Drawing at the zoo can be a rewarding experience for both the novice sketcher and the accomplished artist. Speed sketching animals is a good way to hone your skills and train your eye to capture all creatures in motion. The zoo offers a wide variety of species, and therefore provides a chance to render scale changes and differing volumetric forms from animal to animal. You can draw things as small as lizards or as big as elephants.
1. Plan in Advance
(cc - noderiv, attr) Courtesy Michael Lehet
2. BYO Chair
Invest in a small, light-weight, collapsible stool. There will almost never be a place to sit exactly where you want to be, so this makes choosing an interesting vantage point much more accommodating3. Organize a Slimmed-Down Kit
(cc) Courtesy Jonti Bolles
4. Plan Your Materials
It's easier to keep your kit slimmed down if you think about the medium and types of corresponding papers BEFORE leaving the house. Maybe today you just want to start with some quick charcoal sketches on newsprint, then move to a few longer drawings in pencil on a medium weight paper, and finish up with watercolor sketches on watercolor paper
5. Start Bright and Early
(cc) Courtesy Alan Cleaver
Get to the zoo early. The animals are generally fed in the morning, so they are out and fully visible. Some animals, like Jaguars are nocturnal or, more specifically, crepuscular - operating at dawn and dusk, so early hours are best to view them. Also by getting to the zoo early you can avoid school tours. Kids are cute, but they ALWAYS want to see what you’re working on, and this can be a bit distracting.
