Pencil illustration chipmunk

Easy

Chipmunks are cute and very smart. They got their name from the loud chip-sound they make in addition to a trilling. The beautiful striped coat structure makes it a great study object, because here you can practice crosshatching while drawing.

First, gently sketch your motif with a 2H degree of hardness pencil. Do not lose yourself too much in details. Work out the motif step by step.

Using a softer pencil (hardness grade B) gradually work the head out with dashed crosshatching. Always keep the incidence of light in mind and shade accordingly from shadow to light.

Using a 2B grade pencil, work out the darker areas of the chipmunk’s fur, i.e. the stripes on the back and tail, and the shadows, so that the pattern gradually gains depth.

With hardness grade 4B you now deepen the dark areas of your drawing, such as eyes or the shadow on the belly and feet. You can now work out the landscape around it and the wood structure of the tree trunk a bit further.

Finally, use the softest of the pencils (hardness 6B) to create the landscape, soil structure, tree bark and all deep shadows.

Little tip: A piece of paper that you place under your drawing hand will protect the areas that have already been worked out from smearing during the drawing process.
Good luck and have fun!