I’ve been neglecting my human figure drawing studies, but it just so happened I had an opportunity to visit Zoo Atlanta. And what could be better than animal studies!
The weekend crowds were bustling but I was still able to find little corners where I could stand with my sketchbook and observe the animals. I found the railings to be the perfect height to rest my sketchbook on! Every now and then someone would compliment my drawings which was also nice >3<
First stop, the southern white rhinoceros! Looked like this one was still eating breakfast so I was able to get a few good sketches in. I really liked studying their sturdy legs.
Birds are generally super fast and challenging to capture! A few of them stood still long enough for me to get a good sketch, but most of them were constantly zipping about.
While the giant pandas had left Zoo Atlanta, I really was looking forward to their red pandas! When I arrived, most of them were hiding except this one snoozing up close in the tree! This red panda was so cute I just had to take a photo to document this feat of comfortable balance. I really wanted to convey their smooshness in my sketches.
Realizing that sleeping animals were excellent for long pose studies, I was happy to find the lions lounging on their rock and settled in for a good sketch. The lions did move a little in their sleep, reminding me of my own cats, but not too much! The distance did mean I had to squint a lot to try and capture details, haha, another challenge that zoo drawing offers.
Lastly, I came around to the elephants! I was expecting them to stand still like the rhinos, but they were actually quite active, walking around from feeding bin to bin in search of more hay. As large creatures, they still moved slowly enough that their constant movement made for great gesture studies. I really wanted to observe how their legs held up their massive forms so gracefully!
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