Animal Illustration: The Essential Reference

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Today we're featuring a number of cute animal illustrations to encourage you to create beautiful animal-inspired projects. Animal Illustrations From Envato Elements In this example, on the other hand, the illustrations are simplified down to basic shapes, but the artist still manages to communicate some of the character and personality of the animals. The kangaroo with a baby in her pouch is particularly lovable. Australian Animal Illustration Set Vol. 2 (PSD, JPG, EPS) Using animals for self-reflection is common in many early cultures and the idea that our first metaphors were animal metaphors is not an unrealistic one. Exaggerating the actions of an animal to represent our own behaviour is now so common that we can barely distinguish between the traits that are inherent in animals and the ones that are assigned. Are doves typically more peaceful than other birds? Are foxes naturally sly? Are monkeys inherently cheeky?

Specializing in the portrayal of animals, the animal illustrator focuses on the anatomy, habits, and characteristics of animals.If you're an animal lover and are looking for cute animal illustrations to include in your designs, then you'll love this article. The impact of our industrialisation strongly affected our understanding of the animal world. To this day, most of us will never fully comprehend the scale of this transformation. The desire to marginalise brought us to a place where the only creatures we share our reality with are now typically domesticated, farmed or caged. While we might feel that we have a strong affinity with the animal world, our link to it has been warped, faded and distorted over time. Yet, despite all of this, animals remain. They persevere. They adapt. And perhaps, most encouragingly, they continue to inspire us. From vibrant colour to almost no colour at all. This illustration captures the bleak beauty of the Arctic wilderness. The polar bear is very simple, with no detail on the body itself, but it works very well as part of the larger composition. How to Create a Soft, Furry Kitten in Adobe Illustrator Having previously lived and worked on a farm for ten years and now being around our pets every day has given me the opportunity to study the shapes and sizes of many animals. This has led to me discovering little peculiarities that help me when visualising and creating illustrations of the many and varied animals I am commissioned to produce. So why choose me as your illustrator?

I hope this article has given you plenty of inspiration for your work as an illustrator, whether you're a beginner or more advanced. If you want to learn more about animal illustration, we have plenty of tutorials to help you. Here are some great places to start: This vector wild animals illustration is much more natural-looking than some of the others featured here. There's a lot more detail in the poses, and the artist has clearly done plenty of anatomical research to make sure the proportions are correct. A beautiful animal illustration. Old Animal Illustrations Engraving (AI, EPS, PNG, PSD) What better way to illustrate the concept of a dog trainer app than by showing a dog jumping through the phone itself? This creative approach, along with the striking colour scheme and the dog's dynamic pose, make this a very successful animal illustration. Animal Illustrations From Mixkit Animals run through so much of our visual culture that it is almost impossible to know where to begin. From our earliest cave paintings right through to our childhood bookshelves, they have been an endless source of inspiration to us. Yet while our fascination for them has always been constant, our relationship with them has changed significantly over time. Christianity, on the other hand, promotes the idea that God gave humanity the power to rule over animals. This belief guided much of the art and illustration in the West. While some religions chose to combine the features of animals and humans to symbolise a bond with the natural world, Christianity believed that God created humans to be superior to animals, and so these types of depictions rarely exist.

This may be offered as a T-shirt design template, but it clearly draws on old animal illustrations in a traditional watercolour style. It's a good example of how you can create a complex illustration in a single colour. T-Shirt Design Generator With Animal Print Illustration (PNG) How to Create a Curious Owl in Illustrator CS4 2. Create a Tiger Striped Cat with Illustrator 3. Create a Cute Panda Bear Face 4. Create a Super Happy Octopus Character 5. Create a greedy monkey 6. How To Draw a Cute Vector Dog Character in Illustrator With hundreds of free illustration tutorials published over more than a decade, of course Envato Tuts+ has covered its share of animal illustrations. Here are some highlights. How to Create a Llama Illustration in Adobe Illustrator Who says Halloween illustrations have to be scary? This is a great example of a creepy theme treated in a very non-creepy way. The illustration style transforms it from horror into something very kid-friendly. Phone Case Design Template With Cute Animal Illustrations (PNG) As a recognised animal illustrator, Sarah loves nothing better than working on creating unique and quirky images of all types of furry friends. So, whether it’s for a birthday present or a way of preserving a very special memory, we can help!

