This week is all about teaching yourself how to draw something from memory. The idea here is to study an animal, identify its unique characteristics, break it down into simple shapes, then develop your own method for drawing that animal. It’s a process that can take time, so I’ve split each prompt across two days.

Here’s how it works:

First, learn about breaking down a subject into simple shapes and making sketches by watching the two tutorials I’ve linked below the prompts.

1. On “sketches” day, follow the tutorial steps to create a framework of how to draw that animal. Create a page of sketches of the animal.

2. On “final art” day, sketch the animal from memory if you can. You can look at a reference photo if needed, but try not to trace. The idea is to use the framework you created to draw the basic form. Finish your artwork with color however you’d like! Look to your reference photos for ideas about how to depict the details.

If you practice doing the above steps enough times, you’ll be able to start visualizing the basic shapes in your head, and you’ll be able to draw anything you see! It takes practice to teach your brain to see this way, but it’s essential to improving your drawing skills.

For this week, each of the animals I’ve chosen has a unique body shape from the others to allow you to try something new each time.
Since there is an odd number of days in a week, Sunday’s prompt consists of both sketches and final art based on what you’ve learned. Or you can skip it and keep working on one of the previous prompts.

One more thing:

I don’t expect that you’ll learn how to draw these animals from memory in one day. This is all about learning the process. 😊