most elaborate animals are under 10 steps to complete, and the author has included QR code links to 1-2 minute draw along videos on YouTube for each animal. Each animal is also accompanied by a full page of color illustrations showing easy ways to vary your animal's pose or design elements to make it match your own style. I was hooked, and decided to try out a full scene. Drawn to the shark, I decided to go through the sea creatures and birds to make an ocean of animals.
This little ocean is just a pencil sketch, and is probably a little too crowded, but I just couldn't get enough of the variation and simplicity of the instruction. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in getting into drawing who may by intimidated by books that start out talking about vanishing points and perspective. Intuitive and creative, this book was a 5/5 star rating for me.