5 Quick Checks to Improve Animal Proportions
Simple Ways to Check Your Animal Drawing Proportions
Have you ever looked at your animal portrait and thought, “Something doesn’t look quite right…” but you couldn’t figure out exactly what it was?
Very often, it comes down to proportions.
When drawing animals with pastel pencils, even a small difference in the position or size of a feature can change the whole expression of the animal.
That’s why I like to check proportions several times while I’m drawing instead of waiting until the portrait is almost finished.
A few quick checks can help you notice little problems early, when they are still much easier to correct.
Here are five simple things you can try in your next animal portrait.
1. STEP BACK OFTEN
Take regular breaks and view your drawing from a distance—it helps you spot uneven eyes, legs, or head shapes more clearly.
When you work closely on one area for a long time, it can become difficult to see the whole portrait.
Stepping back gives your eyes a fresh view.
2. FLIP YOUR DRAWING HORIZONTALLY
Hold your paper up to a mirror or flip your photo reference digitally. Mistakes stand out more when the image is reversed!
This is a simple way to look at your drawing with fresh eyes.
You may suddenly notice something you didn’t see before.
3. CHECK LANDMARK DISTANCES
Measure key points like eye-to-nose distance or ear height. Compare them to your reference to stay accurate.
These little measurements can help you understand whether important features are in the correct position.
You don’t need to measure everything—focus on the main landmarks.
4. USE A GRID OR GUIDELINE
A light grid or simple centerline can help keep everything aligned, especially with tricky angles.
Guidelines give you something to compare your shapes and positions against.
Keep them light so they are easy to remove or cover later.
4. COMPARE NEGATIVE SPACE
Look at the shapes around the animal (like space between ears or under the chin). If the negative shapes are off, the proportions probably are too.
Instead of always looking directly at the animal, look at the empty spaces around it.
Those shapes can tell you a lot about whether your proportions are correct.
Final thought:
Better proportions often come from simply checking your work as you go.
Step back, flip your drawing, compare important distances, use guidelines, and look at the negative spaces. These small checks can help you catch mistakes early and create more realistic animal portraits with pastel pencils.
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