Chihuahuas are often called ‘the world’s sassiest dog’, ‘a giant dog stuffed into in a tiny body’ and ‘the most loyal dog you could wish to have’.
Without a doubt, they are an ideal fit for people who love a dog with plenty of personality. If you have a chi whose beauty you’d love to commemorate through art, why not do so by drawing him? A basic drawing of a dog can take just a few minutes to master, but you are not drawing just any dog; you are drawing your chi fur baby and that means honing in on the details – especially the eyes – so that those looking at your work will instantly recognize who it is.
Learning the Basics of a Dog’s Anatomy
Before working on your portrait of your chi, it pays to ace the basics of a dog’s anatomy. There are many online tools that show proportions of pets. To start off, draw three circles. The first and largest would represent the chest area.
The second (which should be slightly smaller) represents the rump area. The third circle (a bit above and to the left of the chest circle) represents the head. Its shape should be between spherical and square, to make room for the slight jutting out of the nose.
Next, draw the legs; the bag legs should jut out at more or less a 45º angle and the front legs should be almost perpendicular to the body; the leg that is further from you should be a little shorter, to reflect distance. Once you have this basic structure, proportions of the ears, eyes, nose etc. are far easier to master.
Personalization is All in the Details
Once you are confident about proportion and angle, you can start your portrait. A useful step for getting all the details right involves taking a high resolution photograph of your chi. This will enable you to apply white and lighter shades in the iris, to get the eyes just right.
It can help to ask a family member to put your pooch into the right angle while you take the shot. Use the image to look intently at particular areas of your dog’s fur, his toenails, tail, ears, etc. By observing the image in extra large size, you can really appreciate the different tonalities and you can color these in with crayons or colored pencils, or even paint over your drawing.
Scanning Your Drawing
Once you are pleased with your artwork, scanning is always a good idea. This will enable you to print your work in a larger size, gift it to friends, or use your drawing as a basis for Christmas cards or cards for other occasions.
To see how beautiful your cards can look, look up free online card templates; you can take your designs to a printer and ask them to print them out on thicker or thinner paper as required.
Thus, you might decide to make cute stationery from your drawing, or even print it out on a cushion or a gift item, such as a mug. Most photo shops offer this service at a small price.
Drawing your chi is easier than you imagined. The basics of proportion, perspective, and angle can be mastered in less than a day.
Once you are confident enough to tackle your final work, you can use a photograph to hone in on details. Finally, make sure to scan and store your work on the Cloud, and think of ways you can turn your drawing into new forms of art.
Here’s a great video on how to draw a realistic chihuahua: