How to Draw from Photographs

Understanding the Subject’s Context

Creating a realistic drawing is about more than proportion and perspective. You could have a perfectly rendered polar bear with exact anatomy and detail—but if you place it on a beach, the viewer isn’t going to find a lot of believability in your portrait! That’s why it’s important to understand the context of your subject, whether it’s an object, a person, or an animal, like the Crab-Eating Macque that’s the focus of this lesson.

Doing Your Homework Zoos are a great place to observe animals, because the keepers ...