It's all in the title here: if you're in the market for advice on drawing and painting adorable creatures from all over the tree of life, this is the book for you. This guide is full of studies on the fluffy and feathery, the familiar and the wild. The book is best suited for someone who already enjoys drawing and wants to learn more technical skills for adding extra detail and life to their work. I can imagine this being well-suited for a younger relative who is eager to learn about new tools and to step up their artwork.
Divided between two sections, the book initially shows you recommended tools and media (pencils, colored pencils, watercolor paints, and watercolor pencils) as well as helpful tips, tricks, and principles. Much of this section is a brief introduction to what you might recall from art classes in school: shading, warm and cool colors, thinking about underlying shapes. Then, there are demonstrations of the process of bringing animal illustrations to life. This is full of great references and advice for the young (or young-at-heart) animal lover and growing artist in your life.
The naturalist/marine educator in my heart has to say, though: the baby "seal" illustration is actually a baby sea lion, and yes, there's a difference. That difference being pertinent because seals are much more cute. /rant
Divided between two sections, the book initially shows you recommended tools and media (pencils, colored pencils, watercolor paints, and watercolor pencils) as well as helpful tips, tricks, and principles. Much of this section is a brief introduction to what you might recall from art classes in school: shading, warm and cool colors, thinking about underlying shapes. Then, there are demonstrations of the process of bringing animal illustrations to life. This is full of great references and advice for the young (or young-at-heart) animal lover and growing artist in your life.
The naturalist/marine educator in my heart has to say, though: the baby "seal" illustration is actually a baby sea lion, and yes, there's a difference. That difference being pertinent because seals are much more cute. /rant