The art of
Robert Louis Caldwell
Robert Louis Caldwell
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Draw Realistic Animals
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In the instructional book “Draw Realistic Animals: Wildlife, Pets & More,” Robert takes you step-by-step through 12 drawings. He works through a variety of animal textures, including the fur of a colobus monkey, the distinctive markings of a vulture and the complex arrangement of scales adorning the Red-headed Agama. He also demonstrates how to draw animals in different habitats, from a dog curled up on the sofa, to a chickadee perched on a branch decked out with holiday lights to elephants in the African bush.
Robert’s work is meticulously drawn, and they are planned out well in advance of the first pencil touching paper. In his book, he imparts the all-important fundamentals of drawing, including drawing materials, reference materials, transferring your sketch and the most important part of art, composition.
Robert’s work is meticulously drawn, and they are planned out well in advance of the first pencil touching paper. In his book, he imparts the all-important fundamentals of drawing, including drawing materials, reference materials, transferring your sketch and the most important part of art, composition.
Robert’s method of drawing is known as “continuous tone,” which he accomplishes by layering his graphite, starting from the lightest pencil and working his way up to the darker pencils. This layering technique establishes rich, solid tonal masses creating a great contrast and depth in his work that makes his drawings come to life.
As you read through this book, you will come to learn how important patience and your internal voice are (as well as a continued sharp pencil) to creating highly detailed drawings of animals.
The foreword in Robert’s book is written by Terry Miller, a highly acclaimed graphite artist, a master in pictorial composition and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s 2013 Birds in Art Master Artist. Terry has been friend and a mentor of Robert’s since they first met at the 2007 Birds in Art Exhibition, and Robert was very honored that Terry agreed to write the foreword to his book.
“Much to my personal liking, as it is the method with which I have developed my approach to graphite drawing over the years, Robert details the technique of layering to build up darks and develop dimension and depth in a drawing and, closing out the first part of the book, he touches upon what I feel is of most importance in structuring a fine drawing — the well-established principles of compositional design. Including ideas such as contrast, movement and rhythm, he discusses those principles along with the others noted in the text, applying them to initial studies and sketches and, moving them into more finalized contour drawings, he shows how to prepare to start work on a finished drawing.” ~Terry Miller
As you read through this book, you will come to learn how important patience and your internal voice are (as well as a continued sharp pencil) to creating highly detailed drawings of animals.
The foreword in Robert’s book is written by Terry Miller, a highly acclaimed graphite artist, a master in pictorial composition and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s 2013 Birds in Art Master Artist. Terry has been friend and a mentor of Robert’s since they first met at the 2007 Birds in Art Exhibition, and Robert was very honored that Terry agreed to write the foreword to his book.
“Much to my personal liking, as it is the method with which I have developed my approach to graphite drawing over the years, Robert details the technique of layering to build up darks and develop dimension and depth in a drawing and, closing out the first part of the book, he touches upon what I feel is of most importance in structuring a fine drawing — the well-established principles of compositional design. Including ideas such as contrast, movement and rhythm, he discusses those principles along with the others noted in the text, applying them to initial studies and sketches and, moving them into more finalized contour drawings, he shows how to prepare to start work on a finished drawing.” ~Terry Miller