Red squirrel
This sketch of a red squirrel uses the layered results of drybrush and the di cult-to-control marks from drawing with a feather. To get a little more de nition to the limbs, a stick was used to create lines with a variable thickness, to represent the texture of fur. Longer sweeping marks for the fur of the tail were created using a feather.
Drawing with a shaped cane
The end of this cane has been trimmed into a wedge shape using a blade. When drawing with a shaped cane, it can be twisted onto its narrow side to make thin marks, or broad side to make thicker ones. Try carving di erent shapes, such as angled tips or chevron shapes that draw two lines at once. Canes tend not to pick up a lot of ink on the tip and tend to work best when dipped in deeper ink so it can ow down.
Gritty textures in dry brush
Drybrush is a technique that works well for producing gritty, directional texture. To do this, select a splayed, worn brush – hog hair works well – and dip it in ink. Dab out any excess ink using a cloth or paper towel so the brush is quite dry. It should feel quite scratchy when drawn with. Here, a wider brush was used for the bulk of the fur and a small round brush was used around the ears.
Creating splatter e ects
This splatter texture on the bark was created by dragging a piece of sti card over a toothbrush laden with ink. When doing this, remember to mask o the rest of the image, as the ink is liable to go everywhere otherwise. This technique can be very messy, but it is an excellent way of producing a random texture and breaking up even areas of colour.
Long fur textures
The long strands in the tail were created using a feather dipped in ink. Carefully dragging the tip of the feather over the paper creates long uid marks reminiscent of the long strands of fur present in the tail. Whilst it isn’t possible to draw every single strand of hair, it is important to think about the growth pattern, and the texture; as the tail hairs are quite long, it is relatively wavy compared to the rest of the fur.