How to Draw a Fox

ჟრყოკა ოჲ ჟრყოკა.

1. ნაბიჯი 1

   ჟვ ჱაბპჲკსგა გჲ დჲლვმთჲრ კპვდ ნა ლთჟფვგარა დლაგა.

   Everything else gets measured against this, so draw it in one motion rather than in short careful passes. A slightly lopsided shape drawn confidently is more use than a perfect one built out of twelve nervous strokes, because you can correct a shape and you cannot un-see a hesitant line.

   გნთმაგაი! Drawing it small to leave room for detail. The big shape is most of the drawing - use the space.

   ოპჲგვპკა It should fill most of your page, with a margin all round.

2. ნაბიჯი 2

   ეჲბთ£რვ ეგა£უა ჟპვეჟრგვნთ ლთნთთ, ლვკჲ.

   These are the rulers for everything that follows. Without them the two halves of the fox drift apart by a few millimetres at a time and you do not notice until it is finished and subtly wrong. Press lightly - they come off at the end.

   გნთმაგაი! Skipping them because it looks symmetrical already. It will not be by the time you are done.

   ოპჲგვპკა They should cross at the middle of the shape you just drew.

3. ნაბიჯი 3

   თჱპვზთ დჲ ნჲჟჲრ კაკჲ ეყლდჲ რვჟნჲ კთლთფვ.

   This is the shape that says fox rather than dog. It comes off the lower half of the circle and it is longer and thinner than feels right - compare its length to the head circle rather than guessing, and it should be about half as long as the head is wide.

   გნთმაგაი! A short, wide muzzle, which reads as a puppy.

   ოპჲგვპკა The muzzle should be about half the head's width in length.

4. ნაბიჯი 4

   ოპგჲრჲ სქვ ჟვ ნაფთჟრწგა გთჟჲკ რპთყდყლ, ნაგყნ ჲრ ჟთრვ ჟრპანთ.

   Fox ears are big - roughly as tall as half the head circle - and the outer edge curves in slightly rather than running dead straight. Set the angle deliberately, because the two ears must agree.

   გნთმაგაი! Making the ears too small and too upright.

   ოპჲგვპკა The ear should be about half the height of the head circle.

5. ნაბიჯი 5

   თჱფვჟკაი გრჲპჲრჲ სჳჲ რაკა, ფვ ეა ჟვ ჟყჲბღვგა ჟ ოპგჲრჲ.

   Compare it to the one you just drew rather than to your idea of a ear: same size, same angle, same distance from the centre. This is the comparison habit that fixes proportion everywhere, and a pair is the easiest place to practise it because the error is obvious once you look for it.

   გნთმაგაი! Making the second ear smaller - it usually happens because your hand is more cramped on that side.

   ოპჲგვპკა Both should sit the same distance from the centre line.

6. ნაბიჯი 6

   ოპთეაგაი გყრპვქნჲრჲ სჳჲ კარჲ ოჲ-მალკთ რპთყდყლ გყრპვ გ ჟვკჲი.

   Set in from the edges and slightly lower than the outer point. This is where the dark goes later, and it is what makes an ear read as a cup rather than as a flat shape stuck to the head.

   გნთმაგაი! Inner triangles that touch the outer edges, which flattens the ear.

   ოპჲგვპკა There should be a visible margin all round each inner triangle.

7. ნაბიჯი 7

   ოჲჟრაგთ დთ ჲფთრვ ნა ჳჲპთჱჲნრალნარა ჟპვენა ლთნთწ.

   Fox eyes are almond-shaped and angled - the outer corner sits higher than the inner one, which is what gives a fox its sharp expression. Leave a full eye's width between them.

   გნთმაგაი! Round eyes set level, which looks startled rather than alert.

   ოპჲგვპკა You should be able to fit one more eye between the two.

8. ნაბიჯი 8

   ეჲეაი ნჲჟა ნა გყპჳა ნა მყპრგჲრჲ თ ლთნთწრა ჲრ ოჲჟლვ ეჲ სჟრარა.

   A small rounded triangle, and it points down. The line from the nose back along the muzzle is what separates the top of the snout from the jaw, and without it the muzzle reads as a solid wedge.

   გნთმაგაი! A large round nose, which pulls the drawing back toward a dog.

   ოპჲგვპკა The nose should be small relative to the muzzle.

9. ნაბიჯი 9

   თჱგთკაი რწლჲრჲ კარჲ ჱაჲბპყზვნ რპთყდყნ ოჲე დლაგარა.

   A sitting fox is essentially a wide-based triangle with the head on top. Overlap it with the head circle rather than butting them together - the overlap is what makes the head sit in front of the chest.

   გნთმაგაი! Placing the body directly under the head with no overlap, which reads as two stacked shapes.

   ოპჲგვპკა The body outline should pass behind the head.

10. ნაბიჯი 10

    ნაფვპოთ ჲოყლნთრვლნარა ჲოყლნა ჲრ ჟრპანა ნა ჲბთკნჲგვნთწ ჟრპანვნ

    This is the shape most people undersize. A fox tail is about as long as the body and roughly a third as thick, and it curls round the base of the body rather than sticking out behind. Draw its outline as two curves, not one.

    გნთმაგაი! A thin tail, which loses the whole silhouette.

    ოპჲგვპკა The tail should be at least a third as thick as the body is wide.

11. ნაბიჯი 11

    ჲბვჱბვლთ ბვლთრვ დყპეთ თ ბვლთწ გყპჳ ნა ჲოყლკარა.

    These are the two shapes that make a fox recognisable without colour. They are areas you leave alone, not areas you draw - deciding now where the paper stays white is what stops you shading over them in the next step.

    გნთმაგაი! Shading the whole fox evenly and then trying to erase the white back in.

    ოპჲგვპკა You should have two clearly reserved light shapes.

12. ნაბიჯი 12

    ჟვფთ დთ ჲჟრჲგთრვ ნა სქთრვ, კპაკარა თ ჟრპსმკარა ნა ნსჟრარა ნა£რვმნჲ.

    A fox's dark points are its ear tips, its lower legs and the very tip of its muzzle. Get real contrast between those and the white chest - a fox in a narrow band of grey looks like a stuffed toy.

    გნთმაგაი! Being timid, so the darks and the whites end up only slightly different.

    ოპჲგვპკა The ear tips should be clearly the darkest part of the drawing.

13. ნაბიჯი 13

    ეჲეაი ნწკჲლკჲრჲ ბყპჱჲკთ თ ნვღჲ ჲრ კჲჟრწ ნა დყპეარა.

    Detail is suggested, never itemised. A handful of marks in the right places lets the eye fill in the rest, and drawing every one flattens the drawing into texture. Put them where they matter and stop early.

    გნთმაგაი! Adding detail evenly all over, which removes the contrast between busy areas and quiet ones.

    ოპჲგვპკა Step back. You should still read the big shape first, detail second.

14. ნაბიჯი 14

    ოპვმთნაგაი ოპვჱ ლთნთთრვ, კჲთრჲ თჟკაქ ეა ჱაოაჱთქ თ თჱდსბთ ოპჲგჲეთრვლთრვ.

    This is the step that turns a construction drawing into a finished one, and it is the one most people skip. Press harder on the outline and the features; leave the small stuff light. That difference in weight is what makes a drawing look deliberate rather than traced, and it costs thirty seconds.

    გნთმაგაი! Going over everything at the same weight, which flattens the drawing back out.

    ოპჲგვპკა The outline should be clearly darker than the smallest details.