Thanks, chloe. I need to practice more. I do better when drawing just grasses and rocks and putting in a few quail here and there.

Hi Phyllis,

Do you work from a photo when you draw? I have a B.A. in art but my drawings are no better than any 8 year old if I don't work from a model or photo. If you have a giraffe, even a toy one, stand it in front of you and instead of naming things as you draw them (such as legs, eyes, etc) concentrate on just the shapes of things and their relationship to all the other shapes. Include the negative shapes (like the space between the legs) in what you look at. Sometimes it helps to turn the subject upside down and draw it, that way you're just focusing on the shapes and not the "things".

There's a GREAT book about helping people to improve their drawing skills called "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain". I think it's by Betty Edwards, I highly recommend it and I used to use it to teach middle school kids to improve their drawing skills.

Also, the old cliche about artists painting their thumb is actually a good habit to get into. What they are doing is measuring things in their field of vision relative to other things, if you try that you may get a better sense of proportion to your subject, (if something is 1/2 a thumb tall it needs to be 1/2 the size of something that is a whole thumb tall).

Thanks for sharing your drawings, I love to see original art and I'm always thrilled to see adults who are still drawing!

Helen, thanks for the tips. I remember having to draw in art classes by turning the model picture upside down. I will try using the thumb measure tech next time. I am determined to draw an accurately proportioned giraffe! I love giraffes - they are so graceful.

Did anyone ever see that Discovery documentary where the host had visited some people who lived in Africa and they had the giraffes all over their yard (huge acreage) and the giraffes even came into the home? The house had huge arches and cathedral ceilings custom built especially so their "pets" could visit inside. It was so cute. I would love to find that show and watch it again. Their oldest and dearest giraffe pet was Geoffrey and he was so gentle. He would wake them up in the mornings by peeking in their bedroom window on the second floor.

OK, here's what I think -

longer neck
legs are ok
spots ok
the body needs to be shortened and sloped downward toward its tail. Giraffes' bodies aren't like a horse's body. The front legs are actually longer that the back legs.

If you take a look at some pictures of giraffes - one species has a pattern that is sort of block-y - that's a reticulated giraffe. There is another one with a pattern that looks leaf-life & that is a Masai giraffe.

Here's a page with some pictures... http://www.deer.rr.ualberta.ca/library/taxonomy/giraffe.html


BTW - I have a new addition to my giraffe collection. Lizzie went to DC this week and brough back a little giraffe magnet for me from the National Zoo. It's like a stuff animal with very little stuffing and has magnet in its belly & four feet so I can stick to things.

Great! Thanks for the picures and the tips, Jeanne! I appreciate that. The last picture will really be helpful.

I did not know there was such a thing as a "reticulated giraffe".

Bet your new giraffe is cute. One of my favorite pins is one I got from my sister (she sells pins and stuff in her home shop) is a mother giraffe and little one. It is so cute. I will see if I can get a picture of it on here for you.