Finding the right reference photos can sometimes be the biggest challenge of the drawing – they have to be interesting enough to look at, and high enough quality to capture all the detail. Fortunately this one was the perfect combination of the two as it captured the piercing gaze of the fox looking directly at the viewer, as well as enough detail for me to capture the image onto an A3 sheet of paper.
Given how rare sightings of foxes are, I was over the moon when I found this picture. Foxes are highly elusive as they hunt mostly at night, so seeing them in the daytime requires a lot of patience, and plenty of luck!
I began by drawing the eyes as, especially in this picture, they’re the main area of focus in the drawing and what people look at first. I wanted to capture the eyes properly and make sure they followed you from whichever angle you look at them from. From there I drew the face and ears, before moving down towards the body and legs.
Fun fact – the red fox is actually the UK’s only wild member of the dog family!
The original drawing is available to buy at Heart Gallery in Hebden Bridge, hand signed and locally framed in oak.