It is a mistaken belief to isolate animal illustrations solely for children’s books or picture books, as the scope of this illustration style is vast one. Not only one can keep these drawings as a keepsake but also such artwork is widely recognized for branding purposes. You must have noticed that animal shapes and faces are often used in logos. That is so because animal figures and characteristics serve as a form of symbolism and representation to highlight the offerings of a certain brand.
Since the scope and demand of this illustration style are expanding over time, individuals and businesses are now looking for professional animal illustrators for hire. This conveys how illustration and design are becoming a lucrative profession so if you intend to opt for illustration as a profession, here is how you can start with animal illustration design:
Give them personality
Animated characters are not the only visuals that need to have a distinctive personality. Whether you are drawing an animal or a portrait, you have to incorporate a flair of significance into your character. This includes the gestures, posture and the expressions that are essential in completing the persona of the animal character.
Bring balance in color
Without color, your illustration will not be as expressive as you want it to be. Overuse of monochromic colors do not look good in an animal illustration but it is not recommended to fill in every little detail with color. If you make every single design object or element colorful then it will make the visual too complex to visually comprehend. Balance matters so either make your character colorful or focus on the background details by adding patterns and gradients.
Draft a rough sketch
While most illustrators have now begun to solely rely on design software and tools but you can only grasp the idea of what you intend to create if you sketch it in a hand-drawn manner. This will allow you to get a better grip on the character you are designing and it will not be time-consuming to make tweaks or further design changes as you will already have a draft of the illustration.
Add some movement
It is not set in stone that only animated visuals or motion graphics are supposed to have movement. Adding movement to your drawing can be done in static visuals as well. It takes practice but if you go through tutorials this step will become easier for you. You just have to analyze the anatomy and structure of the animal you are drawing. Watch videos to understand how they move or walk and then apply it to your illustration.
Select relevant shapes
The entire foundation of an animal illustration is based on the right use of shapes. However, that does not imply you choose one according to your preferences. The shape design you select needs to be relevant to what sort of animal you are drawing. Round yet delicate curves would befit a bear but a sharper line art would be better if you are drawing a lion. The aforementioned element of understanding the personality of the animal you are drawing is applied in the step of choosing the design shape.
Humanoid expressions
Shapes might be essential to give your animal character personality but that is not the only thing that can make your drawing expressive. The basis of illustration design is to convey your thoughts, story or message in the form of a visual, therefore; you have to keep the actual definition in mind when you are drawing an animal illustration. Give your character human-like expressions and gestures that seem relatable to the viewer. This does not only make the drawing more appealing but it also lets you build an emotional association with all of your viewers.
