Animal Drawing: Giraffe

I have always liked giraffes, i got sketch them last summer when visiting the LA Zoo. The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal. Its specific name refers to its camel-like face and patches of color on a light background, which bear a vague resemblance to a leopard's spots. The giraffe is also noted for its extremely long neck and legs and prominent horns. It stands 5–6 m (16–20 ft) tall and has an average weight of 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) for males and 830 kg (1,800 lb) for females. Giraffe's have very high blood pressure to facilitate sending blood to its head.


Materials: Heavyweight drawing paper, sketching pencil, sharpie and your choice of materials to finish. I like to use chalk pastels when doing giraffes.

Step #1, Draw light guidelines across the center of the page and down the middle of the page. Draw the head, eyes, eyelashes (very long), nose, ears and horns (horns are soft and fuzzy)
Step #2: Draw the long neck and mane and the round body (notice how round the stomach is and how the rear end slopes down) that supports them.
Step #3: Draw the long slim legs and hoofs. Draw the tail.
Step #4: Time to add the spots and create the giraffe's environment. Be creative and have some fun.

Students used Canadian artist Robert Bateman for their inspiration of the giraffe. Bateman is a amazing wildlife artist.










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