Irish setters have a distinctive fur coat.
Irish setters are elegant dogs. They have a particularly soft fur that flows out from the body in wavy extensions. One of the main things to remember when drawing a dog's fur is that it must be done in layers. There are too many hairs to draw individually, so shading is used to create the illusion. By continuing to detail shaded and blended hair lines, you can achieve a realistic looking coat of hair on a dog like the Irish setter.
Instructions
1. Find some good quality images to use as a reference when drawing the Irish setter. Examine the images to familiarize yourself with the look of the dog. Use some close-up images to help you to detail certain areas, like the head. Select an image that shows a good side view of the Irish setter as a main reference. Put the images beside your drawing so that you can check back and forth from the image to the drawing as you work. Of course, if you have access to a real Irish setter, use it as a model.
2. Draw the outline of the legs, beginning in the front. Use fine short lines so that you can easily erase any mistakes along the way. Draw the front legs which are smooth at the front. Draw the back side with the hairs flowing beyond the legs toward the back. Continue with the chest, again using longer hair lines for the furry chest and continue up the neck to the head, looking sideways. Note how the hairs on the chest and neck are pointing forward, away from the body.
3. Draw long hair lines in a downward direction to continue the underside of the dog. Outline the hind legs which are smooth except at the back near the tail. Outline the paws, toes and claws. Draw the trail which is smooth on top with longer hair hanging down below like a curtain. Draw the back, including the hump above the hip and up along the back to the head.
4. Draw the eyes as small triangles pointing forward on either side of the muzzle. Draw the nose, including the nostrils below the eyes. Draw the line along the bottom of the muzzle and below the nose to indicate the mouth. Draw the ears so that the bottoms are almost level with the mouth line. Use longer hair lines to enhance the typical Irish setter look.
5. Shade the dark areas of the dog. Look where the light is coming from and use that as a guideline. Look for the highlights on the shiny fur of the setter. Use the eraser to keep these light to give it the look of sheen. Shade the face of the dog carefully. Keep the ears relatively light.
6. Blend the shading with a chamois as you work on the dog and redraw more detail in layers until it looks real. Make sure to rub the chamois in the direction of the musculature to show the contours and give the drawing some depth.
7. Draw shadows on the dog, on the underside at the back, for example. Finish the detailing by drawing small dots for whiskers.
Tags: Irish setter, hair lines, longer hair, which smooth, Draw back, drawing that