GraphicRiver is another option for finding creative animal illustrations. Here are some of the best options available: Vector Set of Cute Fish Illustration (PNG, JPG, EPS) Here are some more vintage animal illustrations based on the engraving style found in old books and manuals. It's great to see contemporary vector illustration techniques being applied to recreate styles from a bygone era. Animal Illustration Art Examples From Placeit Many of today's misconceptions about animals stem from the myths, legends, fables and folklore of our past. Tales like those collected in Aesop’s Fables (c. 600BCE) have become so ingrained in the way that we think about them that we often misinterpret human traits as part of an animal's true nature. In reality, animals are far more complex than the over-simplifications we give them. Creatures like snakes, spiders and bats are often portrayed as monstrous simply because of their appearance – while "cute" creatures like frogs, cats and rabbits are often seen as non-threatening. This anthropomorphising can frequently be unrelated to an animal's true behaviour – and yet it shapes the way we think about them all the time. The central medallion of a Greek drinking cup (kylix) depicting Aesop with a Fox (c. 470BCE). The fox is probably a reference to the fable of The Fox and the Grapes. Source: Wikimedia Commons For our third selection, we're turning our attention to the natural world. Here, we will look at some examples of where illustrators have used animals as sources for inspiration, investigation, and storytelling. In this introduction, we will look at how animals have appeared throughout history and get a general overview of how customs, cultures and beliefs have shaped the work of image-makers. Hanson’s illustrations aren’t just cute; they also tell narratives of friendship and love. In one image, a tiny mouse and a bumblebee have a picnic using an acorn as a teapot. And in another, a donkey waits patiently for a butterfly to hatch from its cocoon. Hanson even illustrated a kid’s book titled Hugo and the Impossible Thingwhich tells the story of a brave little dog named Hugo and his animal friends.

Animal Illustrations From GraphicRiver

Yet this period was also a time of immense change. When the Industrial Revolution emerged in the eighteenth century, the Western world began to transform at a scale never seen before. By the time we entered the 1800s, we were so affected by the changes brought by industrialisation that we had our understanding of the natural world completely redefined. This shift irreversibly changed our relationship with animals. So, if your desire is to have a massive canvas of your pet dog or a tiny portrait of your favourite goldfish, we can help! In our prehistoric days, animals were something we lived alongside. We hunted them; we ate them; we wore them as clothes. They were central to nearly everything we did, and our cave paintings reflect that. Our prehistoric ancestors were fascinated by animals and eager to create representational depictions of them. A painting in the cave at Lascaux, France (c. 15,000 BCE) depicting a cow and a horse. Source: France.com While many use a representational style of rendering animals, others crossover as children’s book illustrators like Helen Beatrix Potter, natural scientist and conservationist, known for her children’s book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. And here's a more traditional, realistic digital painting of a dog in a Santa hat. The dog's tilted head, panting tongue, and loving expression make it irresistible. Animal Illustrations From GraphicRiver

Looking for cool animal art? Animals are a popular choice for greeting cards, and this cute animal illustration is perfect. It's a really festive, feel-good illustration to get people in the party mood. This is pretty much what cute animal art should look like. Vintage Animal Illustrations (AI, EPS, PNG, SVG)If you think these old animal illustrations have the feeling of vintage engravings, that's because they were sourced from engravings in old books. There's so much detail in these beautiful animal illustrations, so much realism, and so much dynamism in the poses. Cute Animal Illustrations (AI, EPS, PNG) If an animal was to be celebrated within Medieval culture, then it was normally a mythological one. Creatures like unicorns, gryphons, basilisks and dragons form many of the legends of the time – with tales typically featuring a brave knight who does battle against a symbol of power to win victory for mankind. Hunting unicorns is a common theme in medieval art and literature. This tapestry is called 'The Unicorn is Found', and it comes from a series of seven tapestries known as The Hunt of the Unicorn (c. 1491–1505). Source: Wikipedia Artist Sydney Hanson creates adorable animal illustrations for children's books. Each cute critter has a charming personality. It’s impossible not to go “aww” when scrolling through her portfolio. So, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned artist looking to improve your skills, this comprehensive collection of tutorials and resources is the perfect place to start your journey towards creating stunning animal illustrations. Envato Elements hosts thousands of animal illustration inspiration and other great resources for artists and designers. Here are some of the best. Cute Animal Illustrations on the Ice (EPS, JPG)